Anyone watching “Franklin” on Apple TV? Michael Douglas stars, and the early reviews are mixed. I like it — Ol’ Ben is my favorite Founder and denomination of U.S. currency. Douglas is compelling, and the cast includes many fine actors. However, I spotted an anachronism in a recent episode: That’s a Boston terrier in a …
War
War for Ukraine Day 785: Chernihiv Attacked!
by Adam L Silverman| 45 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) Quick housekeeping note: Tonight’s post is going to be very brief. I’ve spent the late afternoon into the early evening at the emergency vet. Rosie will be staying overnight with them. She’s stable. She was diagnosed with lymphoma about two and a 1/2 weeks ago. They caught it early. She just started …
War for Ukraine Day 785: Chernihiv Attacked!Post + Comments (45)
The Occupier Must Lose, and Each of their Losses is Ukraine’s Strength – Address of the President of Ukraine
17 April 2024 – 22:22
Dear Ukrainians!
The summary of this day.
I have just taken part in the work of the European Council. All the leaders of our Europe were here. I am grateful to Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, and to all the leaders of European states and governments for their consistent attention to Ukraine.
Today I emphasized everything that we need for our further actions, for our defense.
Of course, anti-aircraft warfare and the frontline are top priorities. Now is the time that everyone in Europe, in the free world, should use to strengthen — to increase the production and supply of weapons, and in general to strengthen the determination. The normal life of the world depends on determination, and Europe cannot afford to waste this time for the sake of our common security.
Before the European Council meeting, I addressed the participants of the discussion at the World Bank, attended by major global financiers — the Ministers of Finance of our partner countries and the heads of the leading financial institutions. We are working to ensure the adequate financial foundation for Ukraine which is essential for its defense against Russian aggression. Defense and reconstruction, social stability — all of this requires funding and long-term support programs. And finally, we need decisive actions to make the frozen Russian assets work for our defense against Russian terror.
Today I also talked to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. We are preparing for a meeting of the Ukraine – NATO Council on Friday. The agenda is focused on our partnership, on the power of joint action, on how we can work together, really work together, to provide more protection for life — for all our cities, towns, and communities.
The allies have shown now in the Middle East what they can really do. They can when there is enough determination.
Today, throughout the day, I received reports on the tragedy in Chernihiv following a Russian strike on the city, on its residential quarters. Some houses were damaged, a hospital, and a hotel were destroyed. There were people under the rubble. A lot of wounded people. As of now, 17 people have been confirmed killed. My condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. The rescue operation on site has continued throughout the day and will continue until we know the fate of everyone who may be under the rubble. I thank every rescuer on the scene, all the medical personnel, all the police officers who are helping, the municipal services that are involved — everyone who is saving lives.
And I would also like to thank everyone in our Armed Forces of Ukraine who prepares special operations — especially important operations, crucial operations that destroy the equipment of the Russian army and their combat infrastructure. Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have carried out a correct strike against the occupier in Dzhankoi, targeting the airfield. Thank you, warriors! Thank you for your precision. Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi for organizing this operation. The occupier must lose, and each of their losses is Ukraine’s strength.
Thank you, everyone who fights and works for Ukraine! Thank you, everyone who supports us!
Glory to Ukraine!
Thank you to @TIME.
But I am convinced that Time's list should include people like Dmytro Kotsyubailo, Pavlo Petrychenko, Oleksiy Chubashev, Andriy Pilshchykov "Juice", Vladyslava Chernykh "Aida" and many other of our heroes.
Everyone who died for Ukraine and freedom.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) April 17, 2024
That is why the defense forces and the people of Ukraine should be in Time.
I can only be proud to be a part of this nation.
I believe that Time's award is an assessment of the work of the entire
President @ZelenskyyUa's team, which is a great honor for me to work for.— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) April 17, 2024
Denmark:
Denmark announced the 17th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at approximately DKK 2.2 billion. kroner ($313 million).
The new military aid package focuses on increased defense industry cooperation between Ukraine and Denmark. Denmark allocates 200 million DKK for… pic.twitter.com/JPKVXFuOV7
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 17, 2024
Denmark announced the 17th military aid package for Ukraine, valued at approximately DKK 2.2 billion. kroner ($313 million).
The new military aid package focuses on increased defense industry cooperation between Ukraine and Denmark. Denmark allocates 200 million DKK for investments in the Ukrainian defense industry. In addition, funds have been set aside for maritime capabilities, drones, and the production of missile components.
We highly appreciate Denmark’s unwavering support for Ukraine. Together, we fight for freedom.
NATO:
Spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa on #Ukraine's urgent needs & #NATO support. Delays in aid have consequences on the ground every day. So my message to Allies is clear: Send more to Ukraine. We also agreed to convene the NATO-Ukraine Council this Friday.
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) April 17, 2024
Germany:
Germany urges dozen of allies to send air defence systems to Ukraine https://t.co/YbK8Ej9JpG
— Financial Times (@FT) April 17, 2024
From The Financial Times:
Germany has written to dozens of countries including Gulf Arab states to plead for more air defence systems for Ukraine, saying Kyiv needed urgent help to protect its cities, troops and critical infrastructure from the “murderous onslaught” of Russian missiles.
In a letter to other Nato members, a copy of which was obtained by the Financial Times and confirmed by Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and defence minister Boris Pistorius said they were launching a global initiative aimed at plugging the gaps in Ukraine’s air defences.
A “wide range of non-Nato partners” had also been approached, they added. Officials declined to identify those countries.
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who is the frontrunner to become Nato’s next secretary-general, said he believed European members of the alliance were prepared to provide funds to acquire air defence systems for Kyiv.
“We know the amount they need and we know that we should be able to get that done,” Rutte said on Wednesday at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels. “We know that many countries have Patriot [anti-missile] systems but maybe do not want to deliver directly. We can buy from them and we can deliver to Ukraine. We have the money available. It’s crucial.”
Ukraine has warned it is struggling to halt a multipronged and intensifying Russian offensive. In their letter, the German ministers said Russia was trying to destroy Odesa — the Black Sea port city, which they described as Ukraine’s “economic lifeline” — and the north-eastern industrial centre of Kharkiv, while a wave of attacks on energy infrastructure had caused even more damage than during the winter of 2022-23.
“It is up to us to help Ukraine defend itself against this murderous onslaught,” they said, calling on Germany’s partners to join the initiative, known as Immediate Action on Air Defence.
“We appeal to you to take stock of all [the] air defence systems in your arsenals and consider what could be transferred to Ukraine, whole systems or parts of them either permanently or for a limited period,” they said.
In a statement to the FT, Kuleba said Kyiv was “very grateful to Germany for its leadership on the issue of air defence for Ukraine”.
“Not only has it provided its own Patriot system and missiles, but our German friends are actively looking for ways to engage other countries that may help,” he said. “We urge all of them to reciprocate the German call.”
Officials in Kyiv said Kuleba held discussions on scouring the world for available systems with Baerbock at Nato headquarters in Brussels earlier this month. Germany co-leads a “Capability Coalition Integrated Air and Missile Defense” for Ukraine with France and the US.
“We know we need to do more than we are currently doing to support Ukraine. That is especially true for all capabilities required for air defence,” Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, said at the Brussels summit.
Scholz noted that Germany had decided to send Ukraine a third Patriot system from its arsenal.
“We want to also encourage others to do the same and look what possibilities exist in their own stocks to improve Ukraine’s possibilities for defence,” Scholz added. “It’s about doing this quickly now.”
Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, warned on Saturday that the situation on the eastern front had “significantly worsened in recent days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made repeated calls for Ukraine’s western partners to provide more air defence systems. After a Russian missile attack destroyed the largest power plant in Kyiv last week, he pleaded for the US Congress to approve a much-needed $60bn military assistance package.
More at the link.
Washington, DC:
As they await US aid, Ukrainians losing ground, SecDef Austin tells House:
“We’re already seeing things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit in in terms of in Russia's favor,” Austin told the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. “We are seeing them make incremental…
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) April 17, 2024
As they await US aid, Ukrainians losing ground, SecDef Austin tells House:
“We’re already seeing things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit in in terms of in Russia’s favor,” Austin told the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee. “We are seeing them make incremental gains, we’re seeing the Ukrainians be challenged in terms of holding the line — they’re doing a very good job, a credible job — but in order to continue to do that, they’re going to need you know, the right materials, the right munitions, the weapons to be able to do that.”
BREAKING — House Republicans are posting the aid bill imminently.
I’m told there are no changes from what @SpeakerJohnson laid out Monday.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 17, 2024
Ukraine aid :https://t.co/3dPoHFik6j https://t.co/6f2aRaOiIg
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) April 17, 2024
In a statement, President Joe Biden says he "strongly support[s]" the House's National Security Supplemental aid package, pledging, "I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won't let Iran or Russia succeed." pic.twitter.com/SRb4L4VbQA
— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) April 17, 2024
Reagan turning over in his grave.
— Barbara Slavin (@barbaraslavin1) April 18, 2024
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had some thoughts, which she expressed as amendments:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced an amendment requiring members to “conscript in the Ukrainian military” if they vote for the Ukraine supplemental bill. pic.twitter.com/n0SykKpA3I
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) April 17, 2024
Marjorie Taylor Greene offers an amendment to make funds from the Israel funding bill available “for the development of space laser technology on the southwest border.”
This is real, not made up— it’s amendment 11 herehttps://t.co/4IYE7Z8359
H/T @juliegraceb pic.twitter.com/Aq01a7zDRM— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) April 18, 2024
I didn’t say they were good thoughts.
Who could’ve possibly known?
“The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and…
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 17, 2024
“The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and European countries, through propaganda campaigns supporting isolationist and extremist policies, according to Kremlin documents previously reported on by The Post. It is also seeking to refashion geopolitics, drawing closer to China, Iran and North Korea in an attempt to shift the current balance of power.”
gift link https://wapo.st/3vMlQ39
The Washington Post has the details. (emphasis mine)
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has been drawing up plans to try to weaken its Western adversaries, including the United States, and leverage the Ukraine war to forge a global order free from what it sees as American dominance, according to a secret Foreign Ministry document.
In a classified addendum to Russia’s official — and public — “Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation,” the ministry calls for an “offensive information campaign” and other measures spanning “the military-political, economic and trade and informational psychological spheres” against a “coalition of unfriendly countries” led by the United States.
“We need to continue adjusting our approach to relations with unfriendly states,” states the 2023 document, which was provided to The Washington Post by a European intelligence service. “It’s important to create a mechanism for finding the vulnerable points of their external and internal policies with the aim of developing practical steps to weaken Russia’s opponents.”
The document for the first time provides official confirmation and codification of what many in the Moscow elite say has become a hybrid war against the West. Russia is seeking to subvert Western support for Ukraine and disrupt the domestic politics of the United States and European countries, through propaganda campaigns supporting isolationist and extremist policies, according to Kremlin documents previously reported on by The Post. It is also seeking to refashion geopolitics, drawing closer to China, Iran and North Korea in an attempt to shift the current balance of power.
Using much tougher and blunter language than the public foreign policy document, the secret addendum, dated April 11, 2023, claims that the United States is leading a coalition of “unfriendly countries” aimed at weakening Russia because Moscow is “a threat to Western global hegemony.” The document says the outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine will “to a great degree determine the outlines of the future world order,” a clear indication that Moscow sees the result of its invasion as inextricably bound with its ability — and that of other authoritarian nations — to impose its will globally.
The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, which was published March 31, 2023, and approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, deploys bland diplomatic language to call for “the democratization of international relations,” “sovereign equality” and the strengthening of Russia’s position on the global stage. Though the Foreign Policy Concept also charges that the United States and “its satellites” have used the Ukraine conflict to escalate “a many-years-long anti-Russia policy,” it also states that “Russia does not consider itself an enemy of the West … and has no ill intentions toward it.”
Russia hopes the West will “realize the lack of any future in its confrontational policy and hegemonistic ambitions, and will accept the complicated realities of the multipolar world,” the public document states.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it did not comment “on the existence or nonexistence of internal ministry documents” and on the progress of work on them. “As we have stated several times on different levels, we can confirm the mood is to decisively combat the aggressive steps taken by the collective West as part of the hybrid war launched against Russia,” the ministry added.
Russia’s recent veto against extending U.N. monitoring of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles program, effectively ending 14 years of cooperation, was “a clear sign” that the work contemplated in the classified addendum is already underway, said a leading Russian academic with close ties to senior Russian diplomats. The academic spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations in Moscow.
