Two quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is doing well. She’s sitting next to me on the sofa chilling out. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.
Second, I’ve created a curated list of accounts on BlueSky that either mirror their hellsite accounts that I used regularly or are people I would occasionally post in the updates. It doesn’t have everyone I want, but a lot of them have the imagery and videos we’re now missing without the hellsite embeds, so I’m going to be using more of them. A number of the usual sources do have accounts, but they’re basically dormant. Hopefully, they’ll pick up posting at BlueSky given the Starlink Snowflake’s malignancy site.
As of 6:30 PM EST/1:30 AM local time in Ukraine, all of eastern and central Ukraine is under air raid alert. Most likely another thermobaric Shahed drone swarms.
Another night. Another air raid siren in Kyiv. Terror never stops…
#UkrainianView
— Andrii Katriuk 🇺🇦 (@andriikatriuk.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 5:31 PM
Overnight, Russia launched another massive drone attack. Out of 145(!) launched Shahed drones, 129 were taken down (62 regular, 67 electronic warfare). Another 10 left Ukrainian airspace in the direction of Russia, Belarus and Moldova.
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:05 AM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
This Week, We Have Important Decisions from Our Partners – Address by the President
10 November 2024 – 20:10
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
First of all, I’d like to express gratitude to all our warriors who ensure the effectiveness of our drone strikes. Everyone can see the results. Drones on the front lines, as well as our long-range drones deep in Russian territory. Russian military facilities are becoming increasingly accessible to our warriors. I am grateful to the Security Service of Ukraine and the Special Operations Forces. Russians won’t be able to hide their military depots, airfields, and military-industrial enterprises. The efforts of all those who destroy Russian equipment on the front line are also vital. In particular, the special forces of the Security Service of Ukraine have already destroyed over 1,300 Russian tanks alone. Every eighth Russian tank destroyed by Ukraine is the achievement of the guys from the Security Service of Ukraine. Gratitude also goes to the warriors of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. To all units that are carrying out missions both in the eastern part of our country – in battle – and behind enemy lines. Thank you!
This week, we also have important decisions from our partners. The ones that really help us. France has made a decision on the missile package. We also continue with France an exceptionally valuable training program for our warriors. Thank you for that!
We are working with our partners from the United States on new defense packages that bolster our air defense system. This is critical as we head into winter, facing ongoing Russian strikes. We need real progress on long-range capabilities as well. There is now a decision allowing American contractors to work in Ukraine for equipment repair and maintenance, which will significantly speed up these processes.
I am also grateful to Canada for working with us on the supply of additional NASAMS air defense systems. This week, the UK also made a new decision on sanctions against Russian entities involved in the war effort – this is also very important. Thank you! All Russian companies and individuals supporting Russia’s defense industry must be isolated globally to weaken Russia’s ability to evade genuine diplomacy and fuel the war further. Everyone in the world needs sanctions to first and foremost undermine Putin’s self-confidence. This is absolutely realistic.
A new military package from Lithuania is also being prepared. We are also working together to raise funds for weapons procurement and production in Ukraine. Sweden has made new commitments as well, in both civilian and military support, especially regarding our maritime security.
And, of course, we are grateful to each of our partners worldwide, to all political and community leaders who are committed to ensuring that genuine diplomacy succeeds. We understand very clearly that diplomacy has no prospects without strength. But without a clear understanding of diplomatic goals, weapons alone will not do the job. That’s why strength and diplomacy must work hand in hand. This is the only way to secure a lasting peace and to prevent any recurrence of this kind of war. And this is entirely possible. Thank you to everyone who is helping! Glory to our warriors, glory to all our people! To all Ukrainian citizens!
Glory to Ukraine!
“Ceasefire first and then we will see.
Who is WE? Are your children dying? Do they die there? Are your houses getting destroyed?”
– President Zelensky slams ‘couch experts’.
(3 parts. See below)— Natalka (@natalkakyiv.bsky.social) November 8, 2024 at 10:13 AM
The cost:
British volunteer Callum Tindal-Draper, 22, died defending Ukraine against Russia on Nov. 5. The former NHS worker from Cornwall was killed at an observation post.
“He fought till he could no longer hold them off,” his mother said. He’ll be buried in Ukraine.
— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 9:25 AM
The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine:
“Prime Minister of Israel understood that the drones Iran and Russia are shelling us with would fly into Israel after Iran upgrades them.”
