(Image by NEIVANMADE)
The Russians continued to bombard Odesa last night.
As a result of the night missile attack on Odesa, one person was killed and 4 people were injured. An office building was destroyed. pic.twitter.com/ssLtbTB3cw
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
The grain deal, as putin sees it: If you don't meet all of our demands, we’ll shell cities, destroy grain terminals, and sink ships. Does anyone really still expect that it is possible to negotiate security guarantees with this thug?
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
They also opened up on civilian targets in several other cities, which we’ll cover after the jump.
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
First, I would like to thank everyone who helps our people and our cities overcome the consequences of Russian strikes. Odesa and the region, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr region, Kharkiv… border regions, Donetsk region…
I thank all the rescuers, doctors, nurses, volunteers, police, local authorities… I thank everyone who works for the sake of people and Ukraine. The victims of Russian strikes are being provided with the necessary assistance. Again and again, I thank the employees of our ports and transport infrastructure in general who are doing everything to preserve Ukraine’s export potential and our access to the global economy.
In just four days of this week, since Monday, Russian terrorists have already used almost 70 missiles of various types, almost 90 “Shaheds” against our state, and to a significant extent – against Odesa and Odesa region, Mykolaiv, our other southern cities and communities.
Of course, our warriors managed to shoot down some of the enemy missiles and drones, and I thank each of our defenders of the sky for this… But unfortunately, the capacity of Ukrainian air defense is not yet enough to protect the entire Ukrainian sky… We are working with our partners as actively as possible to obtain additional air defense systems that can provide peace and security to our Odesa and all other cities and communities of our country.
Today I would like to thank several states that have tightened sanctions against Russian entities, various entities that in one way or another help Russia wage this inhuman aggression. I thank the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Hundreds of new sanctions objectives have been successfully implemented. Russia and everyone in this world who dares to help terrorists must feel the ever-increasing sanctions pressure – whether they are individuals, companies or countries.
Today, the National Bank of Ukraine has made an important decision regarding the financial institution operating in our country and owned by Russian oligarchs – they are under sanctions in various jurisdictions… The NSDC sanctions were applied. And now it will be right for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to immediately consider the relevant proposals of the National Bank of Ukraine and support them in relation to this financial institution. In the interests of depositors, for the sake of financial stability and basic justice.
Today, I also spoke with Prime Minister Shmyhal about another issue that should be considered, in particular, through the prism of justice. Budget expenditures. In times of war like this, the maximum state attention, and therefore state resources, should be spent on defense. This is an obvious thing. And every project that can be implemented at the expense of extra-budgetary resources should be implemented at the expense of extra-budgetary resources. This applies to various areas, including culture. Museums, cultural centers, symbols, TV series – all of this is important, but now there are other priorities. Find extra-budgetary funds. Not state funds. So, I suggested two steps to the Prime Minister. The first is to find extra-budgetary funds for projects that are really needed now. There are people in the world who can help. Second, I asked the Prime Minister to consider replacing the Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
I would also like to appeal to all local authorities in our country: people should feel that budget resources are used fairly and properly. Everyone understands what we are talking about. Paving stones, city decorations, and fountains can wait till after the victory.
And one more thing.
We continue our work to mobilize the world to protect food security and normal life. Today, for the first time in the history of relations between our countries, I spoke with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, in particular, about Russia’s attempt to destroy our grain exports. Today, about 20 million people in Ethiopia are on the verge of famine. This is one of the most critical situations in the world. Last year, Ukrainian exports saved the lives of at least one million Ethiopians – that’s how much food we managed to send to this country, almost 300 thousand tons. And if it wasn’t for the Russian aggression, we could have saved many more lives and provided much more security. I am confident that this year we can do it – all together, the whole world. No one in the world is interested in allowing Russia to destroy the global food market. And by the way, we have already started preparing for the UN Security Council meeting scheduled for tomorrow, which is dedicated to this very issue, food security. I am grateful to everyone in the world who helps!
Glory to our warriors! Glory to everyone who fights for freedom and human lives!
Glory to Ukraine!
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has issued a statement regarding Russia’s announcement that it will treat all civilian vessels sailing towards Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as military targets. Here is the machine translation into English:
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine ✔
!!️Statement of the Ministry of Defense of Ukrainethe Russian federation has drastically violated the universal right to free shipping for the whole world and deliberately undermines food security by dooming to the hunger of millions of people.
Openly threatening civilian ships carrying food from Ukrainian ports by firing rockets and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in peaceful cities, deliberately creating a military threat on trade routes, the Kremlin has turned the Black Sea into a danger zone, primarily for Russian ships and ships bound for the Black Sea waters in the direction of the rf seaports and Ukrainian seaports, located in the temporarily occupied Russian territory of Ukraine. Responsibility for all risks lies entirely with the Russian leadership.