“Russia can create difficulties for the U.S. in many different regions of the world,” the academic said. “This is about the Middle East, northeast Asia, the African continent and even Latin America.”
The creation of the Foreign Policy Concept and the classified addendum followed a call to Russian academics for policy suggestions. One proposal submitted in February 2023 to the Foreign Ministry by the deputy head of Moscow’s Institute for the Commonwealth of Independent States, which maintains close ties to Russia’s security apparatus, laid out Russia’s options more bluntly still.
The academic, Vladimir Zharikhin, called for Russia to “continue to facilitate the coming to power of isolationist right-wing forces in America,” “enable the destabilization of Latin American countries and the rise to power of extremist forces on the far left and far right there,” as well as facilitate “the restoration of European countries’ sovereignty by supporting parties dissatisfied with economic pressure from the U.S.”
Other points in the policy proposal, which was also provided to The Post, suggested that Moscow stoke conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan to bring Russia and China closer together, as well as “to escalate the situation in the Middle East around Israel, Iran and Syria to distract the U.S. with the problems of this region.”
For Mikhail Khodorkovsky — the longtime Putin critic who was once Russia’s richest man until a clash with the Kremlin landed him 10 years in prison — it is not surprising that Russia is seeking to do everything it can to undermine the United States. “For Putin, it is absolutely natural that he should try to create the maximum number of problems for the U.S.,” he said. “The task is to take the U.S. out of the game, and then destroy NATO. This doesn’t mean dissolving it, but to create the feeling among people that NATO isn’t defending them.”
The long congressional standoff on providing more weapons to Ukraine was only making it easier for Russia to challenge Washington’s global power, he said.
“The Americans consider that insofar as they are not directly participating in the war [in Ukraine], then any loss is not their loss,” Khodorkovsky said. “This is an absolute misunderstanding.”
A defeat for Ukraine, he said, “means that many will stop fearing challenging the U.S.” and the costs for the United States will only increase.
More at the link!
For our Russian speakers, if any of you would like to translate the pdf of the annex that was provided to WaPo into English for me, it’s at this link. Just email it to me at my Balloon Juice contact address. Thanks in advance.
Given the WaPo’s reporting above and most of what I’ve written here since 2015, he’s back…
It's official!
Paul Manafort, who was convicted of tax and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the US, and witness tampering, and who a bipartisan Senate report labeled a “grave counterintelligence threat” because of his ties to a Russian spy, has joined Trump's 2024 campaign. https://t.co/0CALyvDGSA
— Polly Sigh (@dcpoll) April 17, 2024
Kyiv:
“Budanov predicted that Russia will launch a big offensive starting in June to try to capture all of Donetsk and Luhansk, the two provinces known as the Donbas region, which Russia has claimed but doesn’t control. The Russians will then focus on the November elections in the…
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 17, 2024
Avdiivka front:
Kriegforscher via the Thread Reader App:
In the nearest future I will publish a short thread about the biggest Russian advance near Tonenke, Avdiivka area, where they used a tank battalion in charge.But right now I would like to say a couple of words about FPV drones and the dillusional reality they have created.
First of all, a short remark: I am totally supportive of FPV drones. With both of my hands.But U need understand some thing: that’s not a panacea. Not at all.
U see only successful hits on Twitter or TG channels and they create a wrong point of thinking.Unfortunately, we use so much FPV drones because of lack of ammo for mortars, ATGMs, artillery and even antitank mines.
IMHO, every army needs to has them. They are cheap and very effective, FIRST OF ALL, against the enemy logistics. That’s out of the question and they are really needed.But here, in your TV war, you mostly see, especially right now, how the enemy columns charge so let’s talk a little bit about this.1) they wouldn’t even be able to reach our positions if we had enough antitank mines. Same with artillery;2) they wouldn’t be able to reach the city of Krasnogorivka, that’s the best example right now, if we had enough ATGMs.
But they did.
We have at that direction FPV drones. But they cannot change the fact that RUAF AFV are driving there like at home.And finally , that the biggest charge near Tonenke was stopped with the help of ATGMs and artillery. And well trained and motivated infantry.Not with the help of FPV drones. They just finished the job (mostly damaged and abandoned AFVs).
FPV drones are not the key. And not the panacea.IMHO, the key is:
1) enough artillery shells;
2) well trained infantry;
3) mobility of your forces (AFV).That’s at least.
I am sorry, I am just fucking tired of what I see and when I have phone calls with possible recruits everyone asks me about FPV drones because they see the war via TG channels.
Dzankhoi, Russian occupied Crimea:
/1. This night there was a missile attack on the Russian airbase in Dzhankoi, Crimea.
Russian media claims that 7-8 ballistic missiles were launched during the attack. pic.twitter.com/ztvWO109tp— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
/3. Additional footage of the results of the missile strikes on Russian Dzhankoi airbase pic.twitter.com/xm6Q9U3Oa8
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
/5. Missile debris. https://t.co/zPD6aJhCie
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
/7. In details about the Dzhankoy attack and first imagery of the aftermath of the attack. https://t.co/cVP6nOXHbJ
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
🚀💥Regarding the strike on Dzhankoy, as well as first footage of the aftermath of the attack. Destroyed Russian S-400 air defence system equipment.
«Tonight, April 17, 2024, the military airfield of the 39th helicopter regiment of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army… https://t.co/JGcByoXt6s pic.twitter.com/z1Z6G9mXhr
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
🚀💥Regarding the strike on Dzhankoy, as well as first footage of the aftermath of the attack. Destroyed Russian S-400 air defence system equipment.
«Tonight, April 17, 2024, the military airfield of the 39th helicopter regiment of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army (military unit 46453, Dzhankoy) was attacked.
The photo shows the destroyed S-400 Triumph air defense system.
The strike was carried out by two MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
The first blow hit the positions of the S-400 Triumph air defense system. 3 launchers and radar were destroyed.
The second hit was at the point for receiving and repairing military equipment of the 77th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 33742, Krasnodar Territory). At the time of the impact, two S-300 launchers (of an unknown modification) were being serviced at the point. Also, as a result of the impact at the point, a secondary detonation of ammunition occurred. What exactly exploded is unknown.
There is no information about damaged helicopters yet.
Preliminary (as of 06:00) – 15 wounded, 22 missing.»
Voronezh, Russia:
Drone attack reported in Voronezh, Russia. Air raid alert in the region. pic.twitter.com/wX36Awlhoz
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 17, 2024
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
This is my city. My Chernihiv. Here, you do see no « pictures of the war ». Here, you see the pictures of war crimes. A lot of people died, including kids. Please help me and my people to survive. I don’t ask you to come and fight for the future of this world. We ask for more air… pic.twitter.com/L2ydgwUu13
— Patron (@PatronDsns) April 17, 2024
This is my city. My Chernihiv. Here, you do see no « pictures of the war ». Here, you see the pictures of war crimes. A lot of people died, including kids. Please help me and my people to survive. I don’t ask you to come and fight for the future of this world. We ask for more air defense systems for Ukrainian cities #UkraineNeedAirDefence
Open thread!
War for Ukraine Day 783: The GOP House Majority’s Dysfunction Is Actively Harming Ukraine
by Adam L Silverman| 40 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
We know what “they doin ova der,” they’re making things worse. I’m going to try to keep this brief tonight, but we have a lot to cover and a significant chunk is the GOP majority in the House of Representatives is eating itself. Ukraine has "no chance of winning" its war with Russia, if it …
Ukraine Will Request a Meeting of the Ukraine – NATO Council – Address of the President of Ukraine
16 April 2024 – 20:03
Dear Ukrainians!
The key points of the day.
First, the Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi and the Defense Minister Umerov delivered a report. It was about the situation at our frontline and our defensive actions. The task is obvious: to maximize the deterrence of Russian assaults and to repel every attack of the occupier.
Second, the heads of the Special Services, including the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, reported on countering internal threats, and, of course, on the efforts of the personnel to defend Ukraine against the occupier. Right now, we can see that Ukrainian Special Services are very effective in eliminating the enemy. Today I would like to mention the results of the soldiers of the Centre of Special Operations “A” of the Security Service of Ukraine. They effectively destroy Russian surface-to-air missile systems. Thank you! I would also like to mention the officers of the SSU’s 13th Main Directorate of the Military Counterintelligence Department, who are doing everything to suppress Russia’s ability to terrorize Ukraine. They are destroying Russian radar stations, which were used, in particular, for Russian aviation and guided bombing. We will destroy absolutely everything that harms Ukraine. And I thank each and every one of our soldiers, the Security Service of Ukraine, all the special services and units that are doing their best to protect our country and our people.
Third. I held a preparatory meeting with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Office. We are currently preparing an agenda for the National Security and Defense Council to discuss the threats to the security of our state and society posed by the proliferation of online casinos and the lack of control over this area. All opportunities in this area to manipulate people and harm the interests of society must and will be blocked. It is also important to mention the author of the relevant petition, the petition to restrict online casinos, which started the discussion today. It was a Ukrainian soldier, Junior Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko, a soldier of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Yesterday, he was killed in a battle. My condolences to Pavlo’s family and friends. The existence of our entire Ukraine is made up of the lives and aspirations, the will and achievements of such men and women. Many of those who could not and do not imagine Ukraine apart from their own actions to protect it, to develop it, to strengthen it. We all should remember that Ukraine is made up of people who care, who really care, about what will happen to Ukraine. We must always remember every such person, always support them, and do whatever we can to ensure that our country withstands the invader and protects its people, its land, and its independence. I am confident that it will.
And one more thing. We work every day without a single break to increase our potential in the world — in our relations with partners. We work to get more real help. To achieve true equality in the defense against terror, when the same, truly equal rules apply to us here in Ukraine, in Europe, and in other parts of the world, when we face the same manifestations of terror, the same missile and drone attacks. In the last two days we have heard all kinds of things. About different conflicts — here in Europe and in the Middle East — different levels of threats, different airspace. Although the “Shahed” drones and ballistics are the same… Different threats of escalation. But are human lives different, are people’s values different? No, they are not. We value every life equally. We must do so. We must protect them from terror on the same level. Ukraine will request a meeting of the Ukraine – NATO Council to discuss the protection of the skies, the supply of anti-aircraft warfare, relevant systems and missiles. We are actively working now to ensure a productive first Global Peace Summit in June. We thank all the leaders and states that have expressed this week their willingness to participate in the Summit in Switzerland. I would like to express my special gratitude for the efforts of Olaf, Mr. Chancellor, for his leadership and relevant international communication — for the signals we have heard from Beijing. China can really help us restore the just peace for Ukraine and the stability in international relations. The Summit in Switzerland gives us all a real chance to make the Charter of the United Nations, its goals and principles, really work.
I thank everyone who helps! I thank each and every one of you who defends our country, our people and the common justice that is equal for all nations! And may the memory of all Ukrainians who gave their lives for Ukraine be eternal and bright!
Glory to Ukraine!
Russia launched eleven missiles at Trypilska power plant, that supplies Kyiv with electricity. The first seven, we took down. Four destroyed Trypilska. Why? Because we had zero missiles. We ran out of all missiles. — Zelensky for PBS pic.twitter.com/mJlHr2LNYR
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) April 16, 2024
The West is afraid of Russia's defeat in Ukraine due to the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation and strengthening of China, which will seize part of the Russian Federation's territories – President Zelensky in an interview with PBS.
"There are voices coming from the West… pic.twitter.com/F25lfN4LwW
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 16, 2024
The West is afraid of Russia’s defeat in Ukraine due to the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation and strengthening of China, which will seize part of the Russian Federation’s territories – President Zelensky in an interview with PBS.
“There are voices coming from the West saying that we are afraid. What’s going to happen to Russia if Russia loses? So, are they not afraid that we are dying here every day? But they’re very afraid that there will be some sort of a danger, some sort of a migration crisis? What’s going to happen? Maybe China will be very strong. And if Russia will panic and have a revolution, then China will capture part of the territory of Russia, et cetera. So everyone is afraid. God forbid China will be strong. God forbid there would be no Putin and there will be many countries (on the territory of the Russian Federation – Ed.). What’s going to happen to Russia’s nuclear weapons? What will happen to Russia’s nuclear weapons?”, Zelenskyy asked.
Here’s the full video of President Zelenskyy’s interview with PBS’s Newshour:
The cost:
"The first dawn of 2023" by the fallen warrior Pavlo Petrychenko, killed in action a few hours before his birthday. I genuinely don't understand why my nation has to endure all this pain, terror and injustice pic.twitter.com/lnyC0C0NZP
— Olena Halushka (@OlenaHalushka) April 16, 2024
The differences between how Israel is protected by the US and its allies and partners – both NATO and non-NATO – and how Ukraine is being given voice by the Ukrainians:
Of course, Western militaries will never be protecting Ukrainian skies from drones and missiles as they do with Israel.
