Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I really should read my own blog.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

“woke” is the new caravan.

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

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Republicans in disarray!

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 406: President Zelenskyy Goes to Poland

War for Ukraine Day 406: President Zelenskyy Goes to Poland

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(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Something tripped the breaker for my A/C compressor overnight. About 1:30 AM I woke up to a very hot room. I did not return to sleep. I’m a bit punchy. As a result this post is going to just be the basics tonight. And there are likely to be tipoz.

President Zelenskyy went to Poland today. Here is his address to the Polish National Assembly. Video is below, English transcript after the jump. The video at the President of Ukraine’s official YouTube channel does NOT have closed caption, so there are no subtitles.

Russia cannot win in Europe when a Ukrainian and a Pole stand side by side – speech by the President of Ukraine before the deputies of both chambers of the National Assembly, representatives of the public of Ukraine and Poland

5 April 2023 – 22:45

Greetings, Warsaw!

Greetings, Poland!

 

Great Polish people! Great Ukrainian people! Side by side here – united on this square, by the spirit of freedom, great history and glorious victory, which we are bringing closer together!

We know each other, Ukrainians and Poles, and have known each other for a long time. And now, in the heart of the Polish capital, Ukrainian hearts turn to each of the Polish hearts.

It is an honor for me to be here. I speak to you with words of gratitude and strength. Gratitude, because there are no such moments anymore when we would be divided, when we would not be united. Ukrainian and Polish hearts are fighting for one freedom, for the mutual independence of our states, for our native Europe – our common home, and we will be victorious!

There is no such force that would prevail over the Ukrainian and Polish brotherhood. And this will make the following words come true:

“What a foreign force has taken from us, we shall take back with a saber.”

We will prevail, brothers, everywhere, on our side.

Every time the Ukrainian flag returns to its absolutely legal place on Ukrainian soil, and the Russian occupier flees, the Polish flag also gets stronger.

Yellow-blue and white-red – these four colors are stronger than the enemy’s tricolor.

Every successful battle of Ukrainian heroes for our independent state adds protection to Polish independence. Polish “Krabs” and “Pioruns” in the hands of Ukrainians, who return freedom to our people, reinforce your freedom as well.

This is what our ability, Ukrainians and Poles, to build our victorious history side by side means. And I am grateful for this brotherhood to every Pole!

Bow to you, Poland! Applause for you, Polish people!

I am grateful to you, friend Andrzej, Mr. President. To your wife Agata. I am honored to be here today with my wife.

Thank you, dear Mateusz, Mr. Prime Minister.

Thank you, Mrs. Marshal and Mr. Marshal.

To all Polish leaders here in Warsaw and everywhere in the communes, and to the people of Poland who know what our freedom means to your freedom. I am grateful to all of you who are now on this square and who hear me all over Poland!

Today, I was on Marszałek Piłsudski Square, next to the place where the words of a great man and a great Pole, John Paul II, were spoken in 1979. Turning to God, he said: “May Your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth! Of this land!”

Today it is obvious how generous the Lord was when he heard these words.

Free Poland has risen and will never fall. Free Ukraine has risen and will never fall.

The foreign power, which sought to control our people and did not understand what we were striving for, simply fell apart. And we – we stand together! Side by side. Ukraine and Poland, and Europe, and the free world.

We stand when the full-scale forces of aggression are thrown again against our freedom. Well, this regime, which unleashed a war against us, will also fall. It brought graves to Ukraine, so that later he would bring graves again to Poland, and to all our brothers and sisters of free Europe. And we are fighting. Side by side!

It brought deportations to Ukrainians in order to deport others again, whose freedom breathes on the lands that Russia is going to steal. And we defend ourselves. Side by side!

The enemy wanted to bury our independence and to dissolve our national cultures in the Russian space. And we stand strong! You and us, Ukrainians and Poles, together, side by side, will return all this evil with an epitaph to Russian imperialism.

