Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

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

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

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

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

“woke” is the new caravan.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / War for Ukraine Day 582: NATO Leadership Visits Kyiv

War for Ukraine Day 582: NATO Leadership Visits Kyiv

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NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg came to Kyiv today and met with President Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders.

Greetings to our dear friend, NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg! Our commitment to strengthening ties with the Alliance in matters of security and defense remains unwavering.
We are grateful to NATO for its support provided during the war. Ukraine’s strategic objective is clear: attaining full NATO membership.

Here’s the video of Stoltenberg’s and Zelenskyy’s post meeting press conference.

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

We will do everything to ensure the safety of Ukraine and the entire Europe from Russian nuclear blackmail – address of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

28 September 2023 – 21:31

I wish good health to all Ukrainian men and women!

Significant international day today. Meetings and negotiations with partners. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was in Kyiv – fruitful negotiations. Not only about our defense now, but also about our strategic defense, the joint defense of everyone in Europe.
Ukraine deserves to become a member of NATO, and it will. Absolutely. And this is not just our Ukrainian ambition. It is the only effective security perspective for Europe guaranteeing real lasting peace.

We are working to make practical progress on the issue of NATO membership.

Today, we also discussed the work of our Ukraine-NATO Council format. What we can do using this format. It was a good meeting.

I also held talks with the Minister of Defense of France. Today. And the day before – with the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom. Key partners. Very significant cooperation we already have, and even more significant cooperation we can achieve.

We discussed, in particular, strengthening our forces, and the overall strategy for our victory in the war. We are also working towards joint production of the weapons we need, which is essential for both Ukraine and our partners.

I thank France, I thank the United Kingdom and all our partners – every leader, every country that stands with us against Russian terror and brings the much-needed peace closer.

There are also results on the IAEA platform – Ukraine has become a member of the Board of Governors of this organization. The International Atomic Energy Agency. And this not only underscores our international security role but also provides real opportunities for Ukraine to influence the adoption of decisions that are binding for all IAEA members and the entire international community.

We will do everything to implement the first point of our Peace Formula – nuclear and radiation security. And to ensure the complete liberation of our Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the Russian occupiers and to secure Ukraine and all of Europe from Russian radiation blackmail.

We are also preparing for the coming weeks to yield more results for our international efforts, for the strengthening of Ukraine. Today, I held several relevant meetings, including an important meeting with intelligence chiefs. The results will come.

Regarding the frontlines. Kupiansk direction, Lyman, Bakhmut, Mariinka, Avdiivka, Shakhtarsk, our southern directions. I thank all of you for your strength! I thank each and every one of you who are currently in battle, at combat positions, on combat missions!

We are working to provide you with more weapons, more powerful and effective weapons! Our Ukrainian weapons. And it will happen.

Glory to you, warriors!

Glory to Ukraine!

The current cost, the price being paid, the goal to be achieved:

 

A bit of a history lesson from Illia Ponomarenko:

It’s unbelievable how dumb and reality-defying propaganda can be.

It’s based on and spread via incredible ignorance, lack of understanding of basic facts of general knowledge from the secondary school curriculum, and incredibly shameless display of the Dunning-Krueger effect.

Now, the latest thing in Russian propaganda on Ukraine is this incredibly stupid “GOTCHA!” Ukraine “has a colorful Nazi history” because a 98-year-old Waffen-SS veteran, an ethnic Ukrainian who has lived in the West for the last 75 years, was mistakenly given an ovation in the Canadian parliament.

It’s now being presented as if during WWII and up to this time, Ukraine has been stuffed full of no one but sworn Nazis and most various Nazi collaborators, while ethnic Russians have always been the only ones to fight and defeat Nazism.

So this somehow gives Putin the right to declare today’s Ukraine “a Nazi state” and pursue the country’s annihilation via the most brutal war of conquest since the very WWII.

I love this torrent of imbecilic WWII takes from geniuses who seriously believe that citizenship defines a human being’s DNA, which, therefore, can be somehow targeted via ethnicity-centered biological weapons.

What these beautiful minds who wouldn’t find Ukraine on a map comfortably forget about is the estimated 400,000 ethnic Russians who served with Nazi Germany’s various military formations between 1941 and 1945.

