Welcome to Ukraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/LdFhrzwn2m
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 20, 2022
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!
I held another meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today. The main points of the agenda are quite obvious – the protection of our skies from enemy missiles and drones, the protection of infrastructure facilities, the destruction of the positions of the occupiers, the advancement of our forces and everything necessary to support the army. Military, intelligence, ministers delivered reports.
Every day we are bringing the results Ukraine needs both on the ground and in the air. We are also working on the necessary results at sea.
The situation around the Export Grain Initiative is becoming more and more tense these weeks. The enemy is doing everything to slow down our food exports. I believe that with these actions, Russia is deliberately inciting the food crisis so that it becomes as acute as it was in the first half of this year.
Today, more than 150 ships are in the queue to fulfill contractual obligations for the supply of our agricultural products. This is an artificial queue. It arose only because Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of ships.
Every day that ships with food spend in the queue means an increase in social and political tension in the countries that consume our agricultural products. Here are just some of the states to which food exports are delayed due to Russia: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia. Our partners – the UN, Türkiye and others are fully informed about this situation.
During the operation of our grain initiative, due to the Russian slowdown, we under-exported about 3 million tons of food. This is the annual volume of consumption for 10 million people.
Russia is doing everything to ensure that at least hundreds of thousands of these people become forced migrants who will seek asylum in the same Türkiye or EU countries, or die of hunger. And we, together with our partners, must do everything so that the grain initiative is not only preserved, but also works at 100% capacity.
The right to food and to life without hunger are fundamental rights for absolutely every person on earth. And that is why Russian attempts to exacerbate the food crisis are also aggression against every person on earth.
I held a meeting today with representatives of the U.S. Congress who arrived in Kyiv. I thanked them for their continued bipartisan support and for the tremendously powerful things America is doing to help us protect freedom. We discussed the key issue for today – anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. We also talked about financial support, about our political interaction, about what new anti-European and anti-democratic steps to expect from Russia and its accomplices in terror. We touched upon the topic of Iranian supplies for Russian terror.
Today, this terror against our infrastructure, against our energy will be discussed by the UN Security Council. The meeting is convened at the request of our state and will take place at 10:00 p.m.
I met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. I thanked her for the help and informed about our new needs that have arisen due to the Russian terror. The EBRD is already providing financial support to Ukrenergo, and has all the data on what steps we need to take to restore energy and social facilities, to build housing for Ukrainians.
We agreed upon positions on the eve of the Conference on the reconstruction of our state, which is to be held in Germany on October 25.
Today, during the day, an air alert was announced in most regions of Ukraine. There are new downings of drones and enemy aircraft.
Active hostilities continue in the east and south of Ukraine. Our Armed Forces retain the initiative.
Today I want to commend the fighters of the 25th separate airborne brigade for their skillful and thoughtful actions in destroying the enemy in the eastern direction.
I am also thankful to the warriors of the 60th separate infantry brigade, whose units are showing good results in the Kherson region. Only since the beginning of October, the fighters of this brigade “trophied” more than 30 units of Russian armored vehicles, a thousand projectiles for tanks and three “Giatsint” cannons. All these weapons will definitely help liberate our land.
I am also grateful to the fighters of the 59th separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakov Handziuk. This week, the boys showed excellent results in destroying enemy equipment and ammunition.
I also thank the warriors of the 35th separate marine brigade named after Rear-Admiral Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi for their steadfastness in the defense of the regained frontiers.
And one more thing. Today, the government made an important decision that affects tens of thousands of Ukrainian students. Those whose home is in the temporarily occupied territory or in the areas near the front, as well as children of fallen defenders of Ukraine, family members of combatants. All of them will be transferred from the contractual form of education to the budgetary one in our universities and colleges. Details of this decision should be made public by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
I thank everyone who fights and works for our country!
Thank you to everyone who brings Ukraine’s victory closer!
Glory to our best people!
Glory to Ukraine!
Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s most recent analysis of the situations in Kherson and at the Nova Khakovka Dam:
KHERSON/ 1315 UTC 21 OCT/ UKR reports generalized contact on Forward Edge of Battle Area (FEBA). 2,000 RU replacement troops have been deployed to Kherson. UKR air defense reports 85% interception rate of Shaheed-136s in last two week period. pic.twitter.com/jMmmG7PQvC
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) October 21, 2022
WHY THEY WON’T: Russia claims to have mined the hydro-electric complex at Nova Kakhovka– threatening an epic flood. Here’s why blowing the dam would be Moscow's biggest mistake of the entire war. With special thanks to @NickDM pic.twitter.com/4E5v6PGZej
— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) October 21, 2022
Ukraine on the attack:
Ukrainians being very savvy again: hit a barge close to shore so when it flooded it sank 1-2 meters and then settled on the riverbed. Now the russians have to lift and remove or patch up that barge. That will take days and the cranes the russians will use are juicy targets. https://t.co/csoxbGk5YT
— Thomas C. Theiner (@noclador) October 21, 2022
Ukraine on air defense from 18 OCT:
Clearer video of a Russian cruise missile being intercepted and destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses over the city of Zaporizhzhya. pic.twitter.com/J4cqzp81nB
— Euan MacDonald (@Euan_MacDonald) October 21, 2022
If you feel like chipping in, here’s the link:
OOPS! Sorry for the typo in the link…
Actual link: https://t.co/R2AfzozRf2 🇺🇦— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) October 20, 2022
Putin appears to have gotten out for a little target practice:
Putin has emerged from his bunker to inspect troops and their winter gear, and to have a go at the firing range. Notice they don’t show the target, just the shot. https://t.co/Tx2VD9MLDc
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 20, 2022
I’ve seen a report from a source I consider problematic that Putin’s guards killed a conscript at this shooting range who got too close to Putin. I’ll keep an eye out for it to be reported by a source I consider more reliable. If I find something, I’ll update.
Our Starlink Snowflake is having quite the day:
Rather unfortunate thread for the guy who controls the switch for the comms platform Ukraine is using to reclaim its territory. https://t.co/YIkGADDS8p
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 21, 2022
Josh Marshall gets to the heart of the problem: we don’t know who is actually funding Musk’s endeavors. (emphasis mine)
Bloomberg reports that administration officials are for the first time considering national security reviews of Elon Musk’s increasingly international-man-of-mystery business deals stretching from Silicon Valley to Crimea. The specifics turn on the effort to buy Twitter, now with what appears to be an opaque group of foreign investors as well as his on-again, off-again hints that he might block access to his StarLink telecommunications system over Ukraine.
Of course all of this is playing out with the backdrop of his increasingly pro-Russian comments about the war in Ukraine.
As I mentioned above, Musk seems increasingly reliant on foreign investors — especially from the Gulf, and possibly Russia-aligned oligarchs. It would be ironic if the U.S. stepped in to scuttle the deal since that would likely be great news for Musk. He’s paying multiples over the company’s real value.
This makes Musk a significant threat to US national security. He’s overextended his liquidity with his attempt to buy Twitter. This puts the rest of his fortune at risk, because it puts the stock value of his other companies at risk. Which raises concerns given SpaceX’s government contracts.
The Financial Times has a great article about art, specifically sketches, being produced by the Ukrainians during their defense against Russia’s re-invasion. The art is embedded in the article at the link, so take a moment and click across and give it a read.
