(Image by NEIVANMADE)
The Russian bombardment of Ukrainian civilian targets continues:
Today, the russians attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones.
UKRAINIAN AIR DEFENDERS SHOT DOWN:
– 6 Kinzhal missiles;
– 6 Kalibr cruise missiles;
– 2 drones.— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) June 16, 2023
The president of South Africa, along with three other heads of African states, visiting Kyiv today to push their attempts to mediate an end to Russia’s genocidal reinvasion of Ukraine. They are then traveling on to Moscow. South Africa’s president has been in the news for the better part of the last year as a major Putin sycophant and most recently for making hash of his communications around the BRICs summit. Anyhow, the Poles decided they weren’t amused. And since the only way into or out of Ukraine is by car or rail and the major transit point is in Poland, the Poles decided that his security detail did not have the right paperwork for their weaponry. The BBC has the details:
Poland says racism was not a factor in its decision to refuse entry to South African presidential guards and media for more than 24 hours.
The stand-off happened at Warsaw’s Chopin airport. The aircraft will now be held there until Sunday, an airport spokesman told the BBC.
About 120 people were stuck on the plane, who were all on their way to a peace summit in Ukraine.
Some of the passengers are now disembarking and going to a hotel.
Poland’s actions have left President Cyril Ramaphosa, who travelled separately to Ukraine, without some of his security detail.
This prompted a furious reaction from Mr Ramaphosa’s head of security, Maj Gen Wally Rhoode.
“They are delaying us, they are putting the life of our president in jeopardy,” he told journalists. “We could have been in Kyiv by now and this is all they are doing. I want you guys to see how racist they are.”
But Poland has dismissed this outright.
“Accusations against Poland of racism are being circulated in this case. This is nonsense,” says the director of the National Security Department and spokesman for Poland’s Minister-Special Services Coordinator, Stanisław Żaryn.
Warsaw Chopin airport spokesman Piotr Rudzki told the BBC the South African security guards did not have the necessary permits for their weapons.
“We cannot let passengers with illegal firearms into the EU,” he said.
Mr Rudzki added that they were told they could disembark if they left their weapons on the plane but they refused.
“The firearms… were not going to be confiscated as some reports in South Africa have said,” he added.
What started as an impasse on Thursday afternoon has escalated into a diplomatic row.
A spokesman for South Africa’s president said the row was “regrettable”. Vincent Magwenya had said efforts were being made to ensure those on the aircraft can proceed “to cover at least the Russian leg” of the trip. But according to Mr Rudzki, this is no longer an option.
Despite the events in Warsaw, Mr Magwenya says President Ramaphosa arrived safely in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv safely by train from Poland, along with other African heads of state who are visiting the country to promote dialogue with Russia.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump:
Each of our soldiers, each new step, each meter of Ukrainian land freed from the enemy is the most important thing – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
16 June 2023 – 22:54
Dear Ukrainians, dear Ukrainian women!
Today was a long day. With many events, and a lot of news. Meeting in a special format – Ukraine and African countries. Long discussions… The Peace Formula, security issues, grain, our joint capabilities to protect the principles and goals of the UN Charter, to protect nations from aggression. I called on the leaders and states of Africa to participate in the Global Peace Summit we are preparing. Ukraine will be heard all over the world, and we will involve the whole world in the implementation of the Peace Formula. It is not easy, but we are working.
Today was also the graduation from the National Defense University of Ukraine. I had the honor to congratulate our officers. I was very pleased to do it.
I am especially grateful to our air defense forces – everyone who defends the Ukrainian sky. The downing of Russian missiles today, including six ballistic missiles, is very important and symbolic. No one can be intimidated by Russia.
And there was another event today, another point in my schedule that has not yet been announced. This is the War Cabinet. Our commanders – generals Syrsky, Tarnavsky, Zaluzhny, Shaptala. And our commanders in specific directions of active actions – I won’t say their names yet, everything in its own time. Our advancement is the most important thing. Each of our soldiers, each of our new steps, and each meter of Ukrainian land freed from the enemy is the most important thing. And there was Budanov… Separate steps.
I’m thankful to everyone who is now fighting for Ukraine!
I’m thankful to everyone who is preparing to enter the battle!
And I’m thankful to everyone who helps us so much, potently!
Glory to Ukraine!
We will defeat everyone!
Here is his address to the 2023 graduating class of the Ukrainian National Defense University.
And here is the video of the joint press conference following President Zelenskyy’s meeting with the African heads of state:
Kyiv:
What it’s like to be a mother in Ukraine today.