Because that is Iran, and this is Russia, and this world is neither fair nor supposed to univocally stand for the good and combat the evil.
Of course,…
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 16, 2024
Of course, Western militaries will never be protecting Ukrainian skies from drones and missiles as they do with Israel.
Because that is Iran, and this is Russia, and this world is neither fair nor supposed to univocally stand for the good and combat the evil.
Of course, London, Paris, Warsaw, or Washington D.C. will never be willing to be directly involved in repelling Russian aggression in Ukraine – because it’s not Quaddafi, not al-Assad, or ISIS affiliates in Africa, or the Taliban.
That’s why we have always been saying that providing the Ukrainian military with all necessary aid is a win-win strategy – we get to save our country from extermination, you get to deter and curtail the world’s biggest war at the moment with not a single European or American serviceperson involved in hostilities.
Moreover, helping Ukraine defeat the Kremlin’s killing spree was applicably reducing the likelihood of the West’s unwanted direct military intervention – which is just what Western leaders and Western public opinion quite expectedly want.
But you know, surprisingly enough, two years of escalation management, trying to ‘save Putin’s face,’ procrastination, and petty politics gave Putin 2 years to recover and prepare for a large-scale, prolonged war of territorial grabs he has zero reasons to stop.
Moreover, given what’s happening now to the West in general, the Kremlin is now as confident and encouraged to do whatever the hell it wants ® to Ukraine and beyond.
Putin is more than happy to have this war by his rules, under which Russia is fully entitled to any sort of atrocities and massive war crimes against Ukraine, and Ukraine must somehow watch out for Russia’s precious oil production – otherwise, Russians will throw a nuclear escalation tantrum into Jake Sullivan’s phone.
He is more than happy to see the West restricting itself to absurdity in the light of the biggest European war of aggression since Adolf Hitler. Why not take more, and more, and more, and more, if the West seems to be ready to give up everything at any price?
I honestly don’t know how myopic one needs to be to fail to see that these two years of half-measures and appeasement only made things worse and only made a direct NATO-Russia clash more probable.
See, Vladimir Putin doesn’t care how good-intended, pro-peace, and anti-war you are. He sees weakness, he sees an invitation for more aggression, he sees an easy way to get ‘yet another grand geopolitical victory’ with no consequences.
The only realistic way to stop him in Ukraine is to provide Ukraine with arms to overwhelm this increasingly hungry monster and bring peace back to us all.
And don’t get me started on how Ukraine should ‘stand on its own’ and ‘stop begging for aid’ – I’d love to see a list of nations that would be able to wage a years-long, full-scale, high-intensity war against an adversary as gargantuan as Russia and with no allies or backers.
This war can still end with the free world’s victory in Ukraine and without Putin’s bloodlust spilling out into the Baltic nations, Moldova, Scandinavia, Poland etc.
There’s still time and a chance, even though a lot has been stupidly lost.
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Everyone’s favorite think tank Russia SME and a Hopkins-SAIS Kissinger Center distinguished professor had an essay published in Foreign Affairs today. Some of it is interesting, all of it is incredibly credulous. It was not met with a lot of acclaim.
While Ukraine is not getting basic aid necessary for our survival, you all of a sudden recalled an important topic to research into, that "putin was surprisingly ready for serious concessions and may be again". Surely, with the russian war machine in full mode, with 550 B $ oil…
— Olena Halushka (@OlenaHalushka) April 16, 2024
While Ukraine is not getting basic aid necessary for our survival, you all of a sudden recalled an important topic to research into, that “putin was surprisingly ready for serious concessions and may be again”. Surely, with the russian war machine in full mode, with 550 B $ oil and gas profits, Iranian, North Korean and Chinese help.
Also, Charap can very be proud of his previous wise and strategic analysis, too: we’re experiencing just now how Western weapons aren’t making any difference in Ukraine. Every night, seeing how lack of air defenses impact our economy, energy system, and our lives.
There's nothing 'complicated' about this lost paradise of the 'Istanbul deal that could have ended the war' – the Kremlin was never even closely serious about those 'contacts' with Ukraine, and it was forwarding knowingly unacceptable and absurd demands while regrouping for a new…
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 16, 2024
There’s nothing ‘complicated’ about this lost paradise of the ‘Istanbul deal that could have ended the war’ – the Kremlin was never even closely serious about those ‘contacts’ with Ukraine, and it was forwarding knowingly unacceptable and absurd demands while regrouping for a new offensive in Donbas following the March setback at Kyiv.
The problem is that certain high-browed armchair strategists somehow persuaded themselves that Putin was a good-faith dove of peace offering a perfect deal he’d respect forevermore, while those dumb, mean Ukrainians rejected his noble gesture because Boris Johnson made them do so.
Mark my words based on real world experience from 25+ years. Russia has never had a genuine intention to negotiate a peace deal in the first phase of the war on Ukraine. Its modus operandi against Ukraine between 2014-2022 was attack-negotiate-cease fire-attack, rinse & repeat. https://t.co/T5znQe5iMj
— Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) April 16, 2024
Daniel Szeligowski, the Head of Research Programme and Senior Research Fellow on Ukraine at the Polish Institute of International Affairs had a long, detailed, very interesting assessment that picked most of Charap’s and Radchenko’s essay apart, while also breaking some new information. Here it is from the Thread Reader App:
🧵 This is already making rounds, so I will try to shed some more light on March/April 2022 Ukraine-Russia talks since the article is still far from the point, and because Poland played a much bigger role than anyone is willing to admit publiclyCharap & Radchenko rely heavily on the *Western* sources, but these were interesting times when our Western colleagues found themselves not being really in the loop, although they happily provide you with some post-factum interpretation todayWe were never close to any deal. Russia never negotiated in good faith. Moscow sent a delegation that was composed of the most anti-Ukrainian officials you can imagine. Their goal was to present the Ukrainian side with an ultimatum, not to *negotiate*During the talks, the Russian officials issued threats against members of the Ukrainian delegation and their families. This pretty tells you what the Russian attitude was at that particular timeWhile still in Belarus, the Russian delegation openly suggested to the Ukrainian delegation that they declare capitulation. Ukrainians responded with a now legendary sentence: иди на хуй (roughly: f* off)The talks moved to Turkey then. On the plane, members of the Ukrainian delegation had symptoms of poisoning. Later on, test results proved an unknown chemical substance in the body of now Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov. Russians “sent a message” – we can get youRussia never abandoned its maximalist goal. Realising that the plan to seize Kyiv “in three days” had failed, Moscow wanted to subjugate Ukraine at the negotiating table, but missed the moment when the fortune turned in favour of Ukraine and they were thrown out from Kyiv regionUnlike our Western colleagues, Poland believed from the beginning that the Russians were bluffing and so we advised accordingly our Ukrainian friends. We were in a pretty comfortable position to do it, since Polish SOF provided security for the Ukrainian delegationYes, Ukraine was ready to make concessions, but they were conditional on western security guarantees, which the West was ultimately not ready to give (one reason was that our western colleagues simply did not know much about the talks as such)The talks collapsed because the Russians never negotiated seriously, and so they did not show due flexibility (contrary to what Charap and Radchenko claim). Russia demanded Ukraine’s demilitarisation and aimed at sanctioning of Russian influence over Ukrainian domesticAnd then Bucha came. The scale of Russian crimes was so huge that it shocked even the Polish side (which, after all, has experienced Russian atrocities itself). Further talks with Russia were simply no-go for Zelensky, especially that Russian troops were already on defensiveEver since, Russians have argued that an agreement with Ukraine was close, but the West intervened, notably Boris Johnson, whom Russia accused of forcing Ukraine to abandon the negotiationsThis bears no relation to reality, of course, but somehow still resonates with many of the Western decision-makers and their pundits. But Velina puts nicely what I think of that as well:If you wanna know *a bit* more, please read this article, published by an authoritative Polish media outlet. Yep, it’s in Polish, but Google Translate or AI would do the job these daysKomandosi na Białorusi i delikatna misja w Turcji. Kulisy polskich operacji podczas wojny na Ukrainie [OPINIA]Żołnierze z polskich oddziałów specjalnych ochraniali oligarchę Romana Abramowicza, który był pośrednikiem w rozmowach ukraińsko-rosyjskich w pierwszych tygodniach wojny. Zapewniali również bezpieczeń…https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/kraj/artykuly/8680269,zolnierze-polskie-oddzialy-specjalne-wojna-w-ukrainie-komandosi.htmlI admit that Charap & Radchenko did a good job, this is possibly the best article on Ukraine-Russia talks I have ever read. The problem is that the point of reference is so lame. And that’s why even a good text doesn’t reflect half of what really happened these days of 2022On a last note – the flawed theory that Ukraine-Russia deal was reportedly almost there has been and will be used in the public debate to share the narrative that Ukraine should accept the Russian demands (since it reportedly accepted them in 2022, which, again, was *not* true)I don’t think that Charap and Radchenko deliberately omitted Poland and the Polish sources. I guess they have simply been unaware of the role that Poland played in the whole story. Western experts often think that Central Europe has no agency, but sometimes we prove them wrong :)
So we now know that Polish SOF were providing the personal security detail (PSD) for the Ukrainian negotiators. We also now have independent confirmation that the Russians had actually poisoned members of the Ukrainian delegation, which we covered at the time back in 2o22. Szeligowski is far more generous that I am towards Charap and Radchenko by giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are making a good faith effort with this essay. You can read the whole thing if you like, but if you’ve been reading along her since the first war update, you already know the history, so what you’re reading for would be the author’s interpretation of events from a selective reading of selective documentation. The naivete to believe after Grozny and Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk, and eastern Moldova now doing business as Transnistria that anyone believes Putin and his diplomatic and national security teams are good faith negotiators is just astoundingly naive.
More interesting and informative, is this Economist interview with Ukraine’s new national security chief.
NOT MANY non-Russians know Russia as well as Oleksandr Lytvynenko. Ukraine’s new national security chief spent five formative years in Moscow as a cryptology cadet at the elite KGB Academy. More recently, as head of Ukraine’s foreign-intelligence service during two years of war, he busied himself undermining and extracting information from his one-time peers. At the end of March, he took over one of the country’s most critical jobs.
So Mr Lytvynenko deserves to be listened to. And he has a warning for those Western politicians (Donald Trump being the most notorious example) thinking about pushing a premature peace deal on Ukraine which would require it to give up territory. “Putin has lied, is lying, and will continue to lie.” Ceding territory to Russia in return for peace would be a “cruel betrayal” of the Ukrainians left under violent occupation, he says. Many more innocent people would be killed, more would be thrown into cellars.
But there is a more pragmatic reason to reject it, too. An agreement made with a compulsive liar probably means only one thing: him regrouping, rearming and trying for more in two or three years. Russia’s leader is “addicted” to the idea of conquering Ukraine, Mr Lytvynenko says. “The next time he won’t make mistakes, but will prepare his operation much more carefully, according to all the laws of military art.”
Things were not supposed to have turned out like this for Russia, of course. Ukraine was not expected to put up a fight. Russian soldiers were supposed to be parading in Kyiv within days of the invasion. With his “blitzkrieg”, Mr Putin’s aim was to present the West with a fait accompli, Mr Lytvynenko argues. “He wanted to say: Ukraine’s over, guys, now let’s talk on my terms.” Ukraine’s heroism foiled that plan. It also fundamentally changed the negotiation. “Now a victory over the West can only come if Putin first has victory in Ukraine. In Russians’ minds, victory in Ukraine means victory over the United States.”
Has the message got through to those who need to hear it? Mr Lytvynenko heaves a sigh, and delivers a politician’s line, stressing Ukraine’s “critical partnership with the American state…regardless of who is in power.” This week, Congress might finally begin the task of signing off on much-needed military assistance. But even if it does, the emphasis is on giving Ukraine just enough to stay in the game, rather than the tools to secure a victory. And all this is before a possible Trump presidency, which could make things much more precarious.
Mr Lytvynenko is a close observer of American politics, and says he understands the extent to which the administration is worried about escalation and the global implications of war in Ukraine. But he says a Ukrainian victory would reduce, not increase, the risk of confrontation. “Leaders would become risk-averse.” A Ukrainian defeat, on the other hand, would be interpreted as proof that invasions work, with domino-like consequences in China, Taiwan, and beyond. “If aggression works once, everyone will think about having a go. Too many people are watching this war too intently.”
