My family event got cancelled, so we’re on our usual schedule.
Once again, overnight, Russia opened up on Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense was up to the task.
Today, russian terrorists attacked Kyiv again by ballistic and cruise missiles. Metro became the largest city shelter for thousands of Ukrainians.
🎥@suspilne_news pic.twitter.com/4GqWFCApB5
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 29, 2023
According to @CinC_AFU, on May 29 russians attacked Kyiv and Kyiv region with 11 missiles (Iskander-K and Iskander-M).
ALL MISSILES WERE SHOT DOWN.
Excellent work of the Ukrainian air defenders!— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 29, 2023
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
With our success, pressure and Patriots we will respond to all manifestations of Russia’s evil – address by the President of Ukraine
29 May 2023 – 21:48
Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!
Today was a very long day, and it started very early for many of our people.
Several Russian terrorist attacks in one day. Shaheds, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles. Guided bombs. Thanks to our air defense, to all the defenders of the sky, at least hundreds of lives were saved today. In just one day. Most of the Shaheds and missiles were shot down.
But each such terrorist attack brings us and the whole world to an obvious conclusion: Russia wants to follow the path of evil to the end, that is, to its defeat, because evil cannot have any other end but defeat.
The world must see that terror is losing.
When Patriots in the hands of Ukrainians ensure one hundred percent downing of any Russian missiles, terror is losing.
When the world increases pressure on Russia, including sanctions, when the terrorist’s isolation grows, when its former partners are ashamed of any closeness with Moscow, terror is losing.
And, of course, there is no greater humiliation for a terrorist state than the success of our warriors.
In fact, with our success, our pressure, our Patriots we must and will continue to respond to all manifestations of Russia’s evil.
And we will destroy this evil.
No one else in the world uses weapons against evil more effectively than Ukrainians.
Today, I held a meeting of the Staff. The reports are very specific.
Supply of new air defense systems and missiles to them, relevant agreements with partners.
The effectiveness of our air defense and what can make our air defense stronger.
Hits that, unfortunately, took place.
Our defense forces are able to learn and will do everything to make it much more difficult for terrorists.
As usual, the Commander-in-Chief and the commanders of the operational directions reported to the Staff.
Not only the supply of ammunition, not only the training of new brigades, not only our tactics.
But also the timing. This is what is most important. The timing of how we will move forward. We will. The decisions have been made.
I thank every soldier and sergeant, officer and general, and every prepared brigade.
Today I also had a very informative meeting with our international staff.
We are preparing new joint steps with our partners to strengthen our defense. And for our active actions. There is no alternative to the complete liberation of our land. There is no alternative to the full protection of our values.
And I am grateful to all our partners who understand that respect for every human life, human freedom and international law are values on which no compromise is possible.
I would like to thank Denmark today – the entire nation, the entire Danish political class. Thank the Parliament, the Government and Prime Minister Frederiksen personally for the decision to increase financing of the Danish Fund of support for our country by more than USD 3 billion.
The total amount of defense assistance from Denmark will now reach more than $4 billion 700 million. This is very significant.
Such decisions make the defeat of Russian terror faster. Thank you for this!
Today I spoke with Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen. I thanked him for his principled support of international rules, of everything for which nations are united by the UN Charter and conventions binding for all.
I invited Cambodia to join joint efforts with various countries of the world in implementing our Peace Formula.
This is a common global task – to prevent Russia from making terror something usual to the world so that it leads to someone else catching this evil virus.
And just before recording this address, I had two more conversations.
I spoke with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. I informed him about the terrorist attacks. I thanked him for his readiness to continue helping us protect people.
The Netherlands is among the leaders in helping protect against terror and bring terrorists to justice.
We discussed our defense cooperation – our new aviation coalition, a coalition of modern fighter jets that we are creating. And we will create it! Of course, we also discussed strengthening our air defense.
I spoke with President of Türkiye Erdoğan. I congratulated him on winning the elections.
I am confident that our further cooperation – Ukraine and Türkiye – at all levels will bring even more benefits to our people and international stability.
The security of our region and the whole of Europe, global food security, and the protection of fundamental norms of international law are what we did, do and will continue to do together.
Thank you to everyone in the world who helps! Glory to all our warriors!
Thanks again to the Air Force and all our defenders of the sky.
Glory to Ukraine!