You and us, Poland, side by side will establish freedom in Europe forever. Tyranny will lose in history when it loses in Ukraine. Moscow will not kill, and Petersburg will not divide. Never again.

On this glorious square and on any other Polish square, as well as on all Ukrainian maidans, there will never be Russia again – after our victory.

Are there still many steps to it? No. It is only necessary not to stop in solidarity. When a battle requires artillery, it should be provided. When victory requires tanks, their roar must be heard on the frontline. When independence needs air, you shouldn’t pay attention to how Russia will react to our planes, you shouldn’t guess which number will look safer next to the letter F – 16 or some other. You should take action!

Take action in the same way as your leadership manifested itself in the tank coalition, I believe that it will also manifest itself in the aviation coalition. Because this is a battle for freedom, and it is impossible to win it partially.

When our ally, a powerful ally of freedom, President Biden spoke in Warsaw recently, he said: “There is no sweeter word than freedom. There is no nobler goal than freedom. There is no higher aspiration than freedom.”

We, Ukrainians and Poles, are well aware of this. Therefore, there is no such issue between us that we will not solve in order to strengthen our common defense. Therefore, this visit of mine, negotiations here in Warsaw, became another step towards victory. And I thank you for the decisions approved today! For a powerful defense package. Thank you for the lives that we save with our solidarity together!

Dear Polish people!

I am sure you know that solidarity now covers much more than the fate of our two peoples. When you and us are free, it is a guarantee that freedom will be strong in all our countries – neighbors in the European Union. Romania and Slovakia, Lithuania and other Baltic countries… Everyone is stronger when we are free. When we are free, it is a guarantee that freedom will endure in Moldova, will not leave Georgia and will come… will definitely come to Belarus.

The more freedom we have around us, the more guarantees justice will have. That our common enemy will be held to account. Will be held to account justly – for Bykivnia and Bucha, for Katyn and Smolensk. Will be held to account to the end of his life here on earth, and forever before God.

Justice will be the historical achievement of our generations, and the way is also paved by our brotherhood. By Ukrainians and Poles walking side by side.

Polish brothers and sisters!

Just a few generations ago, everything on which our power is now based was just a task.

Jerzy Giedroyc taught that “there is no independent Poland without an independent Ukraine.” This is learned.

And I would continue: Russia cannot win in Europe when a Ukrainian and a Pole stand side by side. Let’s learn it.

And just as you and us, Poland, stand together in this war, we will also enjoy peace. Together! Side by side in everything. Together in the European Union, together in NATO. This is the continuation of our destiny of free nations!

We must bolster the historical understanding between our peoples with everything. Everything! Everything that we have to solve for the interests and peace of our societies must be solved. From military and political, economic and energy cooperation to the painstaking work of historians.

When we accept that human life is the highest value, we honor the memory and dignity of every person. Everyone who lived before us. Everyone who requires respect. And there should be no prohibitions here… It is our mutual and absolute respect that will bring Ukrainian and Polish culture to the world. Always! Because we were saved forever by our unity, our resolve.

Dear Rzeszów! I thank you for becoming the first rescuer city for Ukraine!

Przemyśl! Lublin! Chełm! Thank you! For reaching out to our people at a time when it was most needed!

Gdańsk and Wrocław! Katowice and Białystok! Kraków and Warsaw! Every city in Poland that has become so hospitable to our people! I thank you!

Thank you for the fact that Ukrainian children in Poland can live in respect, and Ukrainian adults received a law from the Polish state that guarantees them the same rights and opportunities that your people have!

Thank you to all the volunteers of Poland – you can make it louder for the volunteers – who help our people here, on Polish soil, and in Ukraine, even risking their lives!

Thank you to everyone who trains Ukrainian soldiers on Polish soil!

And I thank every Polish heart that speaks its prayers for Ukrainians as well!

Dear Ukrainians in Poland!

