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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Dear legacy media: you are not here to influence outcomes and policies you find desirable.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

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

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

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

’Where will you hide, Roberts, the laws all being flat?’

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

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

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

Shut up, hissy kitty!

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

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Open Thread:  Hey Lurkers!  (Holiday Post)

Open Threads

You are here: Home / Archives for Open Threads

Friday Evening Open Thread: LFGoooo!

by Anne Laurie|  November 1, 20246:00 pm| 246 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Kamala Harris for President, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

Close strong. Let’s win so big that Trump can’t steal it, & that we knock out Republicans up & down the ballot, in precincts across America. But don’t doubt we’re going to win. Run up the score. And do it not with anxiety & fear, but with confidence, patriotism, & elation. https://t.co/EkRfsSdKZv

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) November 1, 2024



All the coolest celebrities agree!

What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!! pic.twitter.com/tYYlTmQS6e

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 31, 2024

“Come with me if you want to live”

[image or embed]

— Mir ?? (@mirgal.bsky.social) October 30, 2024 at 4:15 PM

BREAKING: Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. In a post on the social platform X, the former Republican governor of California criticized former President Donald Trump for rejecting the results of the 2020 presidential vote. https://t.co/gU72DsztK6

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 30, 2024

show full post on front page

(Also, this guy)

I am so pleased to hereby endorse Kamala Harris for President of the USA.
Bigsby too! pic.twitter.com/kk6ty9CNBB

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) November 1, 2024


And then, there’s the counter-argument from all the worst celebrities…

Vote for Harris she'll stick it to the elites https://t.co/60Xn0yqzka

— zeddy (@Zeddary) November 1, 2024

You never know until you know, but this is consistent with what we hear from multiple sources. Which we’ve said for weeks. Which some of you said could not happen. https://t.co/JKhZ9bdlQR

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) November 1, 2024

GALLUP: Record-breaking Democratic enthusiasm. 10 pts higher than Republicans, higher than Obama 2008.. https://t.co/SJ17BM3k0c pic.twitter.com/KP0STRDqg0

— Craig Crawford (@craig_crawford) November 1, 2024

We’re not going back! Forward. Thank you 💙🇺🇸💙 pic.twitter.com/lhRAMSAAjS

— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) October 31, 2024

Friday Evening Open Thread: LFGoooo!Post + Comments (246)

Hey Lurkers!

by WaterGirl|  November 1, 20244:07 pm| 228 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

looking in a large storefront window with reflections in the glass and a sign that says “Come in, We’re Open"

It’s bee 6 months since we had a Lurker’s thread – that’s  way past time!

You guys may already know this, but when you post your first comment, it goes into moderation, and sometimes it takes a while for one of us to see it and free your comment so it shows up for everyone.  Once it’s released from moderation, it goes into the comments with the time-stamp for when you first submitted it, so then most people probably never see it.  So it’s not surprising that first comments often don’t get replied to.

So here’s a special open thread where we can keep a particular eye out for first comments that go into moderation.

A few of you who poked your heads up on previous lurker threads have turned into commenters, but don’t let that scare the rest of you away!

I think it’s especially awesome to see lurkers joining in on the raffles, meetups, Balloon Juice zooms, fundraising, and even being Balloon Juice angels.  We don’t know your names, but you guys rock.

In any case, it’s lurker appreciation day here on Balloon Juice!  Welcome, all.

Totally open thread.

Hey Lurkers!Post + Comments (228)

Magic 8-ball, fortune tellers, and the folded paper thing

by WaterGirl|  November 1, 20242:25 pm| 249 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Are you looking at polls for information to predict the outcome of the election?

If so, may I recommend a Magic 8-ball instead?

Or perhaps go see a fortune teller?

Or maybe he folded paper thing that girls in grade school make to answer their questions?
Does Bobby like me?  Will I get married?  Will I get asked to the dance?

SERIOUSLY.

The polls cannot tell you what you want to know.

I am not mocking anyone here.  Most of us are on edge.  The one thing I do know is that you will have more peace of mind over the next few days if you accept that we do not know what the outcome will be.