Leto sent me this link to a great animated graphic at Imgur of earth’s submarine fiber optic cable network:
World Central Kitchen’s Nate Mook is doing amazing work on behalf of Ukraine’s animals:
If you want to support efforts to help pets in eastern Ukraine, here’s a link (and more details in the thread). Thank you! 🙏 https://t.co/Yn5sKZ3pEL
— Nate Mook (@natemook) October 21, 2022
A few of the #CatsOfUkraine I met today! 🐱🇺🇦 That’s Sviatohirsk Monastery—and the rubble of the bridge. Access to here and cities like Lyman, Bakhmut & Izium is limited, so there are only a few volunteers like my friends Katya & Sergiy helping the pets. I asked what we can do.👇 pic.twitter.com/RyxCK7gxxv
— Nate Mook (@natemook) October 16, 2022
100% of everything donated will go to this work in eastern Ukraine. Katya has a local NGO called Hachiko, named after the famously loyal Akita. Just tonight, another volunteer, Oksana, arrived to Kramatorsk with a dog she evacuated from the front. So grateful for any support! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/PQplFZYpxJ
— Nate Mook (@natemook) October 16, 2022
If you’re inclined, you know what to do.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
For newcomers, Chernihiv is the city where I live and work. And Chernigiv region is also one of the most mined regions of Ukraine.
— Patron (@PatronDsns) October 21, 2022
And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:
@patron__dsns Приймаю ваші привітання у коментарях!😊 #песпатрон #патрондснс
The caption machine translates as:
I accept your greetings in the comments!😊 #PatrontheDog #PatronDSNS
Open thread!
randal m sexton
Thanks for these updates. Very useful. Im paying attention. Also, Frist ??????
Alison Rose
I HATE ELON MUSK.
If I had a lot of money, I would hire someone to go punch him in the face. Repeatedly. On camera.
I’m gonna take a wild guess that the atmosphere when putin visits troops vs when Zelenskyy does is sliiiiightly different. I mean, fuck the russian troops, most of them support him, but just saying, I’m guessing they don’t have chill chats and jokes and such.
Seeing those doggies lined up waiting for their food made me smile. WHO ARE GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS?
Thank you as always, Adam.
(Also I’m gonna need the Defense of Ukraine account to make a video with troops getting their gear on while Vigilante Shit from Taylor’s new album plays. “They say looks can kill and I might try / I don’t dress for women / I don’t dress for men / Lately I’ve been dressing for revenge / I don’t start shit but I can tell you how it ends / Don’t get sad, get even”)
Steve in the ATL
@randal m sexton: don’t do that.
Jimmm
Indeed… thanks, Adam. These updates are invaluable.
Steve in the ATL
This is so unfair to mediocre Ukrainians.
zhena gogolia
@Steve in the ATL: Roman Hruska sounds suspiciously Ukrainian.
Alison Rose
@Steve in the ATL: A mediocre Ukrainian is worth 100 of the best russian.
Gin & Tonic
@Steve in the ATL: There are none.
NutmegAgain
I’m curious to know who the Congress critters are who went to Ukraine. If anyone catches tweets or other PR from them it would be interesting to see the link.
And of course the animal rescue work has me completely gaga. The dogs in line! The people rescuing animals under showers of bombs! what a place, really.
Thanks for all this, Adam.
randal m sexton
@Steve in the ATL: ooops. did i ignorantly violate some norm? if so, i flop on my belly and cry peccavi peccavi.
Alison Rose
@NutmegAgain: It was Mike Turner (R-OH I believe), James Himes (D-CT) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Alison Rose
@randal m sexton: I think it’s just that doing the “first” thing on these posts feels a little inappropriate.
zhena gogolia
@NutmegAgain: Asshole Mike Turner, but good for him.
https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/just-in-rep-turner-visits-ukraine-meets-zelensky/FNMVBEHYDJGIPEQSTB2V5MTRBA/
zhena gogolia
@Alison Rose: Oh, good, Himes and Swalwell are excellent.
ETA: It’s kind of funny because I’ve never heard him called “James Himes” as opposed to “Jim Himes.”
OverTwistWillie
Slava Ukraini
zhena gogolia
Like I said, asshole.
OverTwistWillie
@zhena gogolia:
They are supporting Iran.
zhena gogolia
@OverTwistWillie: Himes and Swalwell?
Torrey
Since I got to the last thread very late, I wanted to repeat here my thanks to Gin & Tonic and dr. luba for their help with the Ukrainian language question.
Geminid
@Alison Rose: Mediocre people are always at their best!