The security chief says Mr Putin has not yet stepped back from his maximalist aims, namely “to destroy the Ukrainian state and turn it into a buffer zone”. The Russian Orthodox church’s recent declaration of “sacred war” against Ukraine only underlines that determination. That announcement, undoubtedly made with the Kremlin’s blessing, was an “attempt to untie Putin’s hands”, and sanction harsh new campaigns against civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv, Odessa, Zaporizhia and beyond. The newly fanatical rhetoric is “something best compared to Islamic State”, the official continues: “It’s crucial to understand that Putinism has not yet completed its evolution. It could get even worse. If the West does not stop this, it will end up paying more later, and with its own lives. Assisting Ukraine isn’t about charity.”
After hopes for a breakthrough faded in 2023, momentum on the battlefield has shifted decisively against Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and his militarised economy have now geared up for a long war, and the West is so far unwilling to unequivocally challenge him. Front-line positions are under constant threat, with Russian guns firing at six times the rate of the Ukrainians’, and planes taking advantage of patchy air defences to launch more and more guided aerial bombs. The situation has become “very tough”, Mr Lytvynenko says. “Russians don’t care about their losses and it makes the situation even more difficult.” When asked how Ukraine might begin to get to a winning position again, the official is non-committal. It is not clear if Mr Putin could ever stop attacking Ukraine, he says, but Ukraine has to adopt a military strategy that tries to force him to.
Bakhmut:
Russia’s occupying forces in Bakhmut just published on one of their Telegram channels new video footage and photos of the eastern Ukrainian city almost a year after it was destroyed and captured. The photos are stomach-churning and I admit they fill me with rage. I’ll post them… pic.twitter.com/3BIk9dS3rN
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 16, 2024
Russia’s occupying forces in Bakhmut just published on one of their Telegram channels new video footage and photos of the eastern Ukrainian city almost a year after it was destroyed and captured. The photos are stomach-churning and I admit they fill me with rage. I’ll post them below beside my own photos from when I lived in Bakhmut in 2010-2012, when it was a vibrant, peaceful city that 80,000 called home.
These images show the central square fountain and city hall — or where city hall stood before it was blown up. The first two were taken under Russian occupation. The other two are mine from 14 years ago.
More in the thread at the link!
Krasnohorivka:
Not near Krasnohorivka, but an advance IN Krasnohorivka. This video was easy to geolocate because of the slag heap and lakes and knowing the area well: the Russian armor moves NW into southern district (south side of the railway) of the city and along Zaliznychna Street. No doubt… https://t.co/1mOrsxpcCf
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 16, 2024
Not near Krasnohorivka, but an advance IN Krasnohorivka. This video was easy to geolocate because of the slag heap and lakes and knowing the area well: the Russian armor moves NW into southern district (south side of the railway) of the city and along Zaliznychna Street. No doubt this mechanized attack and others like it are possible right now because of Ukraine’s shortage of artillery shells, due to Republicans’ blocking the military aid bill in Congress.
Chasiv Yar:
Utter destruction. The Russian army’s wiping another Ukrainian city off the map. Chasiv Yar, once a peaceful little spot with a great swimming hole and surrounded by fields, is Russia’s latest target. This is happening while Republicans block military aid. pic.twitter.com/jwSpEtdIzL
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 16, 2024
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight. So here’s some adjacent material.
This is muffin, she’s not back with Eugene Kibets after getting emergency treatment for a kidney ailment.
— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) April 16, 2024
ADOPTED—three beauties surviving in war torn Ukraine. Thanks Uncle Eugene @eugenehmg. pic.twitter.com/09WDvpP7ig
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) April 16, 2024
Open thread!
War for Ukraine Day 782: If the Opposite of Pro Is Con, Then the Opposite of Progress is a GOP Majority in Congress
by Adam L Silverman| 44 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Iran, Israel, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) Speaker Johnson appears to have come up with a plan regarding the foreign military aid supplemental. It isn’t a good plan. It isn’t even a fully baked plan. But it is his plan. JOHNSON, in the closed GOP meeting, says that Ukraine needs to stand on its own. — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) …
“Shaheds” in the Skies Above Ukraine Sound Identical to Those Over the Middle East – Address by the President
15 April 2024 – 20:41
Dear Ukrainians!
A few summaries of the day.
I held a meeting of the Staff. Two key topics now are the frontline and the energy sector.
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi delivered a report on the areas where the situation is the most severe.
Special attention was paid to the battles for Chasiv Yar, the battles in the Pokrovsk and Kupyansk directions.
I am grateful to every soldier and commander, to all our units who are defending our positions and doing everything to stabilize the situation.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Umerov reported on the implementation of contracts for the supply of shells and drones, as well as electronic warfare.
Today, the Staff had a separate and detailed discussion about the use of electronic warfare and the protection of critical infrastructure. This applies, in particular, to the energy sector – what is protected and what was, unfortunately, not sufficiently protected. Appropriate conclusions will be drawn.
We analyzed the necessary actions to restore generation and key power facilities.
There was also a report on the state of protection of critical infrastructure in the areas near the frontline and in the border area.
There were two important intelligence reports – by Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Ivashchenko and Chief of the Defence Intelligence Budanov – on Russian actions in the spring and summer. On what we must be prepared for – in all formats of possible hostile actions. Obviously, the madness in the Kremlin is still rampant, and the occupier will try to intensify assault and offensive actions. We will retaliate.
Today I also held meetings on our work with partners in the coming weeks. As before, the top priority will be air defense and weapons for our warriors on the frontline. Also, the consolidation of partners and the unity of the world will remain a priority.
The entire world witnessed allied action in the skies above Israel and neighboring countries. It demonstrated how truly effective unity in defending against terror can be when it is based on sufficient political will. Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan acted together and with maximum efficiency.
Together, they prevented terror from prevailing. And they are working together, and in coordination with others, to prevent further escalation.
Israel is not a NATO member, so no action, such as triggering Article 5, was required.
And no one was dragged into the war. They simply contributed to the protection of human life.
“Shaheds” in the skies above Ukraine sound identical to those over the Middle East. The impact of ballistic missiles, if they are not intercepted, is the same everywhere.
European skies could have received the same level of protection long ago if Ukraine had received similar full support from its partners in intercepting drones and missiles.
Terror must be defeated completely and everywhere, not more in some places and less in others.
I thank everyone in the world, every leader and state, who truly assists us with air defense and missiles necessary to protect our skies, as well as training our pilots on F-16s. All of this already works and will continue to work to save lives. However, we can now see how unity can work truly a hundred percent, and how almost a hundred percent of “Shaheds” and missiles can be intercepted. We will discuss it with our partners.
One more thing. Today the Norwegian Foreign Minister is on a visit to Ukraine. I had a meeting with him. I expressed gratitude for the truly significant and principled support for Ukraine. Our teams have finalized negotiations with Norway on a bilateral security agreement, and we are preparing to sign it with the Norwegian leader. We are also working on expanding defense cooperation, in particular to bolster our air defense. We also appreciate that Norway provides Ukraine with long-term financial support – all forms of resilience are important in times of war.
I am grateful to everyone in the world who stands with Ukraine! I am grateful to everyone who has the determination to truly defeat terror!
I thank everyone in Ukraine who fights and works for our victory.
Glory to Ukraine!
LTG Budanov, the Director of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), sat for an interview with ICTV. It starts at the 4;37 mark of the reporting.
Here’s a machine translation into English of what was covered during the entire broadcast:
00:00:00 – The beginning
00:00:11 – Air alert in the regions – launch of the Shaheds
00:01:21 – How the intelligence of the Rubizh brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine works in the defense of Chasovyi Yar
00:04:37 – Budanov: In May-June, Russian troops plan to intensify fighting on the front line
00:05:16 – Shelling of Dnipropetrovs’k region on 15.04.24 – consequences
00:05:40 – Ukraine and Bulgaria hold Black Sea security conference
00:07:16 – Floods in the Russian Federation reached another region – Tomsk region
00:08:00 – A storm passed through Ukraine – consequences
00:08:37 – Ukraine to sign memorandum with Italy on restoration of historic center of Odesa
00:09:32 – In Odesa, a combat medic opened an Unbreakable coffee shop with the help of a microgrant
00:12:51 – Photo exhibition in memory of fallen soldiers opened in Vinnytsia
The cost, the price, and the reason:
Ukrainian veterans came to Minneapolis to receive new prostheses.
This is how they were met by the Ukrainian diaspora. pic.twitter.com/DMsC7LDi9E
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) April 15, 2024
Yana Stepanenko, a 12-year-old girl who lost her two legs in a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk, has run 5 kilometers in @bostonmarathon on her prostheses. Yana is raising funds to provide prostheses for a critically wounded Ukrainian soldier. Yana is truly an inspiration! pic.twitter.com/FUtDDy89pc
— Oleh Nikolenko 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@OlehNikolenko_) April 14, 2024
Instead of a thousand words.
Firefighter Andrii Hrechanyi ran a half-marathon wearing full firefighter gear yesterday.
He dedicated his run to his three Kharkiv colleagues killed by a Russian strike on April 4th. Andrii held their portraits his whole run.
📷: Grunt https://t.co/SBeTVQ0UfF pic.twitter.com/L3xCoqFrfU
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 15, 2024
More stupidity from members of the House GOP majority caucus:
So it makes it totally fine that Putin will end up exterminating and devouring “only” Ukraine? Okey dokey?
HOW DO THESE PEOPLE EVEN MAKE IT TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR CRIYNG OUT LOUD https://t.co/qF89rdUeGL
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 15, 2024
And some stupidity from the Biden administration:
Washington Post adds a new wrinkle to our @FT scoop last month that the US warned Ukraine not to attack Russian oil refineries with long-range drones. Our original report: https://t.co/DRussu4cAs
WaPo, confirming FT reporting below, reports that VP Kamala Harris asked Zelensky… https://t.co/Ixi2m3BzJw
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 15, 2024
Washington Post adds a new wrinkle to our @FT scoop last month that the US warned Ukraine not to attack Russian oil refineries with long-range drones. Our original report: https://ft.com/content/98f15b60-bc4d-4d3c-9e57-cbdde122ac0c
WaPo, confirming FT reporting below, reports that VP Kamala Harris asked Zelensky personally to not strike Russian refineries.
New: When Kamala Harris met privately with Volodymyr Zelensky in February, she told him something he didn’t want to hear: Refrain from attacking Russian oil refineries, a tactic U.S. officials believed would raise global energy prices and invite more aggressive Russian…
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) April 15, 2024
New: When Kamala Harris met privately with Volodymyr Zelensky in February, she told him something he didn’t want to hear: Refrain from attacking Russian oil refineries, a tactic U.S. officials believed would raise global energy prices and invite more aggressive Russian retaliation inside Ukraine.
The request irritated Zelensky and his top aides, who view Kyiv’s string of drone strikes on Russian energy facilities as a rare bright spot in a grinding war of attrition. Zelensky brushed off the recommendation, but in subsequent weeks, Washington reinforced the warning in multiple conversations with Kyiv, including by Jake Sullivan, who traveled to Ukraine’s capital in March.
Instead of acquiescing to the U.S. requests, Ukraine doubled down on the strategy, striking a range of Russian facilities, including an April 2 attack on Russia’s third-largest refinery 800 miles from the font.
The incidents have exacerbated tensions in an already-strained relationship and come as Biden ramps up his reelection campaign amid a six-month high in oil prices.
Defenders of Ukraine’s strategy accuse the White House of prioritizing domestic politics over Kyiv’s military goals. U.S. officials say the rationale behind their warnings is more nuanced than critics suggest, noting that Moscow’s counterattack has hurt Ukraine more than the refinery attacks hurt Russia.
More details here:
https://washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/15/ukraine-russia-oil-refinery-attacks/
Dudette’s gotta go!
Harris’s strategic malpractice likely explains this statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Minister:
“If partners tell us: “We’re giving you seven Patriot batteries tomorrow, but we have a request to you – can you not do this and that?”, then there’s something to talk about.
But if we don’t have the batteries, don’t have air packages, and we’re being asked not to do something……
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 15, 2024
“If partners tell us: “We’re giving you seven Patriot batteries tomorrow, but we have a request to you – can you not do this and that?”, then there’s something to talk about.
But if we don’t have the batteries, don’t have air packages, and we’re being asked not to do something… then what do we have to talk about? Then everyone does whatever it takes to survive…
I cannot believe and I think no one in Ukraine would believe a power as large as the United States military does not have a single Patriot battery to save infrastructure worth billions of dollars, as well as priceless Ukrainian lives.”
– Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister @DmytroKuleba
By the way, it's been 4 months since the last authorised US military aid package for Ukraine, and lots of very ridiculous "foreign policy realists" insisted that Ukraine and Russia would broker a peace treaty if Ukraine was finally cut off.
All that has happened is that more…
— Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) April 15, 2024
By the way, it’s been 4 months since the last authorised US military aid package for Ukraine, and lots of very ridiculous “foreign policy realists” insisted that Ukraine and Russia would broker a peace treaty if Ukraine was finally cut off.
All that has happened is that more Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed because Ukraine now lacks the ammunition to sufficiently defend itself, while Russia continues to rearm through its allies. The war is not only still ongoing, but Russia is gaining the upper hand.
Helping Ukraine or abandoning Ukraine. Those have always been the only two options on the table. There is no magic third approach which leads to peace, no matter how many times you’ve been fed that lie by charlatans.
Nuclear weapons are what sets apart the response of multiple countries to missile and drone barrages by Iran and Russia. The takeaway here is clear: if you want to be taken seriously, you must possess nuclear weapons. Decades of non-proliferation efforts continue to be undermined
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 15, 2024
Not only is Tatarigami correct here, but I expect that the Baltic states, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Poland are all working very quietly on how to remedy this deficit. I also expect Ukraine is doing the same. If the leaders of these states have not ordered the appropriate folks to work this problem set, then they are fools.
The Czech Republic:
Czech PM @P_Fiala: “We are working to secure a further 300,000 [artillery] rounds and have already contracted the first 180,000. These will be delivered to the Ukrainian front in the coming months.” https://t.co/ECGNlBkbkH
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 15, 2024
From The Financial Times:
The writer is prime minister of the Czech Republic
The Czech ammunition initiative has attracted considerable international attention. This is a positive thing. At the moment, European nations buying additional artillery ammunition from other countries is the only way to quickly provide Ukraine with urgently needed rounds.
The situation in Ukraine is critical. As the war enters its third year, the country’s armed forces are under unprecedented pressure. They are running out of ammunition, meaning they are forced to make difficult decisions every day. This makes it extremely hard to hold their lines — the very lines that will decide the security and future of the whole of Europe.
Russia, on the other hand, has plenty of military assets. How many more rounds is the aggressor firing at this moment? One estimate gives the Russians a fivefold advantage.
Fortunately, western democracies recognise that it is impossible to be impartial in this conflict. In addition to financial, humanitarian and refugee assistance, we have not hesitated to deliver much-needed arms and ammunition from the beginning.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to move as quickly as Ukraine needs, and our defence industries have not yet been able to meet such high demand.
We are therefore looking for new ways to overcome these challenges. The Czech Republic’s answer to this question is the ammunition initiative. Its purpose is to find hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds as quickly as possible on world markets (where they are still available in abundance), to finance their purchase with co-operating western states and to get them to the front without delay.
The scheme is deceptively simple, which is why it has achieved significant success so soon after its launch. We are working to secure a further 300,000 rounds and have already contracted the first 180,000. These will be delivered to the Ukrainian front in the coming months. We could never have achieved such promising figures without the strong initial support of Denmark and the Netherlands — and some 20 other countries who later joined us in pledging their help.
The Czech Republic has been supporting the defenders of Ukraine for a long time. Over the past two years, we have supplied them with more than 1mn large-calibre ammunition rounds. This shows that our current initiative is not a one-off stunt. We are striving to create a robust ammunition supply mechanism that will directly help turn the tide on the frontline. To do so, we are leveraging our unique expertise, grounded in long-standing support for Ukraine, the strength of our defence industry and our historically established contacts in third countries.
This initiative also has another, equally important, aim: to give the west more time to adapt. War is changing our world; the days of complacency are over. This means we can no longer avoid fundamental changes at home, such as strengthening societal resilience and rebuilding sufficient defence capacity. We need to get used to the fact that a responsible security policy must include much greater investment in defence to deter attackers. Otherwise, we will not fare well in an era of resumed competition with Russia and other aggressive actors.
Luckily, all these changes are taking place: we are investing much more in security and modernising our defence forces. Nato is expanding. And even those actors in individual countries who until recently believed it was possible to negotiate sensibly with Russia are now fully aware of their share of responsibility.
The Czech initiative is part of these efforts. Its aim is to fill the ammunition gap, especially until Europe can produce enough ammunition on its own. We will not shrug off this responsibility.
There were air raid alerts across Ukraine again this morning.
Air raid alert is in Kyiv region, and some other regions now, due to ballistic rocket strike danger. pic.twitter.com/MBAJrbgqGd
— Kyrylo Loukerenko (@K_Loukerenko) April 15, 2024
Russian glide bombs incoming… try and imagine this hell that the Ukrainian military is going through every single day of this war as free world leaders can’t get rid of their paralyzing fear of Vladimir Putin’s global intimidation. pic.twitter.com/FFDUqtTGQE
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 15, 2024
Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast and Dnipro:
Explosions reported in Dnipro!
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) April 15, 2024
Kharkiv:
These minutes, russian troops are launching missile strikes on Kharkiv Oblast! Multiple explosions have been reported.
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) April 15, 2024
Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast:
April, 2024. The village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region.
There is not a single undamaged house left here. russian terrorists destroy everything on their way.
The russian invaders must be stopped and punished.📹: Operational Command South pic.twitter.com/VDQ9i8EKBi
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 15, 2024
Serebryansky Forest, Luhansk Oblast:
Serebryansky Forest.
The hellscape of the Russian war. pic.twitter.com/Cm7qbKeBTR— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 15, 2024
Moscow:
🇷🇺 Gerasimov said that Russian troops will use the experience they gained during their “special military operation” in Ukraine to prepare CSTO troops.
Ukraine is just a warm-up for the Russian war machine. Every next war will get worse. pic.twitter.com/Ciy5eoDbq1
— Victoria (@victoriaslog) April 15, 2024
She says there is a feeling in the Israeli security establishment that Israel cannot afford not to retaliate. (not verbatim)
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 15, 2024
you can see the Harel event https://t.co/unYNXHMj57
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 15, 2024
Here’s the full video:
So if Israel decides to go War of the Cities, what sort of defenses does the Iranian theocracy have (besides some impressively hardened facilities and a scaldingly comprehensive disregard for their citizens’ lives)? I have read they have pretty solid air defenses, but I don’t know if that refers specifically to aircraft, or includes everything else.
Because if one side has defenses, however imperfect, and the other does not…that is a fire Iran may regret playing wwith. Along with a great many others.
Here’s something some guy named Silverman wrote about this back in 2018. That guy’s making me look bad!
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
First some adjacent material from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense:
There is always a place for kindness.
📹: @United24media pic.twitter.com/NsCuzMkhVl
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 15, 2024
Little dusty in here.
And a new video from Patron’s official TikTok:
@patron__dsns 🤝🏻 #дснс #патрондснс
Open thread!
War for Ukraine Day 781: A Brief(ish) Sunday Night Update
by Adam L Silverman| 63 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, France, Iran, Israel, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Silverman on Security, United Kingdom, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) I chose not to do an update on Israel and Iran because there’s not much to say. The US assembled a coalition with the British, French, Jordanians, and Saudis to either take down Iranian drones and missiles that were overflying their airspaces (the Jordanians and Saudis) or to just shoot them down …
War for Ukraine Day 781: A Brief(ish) Sunday Night UpdatePost + Comments (63)
Assistance to Ukraine is Still Limited, and Russia Still Has Access to Missile Components – Address by the President
14 April 2024 – 20:39
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
This day, just as every day of this war, began with the results of our defenders of the sky. Last night, they managed to shoot down 10 “Shahed” drones out of 10 used by the Russians. I am grateful to all our warriors of the mobile firing groups and all other defenders of the sky. In total, Russian terrorists have already used almost 130 “Shahed” drones against Ukraine this week. Fortunately, we managed to shoot down most of them. They also used more than 80 Russian missiles and almost 700 guided aerial bombs. Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to destroy them. And these are the numbers for this one week only.
Today missiles and drones were used again. Dnipro and Nikopol, Pokrovsk and other cities in the Donetsk region, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Sumy regions. There are casualties and, unfortunately, fatalities. My condolences to all those who have lost their loved ones.
Russia uses every day, week and month to inflict significant damage. Unfortunately, assistance to Ukraine is still limited, and the Russian state still has access to critical components needed to produce missiles and drones. Each missile targeting Ukraine contains at least dozens of components – electronics, chips – supplied by companies from other countries and imported through the territory of Russia’s neighbors. The “Shahed” drones also contain components produced in the free world. All of this must and can be stopped: the connivance at terror, the ability of terrorists to seek accomplices around the world, and all forms of Russian terror itself.
Modern aviation proves its effectiveness, modern air defense systems are capable of protecting lives – this was demonstrated in the Middle East when aviation and air defense shot down Iranian missiles and “Shahed” drones aimed at Israel. The whole world sees what real defense is. It sees that it is feasible. And the whole world saw that Israel was not alone in this defense – the threat in the sky was also being eliminated by its allies. And when Ukraine tells its allies that unity provides the best defense, they are already well aware of its effectiveness. They are aware of it and ensure it. And when Ukraine says that its allies should not turn a blind eye to Russian missiles and drones, it means action is needed – a bold one.
It is not rhetoric that protects the sky, it is not opinions that curb the production of missiles and drones for terror. And the fact that sanctions against Russia are still being circumvented, and that we in Ukraine have been waiting for months for a vital support package – that we are still waiting for a vote in Congress – shows that the terrorists’ confidence has been on the rise for months as well. We cannot waste any more time.
Real protection of life must be ensured wherever there is a terrorist threat to it. Everything must be done to prevent evil and wars from spreading across the world – in Europe, the Middle East, or anywhere else. I thank everyone who understands this. Everyone who can protect life must do so. Everyone who can restrict the potential of terror must do so. Ukraine, the Middle East, and all other parts of the world equally deserve a just and lasting peace.
And one more thing. The frontline. The situation at the front in such a fierce war is always tough. But these days – especially in the Donetsk sector – it is aggravating. I am grateful to every brigade, every soldier and commander who are doing everything to defend our positions and who are destroying the occupier. This week, I am especially grateful to the 58th separate motorized infantry brigade, the 68th separate jaeger brigade, and the 148th separate artillery brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces – its warriors are unfailingly effective. And this week was the 148th brigade’s day. My congratulations to you guys, thank you! I am also thankful to the 55th Zaporizhzhia Sich separate artillery brigade. Well done! It is also worth mentioning the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine – the Kraken and Artan units and the 9th Department of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. I am proud of you!
Glory to all who contribute to Ukraine’s defense against Russian terror! Glory to everyone who makes our country stronger. I thank everyone in the world who helps!
Glory to Ukraine!
Here is an interview with Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry Dmytro Kuleba. I have the closed captioning on and set to English:
The price:
Yana Stepanenko running the Boston marathon!
Unbreakable spirit! Glory to Yana! https://t.co/iGEToFtHdu pic.twitter.com/rSyS7dlG0I
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 14, 2024
Here’s more on how the US is being perceived in Ukraine:
To the hundreds of bots or trolls saying Ukraine is a pawn in US game:
Whatever the level of disappointment and abandonment we may feel about our partners, this will never distort the sole party to blame for the war and Ukraine’s suffering: Russia and its people.
So fuck off.
— Stas Olenchenko 🇺🇦 (@StasOlenchenko) April 14, 2024
3. Nobody pushed Ukrainians to resist. It was Ukraine’s resistance that pushed the West to review their Russia policies and support us.
4. The only way forward is to keep supporting Ukraine’s Armed Forces, build stronger bonds and keep working to victory.
5. Russia will fall.— Stas Olenchenko 🇺🇦 (@StasOlenchenko) April 14, 2024
To wit👇.
The reality is that while Ukraine is less of an ally than Israel, it is Israel that causes greater inconvenience.
The strategic stakes are great in Israel/Palestine, but they’re greater in Ukraine. Failing to contain Russia will make Iran seem like child’s play. https://t.co/Ig0wz7khhp
— Sam Greene (@samagreene) April 14, 2024
Expect Russia to ramp up attacks in Ukraine in order to drive home the point.
The question is whether Washington will persist in compartmentalizing these conflicts, or whether it will recognize its strategic priorities, rein in Bibi, and redouble its resolve in Ukraine.
— Sam Greene (@samagreene) April 14, 2024
Dipshit, ineffective, self promoting Democratic campaign operatives need to shut the fuck up.