Between conventional wisdom in an unconventional time, thumbs on the scale, refrigerators on the scale, each pollster’s secret sauce, and all the agendas, the polls can’t tell us anything, and neither can the “early voting” info, because that’s based on unconventional wisdom in an unconventional time.  And don’t forget all the wildcards!

We do not know.  No one can know.   It is unknowable.

THE MEDIA DOES NOT KNOW.  But they have an agenda, and they do not have our best interests at heart.

THE LYING LIARS WHO LIE DO NOT KNOW.  They, too, have an agenda, but it is not for our benefit.

I am reminded of the moment when I first understood that the HR person is not there for the benefit of the employees.

The closest anyone can get to knowing would be to see the internal polls, and we don’t have access to those.  Even those are based on assumptions.  Not on some verifiable truth or fact.

So if you’re not looking to make calls, or cure ballots, or take a canvass shift, or donate, then distract yourself.  Dig out your best coping mechanisms and put them to work.

What’s your best bet when you need to stop overthinking somethig?

Magic 8-ball, fortune tellers, and the folded paper thingPost + Comments (249)

Point and Laugh (and donate!)

by WaterGirl|  November 1, 202410:45 am| 258 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

All the best people!

So Deb Fisher, who currently holds a Senate seat in Nebraska, puts out an ad about how great a place Nebraska is to raise a family, with lovely wholesome, happy footage of Nebraska.   I mean, footage of Vermont and other parts of New England.

Vote. Her. Out.  Kick her reliable Republican vote out of the Senate.

And let’s put a pro-choice and pro-labor guy in her place.

Someone definitely looked up “NE small town” and got a New England town and not a Nebraska town oh my god https://t.co/4CZqkl7qoj

— Conor Rogers (@conorjrogers) October 31, 2024

The other side just dropped 3 million dollars for the Deb Fisher, and Dan Osborn isn’t accepting funds from either party, so the Democratic party can’t respond.  But we can!

I’ve added the Dan Osborn thermometer back in the sidebar, so there are now two options for donating if you are so inclined.  Either thermometer can potentially have an impact on a key Senate seat.

Open thread.

 

Point and Laugh (and donate!)Post + Comments (258)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Four More Sleeps Till Victory Tuesday

by Anne Laurie|  November 1, 20248:07 am| 238 Comments

This post is in: Elections 2024, Kamala Harris for President, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat

Thank you, Nevada—and thank you, @JLo. pic.twitter.com/WpuN3w01YT

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 1, 2024

"At Madison Square Garden, [Trump] reminded us of who he is and how he really feels. It wasn't just Puerto Ricans that were offended that day, it was every Latino in this country" and “anyone of decent character, @jlo says in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/mFd0nDZahB

— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) November 1, 2024

This was Kamala Harris’s rally in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight. Folks were having fun and enjoying themselves all while standing up for democracy. VP Harris is amazing. pic.twitter.com/RVlyFAPW8J

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) November 1, 2024

Whole bunch of people talking about what will happen if Harris loses.

None are talking about what happens if she wins big and it’s clear fairly early Tuesday night that it’s not close. Which is the more likely scenario.

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 30, 2024

She's focused on the seven core battleground states.

Meanwhile, besides having to spend time defending a state he won both times, Trump is slipping in visits to New Mexico and Virginia, because, you know [waves hands] https://t.co/6V7PhQOeT5

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 31, 2024

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Harris's rally in in Charlotte, NC on Saturday will be with performers Jon Bon Jovi, Khalid, and others. And, it will feature remarks from Kerry Washington.

— AlexGangitano (@AlexGangitano) October 31, 2024

I know that sway in my bones and it instantly takes me back to when my kids were little. Can you ever even imagine him doing that, or even having that instinct? https://t.co/TbvIYOyJ5p

— Patrick Dillon (@mpdillon) October 30, 2024

Harris having fun at this rally
Crowd is making her laugh
Feels like a revival meeting even with the same stump speech

Winning campaigns feel like that

— Greg Dworkin (@DemFromCT) October 30, 2024

Per Gallup, among registered voters Democratic enthusiasm is at Obama 2008 levels — 77% of Democrats say they’re more enthusiastic about voting than in previous elections, compared to 70% for independents & 67% for Republicans

In the spring, all three groups were between 55-60% pic.twitter.com/zvxWCbGR8k

— Adam Carlson (@admcrlsn) October 31, 2024

MSNBC: What do you think your mother would be telling you these final days before this election against Donald Trump?