NutmegAgain
@Alison Rose: thanks~
Steeplejack
@Geminid:
Someone reminded me of a quote from my late father this week: “If the minimum wasn’t good enough, they wouldn’t call it the minimum.” – Dad Steep 😹
Anonymous At Work
The analysis of why Putin won’t blow the dam and flood out Kherson region seems solid but I did want to challenge one thing: If Ukraine reclaims control over the dam and water pipes, why would they continue to send water to Crimea? And if that is up for discussion, what does Putin have to lose?
Alison Rose
@zhena gogolia: LOL yeah, I was going by memory from Zelenskyy’s post, and then after I commented, I was like……..wait isn’t he called Jim?
phdesmond
@randal m sexton:
that reminds me of the anecdote about British General Sir Charles James Napier. Napier was supposed to have despatched to his superiors the short, notable message, “Peccavi”, the Latin for “I have sinned” (which was a pun on I have Sindh). This pun appeared under the title ‘Foreign Affairs’ in Punch magazine on 18 May 1844.
Carlo Graziani
@Steve in the ATL: You are channelling Nichols and May.
WaterGirl
@randal m sexton: Some people think that’s fun, others find it silly and childish and really annoying.
Carlo Graziani
@Anonymous At Work: The Ukrainians have consistently fought this war with an eye on the appearances, beleving—quite correctly—that if they should resort to the kinds of civilian-damaging tactics that the Russians engage in so enthusiastically, they could easily lose their Western support. A threat to the water supply of the entire Crimean peninsula would clearly be a no-go for them.
Martin
@Anonymous At Work: Yeah, I agree there’s a disconnect here. The argument seems to presume there’s an outcome that benefits Putin. I don’t think there is one. The dam has no material benefit to Putin, but it could constitute a liability to Ukraine. Its only utility to Putin is as a liability to Ukraine.
Martin
@Carlo Graziani: But that’s both not a consequence that would be seen until after the war, and it’s a return to the status quo, since Ukraine had previously cut off water supply to Crimea after it was annexed. So I don’t see how the west would disapprove. The west might want to negotiate a resolution there, but I don’t think they would punish Ukraine for failing to do to on their own.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
@phdesmond: I’ve always heard that the reason for the “pun” was that Napier was afraid his enemies were listening to the telegraph line, and that they would not have understood what the Latin meant.
ian
@Carlo Graziani:
Bret Devereaux over at ACOUP made a similar point in a post about strategic bombing in general and the War in Ukraine in Specific
The Ukrainians are waging a more moral war, and they most likely are highly aware of the fact that engaging in the behavior of the Russian military would be counterproductive to the long term goal of depleting the will to wage war amongst Russians.
Inventor
@Carlo Graziani: Nonsense. Ukraine had the canal closed before the February invasion. Russia only opened it after they took Kherson. There’s a huge concentration of Russian military in Crimea.
It’s probably Ukraine’s #1 target. It is also Ukraine.
tybee
@WaterGirl:
and some folks do it and catch no flak at all. why is that?
bbleh
… administration officials are for the first time considering national security reviews of Elon Musk’s increasingly international-man-of-mystery business deals stretching from Silicon Valley to Crimea. The specifics turn on the effort to buy Twitter, now with what appears to be an opaque group of foreign investors …
Hmm, flashy businessman extended beyond his means increasingly dependent on financing from unknown overseas sources likely including Russians, whose incompetence and financial exposure puts at risk US national security policy. For some reason this rings a faint bell. Help me out here…?
Kristine
My stamps arrived today from Ukraine. The packet included 12″ or so of gold & blue ribbon and a Patron postcard and illustrated envelope.
My Postcards To Voters postcard pack arrived today, so I signed up and have my first addresses for the Georgia Senate and Governor races.
I also cleaned part of the garage in preparation for delivery of a new back door. It will need to be parked there until my handyman can install it. I’m tired.
Timill
@phdesmond: He had also sinned in capturing Sindh: his orders were only to suppress a local rebellion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_James_Napier#Service_in_India
NutmegAgain
@WaterGirl: I remember it as going back to the very early days of Atrios & Eschaton, when Frist was in congress being a jackass remote-diagnosing Terry Schiavo and all that BS. So for me (personally) it just evokes a long ago and far away when the world was different.