– Moshe Reuven Azman, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine
— Natalka (@natalkakyiv.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Georgia:
Make Europe strong again👏🏼
Tata Chemia #Georgia🤝 #Europe #Tbilisi💕
@tchemiaThat’s how our Sunday evening looks like✊🏼
— Margarete Rosalind Weidenhammer (@margareterosali.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 5:07 PM
Gocha Gogsadze (Little Soldier Fella)
@fella_soldier #AgainstRussianLaw
·
5 Std.
ALL EYES ON #GEORGIA 💕👀 #EuropeHAPPENING NOW:
In Republic of Georgia, citizens protest hijacked parliamentary elections in the streets and demand new elections— Margarete Rosalind Weidenhammer (@margareterosali.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 5:11 PM
France:
🚀 France announces transfer of about ten SCALP missiles to Ukraine
— Ukrainska Pravda 🇺🇦 (@pravda.ua) November 10, 2024 at 5:07 PM
From Ukrainska Pravda:
French Minister of National Defence Sébastien Lecornu has said that Paris will continue to provide military support to Ukraine following the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Source: Lecornu in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche; European Pravda reports
Details: Lecornu said that France should support Ukraine on a long-term basis, “because it will also allow the Ukrainian authorities to consider political decisions when they decide to do so”.
“Military support is very important, and even when the war is over, we must continue to strengthen the Ukrainian army,” he added.
Among other things, the French defence minister announced the extension of the training programme for Ukrainian soldiers. 2,000 soldiers are being trained under the guidance of French soldiers and on French equipment as part of the programme.
“Secondly, we will continue our support. As winter sets in, Russia’s deep strikes on Ukrainian territory are likely to intensify. We will again supply Mistral missiles (for anti-aircraft missile systems – ed.), in particular to protect combat areas.
And in order to enable Ukraine to strike behind the line of contact, in the last few days, I have signed a decision on a new transfer of about ten SCALP missiles, as promised to Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the President of France,” Lecornu added.
SCALPs are long-range air-to-surface missiles, the transfer of which was first announced by France in early 2024.
Moreover, French media unofficially reported last month that France would hand over the first batch of three Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine in early 2025.
Poland:
🇵🇱 Poland will not increase its involvement in the war in Ukraine due to the expected decline in US interest in aiding Kyiv, says Polish PM Donald Tusk. He added that at the same time, nobody wants Ukraine to weaken or even capitulate.
www.rmf24.pl/polityka/new…— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 9, 2024 at 4:20 PM
From RMF24: (machine translated)
During the meeting with journalists, the prime minister said, among others on talks held at the EU summit in Budapest. There is no doubt that this one the new political landscape is a serious challenge for everyone, especially in the context of the possible end of the Russian-Ukrainian war as a result of the agreement of, for example, the President of Russia and the new President of the United States. This was also talked about as a possible one – in the coming days, but months – of the script Tusk emphasized.
We will coordinate very intensively in the coming days with countries that have a very similar view of the geopolitical and transatlantic situation, and in Ukraine. We can soon expect the visit of the President of France to Warsaw, the Prime Minister of Great Britain or mine in London (…) In a few days we will be hosting NATO Secretary General, I will also visit Stockholm (…) All in the context of the new challenges facing our homeland, the entire region, the European Union and the Western Community – he announced.
During the Saturday press conference, the prime minister emphasized that “everyone without exception – whether it was the president of Turkey or the prime minister of Great Britain or EU leaders – wants to take greater responsibility for maintaining good transatlantic relations, regardless of the mood in which they adopted the election results.”
Everyone is aware that a very difficult time awaits us. And Poland is in a special place: maybe not in the eye of this potential cyclone, but in a very difficult place. That is why it is very important for us to remain calm, define our interests well, and we must also carefully read the intentions of both the largest players and the President of Ukraine. The situation and possible decisions regarding Ukraine must (…) guarantee the security of Poland – Tusk pointed out, emphasizing that the issue of security should not become an excuse for political struggle in the country.
The US:
Trump speaks with Putin and advises him not to escalate Ukraine war – report #Ukraine
Here are the details from The Guardian:
Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin on Thursday and discussed the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The US president-elect advised the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of “Washington’s sizeable military presence in Europe”, the Post reported.
It added that Trump expressed interest in follow-up conversations on “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon”.
During the election campaign, Trump said he would find a solution to end the war “within a day”, but did not explain how he would do so.