The fate of the cruiser « Moscow» proves that the Defense Forces of Ukraine have the necessary means to repel Russian aggression at sea.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine warns that from 00:00 on July 21, 2023, all vessels traveling in the Black Sea waters in the direction of seaports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian seaports, located in the temporarily occupied Russian territory of Ukraine, can be considered by Ukraine as carrying military cargo with all the relevant risks.
In addition, shipping in the areas of the Northeast Black Sea and the Kerch-Enical Strait of Ukraine is prohibited as dangerous, from 05:00 on July 20, 2023. Relevant navigation information for seafarers has already been published.
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Odesa:
Video from body cameras of patrol police officers who were the first to arrive at the scene of the occupiers' nighttime strikes on Odesa. One person was killed, while eight others were injured. This target was not a military facility. This is pure terrorism. pic.twitter.com/XwLumLbdX0
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
May 16: russia attacked Kyiv with Kinzhal missiles while Chinese envoy Li Hui was visiting the Ukrainian capital;
July 19: russia destroyed 60,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, some of which was supposed to have been exported to the PRC;
July 20: the building of the Consulate General… pic.twitter.com/6V2NFusKOZ— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) July 20, 2023
May 16: russia attacked Kyiv with Kinzhal missiles while Chinese envoy Li Hui was visiting the Ukrainian capital;
July 19: russia destroyed 60,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, some of which was supposed to have been exported to the PRC;
July 20: the building of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, located in the middle of a residential area, was damaged as a result of a russian missile and drone attack on Odesa.
A brief chronicle of a friendship with no limits.
Headquarters building of Ukraine’s main port, in Odesa, after this night’s Russian missile strike. Putin seeks to make future Ukrainian food exports impossible. Zero effect on the military campaign, of course. pic.twitter.com/EVpZBFWyMU
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) July 20, 2023
Seminivka, Chernihiv:
Results of russian terrorist attack on Semenivka, Chernihiv region. pic.twitter.com/EmKfaq0Wsl
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
Mykolaiv:
Horrifying consequences of russian air attack on Mykolaiv last night. At least 1 civilian has been killed, and 18 civilians have been injured. pic.twitter.com/GZ21NrykrW
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 20, 2023
Russian launched air attacks on Mykolaiv & Odesa again overnight. Mykolaiv governor Vitaliy Kim says residential buildings hit; 18 people injured, 9 of them hospitalized, including 5 children. 2 people rescued from the rubble. “It’s a miracle they were saved.” 📸: National Police pic.twitter.com/UXsJVhcRDU
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 20, 2023
It is a full house in the theater in Kyiv as our team watches the premiere of our first war crimes unit documentary.
Please consider supporting independent journalism in Ukraine, allowing us to continue bringing the truth to light: https://t.co/MR6YO66sn3 pic.twitter.com/U0iSvlPZjm
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 18, 2023
Yes. It is available now: https://t.co/fi3MYnYnAd
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 18, 2023
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
Now I'm raising money for a car for the sappers. Your subscription to Buy Me a Coffee will help me buy it. You can also donate directly — https://t.co/z496m7fJlc 🐾 or PayPal [email protected]
— Patron (@PatronDsns) July 20, 2023
Happy birthday to our domesticated wolf 🐺
— Georgian Legion (@georgian_legion) July 20, 2023
And a new video of Patron’s birthday party from his official TikTok!
@patron__dsns З Днем народження мене! 🥳🎈
Here is the machine translation of the caption:
Happy birthday to me! 🥳🎈
Open thread!
japa21
Happy Birthday Patron, and may you have many more.
I have no further words to say about Putin.
Geminid
I think the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense can back up its threat to Russian shipping. Ukraine definitely has sea drones, like the ones that attacked Sevastopol. The hit on the Kerch Bridge may have been carried out by one that sailed around Crimea. Ukraine also has been developing submersible drones.
A freighter or tanker is a soft target, and Ukraine just has to score one good hit to drive up shipping insurance rates. One of the many Greek-owned supertankers sailing east to pick up oil from Russian ports would make a good target. Ukraine has already named some of the owners as enablers of Russian terrorism.
Bill Arnold
@Geminid:
Empty, so no major oil spill.
BC in Illinois
Mallard Filmore
Hi Adam, this YouTube video might tweak your academic interest:
link: https://youtu.be/65it0Slapwk?t=536
title: “Record Temperatures in the North Atlantic”
but the video link above starts at the section “Online Hate Groups Behave like Non-Linear Fluids”
zhena gogolia
@BC in Illinois: pIG!!!