Ever heard of General Vlasov’s Russian Liberation Army (ROA) corps (120,000-130,000 troops), part of the Wehrmacht in 1942-44?

Or the 29th Waffen-SS Division “RONA” (“The Kaminski brigade” responsible for the slaughter of Warsaw that shocked even the senior SS command)? Or the Russland Division (8,000-10,000 troops)?

Or of some 80,000 Russian Cossacks who served Adolf Hitler, including as part of the 15th SS Cossack Corps and the 1st SS Cossack Cavalry Division?

Or maybe, since we’re talking about Waffen-SS, we should also be talking about, I don’t know, the Viking Division formed of SS volunteers from north European countries — Norway, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands?

Or the 13th SS-Division Handschar of Bosnian Muslims? Or the 33rd SS Division Charlemagne of some 7,000 French collaborationists?

Or a number of American Volksdeutsche that once crossed the ocean to fight for the Fuhrer in Europe?

Do those figures say those nations also deserve to be enslaved and bombed into the stone age in 2023 from the point of view of some perverted high moral ground?

No?

What those acid tongue Kremlin bootlickers on Twitter are not talking about is over 6 million Ukrainians that fought Nazi Germany as part of the Red Army.

Also, 2.5 million Ukrainians who were decorated for valor in combat. And some 250,000 ethnic Ukrainians who fought as part of Allied militaries in Europe and beyond.

Also, let’s also talk about up to 10 million Ukrainians, civilians and combatants, who were killed in WWII, with over 700 Ukrainian cities and 28,000 villages destroyed in hostilities.

That’s not very helpful to the imbecilic all-Ukrainians-were-all-Nazis narrative, is it?

And it’s not a fucking rocket science.

It’s the purposeful ignorance spread by apologists of Russia’s obsession with territorial grabs and its chauvinistic sense of impunity “because Nazis from 80 years ago.”

Tatarigami has a new project:

I have an important announcement to make. I’ve decided to start my own project, with the help of several volunteers who already assist me. Our primary focus will be to provide comprehensive analysis and deliver unique insights from war and conflict zones, with a focus on Ukraine now.

Given the significant data processing and extensive efforts needed to produce high-quality reports with distinctive features and illustrations, as I have done previously, it’s clear that teamwork is essential. Therefore, I’ve decided to start a small, dedicated team called “Frontelligence Insight,” or simply “Frontelligence.”

Frontelligence Insight: Revolutionizing Public Access to Conflict Intelligence

This decision won’t affect my personal account here. The content for “Frontelligence Insight” will be published on Substack (https://frontelligence.substack.com) and will feature supplementary and exclusive materials unavailable on the X.

Given that the project aims to avoid becoming just another news aggregator that collects rumors from social media, it won’t provide daily updates. Instead, the primary focus will be delivering high-quality analysis, similar to my larger analyses previously shared here. Content will be released periodically, with intervals spanning several weeks.

The core concept of the project revolves around integrating satellite tech, signal intelligence, open-source intel (OSINT), and investigative journalism. It aims to deliver a product and analytical framework distinct from blogs. Frontelligence Insight is committed to delivering subscription-based, all-source information accessible to the public. Moreover, this project includes a set of long-term objectives. Given the existential significance of the ongoing conflict to my country and its people, the immediate and mid-term focus remains dedicated to Ukraine.

Frontelligence will release two types of articles on Substack: specialized content for paid subscribers and occasional free materials that will closely resemble the content I’ve shared on the X.

With a paid subscription, you will:

– Gain access to analytical insights rooted in both commercial and non-public information. These reports will be similar to reports I’ve previously made, drawing from a range of sources, including human sources, and commercial satellite data;

– Access an extensive collection of documents and seized manuals, including all previously published materials, placed on a cloud drive;

– Interviews with soldiers, officers, and experts. Our interviews provide detailed information with accompanying photos and visualization, surpassing the limitations of the X platform;

– Access to translated documents, manuals, and other materials into English;

– Early access to special and unique video or photo materials of significant value, which otherwise will be published on the X or free Substack with a delay.

– In the future, I would like to add “on-the-ground” reporting by enlisting short-term freelance journalists to cover emerging topics as they unfold.