Kyiv, June 16 2023. Another air attack by russian terrorists.📷Sasha Maslov pic.twitter.com/epizN1z2Yt
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 16, 2023
Context: the other day, there was a scandal over Kyiv city authorities wasting a giant amount of money procuring toy drums "so that kids could play and have fun during attacks."
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 16, 2023
An entire community impacted by a Russian missile attack on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/GT5vnduEfi
— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) June 16, 2023
The Kyiv Independent has more details on the Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets, as well as the meeting with the African heads of state:
Key developments on June 16:
- Zelensky says no peace talks with Putin until Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine
- Russia launches missiles at Kyiv during African leaders’ visit
- Russian attack on Kherson injures 23, including 3 children
- Ukrainian forces advance south as counteroffensive continues
- Sweden to train Ukrainian pilots on JAS 39 Gripen jets
Following his meeting with African leaders on June 16 in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that peace talks with Russia will only be possible after the withdrawal of the Russian forces from the occupied territories.
“I made it clear multiple times during our meeting today: to allow talks with Russia now, while the occupier remains on our land, would mean freezing the war, freezing the pain, and suffering,” Zelensky said at a joint press conference with the African delegation.
The delegation led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine on the morning of June 16. Aside from Ramaphosa, the delegation included the leaders of Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Comoro Islands, and Zambia.
The group was set to meet Zelensky under the African Peace Mission. After visiting Ukraine, the group’s next stop is Russia’s St. Petersburg, where the leaders are supposed to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Hours after their arrival, Russia launched 12 missiles and two drones at Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported on June 16 that air defense downed all six Kinzhal ballistic missiles, also known as Kh-47M2, six Kalibr cruise missiles, and two reconnaissance drones.
“Today’s missile attack indicates that either Russian leadership, President Putin, has absolutely no control over their armed forces, including the Wagner mercenaries as they launch missiles at the other states leaders who have decided to visit the country after us… or this person is inadequate,” Zelensky said at the press conference.
“It seems to me that this person (Putin) is inadequate because he is not ready for peace. He wants to completely erase the state of Ukraine. And if a person has such intentions, then I have many questions – what kind of communication, what kind of dialogue (is possible) with this person?” said Zelensky.
However, Ramaphosa said that the Russian missile attack on Kyiv made “calls for de-escalation even more important.”
“The launch of guided missiles today does not deter us. It does not stop us from continuing to call for de-escalation,” Ramaphosa said at the press conference. “We want this conflict to be resolved, which will be in the interest of the African people and the entire world,” said Ramaphosa.
The Russian June 16 missile attack injured four people, including a child, in Kyiv Oblast, the regional emergency service reported. They have reportedly been injured by the missile debris.
The debris fell in one of the Kyiv Oblast districts, destroying three houses and damaging 15 more buildings, according to the report.
By “welcoming” African leaders in Kyiv with a missile attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demonstrated his true intentions regarding pursuing peace, said Peter Stano, spokesperson for the European Commission on Foreign Affairs.
“I think this makes them (African leaders) realize very clearly who is the aggressor and how the aggressor behaves, what are its intentions,” Stano said at a press conference in Brussels.
Stano also said that the EU welcomes any serious and meaningful efforts to achieve peace, as “no one wants peace more than the Ukrainians and the Europeans.”
“There could be peace immediately — when Putin stops terrorizing Ukrainian people and withdraws his murdering, torturing, and looting troops from Ukraine’s territory,” said Stano.
Reuters reported on June 15 that the African leaders would offer Kyiv and Moscow “confidence-building measures.” These reportedly include withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine, redeploying tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, and suspending the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Putin for the illegal deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Bakhmut:
The counter-offensive is hard work, but day by day we make progress! 🇺🇦🦾 By the way, if you have questions, please comment them. I might do a live stream next time at the base.#UkraineWar #Bakhmut #counteroffensive #бахмут pic.twitter.com/xUsy7h3lO3
— Roman Trokhymets (@RomanTrokhymets) June 16, 2023
Kherson:
⚡️Update: 23 injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast.
The number of civilians injured in a Russian attack on the city of Kherson around 1 p.m. on June 16 has climbed to at least 23 people, including three children, presidential office head Andrii Yermak said. pic.twitter.com/ybdwAx4TDP
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 16, 2023
Nikopol:
⚡️1 killed, 1 injured in Russian attack on Nikopol.