We work every day to expel the enemy from Ukraine, to restore security to all our cities and villages, so that our people who have found refuge in other countries can return home.

And I thank all of you who help the state!

Dear Poles! All Europeans!

I wish you happy upcoming Easter holidays! And I wish everyone a victory of life over aggression, a victory in the battles that are taking place now in Ukraine!

Glory to all our warriors who are fighting for our freedom!

Слава Україні! 

Chwała Polsce!

Here is a machine translation of the Ukrainian MOD’s most recent operational update:

Ministry of Defence Ukraine✔
‼️Operational information as of 18.00 04/05/2023 regarding the Russian invasion

▪️During the day, the enemy launched 3 missile and 21 air strikes, launched more than 35 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and the civilian infrastructure of populated areas.

▪️In the Lymansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdiyivskyi and Marinskyi directions, more than 40 attacks of the occupiers were repelled during the day . The settlements of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Maryinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities.

▪️In the Lymansky direction, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of the settlement of Nevske and Serebryansk Forestry. Makiivka, Nevske and Bilogorivka in the Luhansk region and Terny, Zarichne, Torske, Spirne and Rozdolivka in the Donetsk region were hit by artillery fire.

▪️In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy is trying to take full control of the city of Bakhmut, and continues to storm it. He led unsuccessful offensive actions near Bohdanivka and Ivanivskyi. During the day, units of the defense forces repelled about 15 enemy attacks on the indicated section of the front. Vasyukivka, Minkivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Novomarkove, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk and Shumy of the Donetsk region were affected by enemy shelling.

▪️On the Avdiyiv and Maryinsk directions, the enemy carried out unsuccessful offensive actions in the areas of Novokalynovo, Avdiivka and Maryinka. At the same time, the enemy shelled Novokalynovka, Avdiivka, Pervomaiske, Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Maryinka, and Pobyeda of the Donetsk region.

▪️The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Shakhtarsky direction. Unmanned aerial vehicles were actively used to adjust artillery fire. He shelled the settlements of Novomykhailivka, Vugledar, Prechistivka and Velyka Novosilka.

▪️The Russian occupiers are strengthening the counter-intelligence and police regime in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region. In particular, in the Kakhovsky district, since March 23 of this year, the armed forces of the Russian Federation have been carrying out raids to check the personal phones of the local population for the presence of photo and video materials, as well as “forbidden” content. During such inspections, the occupiers search the homes of local residents. First of all, those who make phone calls to free Ukraine are subject to inspection.

✈️Aviation of the Defense Forces made 12 strikes on areas where the occupiers were concentrated during the day.

🚁✖️At the same time, our defenders on the eastern front destroyed a Russian Ka-52 helicopter .

🇺🇦Units of missile troops and artillery hit 2 control points, 2 ammunition warehouses, 2 positions of anti-aircraft defense equipment and 4 radio electronic warfare stations of the enemy.

🇺🇦General Staff of the Armed Forces

Here are all the details of the US military aid package to Ukraine announced yesterday:

Here is former NAVDEVGRU Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer’s most recent assessment of the situations in Kreminna, Avdiivka, and Bakhmut:

Balkhmut:

Vuhledar:

Here’s a machine translation of the full text:

Call Sign Cox
So.
This is my fucking name, and it is 99% untrue and in general a person will appear now who will now explain to me right from there that I am scum and wrong. And in general, it all came to me under the speed. Some things are intended to be changed or omitted.

It is no secret that the situation under Ugledar is the headache of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and a reason for the pride of the Armed Forces. How many techniques are fucked there and people are lost, we know very well. Fucking shame is simple.
The reasons are different, I won’t list everything, I’ll highlight only part, because of which the progress is slow:
– The Armed Forces managed to gain a foothold in favorable positions
– The Armed Forces of Ukraine organized observation posts there, including the IR spectrum
– the sky in the area of cottages and between them is crowded with the drones of the Armed Forces, and a variety of
– the presence of bald as the head man eggs Dmitry Gordon

With the problem of flying bastards, they decided to attract me.