Before subscribing to our paid version, please note that we encourage prioritizing donations for Ukrainian funds directly supporting our military and providing essential aid to our service members. If subscribing to our service might reduce your budget for these crucial donations, it’s advisable to maintain your current approach. However, if subscribing to our service doesn’t affect your ability to contribute to these vital causes, we wholeheartedly appreciate your support. We are dedicated to delivering value exceeding the subscription price, and your participation would be greatly valued.

Frontelligence Insight is committed to developing partnerships and close cooperation with other open-source intelligence (OSINT) initiatives, journalistic teams, and volunteer organizations. Distinguishing itself from governmental agencies, our mission is rooted in collaboration with the public, for the public, and funded by the public. We are dedicated to working in synergy with other organizations to enhance the overall quality of our product

While our primary focus remains on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we will also periodically address other topics, including developments in conflict zones across Africa and Asia. This expanded coverage is made possible by our growing team of experienced volunteers

Tomorrow, we’re set to debut our initial content on Substack under the Frontelligence Insight name. I invite everyone to subscribe to our Substack (https://frontelligence.substack.com) to ensure you don’t miss it

Marinka:

As said, the detonation of Russian kamikaze T-62. The driver took the tank to the field, left the tank, carried out a remote detonation and returned on foot. As stated, the purpose of this was “to break through the Ukrainian minefield.”
If it was indeed the initial purpose, the use of kamikaze tanks to clear minefields is quite strange and the effectiveness of this method raises questions. Especially while having mine clearance systems such as UR-77.
Marinka, near Donetsk (47.890931, 37.507528)
https://t.me/lost_warinua/51033

Kupiansk Axis:

KUPIANSK AXIS /1230 UTC 28 SEPT/ Kupiansk Area of Operations (AO) reported quiet. Russian air strikes target urban areas of Kupiansk and Sytaivka N of H-26 HWY. Earlier reports indicate that some RU forces in the Kupiansk AO have been repositioned to Orikhiv and the Western theater.

Bakhmut:

Robotyne-Verbove Axis:

ROBOTYNE-VERBOVE /1310 UTC 28 SEPT/ In the last 36 hours, UKR artillery conducted extensive barrages against RU defensive positions, troop concentrations and Ground Lines of Communication and Supply (GLOCS). Preliminary information indicates that UKR infantry and armor has penetrated RU defensive lines S and W of Verbove.

Here’s some analysis on Russia’s defensive line(s):

For you logistics and acquisitions enthusiasts:

From Militarnyi:

The first appearance of these rather strange-looking combat vehicles was seen in early June this year. Then their origin, characteristics, and even names were not yet known. However, Militarnyi managed to find people associated with them and find out all the details.

Meet a Ukrainian BMP-1LB infantry fighting vehicle. Developed in the conditions of war, its main task was to mechanize the numerous newly launched brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and compensate for the losses of armored vehicles in existing units.

As it became known from a conversation with a person involved in the production of these vehicles, they are made from the hulls of Soviet MT-LB tracked armored personnel carriers, which are in large quantities in tank depots.

Vehicles undergo major repairs with complete disassembly and flaws, after which they are painted and reassembled.

The actual outcome of the repair is quite low-grade due to the poor quality of the work. As noted, standard engines undergo major maintenance, but their “run-in” on the stand before transmission is only 50 hours, which often turns out to be insufficient.

“If the outside of the vehicles is cleaned, primed, and painted, the inside is smudged directly on rust and old peeling paint. On one vehicle, tracks with one extra element were installed, which is why we already had to shorten the tracks in the field,” the source said.

Upon completion of the repair, numerous changes are made to the design of the vehicles, in particular the arrangement of the squad compartment, strengthening the firepower and protection.

Protection of the original MT-LB in the sides and stern is only 7 mm, and in the front, up to 14 mm. This is only enough to protect against small debris and light rifle fire, but rifles and machine guns’ fire can penetrate the hull. To compensate for this drawback, add-on armored screens are welded on the BMP-1LB in a circle, forming spaced armor.

A remote weapon station with a KPVT 14.5mm heavy machine gun is also being installed on the vehicle. It is equipped with an optical observation station with a day-and-night thermal imaging channel. In addition, it is equipped with a protective armor shield against bullets and light debris.’