KAMALA HARRIS: Just go beat him pic.twitter.com/f7ywNGArPi

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2024

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread:  Four More Sleeps

(Clay Bennett via GoComics.com)

TGIFriday Morning Open Thread: Four More Sleeps Till Victory TuesdayPost + Comments (238)

Wee Hours Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  November 1, 20246:24 am| 170 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

Figuring we’d get trick-or-treaters since our temporary headquarters are in town, I purchased some supplies.

Tootsie Pop and bag of M&Ms

We didn’t get a single door knock. I should have bought repellent items like Twizzlers and Sour Patch Kids. Because I’m definitely going to eat the M&Ms and Tootsie Pops.

***

Speaking of repellent items, here’s a headline you don’t want just days before the voting ends:

Video of Donald Trump ‘Struggling’ to Enter Garbage Truck Goes Viral

The GOP candidate is running around pretending to be a garbage man in a high-viz safety vest, which clashes hideously with his splotchy orange burnt umber face makeup.

Wee Hours Open Thread 2

Bitter experience prevents me from being super confident in the outcome of the election, but damn! I like our chances.

Open thread!

Wee Hours Open ThreadPost + Comments (170)

War for Ukraine Day 981: The Butcher’s Bill for the Glide Bombs Launched from Russian Safe Spaces

by Adam L Silverman|  October 31, 20246:48 pm| 39 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

Painting by NEIVANMADE. It has a white background an in the center are Soldiers in green doing air defense by firing at incoming Russian missiles in the upper right. The missiles are red and yellow. In the upper left, written in green, is the text: "SAVE THE BRAVEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!" Below the Soldiers, also written in green, is "SUPPORT FOR KHARKIV"

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Quick housekeeping note: Rosie is doing great. Thank you for all the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Last night in comments, way2blue asked:

If I’m following accurately—the U.S. announces with great fanfare all the weapon packages we’re sending to Ukraine, but slow-walks the actual delivery.  Yes?

Here’s President Zelenskyy providing the answer:

“Ukraine has received only 10% of the aid package approved by the U.S. Congress in 2024. This isn’t funny. The issue isn’t money, it’s bureaucracy and logistics,” Zelensky 1/

pic.twitter.com/iCXYtAK0rX

— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) October 30, 2024

👏👏👏 This reporter, Alex Raufoglu (@ralakbar), is the only guy in DC who ALWAYS asks the US Government 🇺🇸 about Ukraine 🇺🇦.

Thank you for your tenacity!!

👉 Follow Alex to show your support for him asking DC 🇺🇸 the hard questions!! https://t.co/P0s1QXNwOB

— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) October 30, 2024

As someone who has held a GS15 appointment at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Security Dialogue (for Middle East Peace) assigned to US Army Europe (2014), please allow me to translate this from the official spokesperson weaselspeak:

We’ve been very publicly busy making it look like we’re doing a lot, but I’m going to throw my counterpart at the DOD under the bus to cover my exceedingly exposed tuchas.

Here’s the butcher’s bill from the glide bombs Russia launched against civilian targets in Kharkiv overnight. The glide bombs were launched from Belgorod, which is outside the range of Ukraine’s own weapons and within the range of the US made weapons, or the British and French weapons made with US components, which Ukraine is forbidden to launch into Russia.

Kharkiv hit again. How long, O Lord, how long? Read my report from the besieged city, Homage to Kharkiv: https://t.co/lVGx11f6cq
(h/t & thanks to @maria_avdv https://t.co/AYwdMFcjDI

— Timothy Garton Ash (@fromTGA) October 31, 2024

Here lies a memory, shattered and scattered: a building where lives quietly unfurled, now fractured beneath the indifferent eye of the world. In Kharkiv, russia’s air strike took two lives – one, a twelve-year-old boy. 34 others suffered both physical and mental traumas, with… pic.twitter.com/7EoXThcEvS

— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) October 31, 2024

Here lies a memory, shattered and scattered: a building where lives quietly unfurled, now fractured beneath the indifferent eye of the world. In Kharkiv, russia’s air strike took two lives – one, a twelve-year-old boy. 34 others suffered both physical and mental traumas, with doctors still fighting for some of those lives. Several people, including a child, remain trapped beneath the rubble. And here we are again, staring at yet another ruin, a fresh wound layered over hundreds of others, each one desperate to hold its own corner of our grief.