We see the blockade by Johnson/MAGA.
However, please understand that America’s partisanship issues won’t matter much if Ukraine gets abandoned & exterminated by Russia.
If the US is a functional democracy and a leader of the free world, it has to find workarounds & solutions.
— Stas Olenchenko 🇺🇦 (@StasOlenchenko) April 14, 2024
The interception of Iranian missiles and drones by American and British air defense systems over Israel is very showing.
On one side, Russia has been attacking Ukraine for two years using various means, ranging from cruise missiles to gliding bombs and drones, including those…
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 14, 2024
The interception of Iranian missiles and drones by American and British air defense systems over Israel is very showing.
On one side, Russia has been attacking Ukraine for two years using various means, ranging from cruise missiles to gliding bombs and drones, including those supplied by Iran. Despite this, Ukraine stands alone in defending itself against these deadly assaults, with neighboring NATO countries even tolerating Russian provocations with missiles flying into NATO airspace, and no one takes them out.
Meanwhile, the close alliance between Russia and Iran, the “new Axis,” is evident. Yet, targeted strikes against Iran, including its top military figures, are carried out regularly and effectively.
The disparity between Iran and Russia is not vast, except for one crucial aspect: Russia possesses huge nuclear arsenals and frequently employs them in nuclear blackmail. While the West states how it is hesitant to engage in direct conflict with Russia to avoid direct confrontation, it seems more willing to confront Iran.
Concerningly, the West is trembling before Russian nuclear blackmail and will continue being intimidated. And of course, this does not mean that the Americans and the British should have avoided helping Israel (which is not in NATO, like Ukraine), that’s not the point.
No, the issue is that Ukraine’s so-called allies have to be begged to provide defence to protect the vital energy infrastructure, while to others, the aid is handed out without any hesitation.
Speaking of the Starlink Snowflake, the Russian neo-NAZIs are very fond of him:
I mean, it’s just a violent neo-Nazi group known for committing brutal atrocities against Ukrainians and openly propagating racial hatred and Russian white supremacy – not a big deal.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 14, 2024
Chasiv Yar:
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi says Russia set a goal of capturing Chasiv Yar by 9 May ("Victory Day" in Russia), in line with the future targets of reaching Kramatorks agglomeration (where Ukrainian Eastern HQ is located).
Full message:
"I worked in another, very important and… pic.twitter.com/kendjcYQks
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 14, 2024
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi says Russia set a goal of capturing Chasiv Yar by 9 May (“Victory Day” in Russia), in line with the future targets of reaching Kramatorks agglomeration (where Ukrainian Eastern HQ is located).
Full message:
“I worked in another, very important and dangerous direction.
The enemy is also concentrating efforts to break through our defenses west of Bakhmut, to reach the Siverskyi Donets – Donbas canal, capture the settlement of Chasiv Yar, and create conditions for further advance to the Kramatorsk agglomeration.
The implementation of the enemy’s plans is hindered by the heroic defense of our brigades, which literally dug into the ground, holding back the enemy’s daily attacks. Using numerical superiority and various motivational factors, including shootings [of their own], separate groups of enemy infantry reached the “Noviy” district, but were destroyed by FPV-kamikaze strikes and artillery fire.
At the same time, the threat remains relevant, taking into account the fact that the higher Russian military leadership has set the task for its troops to capture Chasiv Yar by May 9.
In order to respond adequately to the actions of the enemy and strengthen the defense of our troops in this direction, measures were taken to significantly strengthen the brigades with ammunition, drones, and EW devices.
The main conclusion from the two-day work at the front is the need to improve the quality of training, including the moral and psychological component, to increase the number of high-tech unmanned systems of various purposes with trained operators, to improve the quality of conducting asymmetric operations in order to reduce the combat potential of the enemy.
We continue to carry out organisational activities with an emphasis on increasing the efficiency of management, eliminating duplication, directing freed resources to support combat units and units.
The main task of these measures is to increase the fighting capacity of our troops, save the lives of our soldiers, disrupt the enemy’s plans, and ensure the preparation of reserves.
The fight continues!
Glory to Ukraine!”
Novomykhailivka:
Two russian BTR-82 APCs tried to attack Ukrainian positions near Novomykhailivka, but something went wrong.
📹: 79th Air Assault Brigade pic.twitter.com/WVuBFDFP7h
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 14, 2024
Antonivka Village:
russian Buk air defense system explode like a firework near the Antonivka village.
📹: Khortytsia operational-strategic group pic.twitter.com/4OzkiiMmRE
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 14, 2024
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
No new Patron tweets tonight and I’m saving the video for tomorrow. So here’s some adjacent material:
Please watch this story of Rex the dog.
His home was ruined by Russian shelling, and Rex was trapped inside by the debris. Rex's owner was injured, his daughter took him to the hospital (the ambulance couldn't get there because the shelling was that intense).
Volunteers rescued… pic.twitter.com/gT0Psage8v
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 14, 2024
Please watch this story of Rex the dog.
His home was ruined by Russian shelling, and Rex was trapped inside by the debris. Rex’s owner was injured, his daughter took him to the hospital (the ambulance couldn’t get there because the shelling was that intense).
Volunteers rescued Rex and brought him to Kharkiv.
Rex’s owners kept looking for him, and finally, they were reunited.
This is what we're fighting for. pic.twitter.com/71ZfmYq9BK
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 14, 2024
War for Ukraine Day 780: The World Burns
by Adam L Silverman| 83 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Iran, Israel, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
As I start tonight’s post, 6:17 PM EDT, only Kharkiv is under air raid alert and it has been under attack for the past two hours. And Israel, Israel is under air raid alert too. I’m going to keep the focus tonight on Ukraine, because, while Iran is not blameless in its own and its …
War for Ukraine Day 780: The World BurnsPost + Comments (83)
Germany Will Provide Us With Another Patriot System, And We Are Working on an Additional IRIS-T System — Address of the President of Ukraine
13 April 2024 – 20:47
I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!
Today we have a very good result of our international work: Germany will provide us with an additional Patriot system — Chancellor Scholz and I agreed on this today. We are also working with Germany on an additional IRIS-T system, which is also a strong air defence system, and on missiles for our existing air defence systems. Germany’s leadership is truly felt, and thanks to this leadership, we will be able to save thousands of lives and give Ukraine more protection from Russian terror.
Of course, today we also talked with the Chancellor about our joint international events — we are preparing for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will soon be held in Germany. And together we will do everything to make the Global Peace Summit – the first, inaugural summit to be held in June – a real success. This also requires the leadership of partners, and I am grateful to everyone who helps. Olaf, Mr. Chancellor, thank you again for the air defence!
We will continue to work with all partners who can also help. This week alone, I have already had conversations and meetings with the presidents of Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, and Latvia. A new bilateral security agreement was signed with Latvia. I also spoke with the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, and Ireland. Today I had a conversation with the Chancellor of Germany. We will do everything to ensure the results in the coming weeks as well. In every conversation, at every meeting, air defence and the frontline are the main subjects. We are doing everything to have more capabilities for our Defence Forces and the defence-industrial complex.
Each week also brings new contracts for joint production of weapons. We are also working to finance more of our production right here in Ukraine. Ukraine’s potential to produce weapons, in particular, FPVs, is quite high. And we agree with our partners on joint steps to finance this work for the sake of our common strength — the whole of Europe, and all those who are threatened by Russian terror.
Today it is important to honour all our people who work for the sake of Ukrainian strength. This day is a professional holiday for the Ukrainian defence industry. Today I granted state awards to people who are actively developing this industry of ours. Most of them cannot be talked about openly now, and the reasons are clear. But this does not diminish our gratitude to them.
I am proud of every enterprise that produces weapons for Ukraine. We are all rightly proud of every result of Ukrainian weapons — our drones, which can reach more and more distant targets — and we are proud of the results of our missiles. All the production of shells and artillery is fundamentally important for Ukraine. Some production facilities that we haven’t had since independence are already yielding results. And despite all the difficulties, five hundred companies are currently operating in our defence industry, most of them are private initiatives. Ukrainian character, our entrepreneurs show themselves from the best side. I am grateful to everyone. I am grateful to all of our 300,000 people who create Ukrainian weapons! Thanks to everyone who helps!
Today, as always, I was also in touch with the military officials, with the Minister of Defence. The situation at the frontline, in some directions, is quite difficult. And everyone who is now showing their resilience, everyone who defends our positions is doing a tremendous job. I am grateful to every soldier and commander!
We are working with partners, particularly in the United States, to strengthen our actions. Glory to everyone who prevents Russian terrorists from achieving their goals. Glory to all who really protect life.
Glory to Ukraine!
+1 Patriot air defense system to Ukraine from Germany, as well as additional air defense missiles for existing systems.
We are grateful to our German partners for an important decision to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.
Modern air defense systems in Ukraine=saved lives of…— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 13, 2024
+1 Patriot air defense system to Ukraine from Germany, as well as additional air defense missiles for existing systems.
We are grateful to our German partners for an important decision to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense.
Modern air defense systems in Ukraine=saved lives of Ukrainians.
🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪
@BMVg_Bundeswehr
European countries would face millions of new Ukrainian refugees next winter if russia is allowed now to destroy our energy grid fully and make our cities unlivable. Would that be cheaper than sending us now air defenses which they don't use? https://t.co/6RhZhPVaAC
— Olena Halushka (@OlenaHalushka) April 13, 2024
The reason:
A Ukrainian Defender was passing by his native area. His 90 year old grandma cannot see but she recognized her grandson by his beard.
📹: volod_kr/TikTok pic.twitter.com/AwcxRz417N
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 13, 2024
This is cool:
Creativity wins wars.
📹: @United24media pic.twitter.com/fQ8a1fywoi
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 13, 2024
General Syrskyi's update on the eastern front: The situation on the Eastern Front has significantly worsened in recent days. This is primarily due to the significant intensification of the enemy's offensive actions after the presidential elections in the Russian Federation.
The… pic.twitter.com/0QKsRksSMf
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 13, 2024
General Syrskyi’s update on the eastern front: The situation on the Eastern Front has significantly worsened in recent days. This is primarily due to the significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive actions after the presidential elections in the Russian Federation.
The enemy is actively attacking our positions in the Lyman, Bakhmut directions with assault groups with the support of armored vehicles. In the Pokrovsk direction, he is trying to break through our defenses using dozens of tanks and BMPs.
This is facilitated by warm, dry weather, which has made most of the open areas of the terrain accessible to tanks. Despite significant losses, the enemy is increasing its efforts by using new units on armored vehicles, due to which he periodically achieves tactical success.
Therefore, the first day of my work in the area of the operation is dedicated to this direction and to taking all the necessary measures to stabilize the situation, increase the effectiveness of our troops’ actions, and inflict maximum losses on enemy units.
Based on conclusions regarding the nature of the enemy’s actions, decisions were made aimed at strengthening the most problematic areas of the defense by means of EW and air defense. Also, stocks of drones of all types, anti-tank missiles were replenished, additional reserves of forces and means were moved.
The question of achieving technical superiority over the enemy in high-tech weapons arose again.
Only this will give us the opportunity to defeat the larger enemy and create conditions for overtaking the strategic initiative.
The second serious problem is to improve the quality of training of military personnel, primarily infantry units, so that they can make maximum use of all the capabilities of military equipment and Western weapons.First of all, the solution of this task depends on the command of the Ground Forces, which has returned in full from the area of hostilities.
The results of my work will be taken into account in the training plans of the troops and governing bodies.
Of course, I honored the best warriors with awards and valuable gifts.
In personal communication with our servicemen, they discussed the current situation, as well as ways to solve all problematic issues. We are aware of the real scale and degree of threat from the enemy and are ready to take adequate and effective actions.https://t.me/osirskiy/650
The Financial Times has more details:
Ukraine’s top commander warned that his outmanned and outgunned army is struggling to halt a multipronged and intensifying Russian offensive, as Kyiv pleads with western partners for more air defences and a critical military aid package remains stalled in the US Congress.
“The situation on the eastern front has significantly worsened in recent days,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on Telegram during a visit to the eastern Donetsk region on Saturday.
He said a “significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive actions” along the 1,000km southeastern frontline was a direct result of Russian President Vladimir Putin becoming emboldened following his recent re-election.
Ukrainian and western officials have told the Financial Times that Russia may be gearing up for a large-scale attack in late spring or summer in hopes of capturing more of the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. The Kremlin partly occupies these areas, which Putin illegally claimed to have annexed in September 2022.