From the creators: everyone will give you everything in place
From the authors: you will be met on the spot
From the directors: there is business then garbage
New, burning drama: well, take a shotgun, fuck under a carbohydrate, accelerate drones.
Half of the route cried

The first thing I encountered on the spot is the buzzing of a copter. Do you think it was our crankcase? Yes. Did we know? No.
Okay, dick with him.
We go out to the position at night, we approach it. What do we hear? Whistling a fucking shell. What are we doing? Fucked into the ground like ostriches. Have we worked with a shotgun? No.
In general, they went back.
I was very glad that I heard the description of the situation in response: no, well, you dig up the dugout there, blasphemy, 20 minutes and everything is ready. Okay, dick with him, I’m going to intelligence on my own to understand what and how to do, what positions to choose, what to do how to poop. As a result, it turns out that the optimal distance for work forces you to choose a position right in front of the eyes of the Armed Forces. Here’s how in the palm of your hand, and on both sides. Other positions are not suitable for various reasons. Moreover, all this time in the sky there are flocks of flying bastards who are watching all this, a variety of models. Okay, dick with you, I think to myself, I will work at night.
Do you think something has changed at night? It was possible to more monitor what was happening in the sky. From what I can distinguish:
– some drones are sewn on other ranges ( well, stick in the comments on which ranges you sew )
– a scheme for replacing drones with an empty and full battery charge has been established
– detection speed and subsequent defeat is impressive
– well, I don’t want to repeat the observation

Well, naturally, every exit was accompanied by an attempt by the mortars of the Armed Forces to rid me of constipation.
Was lpd801 useful? Ni-hu-i.

What conclusions can be drawn:
– more serious means of electronic suppression of metal creatures are needed.
Narrow-fitting rays of drones are useless. It is worth covering one bird, as others fly out to beat you a fucker, and they work in different ranges, and some fly according to the program
– it is necessary to drop a coper in the mine and a khudar nine-story building. On these two sides, the enemy is watching us

If we deprive the enemy of these two points, this will seriously weaken the defensive abilities.
How and why does this not happen? And the dick knows him.
I just gasp from the stamina of those who sit there and perform their tasks while I, like a beaten whore, came back and ran to write here.
All. Here is such a chaotic end.
We drop the coper, drop the nine-story building, push the birds – the lion’s share of the success of our army under the carbon is provided. It remains to think how to implement it.

And the rest of the thread:

Climb to Glory!

My name is Peggy…

Best response so far!

Obligatory!

The floofy boy is INNOCENT!!!!

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

A new video from Patron’s official TikTok!

@patron__dsns

Нова серія мультику вже на YouTube! Посилання в шапці профілю🤗

♬ оригінальний звук – Patron_official

And here’s the full video that’s being teased above!

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

50Comments

  1. 1.

    Old School

    tipoz

    It took me too long to figure that one out.

    I hope you get a good night’s sleep tonight.

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    Zelenskyy’s speech in Poland was absolutely beautiful, and as usual, so powerfully delivered. I highly recommend letting it play while you follow along with the transcript. (I trust most of us have picked up a a handful or two of Ukrainian words, enough to help you keep pace reading while listening.)

    A fun lil video clip to watch

    ‼️One of the buildings of the Russian defense ministry in Moscow is reportedly on fire. pic.twitter.com/8IpMffjdOo
    — Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) April 5, 2023

    They really need to step up the anti-smoking campaigns in russia.

    The doggo is a very good boy. Give him all the cheese and cookies he wants!

    Thank you as always, Adam, and Chag Pesach Sameach from me to you, and also from Zelenskyy:

    Greetings to the Jews around the world on the occasion of the bright holiday of Passover!
    Let goodness fill our homes, and peace reign in our lands and hearts. Harmony to all who celebrate Passover today!
    Chag Pesach Sameach!
    — Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 5, 2023

  3. 3.