Russian forces bombed Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 16, killing one person and injuring another, oblast governor Serhii Lysak said.
Photo: Governor Serhii Lysak/Telegram pic.twitter.com/HI3fusbmPQ
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 16, 2023
Tatarigami has an interesting and informative thread on mine clearance. First tweet from the thread and the rest from the Thread Reader App:
🧵Thread
Mines pose a significant challenge for our army during the counter-offensive. As I've highlighted months ago, the difficulty lies in effectively tackling this issue while dealing with the constant threat of fire from enemy aircraft, AT weaponry, and artillery. pic.twitter.com/NANK2J892h
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) June 16, 2023
2/ Based on my knowledge about the current situation, russian forces continue mining vast expanses, spanning dozens and hundreds of square kilometers. Even the deployment of Mine Clearing Line Charges (MICLIC) does not provide a foolproof solution, given the scale of the problem.3/ Russian forces persistently employ both anti-tank and anti-personnel mines to fortify the area. Additionally, it appears that they are utilizing a significant number of remote-mining machinery, such as the Zemledeliye system.4/ In the specific case, provided to me from the field, the identified mine was likely deployed via remote mining, possibly utilizing the BM-27 Uragan launcher. The Uragan launcher, equipped with 16 rockets containing 9 mines each, enables the simultaneous deployment of 144 mines5/ The civilian population is endangered by this situation. Numerous reports have emerged about incidents of both domestic animals and people falling victim to mines. Similar incidents occurred before; however, the scale of the current mining is far larger.6/ The limited supply of engineering equipment, SHORAD, and long-range artillery poses a challenge in breaking through the rigid minefield. While it remains possible to breach the defense line, achieving this objective will demand significant time and resources.7/ Modern Western armies haven’t faced similar challenges with extensive minefields recently. This is primarily due to their aerial supremacy, which enables the elimination or neutralization of threats long before mine-clearing equipment is deployed in the operational area.8/
The core emphasis of the Russian military doctrine and strategic thinking on defense and active defense measures was designed to resist more technologically advanced enemy than russia itself9/
In summary, the task of breaching defenses and minefields, particularly in the presence of hostile artillery and air support, is a high-risk task that needs significant time and effort. Let us not forget the formidable challenge that our officers and soldiers are confronting.
Zaporizhzhia:
Video of what a mine clearance operation looks like in real combat conditions. As said, M58 MICLIC is used. Zaporizhzhia front. https://t.co/5bvAkB5nbu pic.twitter.com/nIKTFopmSF
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 16, 2023
Brussels:
Fresh M113s coming from 🇧🇪Belgium
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 16, 2023
The Financial Times has reporting on Roscosmos’s PMC:
Wearing helmets marked with Russian flags, the men leap from tanks to a Daft Punk soundtrack made for a sci-fi movie, brandishing Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers.
Then comes a Hollywood-style voiceover: “State corporation Roscosmos calls on you to join the Uran volunteer battalion, where you will be trained for victory in this great war.”
The advertisement marks a new frontier for Roscosmos, Russia’s state space agency, a partner of Nasa that regularly sends cosmonauts to the International Space Station — but is now, according to the recruitment videos, teaming up with the Russian army to raise, fund and equip a militia to fight in Ukraine.
The contrast could hardly be more stark given Roscosmos has faced no direct western sanctions. Three Roscosmos cosmonauts are currently orbiting the earth alongside American astronauts, at the same time as Roscosmos militiamen are being drafted to fight against US-supported Ukrainian forces.
The recruitment adverts put the space agency, heir to the venerated Soviet programme that pioneered space flight, at the vanguard of a different state project: Russia’s shadow recruitment drive to bolster its combat force without launching another destabilising round of conscription.
Ruslan Leviev, an independent military analyst and head of the Conflict Intelligence Team, said his team tracking the Uran battalion’s recruitment drive had yet to find evidence it had been deployed on the frontline.
But one influential cheerleader of Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of its neighbour has presented Roscosmos as setting the example for how to attract volunteers for the frontline with “magnificent” videos and good terms.
“All this does not guarantee high efficiency of the unit, but at least it provides an influx of volunteers, reducing the likelihood of a new wave of mobilisation,” said a post on Rybar, a Telegram channel run by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former press secretary at the Russian defence ministry.
After its invasion forces floundered in Ukraine last year, Moscow began quietly mobilising tens of thousands of volunteers to join frontline militias, compelling big state entities such as gas group Gazprom and Roscosmos to help recruit with ad campaigns and competitive salaries.
