(Image by NEIVANMADE)
Quick housekeeping notes. First, slow news day in the US, huh?
Second, Rosie is doing quite well. She’ll have next week off and then start round three a week from Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.
Right now – 7:03 PM EDT – southern and central Ukraine are under air raid alert and one just went up for Kharkiv Oblast. It’s now 7:15 PM EDT and alerts have gone up for Poltava and Sumy Oblasts.
Dnipro was attacked earlier today:
Dnipro these minutes💔
Russian troops struck a residential building with a missile, destroying several floors. So far, one civilian has been reported dead and six others injured, including a 7-month-old baby. The rescue operation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/RMynUKtfDz— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) June 28, 2024
Dnipro. A Russian missile directly hit an apartment building. Four floors have been destroyed. Three people injured. Rescuers, medical workers, and all services are already on the site, providing all necessary assistance.
That is why we keep reminding all our partners that only… pic.twitter.com/iOlBvOUwoI
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 28, 2024
Dnipro. A Russian missile directly hit an apartment building. Four floors have been destroyed. Three people injured. Rescuers, medical workers, and all services are already on the site, providing all necessary assistance.
That is why we keep reminding all our partners that only sufficient quantity and quality of air defense systems and the world’s determination can stop Russian terror.
We need these decisions. We need a reliable air shield for Ukraine.
Kharkiv Oblast authorities have issued an evacuation order due to Russian bombardment, all while Russia continues to bombards the oblast:
Authorities in Kharkiv Oblast have announced the mandatory evacuation of families with children from over 30 villages across four districts of the region. Governor Syniehubov explained that this decision was prompted by the intensification of russian shelling in the area. pic.twitter.com/8wdeNYeoPx
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) June 28, 2024
Three aerial bombs were dropped on a village on the outskirts of Kharkiv! The russian attack resulted in the destruction of over ten houses and left eight people injured. pic.twitter.com/Jfnz5LK1iS
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) June 28, 2024
Here is President Zelenskyy’s Constitution Day address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Constitution Day
28 June 2024 – 09:01
Dear Ukrainians!
On June 28, 28 years ago, the Basic Law of our state was adopted.
And today we celebrate the Constitution Day of Ukraine!
I am recording this address on my way from Kyiv to Brussels, in Lviv. A city that is one of the first to welcome our international partners, that has been receiving our people and evacuation trains since the first days of the war.
And now I am here at the time of the historic decision on negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. We are now on our way to Europe. In every sense of the word. All of Ukraine is overcoming a challenging journey. When much has been accomplished, yet much lies ahead. When we cannot stop or take a wrong turn. When we must reach the destination. When we have to successfully complete this path – Ukraine’s path to Europe.
What do these words mean in practice? What does this path look like? It did not begin yesterday, or a year ago, or in 1991. It was taken by different generations who fought for an independent, European Ukraine. This path is made up of different destinies, different roads, different people. This path is full of trials, obstacles, pain that we had to endure, and the will that allows us to keep moving – moving forward. And each of us is walking this path today.
Our Constitution’s first article begins with the word “Ukraine.” And from the first minutes of the war, millions of people proved that Ukraine really comes first for them. Everyone who thought, first and foremost, not of themselves, who understands that in times of war, a key duty comes to the fore. Article 17 of the Constitution. Protecting Ukraine is the most important function of the state and a matter of concern for the entire Ukrainian people.
Millions of Ukrainians demonstrate their commitment to this every day. Heroes on the front lines and those working tirelessly to strengthen the state. Ukrainians who have changed their lives and professions, but not their commitment to freedom, Ukraine, and Europe.
People who, unfortunately, have lost their home, but fortunately, have not lost Ukraine in themselves. Who knows that temporary occupation will not defeat eternal truths: Ukraine is united and independent, Ukraine is homeland.
Everyone who teaches and everyone who studies. So different, different in age, yet so free in spirit. In one word – citizens. Citizens of Ukraine.
They fight, help, heal, build, and manufacture shells. Firefighters who defeat fire, power engineers who defeat darkness, everyone who creates jobs, and everyone who works. Together, they are the people creating Ukraine on the pillars of will, freedom and law – the basic principles of the Constitution of Ukraine.
The path to Europe and freedom today is not only geographical and political, but also ideological.