    Geminid

    @Alison Rose: President Zelenskyy’s speeches are so consistently brilliant it would be easy to take them for granted. The man is a master of rhetoric.

  4. 4.

    West of the Rockies

    The new Twitter dog looks like the above dog to me.  I had hoped when it first showed up instead of a blue bird it was because UKR had hacked Elmo.

  5. 5.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Something tripped the breaker for my A/C compressor overnight.

    Check for a fried varmint somewhere along the line…

    Thanks again for your thoughtful updates. Even when you’re punchy, you’re way better than the so-called experts in the MSM.

  6. 6.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Battle of the Food Box

    Location

    Tent, Eastern Ukraine

    Belligerents

    Ukrainian soldiers: 26   Dog: 1

    Commanders

    Ukrainians: Unknown     Dog: Hungry Fella

    Result

    Dog victory.

    Casualties and losses

    Cheese, cookies, spilled sugar, coffee

  8. 8.

    cain

    Meanwhile Putin when he speaks inspires a different kind of emotion. Like the spectacle of two clowns slapping each other.

  9. 9.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Thank you for the updates, Adam. Between your updates/assessments and a thread about this over at Profession Pilots Rumour Network, I get pretty much all I need for daily updates. The PPRuNe forum is a great place to read about aviation events, many of which never make the news. Their thread on Ukraine has been going for three years now and has over 16,000 posts in it from all around the world with some really interesting commentary.

    Fuck Putin, too.

  11. 11.

    West of the Rockies

    There was a report a few days ago about intelligence scouring the internet for comments referring to Putin as a bald,  thieving dwarf.  I think stupid was in there, too.

    I will add a couple more adjectives he may not like:  Vladimir Putin is an ugly thief.   He is bald as a baby’s ass.  He is very stupid and a smells like a poop.

  12. 12.

    Gin & Tonic

    Knowing the long and complex history of Poles and Ukrainians, this is pretty remarkable. And mentioning Pilsudski is <chef’s kiss> as a Ukrainian nationalist attempted to assassinate him when he visited Lviv.

  13. 13.

    Alison Rose

    @Jay: Repugnant. The pain in her voice is heartbreaking, which of course means it has no effect on those assholes, since they’re lacking the necessary part.

  14. 14.

    Alison Rose

    @Gin & Tonic: I have a strong feeling that history books (outside of russia, China, Iran, Florida, and a few other places) are going to look quite kindly on Zelenskyy. Ukraine and Ukrainians as a whole, of course, and him in particular.

  16. 16.

    Dan B

    @Jay:  Awful.  It’s too typical of religion to go so completely opposite of their teachings.  It often becomes a haven for people who consistently fail at being humane.

  17. 17.

    Dan B

    The reports about a high level official in Russian Intelligence who was in tegular contact with Putin are clear just how extreme Putin’s separation from reality us and how paranoid he is about his life.  It’s clear he and his ilk must be removed from power if Russia is going to become less dangerous.

  18. 18.

    Dan B

    On another topic, Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi has declared April “Confederate Heritage Month”.  I wonder if anyone besides me had an immediate image of possible / likely outfits.

    White for the menfolk and crinoline for the ladies?

  20. 20.

    zhena gogolia

    @Gin & Tonic: I’ve been wanting to make a comment like this since watching Zelenskyy speaking Polish at the beginning, but I couldn’t think of a literate way to do it. Lots of history there.

  25. 25.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Dan B:

    Talk about a participation trophy….lol! Does that mean we get to spend all month reminding Mississippi that they lost the Civil War?

    Because I’m all on board for that…

  26. 26.

    Mallard Filmore

    @Dan B:

    On another topic, Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi has declared April “Confederate Heritage Month”.