According to one former US official who was familiar with the call and spoke to the Washington Post, Trump likely does not want to begin his second presidential term with an escalation in the Ukraine war, “giving him incentive to want to keep the war from worsening”.
In a statement to the outlet, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said: “President Trump won a historic election decisively and leaders from around the world know America will return to prominence on the world stage. That is why leaders have begun the process of developing stronger relationships with the 45th and 47th president because he represents global peace and stability.”
Trump had also spoken to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to media reports.
On Friday, the Kremlin said Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Trump but that it did not mean that he was willing to alter Moscow’s demands.
On 14 June, Putin set out his terms for an end to the war: Ukraine would have to drop its Nato ambitions and withdraw all of its troops from all of the territory of four regions claimed by Russia.
Ukraine rejected that, saying it would be tantamount to capitulation, and that Zelenskyy has put forward a “victory plan” that includes requests for additional military support from the west.
The rotten apple…
🙄 No words…
— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 6:42 AM
The Ukrainians struck Moscow with their own drone swarm this morning.
Russian airspace was invaded by long-range drones last night, many of which reached their targets or were shot down over different regions. These are the drones that were shot down over the Moscow region.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 3:23 AM
According to official information from Russian news agencies, today’s drone attack on the Moscow region was the largest attack of the war. Reports indicate at least 100 drones.
However, earlier last night, Russia also launched a record number of Geran-type drones towards Ukraine, around 150.— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 3:29 AM
Residents of Sofyino, a suburb of Moscow, are showing the aftermath of the drone attack.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 3:33 AM
Additional footage of unidentified drones filmed over the Moscow region this morning.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 3:46 AM
From The Guardian:
Ukraine has carried out its biggest drone strike on Moscow since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian media said on Sunday, as the Kremlin launched its own record air attack over Ukraine.
Three airports in the Russian capital were temporarily closed and flights were diverted. At least one person was injured. Russia said its air defences shot down 70 drones, nearly half of them in the skies above Moscow and the rest in western Russia.
The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said it successfully targeted an ammunition dump near the Russian city of Bryansk. Video showed multiple explosions coming from warehouses on the military site. Fires could be seen burning in the night sky.
Other footage posted on Russian Telegram channels recorded drones buzzing above urban areas including suburbs of multistorey buildings and a lorry park.
Ukrainian commentators said the strike on Moscow was in response to a massive Russian drone barrage directed at Kyiv on Thursday, soon after Donald Trump was elected as US president.
On Saturday and Sunday, Moscow sent over another wave of 145 drones, the largest number yet. There was damage to the Black Sea port of Odesa. Ukrainian officials said 62 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were downed and others lost en route.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had thwarted a “terrorist attack” on its territory using “airplane-type drones”. At least 36 planes were diverted, the country’s air transport agency said.
Both sides have developed innovative and increasingly sophisticated UAV programmes. Ukraine has established its own drone command and has improved the range of its systems, with attacks hundreds of kilometres into Russia. It has hit weapons storage units, oil processing facilities and enemy airstrips near the Arctic Circle, as well as naval vessels in the Caspian Sea.
Russia has begun using drones steered by fibre-optic cables in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops control a salient around the Russian town of Sudzha. The new drones cannot be jammed with regular electronic countermeasures.
The air attacks happened as Russia reportedly massed 50,000 soldiers to launch a major assault aimed at recapturing Ukrainian-held territory in Kursk oblast.
The force, which includes North Korean reinforcements, is likely to attack in the coming days, according to a US assessment cited on Sunday by the New York Times. Pyongyang has sent 11,000 troops to take part in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week.
Russia has seized a dozen or so villages and has shrunk the area controlled by Ukraine. But despite carrying out numerous attacks – using guided bombs, kamikaze drones, and infantry groups – it has been unable to dislodge dug-in Ukrainian combat units.
More at the link.
The Ukrainians also hit Bryansk Oblast, Russia:
Ukrainian Defense Forces struck Russian ammunition depots in Bryansk, causing multiple explosions and a prolonged fire, with damage assessments still underway.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:18 AM
👏🔥 According to head of CPD Kovalenko, BAVOVNA in Bryansk destroyed rockets for MLRS, guided aerial bombs, ammunition, artillery shells and more!
— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 10:09 AM
💥🔥 AFU attacked ammunition warehouses of the 1060th logistics center (former 120th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate) in Bryansk region, Russia, – General Staff
❗️At least 8 explosions were recorded, a strong fire continued at the facility.
— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:22 AM
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the strike on ammunition depots in the Bryansk region in Russia.
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:15 AM
Ukrainska Pravda has the details:
Ukrainian UAVs attacked ammunition depots belonging to the 1060th Logistics Centre (formerly the 120th Arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate) in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast on the night of 9-10 November.
Source: Ukraine’s General Staff
Details: The Ukrainian military noted that at least eight explosions had been recorded.
Quote: “Objective monitoring results indicate the presence of at least two seats of fire within the military unit’s territory, along with signs of secondary detonation. An intense fire was still raging at the facility in Bryansk Oblast as of 06:00.”
The Kursk cross border offensive:
Kursk operational zone: two Bradley IFVs of the 47th Mechanised Brigade mow down a Russian tree line, survive grenade launcher and FPV hits and successfully disengage, preserving their vehicles and experienced crews.
t.me/brygada47/1050— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 6:28 PM
In central Kursk, an impromptu protest is underway by evacuees from the Sudzha district and the border area, demanding better living conditions. Local authorities are deleting online calls for the protest and trying to disperse the crowd.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:13 AM
50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are reportedly preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the Kursk region in the coming days, reports NYT. #Ukraine #Russia #NorthKorea
www.nytimes.com/2024/11/10/u…— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 8:27 AM
From The NY Times:
The Russian military has assembled a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, as it prepares to begin an assault aimed at reclaiming territory seized by Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
A new U.S. assessment concludes that Russia has massed the force without having to pull soldiers out of Ukraine’s east — its main battlefield priority — allowing Moscow to press on multiple fronts simultaneously.
Russian troops have been clawing back some of the territory that Ukraine captured in Kursk this year. They have been attacking Ukrainian positions with missile strikes and artillery fire, but they have not yet begun a major assault there, U.S. officials said.
Ukrainian officials say they expect such an attack involving the North Korean troops in the coming days.
For now, the North Koreans are training with Russian forces in the far western part of Kursk.
The Russian-North Korean offensive looms as President-elect Donald J. Trump prepares to re-enter office with a stated goal of ending the war quickly. Mr. Trump has said little about how he would settle the conflict, but Vice President-elect JD Vance has outlined a plan that would allow Russia to keep the territory it has seized in Ukraine.
More at the link.
Kherson Oblast:
🇺🇦🍉 Today is the second anniversary of the liberation of the right bank of Kherson region and the city of Kherson.
— MAKS 24 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 5:35 PM
Krynky, Kherson Oblast:
KRYNKY Bridgehead. Destroyed but Unconquered. Kherson Region | @LibKos & @ukrinformtvideo Present #Ukraine
Here’s the full video, followed by it’s description:
The story of the struggle for a small village in the Kherson region, of which nothing remains but a mention on a map and a short entry on Wikipedia. Occupied by Russian troops from the first days of the war, a small village in a once picturesque area witnessed the incredible heroism, victory and courage of the Ukrainian Marines. Having crossed the Dnipro River and carried out an extremely difficult operation with a small combat team, our soldiers managed to hold the Krynky bridgehead in unrealistic conditions, in full view and reach of the enemy, under continuous fire from all possible weapons. This is a film about how to survive and get out of hell. It is a living testimony of those who saw death and came back to life. The authors of the video are Ukrainian photojournalists Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov @LibKos . Directed, edited and produced by the Multimedia Department of Ukrinform news agency @ukrinformtvideo .
Kurakhove:
Russians launch three-way pincer to encircle Ukraine’s key hub Kurakhove
Moscow’s forces are advancing on Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast from three directions: south from captured Selydove, north from Bohoiavlenka, and along the eastern axis.
— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM
From EuroMaidan Press:
Russian forces are attempting a pincer movement to encircle Kurakhove, a key Ukrainian strongpoint in the southwestern Donetsk Oblast, despite suffering heavy losses.
Kurakhove, home to one of Ukraine’s largest thermal power plants that once supplied electricity to much of Donetsk Oblast, is a crucial defensive hub protecting Ukrainian positions west of Donetsk city. Its capture would give Russian forces control over key supply routes and potentially threaten Ukrainian defenses across the southwestern Donetsk Oblast.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported over 40 Russian attacks on Kurakhove in the past 24 hours. Russian forces are conducting the pincer operation from three directions: advancing from the east, pushing from the north after capturing Selydove, and attacking from the south near Bohoiavlenka village.