How deftly the world blinks, looks away, waiting for the shock to settle, for this scene to slip from sharp pain to dull ache, just as it has for all the others. But can we afford to let this one fade? This suffering – this cruelty, painted over and over upon the same scarred canvas – demands more than our passing horror. Each strike is not mere destruction but the desecration of life itself.

Hold this image, then – don’t let it fall to shadow. We cannot allow this sorrow to be buried under the next. Stand with Ukraine, in relentless remembrance, for as long as it takes for dawn to return.

📹place_kharkiv

Yesterday night, when people were at home, russia launched an attack on an apartment building in Kharkiv.

They murdered two kids and a man.

Injured 36 more.

Just like that.

Search and rescue efforts are concluded. pic.twitter.com/AFhUVChbFh

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) October 31, 2024

President Zelenskyy sat for an interview with South Korean TV channel KSB. Here’s the video:

show full post on front page

🇺🇦🇰🇷 President Zelensky announced during an interview with South Korean TV channel KBS that Ukraine will soon formally request military aid from South Korea. The request will include air defense systems, artillery, and other weapons essential for defense. pic.twitter.com/lBFoRVQQAp

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) October 31, 2024

As I mentioned last night, given the South Korean laws covering foreign military sales and transfers, it is unlikely that the ROK will be able to actually provide the aid directly. Indirectly is another matter. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

He also met with the heads of the communities of Zakarpattia Oblast today. Here’s the video of that event.

The cost:

russia attacked the cemetery in the Sumy region with the aerial bomb, killing the 73yo woman who was taking care of her son’s grave, @Novynarnia reports. What the hell is wrong with this world which tolerates this barbarism. pic.twitter.com/USO8AxWHtU

— Olena Halushka (@OlenaHalushka) October 31, 2024

From Novynarnia:

Sumshchyna: The Russian Federation struck a cemetery. A woman who was cleaning her son’s grave died

He was killed and wounded in an air strike on the civilian infrastructure of the Hotin community in Sumshchyna.

About it reports regional prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, October 30.

According to the investigation, at about 10:00 the occupiers struck an air strike, according to preliminary data, driven by an air bomb on the civilian infrastructure of the Hotin community in the Sumy district.

“The victim was placed in the local cemetery. A 73-year-old woman was killed and a 42-year-old man was injured ”, – the report said.

Head of the community Mykola Toryanyky told “Public ” that the woman was cleaning her son’s grave at the time of the blow.

Lithuania:

Thank you, our Lithuanian friends, for your unwavering support in the fight for freedom and a just peace. Together, we are stronger!
🇺🇦🤝🇱🇹 https://t.co/M3srF0i2xA

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 31, 2024

Norway:

Norway will increase support for Ukraine’s air force with an additional contribution of NOK 1.3 billion, which will fund the procurement of weapons and spare parts for F-16 aircraft.

This was announced by the Minister of Defense @Bjornarildgram during his visit to Odesa and… pic.twitter.com/5SuA8BfORa

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 31, 2024

Norway will increase support for Ukraine’s air force with an additional contribution of NOK 1.3 billion, which will fund the procurement of weapons and spare parts for F-16 aircraft.

This was announced by the Minister of Defense @Bjornarildgram during his visit to Odesa and meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister @rustem_umerov.

Norway also increases maritime support and donates 130 inflatable boats.

We are grateful to our Norwegian friends for their staunch support. It’s another step toward our shared victory.
🇺🇦🤝🇳🇴
@Forsvarsdep

The US:

“the Biden administration is so scared of escalation that it refuses to allow beleaguered Ukraine to use donated deep-strike weapons inside Russian territory. As a result, Ukraine’s front is crumbling under the daily onslaught…” https://t.co/3W4vT8AIWU

— John Sipher (@john_sipher) October 30, 2024

From CEPA:

Regardless of who wins the US presidential election on November 5th, Pax Americana’s obituaries are now being drafted. They should be long ones. The Atlantic alliance was one of the most distinctive and seemingly durable features of post-war Europe. It brought security and freedom to tens of millions of people for decades, first by preventing Communism’s spread, then by winning the Cold War, and thereafter doubling NATO membership from 16 in 1989 to 32 now.