Much more at the link!

For you aficionados of both jazz and Russian military equipment going kaboom:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight. So here’s some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Army Cats & Dogs account:

That’s enough for tonight.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

22Comments

  1. 1.

    Alison Rose

    Damn, Ponomarenko really dropped the mic on these assholes. That’s handy to have, since although I have no vatnik assholes among my own friends, I know some of them have some in their circles. Gonna pass that on…even though the putin-fluffers will simply ignore it.

    I don’t like jazz but I’d listen to it all day if it accompanies russia shit going boom.

    Speaking of booms, a quick video of “Finnish-supplied 130mm M46 gun” in use. That’ll leave a mark!

    Thank you as always, Adam.

  3. 3.

    bbleh

    It still is staggering to think what would have happened — not just in Ukraine but to NATO — had The Former Guy been re-elected.

  6. 6.

    Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom

    After the Hunka Affair, I have come to the conclusion that my beloved Canada is under attack by India & Russia for our support of Ukraine. Is this hyperbole? The many knowledgeable people who comment here are free to slap me upside my head & tell me I’m delusional. I would, in fact, appreciate it if you did. Worrying about Ukraine & worrying about the 2024 presidential elections wasn’t enough stress, apparently. Oh, & just like the US, Canada has its own pack of rage farming, bomb throwing Fascist loving Quislings in the form of the CPC & its feckless slime bomb of a “leader”.

    Thank you as always, Adam, for your hard work. Your cool common sense & professionalism help keep me sane, as I traverse the dystopian hellscape we all seem trapped in.

    PS I have also donated to the Ukrainian ambulance go fund me mentioned in one of these updates & to my beloved World Central Kitchen. That helps too.😌

  7. 7.

    bbleh

    @Alison Rose: it would be even more of a disaster, if that’s possible, because he’s even more bitter and vindictive, and he’s also clearly more senile.  And the greatest damage would not be international but internal; it’s hard to predict in what form the country would emerge on the other side.  Truly a triumph for the ages for Russian intelligence!

    Which is to say, yes you’re right.

  8. 8.

    wjca

    The driver took the tank to the field, left the tank, carried out a remote detonation and returned on foot. As stated, the purpose of this was “to break through the Ukrainian minefield.”  If it was indeed the initial purpose, the use of kamikaze tanks to clear minefields is quite strange and the effectiveness of this method raises questions. Especially while having mine clearance systems such as UR-77.

    One of those questions: “Have things on the Russian side gotten so bad that the troops refuse to man mine clearance systems?  Perhaps reflecting a certain lack of faith in the reliability of their equipment generally?”

    I mean, it doesn’t seem all that likely that they have such a surplus of tanks that this is a reasonable use of them.

  9. 9.

    Jay

    @Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom:

    we also grow nuts in Canada,

    Hazelnuts in the Fraser Valley,

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66930536

    She claims to be the Queen of Canada, and now she’s holding court in an abandoned school.

    Romana Didulo, a QAnon-inspired conspiracy theorist, leads a group of supporters who have spent the last few years traveling around Canada in motorhomes and other vehicles.

    Recently, the group moved into Richmound, a village of around 150 people in south-western Saskatchewan, and settled in at a former school.

  10. 10.

    Bill Arnold

    The beginning of replies to that Illia Ponomarenko twitter thread is dominated by nasty paid bluechecks (boosted because they pay for boosting).
    (edited ’cause too many breadcrumbs.)

  12. 12.

    Bill Arnold

    @Alison Rose:

    Which is one of many reasons why we all have to do everything we can to prevent that from happening.

    I had that conversation with a friend at a break-fast Monday night (Yom Kippur); he wasn’t sure what he was willing to do, so we worked down from what he wasn’t willing to do, starting with limited (one) casualty kinetic action (Firm No), Roger Stone style (but actually effective) ratfucking (No), Get Out The Vote (Yes!).
    The future has not yet been written.

  13. 13.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Bill Arnold: I’m not going to read all the replies/comments, but what’s really striking is that (of the sample I read) the non-blue-check ones are mixed, both pro- and anti-Ukraine (more pro, though) but the blue-check ones are 100% pro-Putin.