More at the link.
Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast:
Saturday morning in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast: two civilians burned alive in a russian air strike. This is reality. Speak up now – before such cruelty becomes routine, before silence makes it acceptable.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) November 9, 2024 at 8:07 AM
Kupyansk direction: Fields are littered with Russian casualties. Paratroopers of the 77th Separate Airmobile Brigade destroyed over a hundred Russian soldiers near the village of Kruhliakivka, Kharkiv region. t.me/noel_reports…
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:14 AM
Kharkiv:
“Unbreakable” reads the sign in Kharkiv, while despair is carved into its walls. Kharkiv stands, not unbreakable, but unwilling to break, its spirit stretched thin across the ruins. Yet resilience alone cannot shield. Without action, Kharkiv’s strength may one day be written only in ruins.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) November 9, 2024 at 6:09 AM
Kruglyakivka, Kharkiv Oblast:
Units of the 77th Separate Air Mobile Brigade destroyed a unit of the 1st Tank Regiment of the 2nd Motor Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Kruglyakivka in the Kharkiv region.
18+ Footage: t.me/wartranslate…— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:00 AM
Zaporizhzhia Oblast:
A Ukrainian serviceman reports on Telegram about a buildup of Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region for a possible offensive.
The Zaporizhzhia region and the city of Zaporizhzhia are important for Russia, which has claimed the area as its territory.— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 9, 2024 at 7:13 AM
Russian units of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division gathered with military equipment in a forest in Zaporizhzhia region were hit by cluster munitions. Two heavy Russian trailers and personnel inside were destroyed. 4 vehicles, including new BMD-4s, were also hit and burned. t.me/noel_reports…
— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Mariupol:
Ukrainian forces reportedly struck Russian air defenses in occupied Mariupol, said Mariupol’s Mayor Advisor Petro Andriushchenko
The attack targeted positions along Mariupol airport-Berdyanske line, with at least four explosions heard
— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM
From EuroMaidan Press:
In the occupied Mariupol, a Russian air defense base was attacked overnight on 10 November along the Mariupol Airport – Berdianske line, said Mariupol Mayor’s Advisor Petro Andriushchenko on social media.
Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian port city on the Sea of Azov, fell to Russian forces in 2022 after a devastating siege. The city’s strategic importance lies in its position as a key industrial center and its role in potentially creating a land bridge between Russia and annexed Crimea. The city’s infrastructure was largely destroyed during the siege, with estimates suggesting that up to 90% of residential buildings were damaged or destroyed. As the human rights situation in occupied Mariupol is dire, residents of the city continue to wait for the liberation.
Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal claimed that Russian forces exported over 180,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian grain through the port of Mariupol in 2024.
Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal claimed that Russian forces exported over 180,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian grain through the port of Mariupol in 2024.
Odesa:
➡️We need strong support from our partners⬅️
During this week, our air defense forces worked night and day, protecting the sky of #Ukraine from Russian terror. Last night, #Russia launched a record number of Shaheds and other attack drones against Ukraine – 145.
–alt text⬇️ t.me/V_Zelenskiy_…
— Margarete Rosalind Weidenhammer (@margareterosali.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 1:58 PM
Here’s the footage of that chapter of Mom’s for Liberty in Voronezh Oblast, Russia:
Teachers in Russia made tin foil hats to protect against NATO satellites as part of a patriotic campaign, “Helmet of the Fatherland.” The absurd task was actually a prank from a Belarusian prankster.
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated.bsky.social) November 9, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Northern Lights in Ukraine😍
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 4:24 PM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. Here is the next Pes Patron cartoon episode:
Open thread!
Medium Cool – What Puts Your Mind at Ease?
KatKapCC
Forgive me if I don’t believe Putin cares what Trump wants, nor if I don’t believe a single word out of Trump’s rancid mouth.
hrprogressive
Wow, Bluesky fucked allllll those embeds up, unfortunately.
I am starting to think I’m going to need to be there now that it’s picking up.
I stopped using shitter and other social media last year for personal reasons but I kinda feel like it might be worth getting info from BS instead.
HinTN
The Polish “leader”:
What a tool.