It takes place in different directions: Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Zaporizhzhia, Siversk, the day before I was in the Pokrovsk direction… And in many others. This path is difficult, but Ukraine will overcome it. Because we are walking it together, in every corner of Ukraine. Which, of course, is a European state and will undoubtedly be a peaceful one.
Dear people!
The Constitution of Ukraine is human-centered.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is human-destructive.
Putin strikes not only at our land. Every day, he attacks the constitutional freedoms of Ukrainians. He shoots and kills our rights, he attacks the inalienable right to life, development, prosperity, and the right to make our own choices. All the rights of our children. All the rights of our people guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine. The right of our entire nation and our country is the right to peace.
Therefore, every day of our resistance is a fight not only for our sovereign territories but also, and above all, for our sovereign rights, for our human rights. The principles by which we lived before the war. And by which we will live after the victory. As citizens of Ukraine. Independent, free, successful. Ukraine – part of a united Europe, part of the global world.
Happy Constitution Day, fellow citizens!
Glory to Ukraine!
Happy Constitution Day of Ukraine! 🇺🇦
Our Constitution reminds us every day what we are fighting for: sovereignty, the rights and freedoms of every citizen, and the right to live in a free and democratic country. pic.twitter.com/yviwWv20XI
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) June 28, 2024
The cost:
Sergiy Cherednyk was an engineer and a nuclear scientist.
He spent many years working at Ukraine’s Nuclear Research Institute.
He volunteered to join Ukraine’s National Guard aged 58.On June 28, he was killed in action in Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/ssLpR8P3Iv
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 28, 2024
More Ukrainian POWs are on their way home:
+ 10 more Ukrainian nationals are coming home from Russian captivity
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 28, 2024
Finland:
Finland announced the 24th defense aid package for Ukraine, valued at €159 million.
The total value of the defense material delivered by Finland to Ukraine is now 2.2 billion euros.
We are grateful to our Finnish partners for their staunch support. Together, we are stronger.… pic.twitter.com/CdMkCnETdz
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024
Finland announced the 24th defense aid package for Ukraine, valued at €159 million.
The total value of the defense material delivered by Finland to Ukraine is now 2.2 billion euros.
We are grateful to our Finnish partners for their staunch support. Together, we are stronger.
🇺🇦🤝🇫🇮
@DefenceFinland
Donetsk Oblast:
The Ukrainians have taken down another Su-25:
That’s how 🇺🇦 warriors shot down a russian Su-25 with “Igla” MANPADS.
📹: @ng_ukraine https://t.co/98RsD2HkF3 pic.twitter.com/N7WSChX6PL
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024
FPV drones. Donetsk region. Destruction of the russian armor.
Neither anti-drone cages nor ‘turtle’ tanks help the occupiers survive.📹: 46th Airmobile Brigade pic.twitter.com/3EdnuC2XoX
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024
Chasiv Yar:
Instead of a thousand words.
” ‘Thank you,’ Russia, for ruining our lives” – a writing on a damaged building in Chasiv Yar.
Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region was once home to 14,000 people. Now, the city is practically wiped off the face of the earth.
📷: 24th Separate Brigade https://t.co/mWY48FghlR pic.twitter.com/GXykW9cOpe
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 28, 2024
For you drone enthusiasts, here’s some details on the Wild Hornets heavy FPV drone:
Heavy FPV of the @wilendhornets
“Carries an antitank mine TM-62 weighing 9.5 kg. The flight time is 7 minutes, or 5 km one way… And it’s not even the XL version yet. More later)”https://t.co/ULkUusugTj pic.twitter.com/rtJsBg8xwX
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 28, 2024
For those who haven’t heard of the Wild Hornets, they are attempting to source raw materials and build all “made in Ukraine” drones. Here’s an example of what they’re doing:
❗️Help make Ukrainian drones independent from China 🇺🇦
Fundraising for unique Ukrainian flight controllers for FPV drones Wild Hornets.
We want to equip 500 of our drones with a Ukrainian “brain” so that the military receives the best drones.
For this, we need your help -… pic.twitter.com/NflhN4c4Mt
— Wild hornets (@wilendhornets) June 22, 2024
❗️Help make Ukrainian drones independent from China 🇺🇦
Fundraising for unique Ukrainian flight controllers for FPV drones Wild Hornets.
We want to equip 500 of our drones with a Ukrainian “brain” so that the military receives the best drones.
For this, we need your help – please donate $5/10/20 or any other amount to our fund.