Here’s more on Ukraine’s air defense efforts over night:
Call sign Pokémon.
Last night, this brave soldier serving in @ng_ukraine shot down a russian missile with an Igla MANPADS.
Well done, Pokémon! Gotta catch ‘em all! pic.twitter.com/TnvCgyqYAT— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 29, 2023
They were infants when russia invaded Ukraine in 2014.
Today in school, they not only study math, Ukrainian language, and history but also learn how to behave during an air attack.
A stolen childhood… and incredible resilience🎥 @United24media pic.twitter.com/L427qrmLsC
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 29, 2023
Another ordinary day in Kyiv. Thank God, no one was hurt, the missile fell on the road and did not hit the bus. pic.twitter.com/J3XHvEn9yq
— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) May 29, 2023
Here’s the details for Ukraine’s air defense overall:
And Ukriane’s tally after a loud & long night:
Between midnight & 5am…
Air Force reports ~40 air-launched cruise missiles fired from 9 Russian Tu-95MS aircraft from Caspian Sea; 37 shot down by air defenses.
~35 Shahed drones, of which 29 were downed.
1 recon drone downed. pic.twitter.com/dQShQ0I3bE
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 29, 2023
According to Agence France Press, republished at Barron’s, five Ukrainian planes were damaged in the overall barrage:
In the western city of Khmelnytsky regional authorities said Russian troops attacked a military facility overnight.
In a rare admission of the damage, they said “five aircraft have been put out of action.”
Work was underway to localise fires at fuel and lubricant warehouses, the statement said.
President Zelenskyy has Memorial Day wishes for those of us here in the US:
My special gratitude on this Memorial day goes to all Americans of different times – sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, who became the warriors and whose strength turned into the strength of freedom and who were destined to show to the world that… pic.twitter.com/98kpAGApIw
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 29, 2023
Here’s the full text of his tweet:
My special gratitude on this Memorial day goes to all Americans of different times – sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, who became the warriors and whose strength turned into the strength of freedom and who were destined to show to the world that freedom will always shine bright on the hill. Let our victory, of the Ukrainian warriors, make this light shine brighter!
Your freedom stood, thanks to those who fought for it. Our freedom will stand, thanks to those who are fighting for it.
🇺🇦🇺🇸
The Ukrainian MOD also has a Memorial Day message:
On this Memorial Day, Ukraine joins our American friends in honoring the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect freedom. Ever grateful for 🇺🇸 support in ensuring the victory of our shared values of liberty and peace. pic.twitter.com/jGcg8JQuq0
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 29, 2023
And from their Telegram channel:
It’s really sad that the Ukrainians seem to have a better understanding of what today is supposed to commemorate than most Americans do.
The Washington Post did a nice article about Americans who had died helping to defend Ukraine from Russia’s genocidal re-invasion. Here’s an excerpt:
The two military officers, crisply attired in blue dress uniforms, ascended the front porch of a single-family home. One clutched a vinyl case containing an ornate white urn and, within, the ashes of Army veteran Andrew Peters.
The scene that April evening in Marshfield, Wis., was strikingly similar to the thousands of casualty assistance calls made by members of the U.S. military over 20 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, with the officers offering condolences on behalf of a grateful nation as the soldier’s parents, John and Heather, shuddered with grief. But there was a significant difference: Peters, 28, had died in February while fighting as a volunteer with the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, and the respects paid to his father and mother were delivered not from the U.S. government but by Ukrainian military personnel dispatched from their embassy in Washington.
“It’s a weird, mixed feeling,” John Peters said, recalling the experience. “It’s great to have him home and his remains, but it’s finally sunken in: He’s never going to come back.”
As America’s most recent wars fade into history, some veterans have chosen to take up arms in Ukraine and, in at least 16 instances, given their lives while either defending its people from Russia’s onslaught or aiding those trapped in the violence. They’ve done so as private citizens, disregarding repeated official warnings from President Biden and others in his administration that grave danger awaits anyone who steps foot on the battlefield.
Survivors of those killed say the decision to trade the relative safety of home for a cause in a country not their own was inspired by the same democratic ideals that undergird service in the U.S. military: love of liberty, disdain for tyranny. Sometimes the choice was influenced, too, by a desire to escape personal turmoil, or a lust for action.