Geminid
@Bill Arnold: Yes, one sailing east to pick up oil, not one sailing west with a load.
A Ukraining sea drone is not going to do but so much damage to a super tanker anyway. It might not not even slow it down. But insurance companies would jack up rates, and the tanker owners would join the many other “stakeholders” pressing Putin to reenter the Grain Initiative.
I’d pick on a Greek-owned tanker because Greek shipping companies have made out like bandits hauling Russian oil since this war began. They have skirted EU requirements too. Last January there was a regular oil tanker convention in the Gulf of Latakiia, off the southern Peloponnese coast.They basically were laundering Russian oil by transferring it from tanker to tanker.
NutmegAgain
@BC in Illinois: Well fuck him sideways with a rusty farm implement. Not my electoral district, but a list of these actively anti-Ukraine SOBs in the next congressional contest would be great.
trollhattan
@Geminid: Fuck it. Ukraine hires a crapton of Somali pirates, gives them speedboats, ladders and such, and they hijack the tankers, full. As many as they can.
I seriously could not believe how they’re able to board gigantic cargo ships underway in the open sea, from tiny surface craft, even after the owners began manning them with armed guards. It’s boggling.
trollhattan
@BC in Illinois: Is that a special-needs way of saying Ukraine forced Russia to invade Ukraine because Russia is so afraid of Ukraine invading Russia?
Wonder if the check cleared?
Jay
New site for those interested,
https://alleyesonwagner.org/
Alison Rose
@BC in Illinois: Well, shit, if it’s a war “against russia” then Ukraine has some really bad maps.
Comer can go fuck himself, ideally with a cactus that’s been dipped in habanero pepper sauce.
I’m pretty convinced by now that putin doesn’t want to just destroy Ukraine, he wants to destroy literally everything and everyone in the world who isn’t 1) russia, or 2) slurping russia’s ass 24/7. People say that putin can go to hell, but at this point, I doubt Satan wants anything to do with him.
Thank you as always, Adam.
Geminid
@trollhattan: I think the problem of Somali pirates has abated for some years now. They have probably gone on to other ventures. And they could succeed only because Western navies did not just strafe them from warplanes or helicopters. The ship guards were under strict rules of engagement also. The Russians would not be so reticent.
And this is not an emergency. It was last November, when Russia suspended the deal and Turkiye backed them down. Then, shipments were only in their tenth week after a hiatus of 5 months. Now Ukraine has been shipping grain and oil seed for over 7 months.
A prolonged halt would cause a lot of trouble, but I think Putin will rejoin the deal within the next 2 weeks, even without the threat of Somali pirates.
If Putin doesn’t, there is always Plan B: NATO protection of grain convoys, with Turkiye taking the lead. Erdogan won’t do this yet for political reasons. He wants a resumption of the deal, and I think he’ll get it.
Roger Moore
@trollhattan:
Piracy is an interesting business. The key is the sailors have very little stake in their employers’ operation. The pirates just have to cultivate a reputation for treating sailors leniently if they don’t fight back and harshly if they do, and it will be hard for the shippers to get anyone to fight to protect their cargo.
Omnes Omnibus
@Alison Rose:
Seconded.
Jay
Like many things, it’s alot more complex than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy_off_the_coast_of_Somalia
Jay
For those using Nitter as a work around, around the Bird site, many accounts are only showing twits from 2022.
Feathers
The sporting world proves again to be utterly corrupt. The International Gymnastics Federation has voted to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to apply to be allowed to compete in international events as “neutral athletes.” They have been competing under a neutral flag for nearly a decade now, without any change in attitude or doping practices. Or invading Ukraine. Which they did twice, immediately after the Winter Olympics both times.
Maxim
@Omnes Omnibus: Thirded, fourthed, and so on into eternity.
wombat probability cloud
@Jay: Thanks for this.
@Alison Rose: Ghost pepper sauce, please.
Jay
@Feathers:
and almost all Ruzzian “athletes” are in the RU Military.
Cameron
@BC in Illinois: “Let’s lure them in! That way we’ll have all the depleted uranium shell fragments and unexploded cluster bombs on our own soil!” A cunning plan indeed!
Geminid
Things are really booming in Crimea! All the more need for the 19 helpful pointers published in Russian media a couple days ago after the strike on the Kerch Bridge. They are for Russian tourists who want to return home by way of the the scenic overland route:
Adam L Silverman
@japa21: If you have not done so already, please check the email you use to comment here. I sent you a message this AM.
Elizabelle
Happy birthday, Patron. That is a happening little party. Everyone looks good in the hats.