With these funds, we will manufacture 500 stacks, install them on the drones, and deliver them to the military.
Our flight controller is a completely unique development that surpasses Chinese counterparts in its characteristics 👊
💲 Our PayPal: [email protected]
Tambov Oblast, Russia:
Russian Telegram channels report a drone attack at an oil depot in Tambov region of Russia last night.
This video made me think how used we are by now to Russian oil depots burning – I even hesitated whether to post it because the fire looks small-ish. pic.twitter.com/ScC0N6SN8Y
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 28, 2024
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.
Delivering food to frontline communities in eastern Ukraine this week, Alla from the Hachiko team befriended some new puppies and a strange looking dog 🐐 pic.twitter.com/uJ2jQP2r1y
— Nate Mook (@natemook) June 19, 2024
Drama queen ) pic.twitter.com/1T3jhzTE09
— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) June 28, 2024
Little Jesse celebrating 5th birthday today ) pic.twitter.com/jTBCjMIKbS
— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) June 21, 2024
Open thread!
Chris Johnson
Is this funny to you, before you come and, for the six billionth time, tell us at interminable length how good Russians are at killing everybody and how futile it is to resist them?
Cos it’s not funny to me. You might have seen the better part of valor and let other people carry the load for a hot minute. I might have forgotten that you constantly do this. But no… no, it’s a little bit funny to you, you’re like ‘oh hey what did I miss?’
Sanjeevs
Thanks for doing this Adam. Read it every day and always find it valuable.
Chris Johnson
@Sanjeevs: Why, exactly?
japa21
@Chris Johnson: WTF are you talking about?
japa21
Thanks Adam.
Lyrebird
Thank you Adam for your efforts and for your caring for those doggos!
@Sanjeevs:
@japa21:
I was going to say I like pie, but apparently this evening I like monochrome cupcakes.
Chris Johnson
Never mind. He said he’d stay out of positive threads and I’d call that a worthwhile tradeoff and will do a better job of staying out of his. “slow news day, huh?” just really, really pissed me off.
regulon
@Lyrebird:
Me too!
Adam L Silverman
@Chris Johnson: What in Deity’s name are you talking about? I was referring to the freak out from the debate last night.
Adam L Silverman
@Chris Johnson: Also, when have I ever said the Ukrainians or anyone else shouldn’t be resisting the Russians?
Adam L Silverman
For clarity’s sake and so Chris Johnson doesn’t work himself into a stroke, I have revised the second sentence of tonight’s update to make it explicitly clear what I’m referring to. It now reads:
japa21
@Adam L Silverman: You really didn’t need to. 99.9% of readers understood what you were talking about.
Adam L Silverman
@japa21: Some things have to be done.
Jay
As always, thank you Adam.
It seems that between the Debate, the Hot Takes and the Supremely Corrupt Court rulings that the butthurt has seriously unhinged some people.
Jay
It seems that so far, in the operations to try to relieve the encircled ruZZian Vovchansk Pocket, where 750 ruZZian troops are encircled, the ruZZian’s have lost an entire airborne regiment.
https://nitter.poast.org/GlasnostGone/status/1806805665924386975#m
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/Matt_VanDyke/status/1806757014913126648#m
Adam L Silverman
@Jay: It is what it is.
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1806710755980423576#m
YY_Sima Qian
@Chris Johnson: You can choose not to read these updates if they offend you that much. Or you can choose to disagree on the substance.
Adam L Silverman
@YY_Sima Qian: You can’t reason with the perpetually aggrieved, especially when they are perpetually self-deluded regarding reality.
TaMara
JFC
What the hell is this dude talking about and who is he when he’s at home (one of my favorite British idioms)?
As if Adam has ever said anything like that ever in the entire time I’ve known him.
Fuck off troll
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara: Usually he’s angry at me for indicating that normal/normative politics/political action will not be enough to defeat Trump and his and his supporters ongoing revolt/rebellion against the Constitution and the US. And trying to get people to be prepared for that unfortunate possibility and start thinking about what they might have to do should it come to pass.
YY_Sima Qian
It makes sense for Ukraine to be developing their own drone components that suit their specific needs. Controllers sourced from the PRC are probably designed for civilian applications. This could help Ukraine stand up a competitive small drone industry, as well as for some components (such as controller chips), since Ukraine (& Russia) are now by far the most prolific & most experienced practitioners of small drone warfare.