Raoul Paste
@bbleh: Spot on
phdesmond
@Timill:
perhaps he felt remorse for engaging in a colonialist war. how suitable to bring this up in a discussion devoted to the re-invasion of Ukraine!
bbleh
@NutmegAgain: Yes it was a kinda inside-joke, which I remember first seeing on Eschaton but may have originated elsewhere.
Now, isn’t that enough innocent pixels wasted over about as non a non-issue as can be imagined?
Carlo Graziani
Does anyone have a sense of the Ukrainian audience for Zelenskyy’s daily addresses? I realize how uncertain the measurement of such things is, but can we know whether these are communications that are widely shared in Ukrainian society, or perhaps some Nielsen-like prrcentage rating?
I wonder because knowing the audience is helpful in interpreting the communication itself.
Tony G
@Alison Rose: I’m no psychiatrist, but I suspect that Musk would secretly enjoy being punched in the face on camera. He has more money than he could spend in 100 lifetimes; he could be doing something creative and useful with his life. Instead he seems to get some kind of pleasure from making idiotic, obnoxious pronouncements that seem to be designed to make millions of people hate him. Paging Doctor Freud, as the old joke goes.
bbleh
@Tony G: if you change “hate him” to “pay attention to him,” I repeat by reference comment #35.
Villago Delenda Est
Elon Musk is a significant national security threat, approaching the levels of TFG.
Villago Delenda Est
@zhena gogolia: Even if the GQp takes back the House in a couple of weeks, Qevin will never be Squeaker. Gym Jordon will shiv him in the back in well under a New York minute.
bbleh
@Villago Delenda Est: I wonder about this. Republican radicals seem to prefer powerless hostage figurehead Speakers, possibly because they absorb a lot of the general flak and specifically criticism for not doing the actual boring work of government, which leaves the radicals free to engage in performative nonsense and occasionally force the majority to enact a bit of their agenda.
Pelosi was right when she called McCarthy a moron. He’s as dumb as he is characterless.
Alison Rose
@Tony G: Well, far be it from me to kink shame.
Alison Rose
@Carlo Graziani: Obviously I have no statistical data, but I do notice that the majority of comments on his FB posts of the addresses are from Ukrainians and written in Ukrainian. But of course, he knows people around the world are watching–there are always two videos posted on FB, the second with English subtitles.
Matt McIrvin
@Steeplejack: We need to talk about your pieces of flair.
glc
@randal m sexton: nah. Open thread, go for it.
But you have to leave 2nd place for Baud, if I recall correctly. Or some such thing.
Steeplejack
@phdesmond:
Tsk. A woman denied credit again: Catherine Winkworth.
@Chacal Charles Calthrop:
Way to pile on!
Steeplejack
@tybee:
Probably because people hope that it will just die out and they don’t want to trigger the “you’re not the boss of me” junior high reaction. It is stupid and tedious.
Steeplejack
@Matt McIrvin:
Tough but fair.
dr. luba
Patron video–he says: “Guess what? I was given a blue checkmark! I am so cool:)”
dr. luba
@Torrey: No worries! Happy to be of service! Those 10 years of Ukrainian school have finally come in handy!
(I seem to come into these threads late, too……)
Darkrose
@Tony G: He’s a rich troll. That’s it.
phdesmond
@Steeplejack:
what a great fact! you have improved my life, thank you.
Redshift
@zhena gogolia:
Exactly. He lies about it being a “blank check,” lies saying what he really was talking about was not wasting money, ignores that he parroted the Putinist Republican’s line claiming that spending money for Ukraine somehow means needs at home are being unmet, which particularly galling because they don’t believe in most government spending anyway, other than on ideological vanity projects like the border wall, so also lying about how supporting Ukraine is in any way related to not building that.