  14. 14.

    bbleh

    @Bill Arnold: not to hijack a UKR thread with US politics, but very much yes!  GOTV is almost certainly THE most cost-effective thing we can do.  Donate, volunteer, organize!

    @Gin & Tonic: one of the principal purposes of disinformation is to confuse and demoralize.  “I sorta think X but all these people think Y.” No. Bots and troll farms say people think Y, but they are in no way representative of any people other than motivated propagandists.  And given the devolution of what-used-to-be-Twitter, “blue-check” tweets (or whatever “x” calls them) are probably at least as likely to be propaganda channels as they are to be opinions of a representative sample of actual humans.

  15. 15.

    Traveller

    @Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom:

    The mentioning of new ambulances brings to my mind a troubling set of stories on the number, (maybe vast) of wounded Ukrainians that have suffered various and serious amputations.

    This is distressing for me to see, (a former combat veteran), with the firmly held idea that dying would be preferable to dismemberment and and permanent disability.

    But maybe I am wrong…seriously wrong in my thinking, the real truth may be that there are so many tragically injured soldiers and civilians…but surviving (!) is actually a real testament to how effective battlefield medicine and specially how far trauma treatment has come…from the bad old days.

    It is appears that thousands, if not 10’s of thousands of seriously wounded individuals are alive and living rather than simply dead.

    Seeing all these brave men and women working with prosthetic limbs and their physical therapy may be personally distressing to me…but on the other side of this difficult coin…they are alive, they are living.

    Some have even chosen to go back to the battles space, either as medics or logistics or even soldiers.

    This, this new development seems very remarkable to me. The downside is as to general morale is showing the very real effects of combat…conversely,  these people are alive when in any other war they would be dead.

    Thinking on this. Best Wishes, Traveller

  16. 16.

    Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom

    @Traveller: They’re alive & there is already a long list of organisations helping as many as they can. War is a bloody, brutal awful business & coming home alive is some times the best that can be hoped for.

  17. 17.

    Yarrow

    @Traveller:  You might be interested in the video in this tweet.

    One of the most famous doctors in the world, orthopedic surgeon Rickard Brånemark @rbranemark, came to Ukraine. In Kyiv, the Swedish prosthetist, together with Ukrainian doctors, performed several surgeries for our defenders who lost their limbs in the war. The doctors performed… pic.twitter.com/6g0FZYCxZE— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 27, 2023

    Full text of tweet:

    One of the most famous doctors in the world, orthopedic surgeon Rickard Brånemark @rbranemark, came to Ukraine. In Kyiv, the Swedish prosthetist, together with Ukrainian doctors, performed several surgeries for our defenders who lost their limbs in the war. The doctors performed the first stage of osseointegrative prosthetics. This is the latest technique for implanting a prosthetic limb into the bone.

    Thank you for helping our Warriors, Doctor!

    📹: 5 channel

  18. 18.

    patrick II

    Is anyone worried about a government shutdown cutting off aid for Ukraine?  Has money been committed from this year’s funds? Will we finish spending it tomorrow?

  19. 19.

    Hangö Kex

    As collaborating with Nazis goes Russians tend to conveniently forget that the USSR and Nazi Germany started WWII on the same side due to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact: e.g. the USSR invaded and annexed the eastern parts of Poland in co-operation with the Nazis.

  20. 20.

    wjca

    @patrick II: Is anyone worried about a government shutdown cutting off aid for Ukraine?

    Concerned?  Certainly.  Worried?  Not yet.

    A lot depends on how long the shutdown lasts.  And how well the President can do at keeping the rest of the alliance on-board until we get our act together again.  Biden has shown a lot of skill at this kind of diplomacy.  And unlike under TIFG, we’ve got competent diplomats in place to help him.

  22. 22.

    Scott P.

    The 25th Combined Arms Army was not ‘being held back’ — it was a training unit that has been in existence for a while, but which had not finished equipping and integrating new conscripts. It was due to be formally mobilized next year. It’s committment to battle does not mean Russia has more reserves than we thought, but that they are so short of reserves they have to commit units that are not ready and were about a year from being ready.

Comments are closed.