    A parade with that theme could be interesting. Dress up as a plantation foreman, whips, chains, whipping post … Real kinky educational stuff.

  29. 29.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Dan B:

    Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi has declared April “Confederate Heritage Month”.

    United States Constitution, Article III, Section 3:

    Treason against the United States shall consist…in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

    Was the rebellion of the self-styled Confederate States of America in enmity to the United States? It sure was!  And maybe Tate Reeves isn’t giving aid and comfort to the rebellion itself, but he sure is doing so for those who dishonor the United States by honoring the memory of that rebellion.

    Close enough for me. Lock his treasonous ass up!!

  30. 30.

    lowtechcyclist

    @smith:

    You missed the punch line: He dated his proclamation April 31, 2023.

    A tribute to the quality of Mississippi’s educational system.

  32. 32.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Gin & Tonic: Do you have any thoughts on Zelenskiyy’s “no borders between Poland and Ukraine” statement?   I thought to myself: “this is a kind of forward-looking statement of unity, that is an attempt to completely overcome the past — to whatever extent there were divisions between Poland and Ukraine”.  I mean, I remember that it wasn’t *so* long ago that Poland and Ukraine weren’t on the best of terms, but here basically Zelenskiyy is saying “we want to be so close that we’re inseparable”.

    Maybe I’m reading too much into it.

  34. 34.

    Andrya

    @Chetan Murthy:  My read was that both Poland and Ukraine would be in the EU- which allows free travel between member states.  May that day come soon!

  35. 35.

    jackmac

    There will hopefully come a day after the war ends that Ukraine will rebuild and join the EU and NATO. When that occurs, the friendship and collaboration between Poland and Ukraine will be collectively strong in both economic and military spheres, perhaps the most powerful combination in Europe.

  36. 36.

    Rich Webb

    Only if you’re comfortable opening the unit up…

    Check on-line for an installation / maintenance manual for your unit. I’ve only run Carriers lately and they’re pretty good at making those available. YMMV.

    Turn off the thermostat. Open the breaker and, if you’re not the only one in the house, tag it open. Pull the link.

    Something that will eventually fail is the start/run capacitor for the compressor. There’s often more than one cap, with the second running the blower motor, or you could have a dual cap with two in one can. You can try swapping the cap out for one with the same capacitance and voltage rating.

    Several on-line guides have more info. Ex: https://www.wikihow.com/Replace-an-Air-Conditioning-Unit%27s-Run-Capacitor

    Discharge the cap!

  37. 37.

    scav

    It’s unclear what ississippi actually is, but MS is certainly going without it.  Losing a traitorous uprising is their eternally celebrated high point of culture.

  38. 38.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Chetan Murthy:

    to whatever extent there were divisions between Poland and Ukraine

    Whatever extent? Uhm, yea. The history is fraught, with tens of thousands of deaths on each site in the closing days of WWII alone, and military conquests and conflicts dating back to at least the 16th C.

    That said, I view such a comment as a rhetorical device, not a political aspiration.

  39. 39.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Gin & Tonic:

    That said, I view such a comment as a rhetorical device, not a political aspiration.

    Thank you.  You’re answering the precise question I was asking!

  41. 41.

    Carlo Graziani

    That list of US weapons supplied to Ukraine has some interesting highlights.

    Grad rockets? Where are those coming from? Does the US have its own Warsaw Pact junkyard, or is it just flipping them from Bulgaria, or some such place?

    18 tactical recovery vehicles, 9 heavy fuel tankers, 105 fuel trailers, 20 heavy equipment transport trucks with trailers, 4 “logistics support vehicles” (HEMTTs?), Armored bridging systems.

    That’s assault gear. None of it looks like the kind of infinite-logistical-tail stuff that takes many months to deploy (like, say HIMARS), so it could get to the UA right away.

    I can’t wait to see that next act.