Memorial Day, by tradition, is a remembrance of those who’ve fallen fighting America’s wars. This year, for these families, it surfaces a complicated set of emotions as they are forced to reckon with the meaning of service under one flag and sacrifice under another.
Much, much more at the link including profiles of 1/2 a dozen Americans killed while serving in Ukraine.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
Commenter Bex sent along this video of President Zelenskyy and Patron, as well as Patron’s owner Mykhailo, visiting children in Irpin. It is from September 2022. I can’t remember if I posted it at the time, so here it is:
There are no new videos posted today at Patron’s official TikTok.
Open thread!
FelonyGovt
Zelenskyy always has dignified, thoughtful and appropriate communications, and that Memorial Day message is no exception.
Alison Rose
I’d seen that video from Irpin at the time, but it was a delight to watch it again. He’s just so genuine and natural with kids, and it’s clear the kids were super excited to meet him (and also Patron, of course). I especially love that one quick shot of the little girl grinning and bouncing around with joy. That’s probably how I’d react, too, TBH.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly.
Thank you as always, Adam.
Alison Rose
Oh BTW…this post from Saint Javelin made me short. Another use of the “dildo of consequences” meme.
NutmegAgain
Those kids are so beautiful, luminous really, and watching everyone behaving like human beings–well, terrific! A reminder of the best.
Thank you Adam, for sharing this and everything else. I’ll chime in with the crowd and say, “Thank you!”
West of the Rockies
I wish that the Ukrainian military could sink another dozen Russian shitcan ships.
zhena gogolia
@FelonyGovt: It’s so good.
Adam L Silverman
@NutmegAgain: You’re most welcome. Thanks for the kind words.
Villago Delenda Est
@FelonyGovt: He constantly amazes me with his extraordinary leadership skills. He brings this old soldier to tears sometimes.
Bill Arnold
Re Zelenskyy’s statement and the other Ukrainian statements (all very respectful) on US Memorial Day, Digby with 3 sample statements on social media:
On this Memorial Day, digby on May 29, 2023, All you need to know about 2024
A president, a sociopath, a robot (Biden/Trump/DeSantis)
Jay
Villago Delenda Est
@Bill Arnold: Spot on.
Betty
Zelenskyy’s Memorial Day message reminds us once again of his amazing political acumen. It is hard to believe how recently he became involved in political based on his skills.
japa21
It occurs to me that we will not know the offensive has begun from Ukrainian sources. It will be from Russian sources.
Another Scott
@japa21: Repost – France24:
FWIW.
Slava Ukraini!!
Cheers,
Scott.
FelonyGovt
Patron has such a big “personality”, it’s easy to forget that he is SO LITTLE! He’s the size of WaterGirl’s Henry!
japa21
@Another Scott: Not official. And when it comes, it will, hopefully, be more a few hundred meters a day.
Ruckus
@FelonyGovt:
Zelenskyy is a better human being than a lot of us. He was a comedian and now he’s president of a country at war against a much larger country/military and doing an amazing job. He seems to understand leadership far, far better than most people I’ve met in leadership positions. Maybe it takes a comedian to make that connection.
NutmegAgain
@FelonyGovt: You need to spend some quality time with a Jack Russell terriorist. That certain special something is one of the reasons folks love them. My sister’s dearly departed JRT could leap off the floor, steal a sandwich from the table, and have it half eaten before he hit the ground on the other side. And JRTs are excellent ratters–they got one to keep the rats in the horsey barn under control. Heckin cute doggie though.
Ruckus
@Bill Arnold:
Thank you.
The differences could not be more obvious and neither could the differences of the desires of those who support those 3 thankfully, very different humans.
FelonyGovt
Ruckus
@FelonyGovt:
I use the hospital on the south side of Wilshire as my VA facility and have had some experience with the north side part of that. I think there is a real possibility of making it better by providing housing. I believe there is a real need. And the property is there. One of the issues would be the other side of the political aisle because of course we’d be helping some of “those” people and spending money that would serve “those” people, making less money available for some rethuglican supporters to grub. LA is an area with a large population (stating it mildly) and as I use the Metro system to travel a lot, I see a fair number of people that obviously need help and I’d bet some of them are vets. I drove by what had been my midtown LA business location on Friday, and the homeless encampments are far more numerous than they ever were 30-35 yrs ago.
There are more of us and there are more of those that don’t have the opportunity that most of us have/had. I think as humans it is imperative that we help. What kind of humans are we if we don’t?