But many of the volunteer battalions fighting in Ukraine have maintained independence from the army, with the Wagner paramilitary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin often revelling in criticising the military’s top brass. It has left a chaotic jumble of at least 40 different fighting forces that the ministry of defence is attempting to bring to heel.
The Uran battalion, which is the Russian word for the planet Uranus, stresses its allegiance to the defence ministry across its materials. It pledges that its recruits will sign contracts with the regular army, making it a model example for how the defence ministry would like such units to behave. Last week, the ministry set a deadline of July 1 by which it wants all other volunteer units to be similarly absorbed into its structure.
A second recruitment video described Roscosmos as fulfilling “all of the tasks set by the defence ministry” by organising, training and equipping the Uran militia. It is not exclusively made up of Roscosmos staff, but “employees of the aerospace sector” are offered special benefits and terms, according to a poster shared on the website of a subsidiary.
The origins of the militia appear to be outside of the agency: a Moscow mixed martial arts club that advertised military-style training courses for prospective soldiers. The battalion’s webpage is owned by an “association of sport, patriotic and veteran organisations” established in 2014 called The Shield and the Sword, a reference to the KGB’s logo.
After its invasion forces floundered in Ukraine last year, Moscow began quietly mobilising tens of thousands of volunteers to join frontline militias, compelling big state entities such as gas group Gazprom and Roscosmos to help recruit with ad campaigns and competitive salaries.
But many of the volunteer battalions fighting in Ukraine have maintained independence from the army, with the Wagner paramilitary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin often revelling in criticising the military’s top brass. It has left a chaotic jumble of at least 40 different fighting forces that the ministry of defence is attempting to bring to heel.
The Uran battalion, which is the Russian word for the planet Uranus, stresses its allegiance to the defence ministry across its materials. It pledges that its recruits will sign contracts with the regular army, making it a model example for how the defence ministry would like such units to behave. Last week, the ministry set a deadline of July 1 by which it wants all other volunteer units to be similarly absorbed into its structure.
A second recruitment video described Roscosmos as fulfilling “all of the tasks set by the defence ministry” by organising, training and equipping the Uran militia. It is not exclusively made up of Roscosmos staff, but “employees of the aerospace sector” are offered special benefits and terms, according to a poster shared on the website of a subsidiary.
The origins of the militia appear to be outside of the agency: a Moscow mixed martial arts club that advertised military-style training courses for prospective soldiers. The battalion’s webpage is owned by an “association of sport, patriotic and veteran organisations” established in 2014 called The Shield and the Sword, a reference to the KGB’s logo.
Much more at the link!
Following on last night’s discussion in the comments, The Drive‘s The Warzone has an in-depth discussion of Russia’s advantage from rotary wing aircraft given Ukraine’s lack of short-range air defense (SHORAD).
As Ukraine presses on with its counteroffensive in the south and east, making incremental advances in the process, there is evidence that Russia may be starting to enjoy more aerial access over critical areas near the front lines.
As Russia continues to adapt its application of air power, after a fairly dismal start to the campaign, some of its aircraft are now able to operate in a less restricted way, or at least Russia is willing to take on more risk in doing so. Either way, this will put further pressure on the Ukrainian forces, raising questions, in particular, about the availability of mobile short-range air defense systems, or SHORAD. At the very least, as Ukraine gets away from its more entrenched and fixed air defense capabilities, the importance of SHORAD is only going to be underscored.
As The War Zone has discussed in the past, SHORAD is fundamental to the protection of friendly units close to the front lines, including armored ones, defending them against a wide variety of aerial threats, ranging from low-flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to larger drones and cruise missiles, and even smaller drones carrying improvised explosive devices.
Speaking recently about the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the southeast of the country, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Malyar noted: “Our troops are moving in the conditions of extremely fierce battles,” before pointing to the particular threat posed by “the enemy’s aviation and artillery superiority.” President Zelensky echoed those same sentiments recently, as well.
Multiple accounts — including from the media arm of the Russian Ministry of Defense itself — now document how Russian aviation is operating very close to the front lines, with attack helicopters presenting an especially serious threat to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in areas where armored advances are orchestrated. In particular, the Ka-52 Hokum has been repeatedly mentioned.