A successful attack by Vladimir Putin on a NATO country may deal the decisive final blow, but the deadly rot started earlier. For decades US administrations urged fortitude on Europe. Now the Biden administration is so scared of escalation that it refuses to allow beleaguered Ukraine to use donated deep-strike weapons inside Russian territory. As a result, Ukraine’s front is crumbling under the daily onslaught of guide bombs and other munitions launched from airfields that defenders are not allowed to target. The US also prevents its NATO allies from responding promptly and decisively to Russian “sub-threshold” attacks: intrusions and other dirty tricks.

Accelerating protectionism adds another dose of trust-killing poison: a decade ago, the US and Europe (and Pacific allies, too) could have built a giant common economic governance zone with not just free trade but common rule-setting. Instead, these countries chose selfish, short-sighted grandstanding. They are all poorer and weaker as a result.

As US influence ebbs on the continent, European countries are falling like dominos. Russia’s web of dirty tricks, economic ties, propaganda, and spycraft has snared Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria already, with Georgia and Bulgaria next – and more looming.

Yet seen from Washington, European allies are mostly barely worthy of the name. Militarily, they are too small or backward to operate alongside high-tech American forces. The more advanced ones, such as Britain, lack the stockpiles to join any operation for long. Nor do they have much to offer on other fronts: diplomatic, economic, or cultural. Why pick up the tab?

These flaws did not need to be fatal. Europe could easily be a more effective and capable ally and the US a more resolute and far-sighted one. But both sides enjoyed carping on about the alliance more than they cared to invest money and political capital in preserving it. When it is gone, they will miss it. European governments, having refused to pay the relatively modest costs of sustaining Ukraine and maintaining adequate defenses within NATO, will now face the colossal bill for running their own security. Americans, facing intensifying geopolitical competition, may miss their old allies—especially if some of them flip into the Chinese camp.

More at the link.

We are able bomb and murder civilians for one reason only.

You permit it. pic.twitter.com/313zcytdI5

— Darth Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) October 31, 2024

This appeared for the first time before WWII in the Ukrainian Magazine Tryzub (Trident).
The Western powers are watching “with (very) deep concern” the slaughter of the Ukrainians, but aren’t taking measures to save Ukrainian lifes.
Then and now.
Source: https://t.co/rdQ6BPEUtK pic.twitter.com/7R9USs8lok

— Nicolas Tenzer (@NTenzer) October 31, 2024

Kharkiv:

Medics fought to save the life of an 11-year-old boy who was pulled from the rubble, for half an hour, but tragically, he didn’t make it.

Russia murdered him tonight.

So far, 30 other people got injured.
Video of search and rescue operation shared by state emergency service https://t.co/fSkiltoQMJ pic.twitter.com/NeY8ppULaf

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) October 30, 2024

In Kharkiv, rescuers recover the body of 15-year-old from under the rubble following the russian airstrike on residential building.

Death toll rises to 3, with 36 injured. Rescue efforts ongoing. pic.twitter.com/l5mv1eigjg

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) October 31, 2024

This woman’s nephew is dead

Russia killed him asleep in Kharkiv while Ukraine received 10% of the aid allocated to it in April 2024 pic.twitter.com/o2xFBbIUtP

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 31, 2024

Here are details on the victims from Serhii Bolvinov, the Chief of Investigations of the Ukrainian National Police in Kharkiv Oblast:

UA/ENG

Життя двох дітей – авіабомбою по Салтівці росіяни вбили хлопчика, другого шукаємо під завалами.

Це була ФАБ-500 з УМПК, з-під бетонних плит дістали 12-річного хлопця, але його не встигли навіть довезти до лікарні, дитина померла в швидкій.

Ще одна дитина,… pic.twitter.com/o8uxYrb5w3

— Сергій Болвінов (@serhii_bolvinov) October 31, 2024

UA/ENG

Життя двох дітей – авіабомбою по Салтівці росіяни вбили хлопчика, другого шукаємо під завалами.