Officials in Kyiv are also concerned that Moscow might be planning an assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the north-east. It is mobilising hundreds of thousands of forces and pummelling the city with rockets in preparation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week warned of his country’s diminishing air defence capabilities after massive Russian missile and drones strikes hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials have asked western partners for more Patriot and SAMP/T air defence systems and munitions but were rebuffed.
“The enemy is actively attacking our positions in the Lyman [and] Bakhmut directions with assault groups and the support of armoured vehicles,” Syrsky said, referring to strategically important areas of eastern Ukraine. “In the Pokrovsk direction, it is trying to break through our defences using dozens of tanks and [infantry fighting vehicles].”
Syrsky said the “warm, dry weather, which has made most of the open areas of the terrain accessible to tanks” has aided Russia’s advance.
Russia’s main effort is focused around the mining city of Chasiv Yar, which sits atop a hill just 15km west of Bakhmut, the city destroyed and occupied by Russian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries nearly a year ago after a grinding 11-month fight.
Videos shared on Telegram by Russian military bloggers showed “glide bombs” and heavy artillery pounding Ukrainian positions and flattening apartment buildings in Chasiv Yar.
“This will likely be an important battle. Chasiv Yar is located on defensible high ground,” said Rob Lee, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia programme. “If Russia takes the city, they could potentially increase the rate of advance deeper into Donetsk [region] as part of an expected summer offensive.”
Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the “Achilles” drone battalion, told the Financial Times last week that Ukrainian troops were outgunned by at least five artillery shells to one but had no choice except to fight.
Speaking near Chasiv Yar, he said losing the town would allow Russian troops “fire control” of the nearby strategic cities of Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk and give them a foothold from which they could launch attacks.
Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical group that monitors the battlefield, said on Saturday that Russian troops had reached a canal that separates Chasiv Yar’s eastern and western districts but had not yet crossed it.
The group suggested that a fierce battle for the city loomed, writing that “the coming weeks will bring a lot of unpleasant and difficult news”.
“The enemy is gathering reserves for the Battle of Chasiv Yar,” said Deep State, which is close to Ukraine’s defence ministry.
Lee said that “immediate increased deliveries of ammunition could prove critical” for Ukrainian forces.
Syrsky said he was taking “all the necessary measures” to stabilise the situation and to “increase the effectiveness of our troops’ actions, and inflict maximum losses on enemy units”.
“Despite significant losses the enemy is increasing its efforts by using new units on armoured vehicles, thanks to which it periodically achieves tactical success,” he said.
Syrsky said he had ordered “the most problematic areas of the defence” to be strengthened with air defence and electronic warfare systems.
“Also, stocks of drones of all types, anti-tank missiles were replenished, additional reserves of forces and means were moved,” he said.
The only way to defeat Russia’s larger and more powerful army and create conditions for seizing the strategic initiative on the battlefield is to achieve technical superiority with “high-tech weapons”, Syrsky said. Those, he suggested, should come from western partners.
Even then, he admitted, Ukraine will still face the challenges of mobilising enough troops for the fight and providing them with sufficient training.
“The second serious problem is to improve the quality of training of military personnel, primarily infantry units, so that they can make maximum use of all the capabilities of military equipment and western weapons,” Syrsky said.
There is a Hebrew phrase that emerged in the Yishuv, the Jewish settlement in mandatory Palestine, during the fight for what would become Israeli independence: Zchor Babi Yar, which translates as remember Babin Yar. There was even a chapter of the Jewish fraternal youth group, AZA, named Zchor Babi Yar. I expect we will eventually, unfortunately, get a Ukrainian phrase that translates to remember Chasiv Yar.
This is a lesson in the importance of quick and decisive military support.
If Ukraine had been given everything it needed to defeat the russians early on, then Iran would have calculated that supporting russia with drones and missiles was pointless.
Instead, western inaction…
— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) April 13, 2024
This is a lesson in the importance of quick and decisive military support.
If Ukraine had been given everything it needed to defeat the russians early on, then Iran would have calculated that supporting russia with drones and missiles was pointless.
Instead, western inaction empowered the iranians, the chinese, the russians and others.
Now this is spiraling out of control because of these stupid redlines.
Easy solution.
Peace Through Superior Firepower.
Kharkiv:
Shahed drones reportedly detected in the suburbs of Kharkiv! Kharkiv needs more weapons to defend its skies against rusiian missiles and drones!
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) April 13, 2024
Simultaneously, Kharkiv Oblast is under russian missile attack!
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) April 13, 2024
Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:
Serebeyansky Forest, the front line of Luhansk Oblast in the sunrise.
The Ardennes of the 21st century.
📸 By Ukraine’s National Guards officer
Denys Zeleny. pic.twitter.com/V0zHY7HPG8— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 13, 2024
Major fire, emergency services involved after a successful missile strike in Luhansk by Ukrainian defence forces. pic.twitter.com/Qy1NPHLGgs
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 13, 2024
/2. Additional videos of Luhansk strikes pic.twitter.com/3i9X4DRvAM
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 13, 2024
/4. Videos of the moment of the strike where missiles are visible. Based on the shape of the missile the strike was most likely carried out by Storm Shadow/SCALP. pic.twitter.com/TaqbMWHWwL
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 13, 2024
Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:
Ukrainian steel birds are heading to a new combat mission in Donetsk region.
📹: Army Aviation pic.twitter.com/4S8115UjRV
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 13, 2024
Lord, guard and guide the ones who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair.
/2. BUK was destroyed 26km from the frontline. (47.511632, 37.083317) https://t.co/irp1tJ5tvK pic.twitter.com/UiVJoxJr8O
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 13, 2024
Ochretyne, Avdiivka front:
Ochretyne, a town not far away from Avdiivka.
Russians have destroyed a residential building with a gliding bomb. pic.twitter.com/CMd4VMie6W— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 13, 2024
Chernihiv Oblast:
Russians shot a civilian car in Chernihiv region, the National Police reported.
This morning, the car of a resident of Novhorod-Severskyi came under attack by Russians. The car burst into flames and the man born in 1990 was mortally wounded.
According to the head of the… pic.twitter.com/mYkGPd5vl9
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 13, 2024
Russians shot a civilian car in Chernihiv region, the National Police reported.
This morning, the car of a resident of Novhorod-Severskyi came under attack by Russians. The car burst into flames and the man born in 1990 was mortally wounded.
According to the head of the regional military administration, Viacheslav Chaus, the man was carrying food to local residents.
That’s enough for tonight.
I may be back later with an Israel-Iran war update depending on how things go.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight, so here’s some adjacent material.
I love you I hate you I love you pic.twitter.com/fifM2on3Ji
— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) April 3, 2024
Open thread!
War for Ukraine Day 779: The Side that Can’t Shoot Back Loses
by Adam L Silverman| 33 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) Before we start, I want to make something clear, again: the discharge petition is not going to pass and move the Senate’s supplemental aid bill to the floor of the House for a vote. Even if the remaining dozen or so Democratic holdouts agree to sign on, it would still need four …
War for Ukraine Day 779: The Side that Can’t Shoot Back LosesPost + Comments (33)
And the latter:
The Netherlands:
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte@MinPres announced that the Netherlands will provide an additional €1 billion of military support for Ukraine this year. That is on top of the €2 billion that had already been agreed.
We are grateful to our Dutch partners for… pic.twitter.com/axAI2V8dJg
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 12, 2024
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte @MinPres
announced that the Netherlands will provide an additional €1 billion of military support for Ukraine this year. That is on top of the €2 billion that had already been agreed.We are grateful to our Dutch partners for their unwavering support. We appreciate your leadership in supporting freedom.
Together, we are stronger!
🇺🇦🤝🇳🇱
France:
"World War III is already underway. But European leaders, as in the days of Hitler, deny reality"
The main theses the interview with French writer and friend of Ukraine Bernard Henri-Levy for European Pravda.
🔹 The possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine
When… pic.twitter.com/QPxwQjwZuA
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 12, 2024
“World War III is already underway. But European leaders, as in the days of Hitler, deny reality”
The main theses the interview with French writer and friend of Ukraine Bernard Henri-Levy for European Pravda.
🔹 The possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine
When President Macron proposed this option, he was not sure that the French public would support it.
France is the country of the Munich Agreement. In 1938, France and Britain were the godparents of the Munich Agreement with Hitler.
And despite all the tragic events that entailed this agreement, the spirit of Munich has not died in France. Many people still believe that when you face a dictator – such as Putin – you should at least partially meet his demands. They say that if you feed the beast a little, it will become peaceful.
President Macron is one of those who realized that Putin should get nothing. Because if you give the beast a finger, he will want to bite off your hand.
🔹 Will Russia attack NATO countries?
History proves that it is always with dictatorships: Russia is strong when we are weak. And if we are firm and show resilience – dictators are not confident.
There is less chance of Putin’s escalation. Although, of course, he doesn’t want to stop at Ukraine. There are no red lines for him.
🔹 World War III has already begun
“What is happening now is what World War III is all about. We are in the middle of it, with Russia, with Iran, with China, with North Korea, with Israel and Hamas acting with Putin’s support.”
🔹 Key to Ukraine’s victory
The European press often writes about “war fatigue,” but there is far less fatigue in the AFU trenches near Chasiv Yar today than there is in France or Germany.
If the West had given Ukraine the necessary support, this war could have been over rather quickly.
Link to the full interview with
@BHL
in English: https://youtu.be/qqbVooNmzr0?si=Ek5rJ2qM2cfSZNwu
The US, on the other hand, is going to be busy working on this next week:
On the House floor next week: pic.twitter.com/FT4nGEnM3b
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) April 11, 2024
I went to the House of Representative’s website, this is accurate, not a spoof. The Liberty in Laundry Act prevents the imposition of new energy standards on washing machines.
With U.S. aid still stalled and its army at a breaking point, Ukraine warns: We will lose https://t.co/PcptDIUMi3
— Dan De Luce (@dandeluce) April 12, 2024
NBC News has the details:
KYIV, Ukraine — Forced back, Ukraine is now digging in to stop a collapse across the war’s front lines as Russian attacks and American delays leave Kyiv and its allies to confront the possibility of a painful defeat.
A $61 billion aid package has been stuck in Congress for months, leaving Ukraine exposed on the front lines — running out of ammunition and men — while its energy system now faces an onslaught that is exposing its depleted air defenses.
The shortages forced Kyiv’s military to withdraw from a key eastern city in February, and with no progress in Washington, Ukrainian soldiers are now desperately trying to hold on to their positions along some 600 miles of the front line.
“Nothing has changed: We did not have any shells then, we don’t have any shells now,” said artillery sergeant Andriy, who was part of Kyiv’s retreat from Avdiivka in February after months of intense fighting. “The Russians continue to push in packs, without stopping,” Andriy, who did not want his last name revealed as he was not authorized to speak publicly, told NBC News last week.
Ukrainian leaders, backed up by Western officials, are pushing Republicans to break the logjam before it is too late, fearing the Kremlin could seek to take advantage by launching a new offensive over the summer or sooner.
“They understand that we are in a very weak position right now,” said Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of Ukraine’s parliament who chairs the country’s wartime oversight commission on monitoring aid. “Americans understand that as well. They understand that we literally have nothing to shoot with,” she said in a phone interview this week.On Wednesday, that message was echoed by the top U.S. general in Europe.
A crisis on the battlefield has increasingly become one in the air too.
Russia has turned its attention back to Ukraine’s energy grid, striking key facilities in missile and drone attacks that have exploited a shortage of air defense systems across the country.
But a particular focus has been Kharkiv, forcing rolling blackouts and raising the prospect that Ukraine’s second-largest city could soon become the Kremlin’s primary target.
The city, which had a prewar population of 1.5 million people, lies just 26 miles from the Russian border, and President Vladimir Putin last month hinted at his desire to carve out a “sanitary zone” around the broader Kharkiv region to stop Ukrainian attacks from reaching Russia’s own border regions.
The Ukrainians are looking for additional forms of air defense “of all kinds as soon as humanly possible,” a senior U.S. State Department official said. Kyiv has made it “very clear that the Russians are clearly taking a much more aggressive posture towards Kharkiv right now,” the official said.
Norwegian Chief of Defense Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen said in an interview this week that air defense was key not just to protecting Kharkiv from missile attacks, but to preventing a ground assault on the crucial city. “I don’t see right now that with the current situation that the Russians can do it, but I’m concerned if Ukraine runs out of air defense systems that would change the dynamics,” he said.
Much more at the link.