The War Zone spoke to Guy Plopsky, the author of a number of articles on air power and Russian military affairs, and asked him specifically about the involvement of the Ka-52 in the recent fighting:
“While there is much that doesn’t get captured on video, the recent uptick in Ka-52 videos suggests that their activity (and that of Russian attack helicopters in general) has intensified (perhaps significantly) in an effort to halt Ukrainian advances since Ukraine launched its counteroffensive,” Plopsky says. “The same appears to be true for Russian fixed-wing tactical combat aircraft. Indeed, a recent U.K. Ministry of Defense intelligence update noted that ‘[t]he [Russian Air Force] has been unusually active over southern Ukraine, where the airspace is more permissive for Russia.’”
Much more at the link!
Moscow:
Every time Putin speaks in public, he quotes Hitler. pic.twitter.com/DL47c2Zeyy
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) June 16, 2023
Better translation: https://t.co/SmZka7IWRb
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) June 16, 2023
If anyone is wondering, this is how the anti-Semitic rhetoric around George Soros started. And the people who started that were Jewish Americans who created the influence operation against Soros for Viktor Orban while they were also working for Benjamin Netanyahu.
The demonization of Soros is one of the defining features of contemporary global politics, and it is, with a couple of exceptions, a pack of lies. Soros is indeed Jewish. He was an aggressive currency trader. He has backed Democrats in the US and Karl Popper’s notion of an “open society” in the former communist bloc. But the many wild and proliferating theories, which include the suggestion that he helped bring down the Soviet Union in order to clear a path to Europe for Africans and Arabs, are so crazy as to be laughable — if they weren’t so virulent.
Soros and his aides have spent long hours wondering: Where did this all come from?
Only a handful of people know the answer.
On a sunny morning last summer, one of them could be found standing in front of the huge buffet in the Westin Grand Hotel in Berlin. George Birnbaum is built like a marathon runner — tall and slender, his head and face shaved clean. Elegant horn-rimmed glasses frame his piercing blue eyes.
Birnbaum — a political consultant who has worked in the US, Israel, Hungary, and across the Balkans — had agreed to talk for the first time about his role in the creation of the Soros bogeyman, which ended up unleashing a global wave of anti-Semitic attacks on the billionaire investor. But he also wanted to defend his work, and that of his former mentor and friend, Arthur Finkelstein.
George Eli Birnbaum was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, where his family moved after fleeing Nazi Germany. His grandfather was shot by the Nazis in front of his son, Birnbaum’s father, who later survived Auschwitz. Anti-Semitism followed the family as they moved to Atlanta, where Birnbaum grew up, and where the Jewish school he attended was often defaced with anti-Semitic slurs. It left a mark.
All of which makes it bizarre that Birnbaum and Finkelstein’s ideas spawned a new wave of anti-Semitism, and that they did so in the service of an authoritarian leader, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, reviled around the world for his far-right views. The two men took all the arguments against Soros, from East and West, from left and right, and fused them together. Two American Jews, one a towering figure in US politics, helped create a monster.
Birnbaum doesn’t appreciate the irony, but there is little doubt he played a crucial role in the weaponizing of anti-Semitism.
And he did it by putting Soros on the chopping block.
Starting in 2008, Birnbaum and Finkelstein worked in secret to get Orbán elected. Their victory in Hungary — away from the intense political scrutiny of Western Europe — showed that constructing an external enemy could bring electoral success in the modern era. It allowed Hungary to give birth to “Trump before Trump,” as Steve Bannon said.
Birnbaum and Finkelstein’s work has provided a new model for attack politics in this era of global division. They designed a master plan for exploiting these divisions that has worked in many different countries and contexts, and helped create a Jewish enemy that the far right has exploited to devastating effect. In 2016, when Trump ran his final TV ad ahead of the election, it came as no surprise that Soros was featured as a member of “global special interests” who don’t have “your good in mind.”
Finkelstein and Birnbaum’s electoral masterpiece was created in Hungary, and would have implications around the world.
It began in 2008, when Orbán decided to seek reelection. His old friend Bibi — as Netanyahu is known — introduced him to the two people who would guide his success. Before long, Finkelstein and Birnbaum were applying their formula to Orbán’s election campaign — and then turbocharging it.
Enemies were easy to find in Hungary. The country was an economic basket case and had to be bailed out in 2008. Austerity measures were demanded by their creditors at the World Bank, the EU, and the IMF. Finkelstein and Birnbaum told Orbán to target “the bureaucrats” and “foreign capital.”
Orbán won the 2010 election with a two-thirds majority as the country shifted to the right. Birnbaum is still amazed today how easy it was: “We blew the Socialist party off the table even before the election.”