However, there is always a trade off. Custom designed Ukrainian components will be more expense & supplied in lower volumes, making “PRC-independent” drones more expensive & less readily available. That is simply a consequence of the PRC having tremendous economy of scale for small civilian drones specifically & consumer electronics in general, & the tremendous breath & depth of the ecosystem, & Ukraine not having these advantages (nor any prospect of having such advantages).
Jay
@YY_Sima Qian:
Ukraine has been making/modifying their own specialized drones for quite some time now. They have suicide drones that can fly over 1500 km, drones that can carry and drop 10 kilo antitank mines, drones that when jammed use Machine Vision to hit their targets, drones that lay mines, drones that clear mines, drones that haul supplies, drones that sink ships, etc,…..
I would guess that these controllers have “special” features that allow the controller/drone be adapted to a specific battlefield condition, that is only in Ukraine so far.
matt
Just on Ukraine alone – how can you not support Biden? He’s not brave enough to break the alliance with Israel?
sab
@Chris Johnson: Your sarcasm meter needs adjusting.
Adam L Silverman
@matt: I have repeatedly said, in multiple posts, that despite my frustration with Biden and his nat-sec team in regard to Ukraine that I was voting for him because the alternative would be much, much, much worse.
John Cole
@Chris Johnson: Chris, please do yourself and everyone else a favor, step away from the keyboard, go outside, and touch some grass. Breathe. Think.
You’ll be happy you did and welcomed back.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
@Adam L Silverman: Why yes, I do find that prospect terrifying. I also resent having to care so much about an election in another country, when the same rot has leaked into Canada & we have a fight on our hands all our own.
But I’m a prepper. Not one of the crazy doomers mmmkay. (I don’t even own a gun & have no desire to do so.) I am a prepper because I’m immunocompromised & disabled & the pandemic confirmed some of the worst fears we disabled have had about the lack of value society places on our existence. (Also, too, see Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s comments on how she & her staff reacted during the January 6th Insurrection.) So I am a prepper who values your analysis even when it scares me to death.
I also support Ukraine with all that I’m capable of. I could write a good couple of essays on why I care so much, but this is not the place for that.
So thank you Adam, for your hard work, your sometimes harsh words, your clear eyed assessment of what is happening in our ridiculous miracle of a world. I hope you get some rest this weekend & spend some quality time with the furry family.
Slava Ukraini!🌻
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/Matt_VanDyke/status/1806757014913126648#m
Hot takes are over, now comes the FAFO.
Marc
The main problem with flight controllers from Alibaba (and elsewhere in China) is that some are QA rejects and/or use counterfeit components, so accuracy and reliability are sometimes lacking.
The “special” features likely are use of authentic components, faster microcontrollers with more memory, higher accuracy GNSS receiver and inertial measurement unit, high resolution pressure (altimeter) and magnetic (compass) sensors, high amperage motor controllers for four (or more) larger motors for heavier load capacity.
By the way, aside from the motor controllers, these low cost flight controllers use off the shelf components originally intended for cellphones. There is plenty of open source flight control software available, including AI add-ons for image/object recognition, etc.
YY_Sima Qian
@Marc: Yes, being able to navigate the vast sea of Chinese supplier ecosystem & find the good quality & reliable ones (& be willing to pay the commensurate price for those products) is a competitive advantage in supply chain management.
Jay
@Marc:
@YY_Sima Qian:
I was thinking more about the “unique” EW environment that is Ukraine.
The Ukrainians have already adapted “cheap” suicide drones to automatically switch over to machine vision, to hit their target even though their controllers have been jammed, and still hit their target.
As a drone enters into jamming range, “glitching” starts to occur between the controller and the drone, automatic frequency shifts between the controller and the drone?
Who knows, but the Ukrainian’s think their controller boards are ” much better” for their current combat situation. 500 seems like a test run. 75% of the FPV drones that Ukraine sends out, never return, according to some sources.
YY_Sima Qian
@Jay: Yep, the EW environment both Ukrainian & Russian drones operate in are extremely challenging for commodity civilian gear.
Subsole
@Jay:
I’m assuming that’s why the video feed gets all static-y and wobbly and starts degrading a bit as the drone goes in for the kill?
Also, just how big are these things? Is it kind of a specialist piece of kit like, say, a machine gun or mortar or weapons team?