Meanwhile in Russia: state TV experts discussed Mike Johnson's meeting with Trump as the deciding factor in whether Ukraine will receive stalled US funding. Referring to Mike Johnson, state TV host Olga Skabeeva claimed him as "theirs," just like Trump.https://t.co/OBRdy6Aga4
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 12, 2024
Andrea Chalupa has more on Speaker Johnson. First tweet from the thread and the rest from the Thread Reader App:
Digging into Speaker Johnson–a staunch evangelical, and the other MAGA Christian nationalists blocking aid to Ukraine in the House, I discovered that Ukraine plays a role in their demented "end times" world view 🧵
— Andrea Chalupa (@AndreaChalupa) April 11, 2024
Mike Johnson is a staunch evangelical. He was featured in a German documentary on taking his daughter to a purity ball where she signed a pledge to never have sex before marriage. Purity balls are seen as dehumanizing to young girls and women
Speaker Mike Johnson and daughter were profiled attending ‘purity ball’ in 2015 German TV news segmentYears before becoming speaker, Mike Johnson and his family were profiled attending a “purity ball” in a German TV news segment, underscoring his deep conservative views.https://abcnews.go.com/US/speaker-mike-johnson-daughter-profiled-attending-purity-ball/story?id=105785626Mike Johnson explained that his worldview is the bible. Evangelicals take the bible as fact, including creationism (the Earth was created by God in 6 days) and the end times propheciesIt’s well known that evangelicals like Mike Johnson support Israel, because they believe, according to the bible, that Israel will be destroyed in the final battle of good vs evil. Unfortunately, many believe that battle includes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as part of God’s planHere’s a video of Pat Robertson, one of the most consequential evangelical leaders to build white Christian nationalists into a political force, taking over the GOP. He claims the path to Israel’s destruction begins with Russia’s destruction of UkraineThe problem with end times “prophesy” is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. This is a great piece on how evangelicals contributed to the conflict in the Middle East, which they see as validation of “prophesy”
Christian nationalists are all about money and power. They align with strongmen to come to power and enrich themselves. Putin and Orban consolidated power with Christian nationalism. Mike Johnson is in this for the money and power, as I discuss here:
Many evangelicals see Russia’s destruction of Ukraine as necessary so Russia can fulfil prophesy by joining the forces of evil to destroy Israel. Pat Robertson provided this handy map to “prove” it’s true. Does Mike Johnson believe this? He said the bible is his worldview.In last week’s @gaslitnation, I discussed with @MoniqueCamarra and @OlgaNYC1211 whether Mike Johnson will ever unblock Ukraine aid. I argued he will not, out of motivations of money and power. He hides behind Marjorie Taylor Greene to deflect blameChristian nationalists believe they’re living prophesy, as @terrelljstarr and I discuss in this week’s @gaslitnation. Mike Johnson is part of their “end times” cult. Biden cannot shame or reason with these people. He must work around them to save UkraineUkraine is a victim of end times prophesy. They want it to fall to usher in the end times and Jesus returns. Contact your rep through this site by a @gaslitnation listener and demand they get the discharge petitions signed to force a vote on Ukraine aid
The EU and some of its member states:
Kyiv is specifically lobbying for Patriot systems currently idle in Poland, Romania and Spain to be sent to Ukraine, two people familiar with the talks told the Financial Times.
“They only need seven,” one person said. “But it’s complicated.”https://t.co/rIk4eqSGMp
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) April 12, 2024
From The Financial Times:
European capitals have rebuffed demands from Kyiv to send their air defence systems to Ukraine, after a week of relentless missile and drone bombardments from Russia that have destroyed critical energy plants in the war-torn country.
Ukraine has long warned that it needed urgent air defence supplies to protect itself against an overwhelming number of Russian rockets targeting the country’s power and heating infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stepped up pleas this week for US-made Patriot batteries, castigating Kyiv’s western partners for “turning a blind eye” as the capital region saw the destruction of its largest power plant.
Speaking at the Three Seas summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Thursday, he said Ukraine had fallen into a “routine” in which it suffers Russian air attacks and then pleads for more air defences from western partners who promise to provide them but have failed to deliver.
“Missiles are striking every day, and every day we hear that Ukraine will receive new air defence systems. Every day Russian terrorists cut off the electricity to Kharkiv and our other cities, and every day we hear that new aid is coming soon,” Zelenskyy said. “The reality must finally match the words.”
Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, said this week it was “inconceivable” that western countries could not provide seven extra Patriot batteries to Ukraine, given that they had about 100 in their arsenal they could spare.
Kyiv is lobbying for air defence systems in Poland, Romania and Spain to be sent to Ukraine, two people familiar with the talks told the Financial Times.
Kyiv foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba confirmed on a Ukrainian national news telethon late on Friday that “active negotiations” were under way with allies about acquiring two Patriot and one SAMP/T air defence systems.
While Kuleba did not name those allies, officials with knowledge of the discussions told the FT that Ukraine is in talks with Poland and Spain for a Patriot battery from each and with Romania on the French-Italian SAMP/T.
“If the countries where they are located were now ready to hand them over to us, it would be a matter of a week and we would get them,” Kuleba said.
Ukraine currently has at least three Patriot batteries and one SAMP/T battery which it received in 2023.
“They only need seven,” one person said. “But it’s complicated.”
European capitals have said they do not have plans to send more systems to Ukraine, arguing that they need to retain their own defence capabilities.
Germany has given two Patriot systems to Ukraine but made clear this week it would not provide any more.
“We will not be able to offer any more systems for the time being,” the defence ministry said on Monday.
Ukraine’s demands have put a spotlight on strategic minimum levels of defence capabilities, and whether European Nato states would decide to drop below what they have determined is the least amount required to defend their states in order to send equipment to Ukraine.
“I would say that any decision on going below strategic stock levels lies heavily in the hands of our defence forces and our military and should always remain confidential,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said this week when asked if he thought other countries should send more weapons to Ukraine.
Poland’s military has insisted it cannot spare Patriots for Ukraine at a time when it is itself waiting for US deliveries after Washington last June approved an order from Warsaw worth $15bn for Patriots and related equipment.
While also in Vilnius on Thursday, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda ruled out supplying Patriot systems. Instead, he said there was still a possibility Warsaw could transfer more of its Soviet-built missiles to Kyiv, without specifying which models and how many.
“In Poland, we’re just starting to build the Patriot anti-missile defence system. This system in Poland is not ready yet, so we have nothing to donate, even if we wanted to,” Duda said.
More at the link.
For want of a nail…
Brussels:
Belgium probing alleged Russian interference in EU election campaign https://t.co/chLYs3KkjT
— Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 12, 2024
From Reuters:
BRUSSELS, April 12 (Reuters) – Belgian prosecutors are looking into possible Russian interference in the upcoming European Parliament election following findings provided by intelligence services, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday.
He said investigators found that Russian groups are meddling in the European election to push forward pro-Russia candidates and thus weaken European support for Ukraine against Russia’s two-year-old invasion.
“The objective is to help elect more pro-Russian candidates to the European Parliament and reinforce a certain pro-Russian narrative in that institution,” De Croo told reporters.
“Weakened European support for Ukraine serves Russia on the battlefield,” he said.
De Croo said the Belgian investigation was launched after Czech authorities found pro-Russian agents active in Brussels seeking to influence, and even pay, European lawmakers to promote a pro-Russian agenda.
It appeared that cash payments were not made in Belgium though interference had occurred there, he said.
More at the link.
Timofiy Mylovanov, the president of the Kyiv School of Economics, posted a long thread on what he is observing on the ground in Ukraine. Here it is from the Thread Reader App:
The war in Ukraine starts to escalate.
Evidence:
1. On April 11 Russia destroyed the largest power plant in Kyiv 1/
Russia used the latest X-69 to strike at Trypillia TPP, which more advanced than “Kinzhal”
X-69 is a subsonic cruise missile with the range of about 400 km 2/
2. On April 11, Russia attacked two Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities
Bloomberg reports that this attack propelled Europe’s prices: European gas futures rose as much as 9.5% 3/
3. In addition, Russia damaged a large number of power facilities across the country.
Bloomberg: Moscow used more than 80 missiles and drones, U.S. envoy says situation is ‘dire’ 4/
3. These attacks with dozens or hundreds of missiles and drones have been steadily increasing
The UN Assistant General Secretary: We are appalled by the increase in civilian casualties as a result of these relentless attacks. 5/
4. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, at least 126 civilians were killed and 478 injured in March.
This is a 20 per cent increase compared with the previous month.6/
5. In March, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also recorded a total of 12 medical facilities and 32 educational facilities destroyed or damaged. 7/6. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was attacked for the first time since November 2022. Russia accuses Ukraine, Ukraine accuses Russia of the attacks 8/ bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur…
Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the top U.S. military commander in Europe, warned that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia if the U.S. does not send more ammunition to Ukrainian forces quickly. 9/
7. Frontline Ukrainian forces are rationing artillery shells due to lack of a reliable Western supplier, allowing Russian troops to outfire them 5-to-1, a ratio that could soon increase to 10-to-1 without additional U.S. aid. 10/8. Russia has reconstituted its army faster than initial U.S. estimates, increasing frontline troop strength by 15% to 470,000 and expanding the conscription age limit. Russia plans to expand its military to 1.5 million troops. 11/
9. Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, bombardment of Kharkiv, and advances along the front are stoking fears that Ukraine’s military is nearing a breaking point. 12/
Western officials say Ukraine is at its most fragile moment in over two years of war.
Ukrainian officials don’t comment on the “breaking point” but increasingly voice alarming pleas for weapons and air defense 13/
There is a risk of Ukrainian defense collapse which could enable Russia to make a major advance for the first time since the early stages of the war. The next few months will be Ukraine’s toughest test. 14/Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged his country’s allies to make good on their promises of military aid on Thursday, particularly in the form of desperately needed air defence systems as Russia scales up its air strikes 15/
So, in short, Ukraine is running out of air defense and weapons, and Russia is taking advantage of it.
Russia can break through unless the West overcomes its political infighting and dysfunctionality to provide support to Ukraine
16/Democracies are messy, I often hear, but it is the best system. True, but this mess currently makes democracies unable to effectively address Russian threat. It looks more and more like a lack of leadership rather than the usual weakness of democracies. 17X
🇺🇦Ukraine's 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade demonstrates its Sukhoi Su-27S jets delivering strikes with 🇫🇷French-provided AASM-250 Hammer precision-guided bombs.
If only we could have them (as well as many other weapons) at least a year ago… pic.twitter.com/ShNvTDFFse
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 12, 2024
The Zaporizhzhia front:
HIMARS strike on Russian TOR-M2 air defence system. Zaporizhzhia front.
47.40405, 35.30575https://t.co/9GSi8d9ZSm pic.twitter.com/OW70lBi4SB— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 12, 2024
Destroyed Russian 9A317 of the Buk-M2 air defence system. As said, the strike was carried out by a drone. Somewhere near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia front. Destroyed presumably between 5th and 10th of April 2024. https://t.co/ZXOz2fcM3l pic.twitter.com/LWfphRWn5X
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 12, 2024
Moscow:
Looks like the HUR got a traitor!
A Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, owned by former SBU officer of Ukraine Vasily Prozorov, was blown up in Moscow.
He moved to Russia several years ago, and before that, since 2014 he had been collaborating with Russian intelligence services.
Reportedly he was hospitalised. pic.twitter.com/heecrSeTUM— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 12, 2024
The car of an ex-employee of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who was "leaking" information to Russian security services was blown up in Moscow.
According to the Russian media, the owner of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado blown up in Moscow today was a former employee of the… pic.twitter.com/Nx8nCEU627
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 12, 2024
The car of an ex-employee of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who was “leaking” information to Russian security services was blown up in Moscow.
According to the Russian media, the owner of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado blown up in Moscow today was a former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Prozorov.
He moved to Russia several years ago, and before that, according to his own words, since 2014, he had been cooperating with the Russian security services, passing them information. As Vasyl himself has repeatedly stated in interviews, the decision to cooperate with the special services of the Russian Federation he “made voluntarily for ideological reasons.” Prozorov is listed in the Myrotvorets (‘Peacemaker’) database.
This afternoon, his SUV was blown up in a parking lot on Korovinskoye highway as Prozorov was getting into the car. He survived and was hospitalized with leg injuries.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron texts or tweets today, so here’s some adjacent material.
A video to restore some faith in humanity:
Rescuers in Sumy saved five tiny puppies while fighting with fire in a building. Look at their mom all worried.
Thankfully, the pups are fine. They were given back to their mom.
📹: SESU pic.twitter.com/mjMNR0YB4P
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 12, 2024
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