Birnbaum and Finkelstein, now part of Orbán’s inner circle, found themselves with a problem. While the satisfied winner of the election started rewriting the constitution, they were now lacking an opponent. “There was no real political enemy … there was no one to have a fight with,” Birnbaum remembered. The ultra-right Jobbik party and the Socialist party were beaten, the rest in splinters. “We had had an incumbent with a historic majority, something that had never happened in Hungary before.” To maintain that, they needed a “high energy level,” said Birnbaum. “You need to keep the base energized, make sure that on Election Day they have a reason to go out and vote,” he said. They needed something powerful, like Trump’s “Build the Wall!”
“It always helps rally the troops and rally a population” when the enemy has a face, Birnbaum explained. “Arthur always said that you did not fight against the Nazis but against Adolf Hitler. Not against al-Qaeda, but against Osama bin Laden.” Who could become that enemy in Hungary now that Orbán was in power — and wanted to stay there?
Orbán was busy creating a new, more dramatic story of the nation. Hungary, which had collaborated with the Nazis, was painted as a victim, surrounded by external enemies, under perpetual siege, first from the Ottomans, then the Nazis, and later the Communists. Hungary’s mission was clear: to defend against its enemies, and to preserve Christianity against encroaching Islam and secular forces.
Against this backdrop, Finkelstein had an epiphany. What if the veil of the conspiracy were to be lifted and a shadowy figure appear, controlling everything? The puppet master. Someone who not only controlled the “big capital” but embodied it. A real person. A Hungarian. Strange, yet familiar.
That person was Soros, Finkelstein told Birnbaum.
Birnbaum was mesmerized: Soros was the perfect enemy.
Much, much more at the link!
There is nothing new under the sun!
That’s enough for tonight.
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Open thread!
dmsilev
The Poles have very very very few fucks left to give when it comes to giving insult, inadvertent or otherwise, to Russian-friendly people and powers. They come by this position honestly, through several centuries of experience with their neighbor to the east.
Alison Rose
“I have many Jewish friends.” Oh do you, Sparky? Do you really? Putting aside the fact that I don’t think putin has ever had a friend of any kind in his entire life, any Jews who might have ended up in his vicinity were the pickme types who willfully live up to stereotypes and put financial gain ahead of their own self-respect. Zelenskyy may not be the most observant Jew, but he’s still an MoT, no matter what a bunch of antisemitic russian pigs wanna claim. And he is the opposite of a disgrace. Just ask my Yiddishe Mama.
When I first saw the news about the African leaders visiting Kyiv, I was surprised. Then I read the details and was like…sigh. Kudos to the Ukrainian government for being able to get through it without rolling their eyes hard enough to sprain something.
Thank you as always, Adam.
Gin & Tonic
Vincent Magwenya’s “Baghdad Bob” imitation is being ridiculed mercilessly in Ukraine. Although I suppose it’s possible that he didn’t hear the sirens or the explosions BECAUSE THEY WERE IN A FUCKING BOMB SHELTER at the time.
Sebastian
Poland: based, as so often. Ukraine couldn’t have wished for a better ally.
The solution to the Russian attack helicopter threat: give Ukraine Apaches and Comanches. All of them.
Thanks as always, Adam!
Gin & Tonic
Oh, and Cyril Ramaphosa’s official Twitter account misspelled the name of the city they were in.
Anoniminous
Up to now the Orcs have kept air assets well outside the SHORAD envelope, for good reasons. First the Russian suck at air operations. Second, if they start bringing aviation in for Close Air Support Ukrainians are going to shred them using the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger provided by the US.
Anoniminous
@dmsilev:
If it ever looked like Ukraine would lose this war there’s no doubt in my mind the Poles would come in. Poles absolutely hate the Russians.
Lyrebird
@Alison Rose: Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Genocide just enjoys seeing how much BS he can get his lackeys to repeat. (ETA: Because with a name which iiuc is basically “Bob Greenberg” in Ukrainian and his looks, I’m pretty sure no Ukrainians mistake him for something other than Jewish.) Is he trying to make sure the visiting leaders don’t remember the original BS justification for the invasion? “Oh the Ukrainians, look how they treat Russian speakers!” Well unless I’m mistaken, I think they elected one president???
Wish the visitors had met with some of those nonagenarians that had to be rescued from their rooftops. Betcha some of them are Russian speakers. And that poor young man who came back in a prisoner swap, holding his wrists together (probably manacled too long), all he could say was “Spasibo” looking at this fresh apple in his hands… How did they (RF) treat that Russian speaker?