Chris
@hrprogressive:
I never used Twitter. I always used to think that someday I’d end up caving and joining them just to follow the people I like, but then E-man took over and, well, that was that.
I’m also starting to think I’ll end up joining Bluesky. There were several people like Paul Krugman whose Twitter feeds I used to follow back when you could still do that without an account, and I’d like to follow them again. Plus, boosting Bluesky to be the new Twitter seems like a good call on general principle.
KatKapCC
@hrprogressive: They all look fine to me. How do they appear to you?
Adam L Silverman
@hrprogressive: Everything is working properly on my iPad.
That said, this is going to be a work in progress.
Adam L Silverman
@KatKapCC: Some of them are appearing as black rectangles with white texting indicating rate limitations on my MacBook Pro desktop. On my iPad, everything is fine.
p.a.
Tangental, but if you hear “Other NATO nations not pulling their weight” from Dear Leader Elect (defense as a % of budget), per geo.universe on instagram, the Iberian countries, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium & Luxembourg are below 2%. Pipsqueaks or the poorer (relative to other WESTERN EUROPEAN nations.). Estonia, Latvia, & Poland are highest, at least 3%. Obvious since they would be Putin’s next immediate targets if he feels emboldened. Greece also 3%!, but that’s probably aimed at Turkey😉
Nukular Biskits
Looks like the Bluesky embeds worked, although I did have to refresh the browser (I run Firefox with NoScript so sometimes things don’t load correctly).
Thanks, Adam!
Jay
Thank you so much, Adam.
glc
Looks fine (really great in fact) on my Macbook Pro under Safari.
For me at least, it’s a real improvement.
KatKapCC
@Adam L Silverman: Interesting. Like I said, all displaying fine for me, Safari on MacBook Air.
Gin & Tonic
Embeds look good to me in Safari on an iPhone (and the page-loading experience is much improved.) However in Firefox/Windows I get a lot of
YY_Sima Qian
Yesterday, I posted an analysis by Tanner Greer into the possibly different FP ideologies (“Primacists”, “Internationalists”, “Prioritizers”, “Restrainers”) among the people that might staff the Trump Administration, refracted through the lens of policy toward the PRC. Today, Van Jackson has a take down of that analysis:
Jackson is right that, among the current FP circles on the right, everyone is a Primacists, only the veneers (if any) are slightly different.
The “Primacists” are unvarnished US imperialists/hegemonists & ready militarists. Even though Haley & Pompeo are not welcome in the Trump Administration (for now), others (Robert Hook, possibly Robert O’Brien & Randy Schriver) who are tapped to play key roles remain unreconstructed neocons & militarists.
There are no “Internationalists” in any way, not even in the hypocritical, lip service paying “Liberal Hegemonists masquerading as Liberal Internationalist” way that one might find so common on the Dem-leaning parts of FP circles.
The people who style themselves as “Prioritizers” (such as Elbridge Colby) are Primacists who want to focus the US’ resources on the greatest challenges to its primacy (that being the PRC), as opposed to “distractions” represented by the current threat to the West or any semblance of international order (that being Russia). Their position is dishonest on multiple levels: 1., if you have military overmatch against the PRC right on its coast (in the Taiwan Strait), you have overmatch against everyone else; 2. the pivot away from confronting Putin is intended to benefit Putin, because most of the “Prioritizers'” other policy advise also tend to benefit Putin; 3. they have spilled a lot of ink recently castigating TW for failing to spend > 5% of GDP on defense and militarizing its society, paving the way to potentially abandon TW because “it fails to defend itself”.
The only true “Restainers” on the conservative side, a tiny number, are classical realists (Stephen Walt) & libertarians (Daniel Larison & Scott Lincicome), & they are diametrically opposed to Trump.
Trump himself is purely transactionsal, only driven by the need to boost his ego, there is no substance to be analyzed.
Just recently I found out that Tanner Greer is a staunch conservative. I have always followed him, despite him being a China Hawk, because he generally has interesting insights into the PRC & its politics/policies, & I feel he is reality based & argues in good faith. Then he made a side comment on Twitter a couple of days ago to the effect of conservatives now have a chance to truly deliver for the American people, now that the Right has the “Trifecta”. How naive can he be?! Or maybe I have been wrong about him being a good faith actor.
Bill Arnold
The BlueSky embeds work fine for me (chrome, plus a small bunch of privacy/tracker/ad blocker plugins plus a script blocker. Over a VPN.)