Gin & Tonic
The russian fascist (and Kremlin-endorsed) pop star Shaman released a new single entitled “Мой бой.” In English, that would be “My struggle.” I’ll leave translations into other languages as an exercise.
Another Scott
KyivIndependent.com:
Slava Ukraini!!
Cheers,
Scott.
Chetan Murthy
@Another Scott: today on Dennis Davydov’s podcast he mentioned that the company that will conduct the training in Romania for Ukrainian pilots is currently advertising for personnel of all kinds trainers maintainers etc to staff that base. What a farce, what a shambles.
Jinchi
Ukraine will do itself no favors if it starts targeting 3rd party merchant ships. Save the drones for military targets.
Feathers
@Jay: Apparently there will be some assertion that they are not involved in the war, but what that will be hasn’t been determined. At least in figure skating, there have been many coaches and officials denouncing the idea that the athletes will have to be neutral. Previously they were representing the Russian Olympic Committee. We’ll see if not being able to use the name Russia will make a difference to Putin et al.
Jinchi
@Gin & Tonic:
The German translation is pretty obvious.
Carlo Graziani
I think the Ukrainians may have just announced that they have drone naval minelaying units heading for Novorossyisk.
Carlo Graziani
@Gin & Tonic: Nice. These guys have no self-awareness. An author of a reboot of Mein Kampf blithely expounds on his support for the War To Extirpate Ukrainian Nazis.
Chetan Murthy
@Carlo Graziani: “Cumulative Radicalization” works on Russkies too, not just MAGAts.
Geminid
@Chetan Murthy: Lockheed Martin subcontractor Draken International is hiring people to staff a training center at the 86th Borcea airbase in Romania, but they will not be training pilots on their 12 F-16s until later this year. A class of 10-12 Ukrainian pilots and 30 some technicians will start training at Skydstrop Air Base in Denmark next month and move to Romania when the center is ready.
Maybe Mr. Davidoff did not tell you that, but he could have since The New Voice of Ukraine reported this July 18, based on statements from the Lockheed official in charge overall.
Chetan Murthy
@Geminid: Oh, that’s much better! Much, much better. Thank you!
Geminid
@Jinchi: Well, I don’t think Ukraine’s going gunning for Greek tankers anytime soon. But they made the threat, and it tracks the one Russia made against them. If Russia ends up attacking a ship bound for Ukraine I expect Ukraine will retaliate in kind.
But like I’ve said, I think the Grain Initiative will be resumed before too long.
Chetan Murthy
@Geminid: Somewhere tonight I read that the problem is: repairing the port facilities at Chornomorsk will take a year; during that time, once the grain corridor is reactivated, RU will mainly benefit, b/c they have working port facilities.
Geminid
@Chetan Murthy: Sounds like Russia has gained an advantage that they can pocket if and when they return to the Graine Initiative. But Ukraine may be able to get those facilities up and running sooner than in a year.
smintheus
There’s a Russian propagandist at this wikipedia page who’s been excluding info about a controversy that blew up around another Putin propagandist, the Italian street muralist “Jorit”. The painter got caught bullshitting about a mural he put up in Mariupol that blamed all the civilian deaths there on NATO rather than Russia. There used to be a mural like it that put the blame on Russia, but the Russian invaders covered that mural up and commissioned this alternate reality mural in its place. So WP being wikipedia, the editorial busy bodies are siding with the concern troll Putin propagandist who keeps deleting most of the relevant info (though pretty much everyone in Italy now knows the details). This is a small something that a few decent people weighing in against the troll could reverse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorit
Chetan Murthy
oh this is depressing. He argues that the Ukrainian situation is dire, and that they will not be able to punch through Russia’s defensive fortifications.
https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/russian-fortifications-present-an-old-problem-for-ukraine/
Shalimar
@Chetan Murthy: The horrible part is that NATO is forcing them to punch through those defenses. We already know where Russia’s defenses are tissue-paper thin: in Russia. A good military strategy would be to attack Rostov and the other Russian cities in the rear and force retreat.
Geminid
@Shalimar: This is not a realistic solution. Even if NATO wasn’t preventing such a move, geography, logistical requirements, and the Russian Air Force would prevent a Ukrainian column attacking east from Kharkiv and then south behind Luhansk and Donetz Oblasts from ever getting to Rostov.
I wouldn’t bother pointing this out except you are saying that NATO is making the AFU attack fortified lines when it’s just not so.
Geminid
Noel Reports says that Russian war criminal and milblogger Igor Girkin has been arrested.
Chris T.
“Nice human race you’ve got there. Shame if something were to happen to it…”