  42. 42.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Carlo Graziani: Trent Telenko (IIUC,  he has some problematic history, but his writings on the UA war seem solid) has argued that fuel transport is a key logistics capability for this war.  That and containerized logistics for everything else.

  43. 43.

    Carlo Graziani

    @Chetan Murthy: Yeah. From July to September 1944, the most serious constraining limitation on the advance of Allied forces in Europe was not ammunition, but fuel. Any motorized formation on the move, or even just in action, consumes lakes of gas, or kerosene.

    The interesting thing is that we know that the Pentagon was been helping the UA wargame the offensive that everyone knows is coming. And they seem to have decided to go long on supplying the offensive maneuver capabilities. It would be nice to know about off-headlines supplies such as how many thousands of tons of vehicle fuel are being furnished to Ukraine. That would give us some idea of the scope of maneuvers in contemplation. Which is also the likely reason that such statistics are secret and closely-held…

  44. 44.

    Bill Arnold

    @Steeplejack:
    Here (there is an option for English):
    “The Russian President is a war criminal” – Interview with the Federal Guard Service officer who worked with Putin and who fled Russia (April 4, 2023)

    The Dossier Center spent over ten hours in conversation with the officer about his decision to leave the FGS and Russia. Karakulov is the highest-ranking intelligence officer in Russia’s recent history to defect to the West. The Dossier Center checked Karakulov’s documents and verified their authenticity. Details from his story match information obtained from various databases and open sources.

    Piece ends with

    This criminal war should never have been started and should be ended as soon as possible. Life is the highest value. We have forgotten it in this country. People are considered cannon fodder.
    This will continue to be the case as long as we remain silent. This war has to end and it is time to break the silence.

    It is worth a read, IMO.

  45. 45.

    Jay

    @Carlo Graziani:

    Grad rockets? Where are those coming from? Does the US have its own Warsaw Pact junkyard, or is it just flipping them from Bulgaria, or some such place?

    Intercepted arms smuggling shipments and international markets.

    Saw a vid the other day of UA forces unboxing Iranian made 122mm Grads.

  47. 47.

    Bill Arnold

    @West of the Rockies:

    There was a report a few days ago about intelligence scouring the internet for comments referring to Putin as a bald, thieving dwarf

    There are things I might say about V. Putin that will not be said using this non-anonymous nym.
    But yes, always assume that at the very least Spiders From Mars (metaphor; web crawlers) are watching.

  48. 48.

    way2blue

    Adam, I hope you were able to get your A/C working today!  (Given that nights in Northern California are in the 40s—took me a while to comprehend how warm Florida is… In April!)

  50. 50.

    Geminid

    Someone here was wondering about Ukraine’s exports of sunflower seed oil under the Black Sea grain export initiative. The Wall Street  Journal had an article about this on March 6, titled “Ukraine’s sunflower exports calm cooking oil market”:

        Much of Ukraine’s sunflower-seed oil exports remain curtailed by the war, but farmers are sending out raw seeds instead, stabilizing the global market for cooking oil.

    The article notes that Russian attacks damaged processing infrastructure and that ports dedicated to shipping oil are “essentially closed.” So the seeds are being exported instead and are being pressed in other countries. After Russia’s re-invasion, the price of sunflower seed oil jumped to $2,414 per ton on world markets but has now fallen to around $1,049 per ton.

    In negotiations leading to the extension of the Black Sea grain deal on March 18, Ukraine requested that a port close to Kherson be included in the program, perhaps because it was a seed oil hub. That apparently has not happened, but the basic deal was extended for another 120 days according to the UN and Turkiye, but only 60 days according to Russia.

    When the latest extension was announced, a top Ukrainian official credited Turkish President Erdoglan and interestingly, his Defense Minister. As he had last October, when Russia tried to suspend the deal after a sea-drone attack on Sevastopol harbor, the Defense Minister very publically asserted that the grain deal furthered Turkiye’s vital interests, and would continue for 120 days whether or not Russia wanted it to.

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