Sorry I am yelling, I am yelling in agreement though!
Thank you also for the Valerie June link downstairs.
Lyrebird
@Gin & Tonic: Yah.
Good evening to you! Hope I wasn’t too off base above re: Russian speakers.
“above” -> @Lyrebird:
Gin & Tonic
@Lyrebird: Nope, on target. And note that Reznikov, Budanov are ethnically russian names.
Sebastian
As if this day couldn’t get better! ATACMS!!
Gin & Tonic
And I will note once again, for the record, that the purported linguistic division is a fiction largely attributable to the mercenary Paul Motherfucking Manafort.
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team
That Buzzfeed article made my blood run cold. JFC.
Rebel’s Dad
OverTwistWillie
Putin’s spokesperson is clarifying his boss statements now, and says that if Ukrainian F-16 will operate from airfields outside Ukraine, Russia will try to destroy them only over Ukraine
клоун
Alison Rose
@Lyrebird: Yeah, I don’t know if putin believes his own bullshit or not, but I don’t know how much that matters. He just seems to enjoy being the world’s worst and most evil shit-disturber.
And you are welcome! Always happy to bring more people into her fandom :)
oldster
“That person was Soros, Finkelstein told Birnbaum.
Birnbaum was mesmerized: Soros was the perfect enemy.”
If Putin wants to know what a real “Shanda fur die Goyim” looks like….
Geminid
@Sebastian: I wonder what the plan will be to pass that defense bill. I guess we’ll see in the coming weeks. The Senate should be on board. Getting it through the House might be tricky.
Grumpy Old Railroader
Ask and receive. I watched Professor Timothy Snyder’s 16 Part Youtube series on Ukraine history which covers much of Eastern Europe in general. Bonus points because it is a free Yale extension course. I can now brag that I have attended class at Yale. This is really good and in depth history of the area
Another Scott
re the helicopters, I’m reminded of the earliest hours of the war:
Yes, defending ground then is different from attacking trenches now. And yes, tactics evolve over time – on both sides. I have no doubt, though, that Ukraine has plans and ways of countering this apparent, temporary, advantage that VVP’s forces has with helicopters. We need to continue to give them what they need to succeed.
Slava Ukraini!!
Cheers,
Scott.
JaySinWA
@Grumpy Old Railroader: Next thing you know Skull and Bones will be recruiting you.
Philbert
Soros spent an enormous amount of money assisting Eastern Europe in its transition to democratic governance and a market economy. Sadly boggling that they have painted him to the contrary. SIgh.
Mike G
@oldster: What a repulsive pair of scumbags, fecklessly wrecking the world for the advancement of their evil careers. If they should accidentally step in front of a flamethrower I would celebrate.
Chetan Murthy
@Philbert: IIRC, that fucknugget Orban got his original university degree thanks to a bursary from Soros. SMDH. [actually, I don’t; the perfidy of humankind is without bottom; thankfully, the decency of humankind is without top]
kindness
Birnbaum and Finkelstein ignore the history they refused to learn. At some point they too will be tagged by what they helped Orban create. And Orban won’t save them.
Adam L Silverman
@Philbert: Soros paid for Orban’s education at university.
Odie Hugh Manatee
In the late 80’s I was the lead and line supervisor at a boat manufacturing plant. I was called out to the guard shack one day because the guard had a guy there who was looking for a job. It turned out that the guy was Polish and fairly fresh to our country having escaped Poland during the Solidarity uprising. He was involved in the movement and fled the country when his and his family’s lives were threatened. I can attest to the fact that Poles really hate Russians. I mean really really hate them. Heck, hate doesn’t encompass the emotions I saw when he talked about life in Poland under the Russians.
We hired the guy and I trained him because I was the only one who was willing to train someone who barely spoke English. Nice guy and a hard worker who was a fast learner. Very funny guy, too. The guy has the most Polish name I have ever had to say but he had us call him Bruno as his middle name is Bronislaw (add umlaut!).
Damn that was some time ago!
Dirk Reinecke
I don’t know if the Poles are being petty or if the ANC is just being its usual incompetent self.
NutmegAgain
@JaySinWA: Don’t listen to him! Go for Scroll & Key!
Rebel’s Dad
@Lyrebird: “Oh the Ukrainians, look how they treat Russian speakers!”
Like, almost all of Ukraine speaks Russian to an extent, it would be harder for Putin to find a Ukrainian who ISN’T a Russophone!