Click-through to a bskeet, or whatever they’re called, gives a url in the URL bar that is not obviously related to the posting bluesky account. The post shows, and replies show, but the url is not helpful.
The relative (to X/Twitter) absence of anti-Ukraine replies makes it feel a bit like a bubble., and the reply numbers are still pretty low, at least on most of those accounts.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Chris
@YY_Sima Qian:
To a spectacular extent, the focus on the PRC is basically the Republicans’ response to having a President who’s a Russian stooge: they can’t contradict him, so instead it’s “look over there!” and focus on the other great power.
(They’ve been focused on China for three decades, but it never used to be at the expense of Russia).
Bill Arnold
The BlueSky embeds are working for me with Firefox as well, with a heavy loadout of blocker plugins, and also with a VPN (European ip address). (Had to enable a couple of bsky domains in a script blocker.)
Adam L Silverman
@Gin & Tonic: That’s what I was getting on some of them on my MacBook Pro.
YY_Sima Qian
We’ll see a lot more of this type of “Trump management” messaging & actions from the US’ allies & partners, who are now extremely exposed to US coercion, unreliability & decline.
More Patriot missile batteries are useful, but spending big money on Ticonderoga class cruisers that are beyond the ends of their useful lives & the very expensive F-35s are not best uses for TW’s limited resources. The Ticonderogas may be cheap to purchase (since the USN is quickly retiring them), but will be very expensive to maintain any kind of readiness (or else the USN would have kept them to sustain hull numbers vis-a-vis the PLAN). F-35s are great weapons, but the bases they operate from will not survive the opening days of a Cross-Strait war. The F-35Bs can operate from spartan fields, but at the expense of sortie rates which would limit their impact. That is a lot of money for limited impact. TW is better served to acquire more of its indigenous SAMs, AShCMs, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, & long range drones, so that it can attach staging areas, ports, logistical hubs & ammo dumps on the Mainland, better defend against air & missile strikes, & target the surface warships that would enforce any blockade & the landing ships that would bring any invasion force. The odds are stacked against it, regardless, though, if the US is not coming.
The opposition parties to the DPP government will make hay, too. People in TW are accustomed to the threat from across the Strait, but their top concerns for the immediate future are bread & butter issues: real wage stagnation, rising inequality, soaring housing prices, overstretched power supply, etc. Most people on TW also do not want to be a pawn for the US in its Great Power Competition vis-a-vis the PRC, & Trump will be very transparent that he treats TW as a bargaining chip, just like Ukraine.
YY_Sima Qian
@Chris: Pretty much.
YY_Sima Qian
John Culver has better advise for Taipei:
frosty
All the BlueSky embeds came through on my iPhone/ Safari. “Rate limited” on Windows/ Firefox.
Aziz, light!
The president-reject thinks he is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Not bad for a single day’s work.
karen marie
I have no intention of creating an account on bluesky but I applaud moving away from Apartheid Clyde’s website. Thank you very much for continuing these updates. They break my heart but it’s important to keep the immense suffering in Ukraine front and center.
hrprogressive
Some of the embeds work now, but some still have the Rate Limiting verbiage. Firefox mobile atm.
Strange.
@Chris:
I joined Twitter way back in 2009. Long before Elon had ever thought of buying it for his Fascist financiers.
I used it heavily thru the Obama administration, got off in 2017, got back on in 2019, used it very much for the height of the pandemic, and then signed out in March 2023 and haven’t bothered getting back on.
So.
Idk. Bluesky seems like the alternative that’s actually being adopted by people who aren’t just echo chambery.
Still not a lot of desire to use SM but almost feel like I need to make myself now that we have this impending doom.
J. Arthur Crank
@Adam L Silverman: Everything looks fine on my iPhone running Chrome.
Also too, can someone kick Don Jr. in the nuts?
Bex
@J. Arthur Crank: Don jr. deserves evey kick he gets, and more. That addle-brained mess of a person should just slink into his miserable life and disappear. Also, I am watching the media make it normal for Dump and Musk to do their act as president and vice president. JDavenport must be soooo jealous.
Gin & Tonic
@Bex:
I’d like to see Don Jr. spend a week in Kyiv, being woken up by air-raid sirens every night. He’s a guy who has not the slightest idea of what it might mean to defend one’s country.
As I mentioned in some other thread, contrast him with the only son of Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi – who joined the armed forces to protect his country’s independence and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
YY_Sima Qian
It seems Tulsi Gabbard is headed to the Trump DOD?