There are a hell of a lot of homeless in LA. And there are a number of housing situations being built for them. They don’t look a lot like apartments and they are not massive units but they are there and more are being built. Better to have a small place rather than a tent and exposure.
Carlo Graziani
Thanks, Adam, as always.
Will
My question would be if this sudden barrage of missiles before the counteroffensive has begun is the strategy I’d seen some ask of why Russia isn’t throwing everything they’ve got to burn Ukraine out so they can use their strike aircraft to defeat the counteroffensive. I’d seen it mentioned before but mainly in a way of questioning why the Russians hadn’t been doing it. If the leak information is true then I’ve read they are likely getting low on the mainstay S-300 missiles they use. Is there any Eastern European country that is NATO that could help refill their stock?
Chetan Murthy
@Will: i’ve read the same things you’ve read, for example from Justin Bronk. I’ve read that this is part of why you crane has been asking incessantly for Patriots and NASAMs. I also remember a week or so ago maybe it was two weeks it was announced we were sending Hawk missiles to Ukraine. If I understand correctly we have many thousands of Hawk missiles, because they’re from a previous generation.
Sebastian
@Ruckus:
I live 10 minutes from VA West LA. Thank you for the insight.
Sebastian
Thank you for the nightly updates, Adam. I sent a little something to John’s Zelle for BJ.
YY_Sima Qian
Slightly off topic, but we should probably keep an eye on the accelerating illiberalization in Poland (Twitter thread in link, & links to Polish media in the thread):
People can still appeal the commission’s judgements to regular courts, but the regular courts are now also dominated by the PiS.
The “Democracy vs. Authoritarianism” framing the US has been promoting, both wrt to the Russian invasion of Ukraine specifically & wrt to Great Power Competition w/ China & Russia in general, will lack credibility (or less credibility that it already has outside of the West) if the US & the West generally turn a blind eye toward the authoritarian slide in Poland because Poland is an important ally against Russia, or turning blind eye toward the authoritarian slide in India because India is an important partner against China.
Allying w/ the lesser evil/threat against the greater evil/threat is a time honored & eminently reasonable geopolitical strategy. However, one should at least take care not to put these problematic allies/partners on idealized pedestals just because they are useful against the Big Bad du jour. Case in point: Modi will be going on a state visit to the US soon. There will be a lavish state dinner (which is protocol), but addressing a joint session of Congress is also being discussed. The USG & US MSM have also largely been mum on Modi’s & the BJP’s ethnonationalism, illiberalism, increasing authoritarianism, & human rights abuses. Not a good look for countries championing the cause of liberal democracy.
Chetan Murthy
@YY_Sima Qian: I have a bit of understanding of why we would not push back hard on Poland: they’re a stalwart ally in the current fight. And also, I would look to the EU to do that pushing: it’s their patch, after all. India? No excuse for not pushing hard: India isn’t exactly an ally (hahahhahahaa!) and they’ve been anything but helpful in this current war.
And yeah, the way India is turning Fascist is pretty damn disturbing.
Carlo Graziani
@Will: I would say that in my opinion, the Russian missile and drone salvoes may represent a “response” to the anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive, but do not represent in any sense a coherent “strategy” for addressing that counter-offensive.
The problems that the Russians will have when the counter-offensive is fully launched have to do with ensuring rapid reinforcements at areas where critical situations develop. To do this, they need to somehow overcome problems created by their own imbecilic overextension, their lack of strategic focus, and their concomitant lack of command unity, together with the advantages created by the Ukrainian ability to exploit their internal lines of communication, and by the fact that the Ukrainians have only had to fight defensive battles in prepared positions since last November, whereas the Russians somehow persuaded themselves that offence a l’outrance across the entire front line would produce a situation to their own military advantage, rather than the pure self-attrition that has been the real consequence of that policy.
The bottom line is that if the Russians had a realistic appreciation of their military situations, they would not be wasting ammunition on terrorizing Kyiv. Instead, they would be attempting to strike at Ukrainian command, control, and communications nodes and logistical infrastructure, to reduce the advantages tha the UA can obtain from taking the strategic initiative.