Rebel’s Dad
@Grumpy Old Railroader: спасибо болшое!
Carlo Graziani
@Sebastian: Don’t hold your breath.
The US Army’s inventory of ATACMS missiles amounts to about 1-2 weeks worth in a hypothetical conflict with China. This fact is, in all probabillity, the real reason for the US reluctance to allow those missiles to be foorwarded to yhe UA.
YY_Sima Qian
@Anoniminous: The Russian attack helicopters are sniping at Ukrainian armor from well outside the engagement envelops of Ukrainian AAAs & MANPADs, facilitated by the very flat terrain. It is a sensible tactic.
Here the brutal Russian campaign striking at Ukrainian population centers is also having an effect, forcing Ukraine to deploy its medium & long range SAMs (such as the Patriots, S300s & Buks) in the rear to protect cities & critical infrastructure.
As I said yesterday, Ukrainian urgently needs help from former Warsaw Pact militaries that still operate the SA-8 SAMs (or have them in storage).
YY_Sima Qian
@Carlo Graziani: Doubt it. ATACMS can only reach targets on Mainland China from Taiwan, & nowhere else. The U.S. Army is largely irrelevant in a Taiwan scenario. The USMC is trying to stay relevant by operating Tomahawk batteries & doing “shoot & scoot” among the many islands of the Ryukyus.
The US Army could be saving the ATACMS for a potential conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
Feathers
@dmsilev: There has been a great uproar among the Russians the last few days over Russian athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics as refugees. This left me scratching my head and wondering what the IOC is up to. This could still be the usual IOC shadiness, but…
Googling, what I found was an interview from February with the Polish sports minister, who suggested that Russian athletes who declared themselves to be dissidents opposed to the war could compete with athletes from war torn countries who are allowed to compete as refugees without representing a particular country.
From outrage of the Russians, this appears to be lethal trolling. “We are not refugees; it’s simply humiliating! How can we be refugees? Where did we flee from and to?” says Tatiana Tarasova, doyenne of Russian figure skating. She’s never going to understand.
https://fs-gossips.com/we-are-not-refugees-its-simply-humiliating-how-can-we-be-refugees-where-did-we-flee-from-and-to-tatiana-tarasova-on-the-potential-criteria-for-russian-athletes-participation-in-paris-2024/
Sebastian
@Carlo Graziani:
I am not, I’ll believe it when I see it. The ATACMS question has become somewhat moot with storm shadow and knowing that Turkey shipped UA their version of MLRS with 230mm, there is a possibility Turkey might ship Khan missiles as well at some point, too.
bjacques
I can’t help thinking that demonizing Soros was an easy sell for Orban. I’d followed online discussions in the early 1990s among East European democracy activists, and there was some resentment then towards Soros’s Open Society people, because with their money they swiftly eclipsed the local activists who’d paid their dues in the 1960s through the 1980s.
Orban sure didn’t mind those Soros bucks back in the day though.
And his Foreign Minister Sjijjarto (sp?) is a real slimeball.
Bill Arnold
@AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team:
Birnbaum and Finkelstein are on team Evil.
Along with all those who craft, distribute, repackage, etc, such propaganda designed to create a [scapegoat], for political gain of factions that use scapegoating as a political tool.
Barry
@Philbert: “Soros spent an enormous amount of money assisting Eastern Europe in its transition to democratic governance and a market economy. Sadly boggling that they have painted him to the contrary. SIgh.”
That is why his enemies hate him.
LiminalOwl
@Chetan Murthy:
Rotating tag?
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Not surprised Ramaphosa is a Putin fan. He’s trying to run RSA like Putin runs Russia and is ruining the country. I was there for 6 months from January to June 2022 adopting a child. Wasn’t supposed to be there that long but his administration has gotten busy wrecking the administrative State with corruption and inefficiency. The populace is dealing with rolling blackouts up to 10 hours a day because politically connected gangs are stealing the coal used to generate electricity and in a country with virtually unlimited solar power potential there’s no support for installing renewables. They hired a guy to “get to the bottom of it” and when he was honest and said the corruption was too widespread and went too high up for him to fix it he wound up drinking a cup of coffee laced with cyanide. Luckily he got medical treatment in time and survived. So he’s spreading corruption, poisoning his enemies, enriching himself. It’s the Putin playbook to a T.
Gin & Tonic
@Dirk Reinecke: Well, reportedly they were denied clearance to fly on to russia, so I somehow suspect incompetence.
Frank Wilhoit
“It’s the credulity, stupid.”