Whew!
randal sexton
@phdesmond: yesss :)
randal sexton
@WaterGirl: and I shan’t do it again.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
That welcome to Ukraine video; highway seems an odd choice to do NAP of the earth flying because of power lines and signs.
randal sexton
@randal sexton: ( ‘silly, childish and annoying’ — I like that )
Jager
@dr. luba:
I noticed in one of Patron’s videos, he is uncut.
I wonder what his pups would be worth for a good cause. Plus, fundraising would be fun for him.
In the US Jack Russells are one of the cheapest purebred dog breeds, mainly because of their high energy, drive, and intelligence. That and they are a pain in the ass to raise from a pup.
HeartlandLiberal
@Steve in the ATL: All Ukrainians are best, they were raised on Powdermilk Biscuits.
“Made from whole wheat raised in the rich bottomlands of the Lake Wobegon river valley by Norwegian bachelor farmers; so you know they’re not only good for you, but pure… mostly. Buy them ready-made in the big blue box with the picture of the biscuit on the cover, or in the brown bag with the dark stains that indicate freshness. Whole wheat that gives shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done. Heavens, they’re tasty, and expeditious!”
After all, Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world.
Chief Oshkosh
@tybee: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others..?
Geminid
Yesterday there was an article in Politico titled, “Why is Iran helping Russia?” One reason for this cooperation that NSC spokesman John Kirby has mentioned is that the Russia can assist Iran in working around sanctions. And as the writer points out, Iran can use the money Russia is paying.
Observers suggested three others reasons: Iran wants to help damage the prestige and power of the US and its allies; 2) by demonstrating the efficacy of its plentiful weapons, Iran hopes to deter US and Israel from military action action against it, a real prospect if the JCPOA is not renewed; 3) Iran wants to showcase its drones for other potential buyers. It has already sold armed drones to Ethiopia.
zhena gogolia
@Alison Rose: I have no data but I would venture to guess that Ukrainians find a way to listen to every speech.
Uncle Cosmo
@zhena gogolia: According to Wikipedia,
Also from Wiki, “Hruška (feminine Hrušková) is a Czech and Slovak occupational surname, which means a grower or seller of pears, from hruška (‘pear’).”
Undoubtedly part of the Czech diaspora that Antonin Dvořák visited during his sojourn in the USA at the end of the 1800s and helped inspire his Symphony Number 9, From the New World.
Nemáš zač!
WaterGirl
@tybee: I suspect that when there is no flak at all, it means the folks who are most vocal don’t happen to be on that thread.
zhena gogolia
@Uncle Cosmo: Děkují. I learned something today!
davidjoseph1
@HeartlandLiberal: Aah, I have pain reading that, because Garrison showed his ass finally.
Jinchi
Jim Himes (D) : Missiles rained down on Kiev today. Hours after I left. The Ukrainians have lost so many and so much. Russia is trying to destroy their energy infrastructure as winter begins. Add that to the list of appalling war crimes the Russians are committing in #Ukraine
Eric Swalwell (D): I just met with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv to express America’s support for #Ukraine. We must keep them in the fight. Ukraine’s fight for freedom is every democracy’s fight. If they fall any of us could be next. If they succeed we all renew the promise of democracy.
Mike Turner (R): Republican Mike Turner said there was “strong bipartisan support for Ukraine, and it will continue.”
Carlo Graziani
@Inventor: It is hardly nonsense.
The Ukrainians most important asset in this war is Western support. This is true irrespective of what the state of the canal was prior to the war. If they did not feel this way, they could have blown the dam themselves by HIMARS strikes months ago.
The Russians know this very well. The point of blowing the dam and blaming it on the Ukrainians is precisely to damage their prestige, by accusing them of depriving the population of Crimea of drinking water. It’s an FSB info-op like many before. Pfarrer’s “‘analysis”, as usual, misses the target by miles, since he doesn’t understand that the Russians don’t give a shit about the population of Crimea going thirsty if they can score a propaganda victory.
I’m guessing that a combination of NSA sigint and CIA human sources, and possibly Ukrainian Intelligence, picked up the scheme, and sensibly decided to blow the whistle early.