The fact that they are doing nothing of the sort really speaks to the chaos of Russion war planning, and to their divided councils—not only Prigozhin versus MOD, but also ground forces versus aviation/rocket forces. The latter appear to be mechanically following plans that were articulated months ago, to turn out the lights and heat in the Kyiv winter, and to engage air defenses. Those plans have no relevance to the current predicament of the ground forces, and represent a target selection that the ground force commanders would never consent to, if they were admitted as full stakeholders to the relevant targeting committees.
This disunity of Russian command is perhaps the greatest boon that the disciplined, unitary UA command could hope for. In this war, the Russians have made major adjustments to their command arrangements only when disaster has befallen them, and in general those adjustments have made things no better, usually, and occassionally much worse.
YY_Sima Qian
@Ruckus: One of my Chinese colleagues had 2 quick trips to LA in the past 3 months. She has a child at USC who is graduating this Spring. I asked her about her impression of the US after more than 3 years of not visiting, she said she was shocked by the number of the homeless, really made her question the direction the US is heading, & whether to encourage her child to try to stay in the US.
In the mean time, a steady stream of disillusioned (some due to politics, most due to economics) Chinese are trying to enter the US illegally, via a by now well established route through Central America & Mexico, lured by promises made by “snake head” orgs.
Chetan Murthy
@YY_Sima Qian: To be fair, the West Coast *is* different from the East Coast, in that Western cities do a lot less than Eastern cities do to house the homeless. I’ve read that NYS for instance has a right to shelter, and cities take it seriously. Out here, we have nothing like that, though Mayor Barbara Lee in LA is at least trying.
YY_Sima Qian
@Chetan Murthy: The EU is not pushing hard due to the need to maintain unity against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but I do think things will come to a head (w/ Hungary, too) after the war ends. Not sure what the political landscape in Poland will look like then. The PiS has been quite willing to play the populist ethnonationalist card against Germany in addition to Russia in this regard. Poland’s criticisms of Germany (& some of it well deserved) should be seen in this light.
YY_Sima Qian
@Chetan Murthy: I have read that CA zoning laws (SF especially) really inhibit construction of affordable housing, creating a dire shortage by public policy.
Chetan Murthy
@YY_Sima Qian: holy cow, the stories about weird California and San Francisco zoning! 100% agree with your summary. But to be fair the zoning problem exists all across America in many cities. A good example where it does not exist is in Texas, where the answer to high housing prices is “drive 30 mi farther out.”
Chetan Murthy
@Chetan Murthy: these anti-development protesters in San Francisco are nuts! They make all these arguments that gosh the developers are going to profit, and we can’t have that! But really what it amounts to is that they don’t want any development of any sort and they’ll do whatever it takes tell whatever story needs to be told to ensure that outcome.
Carlo Graziani
@YY_Sima Qian: I agree completely that Poland is a neo-Viktor Urban problem, and that something needs to be done about that to maintain a narrative that associates both the EU and NATO with the democratic values that constitute the soft-power advantage of those organizations. And I’m a little dispirited that leading lights in the sensible Realist camp such as Hill (whose speech that you linked to yesterday I read in its entirety) has nothing at all to say concerning the importance of safeguarding that narrative, as if the power that derives from it is somehow immaterial.
With respect to Poland itself, while it is indeed a bulwark in the Ukraine war, that does not, and should not, insulate it from Western pressure to live up to its political obligations to the EU and to NATO. The Poles are not supporting Ukraine against Russia out of altruism—they are, very reasonably, afraid that their nation could become once again a victim of Russian imperialism. This gives the West a good deal of leverage over them, as Duda cannot expose himself to the domestic political risk of alienating the EU, let alone NATO. I sincerely hope that this leverage comes increasingly to bear.
FelonyGovt
@Chetan Murthy: Just FYI, the LA Mayor is Karen Bass. Barbara Lee is the US Representative from the Bay Area who is running for Senator.
Wapiti
@Chetan Murthy: As I understand it, part of the lack of public housing in the West is historical. During the Depression, there was a lot of relief in the East. The older teens in the CCC and WPA, for example, came out of the Eastern cities. The populous East was slammed by the Depression while the West was sparsely populated, and while it wasn’t good, it wasn’t as dire. And a huge amount of public housing stock was built in the East long before there was much need in the West.
Chetan Murthy
@FelonyGovt: Oops sorry thanks for the correction!