Gin & Tonic
@YY_Sima Qian: I’d put that in the Very Bad category.
YY_Sima Qian
@Gin & Tonic: Yeah, definitely. Not sure she will be SecDef, but she is being promoted for a senior role.
Mike in DC
@YY_Sima Qian:
The confirmation hearings for her would be a laugh riot because the Dems will gleefully delve into all her weird culty shit.
YY_Sima Qian
@Mike in DC: The Rs will eliminate Senatorial holds & then vote on partisan lines.
bjacques
@YY_Sima Qian: it sounds to me like the Taiwan plan is to buy American weapons to specifically stay on Trump’s good side. It may not be a good plan, but at least it’s a plan.
wjca
Last I heard, Taiwan was still the major source of computer chips. If that’s true, have they thought about the economic impact on them of Trump’s tariff policy plans? Especially as the Biden chip-making sites come on line.
YY_Sima Qian
@wjca: Taiwanese regulations prevents TSMC from producing the latest generation (2 nm) semiconductor in its fabs outside of Taiwan. The TSMC’s new fab at AZ (after arm twisting by the Biden Administration, as TSMC thought it would be an uneconomic venture) is making 5 and 3 nm chips, so still not the latest generation. The world will remain dependent on TW, or TSMC specifically, for the latest generation chips (it seems Samsung really has not been able to keep pace w/ TSMC, never mind Intel), the CHIPS Act & any tariffs by Trump will not change that. I think the business lobby will convince Trump not to impose tariffs on TWese made semiconductors, especially at the leading edge nodes (3 nm & below) where there is no alternative supplier. However, Trump could very well levy tariffs on TWese made trailing edge/mature nodes (5 nm & above) semiconductors to reduce dependence on TW.
Biden’s ever escalating tech war against the PRC is increasingly preventing TSMC from selling leading edge node chips to Chinese customers, to slow down the latter’s pace of development. This has forced Chinese tech companies to seek domestic suppliers, specifically SMIC. While SMIC is still only at the 7 nm node (possibly 5 nm soon), it will probably not be able to make 3 nm chips economically w/o access to ASML’s EUV lithography tools that the US has worked to ban sales to the PRC, certainly not 2nm. OTOH, there is nothing that 2 & 3 nm chips can do that 5 & 7 nm chips cannot do, albeit at high cost & higher power consumption. For a country w/ a lot of money, a lot of engineers, & a lot of cheap power, which the PRC is, this represents an impediment rather than a showstopper. By forcing the PRC to reduce its dependence on TWese made semiconductors, the US is actually removing some of the economic deterrent that helps weigh calculation in Beijing against going kinetic.
Now, access to advanced semiconductors is not the reason the PRC wants to absorb TW (as sometimes imagined in the “Blob”), not is it the reason the US has sought to defend TW, the causes far predates TW becoming the center of global semiconductor manufacturing. That has not prevented geniuses such as Elbridge Colby from suggesting the US should bomb TSMC’s fabs on the island if it is about to capitulate, to prevent their utilization by the PRC. Never mind that the fabs will likely be damaged in any kind of kinetic war, that the intricate equipment are not likely to be repaired or maintained w/o spare parts & servicing from Western/Japanese suppliers, & that the cadres of TWese engineers that is the reason for TSMC’s competitiveness will not likely be performing at a high level even if they have not fled & are willing/coerced to return to work. You can imagine how well Colby’s comments were received in Taiwan.
Finally, a lot of TWese perceive US coercion of TSMC to set up fab in the US, potentially placing tariffs on TWese exports, pushing TW to purchase US weapons, increase defense spending, & confront the PRC, as the US using TW as a geopolitical pawn. Colby’s comments reinforces that perception, as do any attempt by Trump to extort protection money. Few TWese want to be ruled by Beijing, but many perceive Ukraine being used as a proxy by the US against Russia, & they do not want to end up in the same place. There is now stronger popular support to strengthen defense (compared to even 5 years ago), certainly few among the population or the elites want to turn away from the US, but nobody wants to be a pawn w/o agency.
Beavis C Dawg
@Adam L Silverman:
Adam, I see a lot of these dialog boxes. Win 11, Chrome browser both up to date.
Your request has been rate limited. Please try again later. Contact [email protected] if you believe this was a mistake.
placeholder!