Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

T R E 4 5 O N

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

I really should read my own blog.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

This really is a full service blog.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Let there be snark.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 292: A Very Quick Update

War for Ukraine Day 292: A Very Quick Update

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I’ve had a very long day, which is why this update was delayed. And I’ve got one more tomorrow. So I’m just going to hit President Zelenskyy’s address, any assessments of what’s going on, a highlight or two of other things, and then what you’re really here for: Patron!

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

A report about the day that is coming to an end.

First, I congratulated the warriors and commanders of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on their professional holiday. Today is their day. In the Mariyinsky Palace, I presented state awards – “Gold Star” orders, “Cross of Combat Merit” decorations, and other awards.

And it was an emotional ceremony. There were relatives of the Heroes who gave their lives in battles against the invaders. There were warriors who would return to the frontline. And there was such a special moment when we all felt what united us and how much we were all waiting for our victory.

The victory will definitely come.

The second important event of the day was participation in the G7 leaders’ summit. The Group of Seven. This is already the fifth such summit this year, in which Ukraine participates and fully presents its position. Today, we specifically outlined what we have to do next year.

I thanked the partners and urged them to continue to help Ukraine in 2023 as they did this year. It is very important that all elements of support for our state are preserved and do not lose momentum. It is equally important to take new steps that will preempt the Russian terror.

One of the main such steps is the summit, which we are planning for this winter. A summit on the implementation of our Peace Formula. No matter what the aggressor intends to do, when the world is truly united, it is the world, not the aggressor, that determines future developments. This is what we offer to all conscientious states. To everyone who values the UN Charter and simply peace.

Thirdly, representatives of our state are already working in France. The head of the government, the First Lady of Ukraine and others. The key task is two conferences on the reconstruction and resilience of Ukraine, on getting through this winter. They will take place tomorrow. And also – the direction of French forces – both of the state and businesses, communities of France – to specific projects on the recovery of Ukraine. Energy sector, cities, enterprises, hospitals… So now is an important time in France for our country, and tomorrow I will also take part in the relevant events.

And other extremely important things.

Today, three of our EOD technicians – employees of the State Emergency Service – died in the Donetsk region during demining. My condolences to the relatives… Doctors are fighting for the lives of two more of their colleagues. It happened in Kostyantynivka, Kramatorsk district. One of our territories most contaminated by Russian landmines, tripwire mines and unexploded shells. Since February 24, employees of the State Emergency Service alone have removed more than 300,000 explosive items. The EOD technicians of the National Police removed more than 180,000 such items. And demining is also carried out by other state services and the army.

And this is one of the most important areas of our communication with partners. Among other things, we must gather the maximum of global capabilities to overcome the Russian mine terror as soon as possible. And I thank once again all our partners who help. I am thankful to all our heroic employees of the State Emergency Service, our police, and the military who carry out demining. Every defused Russian mine, every disposed projectile, every detected and defused tripwire mine is the saved lives of our people.

Every day we add new energy forces to Ukraine. After each Russian attack, we restore the system. As much as possible. We are doing everything to bring to Ukraine as much equipment as possible, which can compensate for the damage caused by missile hits. And I thank all Ukrainian entrepreneurs, volunteers, all our partners who help with this.

But we should all be aware that Russia has not given up its terror tactics. The absence of massive missile strikes only means that the enemy is preparing for them and can strike at any time. Although it is obvious that even without light we know well where to shoot and what to liberate, Russia still hopes for blackouts. This is the last hope of terrorists…

So as long as they have missiles – and Russia still has them – please take seriously all warnings from the Ukrainian military command, from our Air Force and air alarms. At all levels, we must be prepared for any hostile intentions. And we will do everything to get through this winter.

I thank everyone who helps Ukraine!

I thank everyone who works for our victory!

Glory to all who fight for independence!

Eternal memory to every Ukrainian whose life was taken by this war!

Glory to Ukraine!

Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s latest assessments of the situation in Izium, Bakhmut, and Melitopol:

Here’s a thread on Russian cyber warfare operations:

That’s going to be it for tonight.

With the exception of your daily Patron!

First an update on ordering the signed Patron cards:

And an appeal for support of Ukrainian sappers:

There is no new video posted at Patron’s official TikTok for today.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

13Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    “Stupid neighbors” is one way to put it, that’s for sure. Speaking of those stupid neighbors, the stupidest one decided to skip his annual marathon news conference. Gee, I wonder why. It’s a mystery.

    I love that the Ukrainian word for “first” in the phrase “First Lady” is перша, which, when he says it quickly in a sentence, almost sounds like “special” to me. She is indeed a special lady!

    I hope you have some chiller days ahead, Adam. Thank you as always for making time for these updates even when time is even more of a limited commodity than usual.

  2. 2.

    bookworm1398

    500,000! The mind boggles at the extent of the mining.

    Russian spies may have misread Ukraine, or the politicians may have heard only what they wanted to hear and discarded the rest.

  5. 5.

    Chetan Murthy

    I just watched the Letterman episode with President Zelenskiyy.  Wow, that was something.  He’s something, as are all the Ukrainians who got interviewed for the episode.

    Near the end of the show, Letterman said what I (and I think, everyone who comes here) believe: that Ukraine is fighting this war partially for us, for our country, in a very real and concrete way — that their victory will materially aid our victory over the forces of Fascism on our own land.

  8. 8.

    way2blue

    @Chetan Murthy:

    I’m halfway through Letterman’s interview of Zelenskyy.  The episode is very well crafted, shifting between his exchange with Zelenskyy and scenes from around Ukraine.  Such an amazing man, such a spirited people.

    I’m impatient for Ukraine to have the weapons it needs to close the sky and to roll up the orcs in the fields, woods, towns, ports…

  10. 10.

    Anyway

    @way2blue:

    Just watched the Zelenskyy interview. Inspiring man, brave people. Slava Ukrainiani! Hope Zelenskyy gets the chance to go “seaside” in 2023…

  12. 12.

    Bill Arnold

    Thanks for the information warfare links.
    Gavin Wildе links to his piece about “acmeology”, which is a useful indirect window into Russian propaganda.
    In Russia’s Information War, a New Field of Study Gains Traction – As an authority in the new and obscure discipline of “acmeology,” which attempts to model how individuals and groups can achieve their highest possible professional potential, Aleksandr Starunskiy is at the forefront of disinformation (Gavin Wilde, September 14, 2022)

    Particularly since Russia’s initial incursion into Ukraine in 2014 and its election interference in the United States in 2016, Western commentators and academics have intensively studied the “science” behind the Russian information warfare, its historical underpinnings and contemporary tradecraft. Its nexus with Starunskiy’s “acmeology” raises an underexamined angle: the degree to which Moscow relies on such novel theories as an explanatory salve for a world so frequently unfriendly toward Kremlin ambitions — and the degree to which the West should assume there is much “science” to Russian information warfare at all.

    It’s not wise to be entirely dismissive of such fringe psychological frameworks; they are used to shape real human collectives, and will produce some surprising successes, in some cases, and also odd-looking failures.

  13. 13.

    way2blue

    Adam, a belated thank you for posting this update after your too long day.  These updates—even the abbreviated ones—are indispensible.  Slàinte mhath.

Comments are closed.