Andrya
@Chetan Murthy: I live in the southern San Francisco Bay Area, but I visit San Francisco frequently as my brother and SIL, with whom I am very close, live there. The NIMBY crowd (“Don’t build affordable housing because it will decrease my property value!”) is indeed a big factor, but there is another one: mental illness.
I give small donations to homeless people panhandling and if they thank me, or say “God bless you” (they often do) I respond in kind. I would say 80% of the time it is obvious that the panhandler is mentally ill. Although it’s tragic that mentally ill people live on the street, I think it was actually worse when they were confined for life in a “mental hospital” that was, de facto, a maximum security prison. I know I would choose to live on the street by panhandling rather than undergo what California used to do to mental patients.
The solution, of course, is to get people treated, but that’s not as easy as it sounds. There’s a scarcity of resources, and also the issue of consent. And let it not be forgotten, the Republicans fought like tigers to get mental health treatment excluded from Obamacare.
A note of progress: California is building 1200 “tiny” houses to house formerly homeless people. There needs to be a lot more, but it’s a start.
ETA: One reason California in general, and San Francisco in particular, have so many homeless is the mild climate. Would you rather live outdoors in San Francisco or in Seattle during the winter?
YY_Sima Qian
@Carlo Graziani: Well, Realists are not motivated by ideology. I think the framing is very useful against Russia, because Putin has been working to undermine liberal democracies around the world, & supporting reactionary forces everywhere.
However, at least wrt China, there is in fact a lot of [quiet] push back from most China specialists (& some generalists) in the US, as well as many allies/partners/neutral parties around the world, concerning the “Democracy vs. Autocracy” framing. China is not exporting its ideology like the fUSSR (it wants to make the world safe for the CCP regime & not have regime legitimacy constantly challenged, it is not interested in remaking the world in its image), it is not subverting liberal democracies (at least not to nearly the same degree as Putin, its influencing operations are generally aimed at improving its image, & it is remarkably incompetent at it to Western audiences), it is generally agnostic about the system of government of its interlocutors (it is equally comfortable partnering w/ Russia, Brazil, Pakistan & South Africa). Furthermore, many of the non-Western countries that the US & the West need to vie w/ China for influence are themselves authoritarian (Singapore, Vietnam, Gulf States, etc.) or deeply flawed democracies (India, Thailand, the Philippines, most of Africa, etc.) of varying stripes, whose focus are economic development/climate change & not political liberalization/Great Power Competition. Finally, most of the EU & most of the US allies in the “Indo-Pacific” (including Japan & South Korea) are not that motivated by democracy promotion. I get the sense that most of them pay lip service to “Democracy vs. Autocracy” in order to humor the US & keep it engaged in their respective regions.
The other thing is that the US & the West used to be able to walk & chew gum at the same time. The PRC was an important partner against the USSR in the late Cold War, & economic partnership was front & center in the post-Cold War era. Deng, Jiang & Hu were fêted during their state visits to the US & elsewhere. Nonetheless, American & Western politicians & MSM were never hesitant to vocally criticize Chinese domestic human rights abuses & regional coercion. Not sure why there cannot be a multifaceted approach to countries such as India.
YY_Sima Qian
The hagiography written in English language press for Shinzo Abe, after his assassination, made me want to throw up. Abe oversaw an illiberal turn in Japan, severely undermining the independence of NHK (like what the Tories have done w/ the BBC) & limiting freedom of press, not to mentioned reduced protection of vulnerable marginal communities. This is in addition to his historical revisionism & tendency to glorify Imperial Japan, though toned down during his lengthy 2nd tenure to re-stabilize relations w/ China & South Korea.
Ironically, his assassination prompted a major airing of the LDP’s decades long alliance w/ the Unification Church (the Moonies) in Japanese domestic discourse, precisely the intent of the assassin. & then it quieted down, w/ only a few LDP politicians sacrificed to face accountability. The LDP really does have a stranglehold over Japanese politics, helped by popular apathy & low voting rates. Very little of these developments have been covered in English language MSM.
YY_Sima Qian
Russia claiming that 25 drones were sent by Ukraine targeting Moscow, 10 of which were shot down in Moscow region, other were supposedly flying very low & got tangled in trees or power lines. No idea if this is a false flag operation.
In meantime, ethnic Serbs clashing w/ KFOR in Kosovo, injuring 25 NATO troops. Tensions between Serbia & Kosovo boiling over, seemingly both sides contributing.