Це була ФАБ-500 з УМПК, з-під бетонних плит дістали 12-річного хлопця, але його не встигли навіть довезти до лікарні, дитина померла в швидкій.

Ще одна дитина, пʼятнадцятирічний школяр, гостював у бабусі та дідуся. Його родина мешкає на Північній Салтівці і батьки вирішили відвезти його туди, де вважали, буде безпечніше, ближче до метро. Під час удару хлопець був в квартирі на першому поверсі, саме з того боку, куди поцілили росіяни. Дорослі відпочивали в іншій кімнаті та вижили. Доля дитини поки невідома.

Тридцять п’ять людей постраждали від цього удару. Ми продовжуємо працювати на місці, триває пошукова операція.

The lives of two children – the Russians killed a boy with a bomb in Saltivka, and we are looking for the other one under the rubble.

It was the FAB 500 kg with UMPC, and a 12-year-old boy was pulled out from under the concrete slabs, but they didn’t even have time to take him to the hospital, he died in an ambulance.

Another child, a fifteen-year-old schoolboy, was visiting his grandparents. His family lives in Northern Saltovka, and his parents decided to take him to a place where they thought it would be safer, closer to the metro. At the time of the strike, the boy was in an apartment on the first floor, on the side where the Russians hit. The adults were resting in another room and survived. The child’s fate is still unknown.

Thirty-five people were injured in this strike. We continue to work at the site, the search operation is underway.

As we know, from the reporting I posted up top, the search and rescue operations have now been suspended.

The Serebryansky Forest:

Combat operation of the Burevii Brigade in the Serebryansky forest.
The warriors are using BMP to destroy russian treeline positions. pic.twitter.com/8gIX5V16pI

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 31, 2024

Kherson:

#Kherson region #DroneAttacks

Today, by 13.00:

9 am – Woman, 77, injured
11 am – Man, 33, injured
11.20 – Woman, 42, injured

Video: https://t.co/P40Shi7u4P pic.twitter.com/jRtBhhnOoa

— Zarina Zabrisky 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@ZarinaZabrisky) October 31, 2024

It’s so important that the russian “human safari” in Kherson is finally getting the attention in press! Please help spread the word. https://t.co/KptwrUeeto

— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) October 31, 2024

From The BBC:

Just before noon one day Serhiy Dobrovolsky, a hardware trader, returned to his home in Kherson in southern Ukraine. He stepped into his yard, lit a cigarette and chatted with his next-door neighbour. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a drone buzzing overhead.

Angela, Serhiy’s wife of 32 years, says she saw her husband run and take cover as the drone dropped a grenade. “He died before the ambulance arrived. I was told he was very unlucky, because a piece of shrapnel pierced his heart,” she says, breaking down.

Serhiy is one of 30 civilians killed in a sudden surge in Russian drone attacks in Kherson since 1 July, the city’s military administration told the BBC. They have recorded more than 5,000 drone attacks over the same period, with more than 400 civilians injured.

Drones have changed warfare in Ukraine, with both Ukraine and Russia using them against military targets.

But the BBC has heard eyewitness testimony and seen credible evidence that suggest Russia is using drones also against civilians in the frontline city of Kherson.

“They can see who they are killing,” says Angela. “Is this how they want to fight, by just bombing people walking in the streets?”

If Russia is found to be intentionally targeting civilians, it would be a war crime.

The Russian military did not respond to the BBC’s questions about the allegations. Since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians.

Evidence of apparent drone attacks on civilians can be seen in numerous videos shared on Ukrainian and Russian social media, six of which were examined by BBC Verify.

In each video, we see through the remote operator’s camera as they track the movements of a pedestrian or motorist in civilian clothing, often dropping grenades which sometimes appear to seriously injure or kill their target.

BBC Verify was also able to identify a Telegram channel which has the earliest public copies yet seen of five of the six videos analysed.

They were each posted with goading and threats to the Ukrainian public, including claims that all vehicles were legitimate targets and that people should minimise their public movement. The injured people were also insulted, called “pigs” or in one case mocked for being a woman.

The account posting some of these drone videos also posted images of boxed and unboxed drones, and other images of equipment, thanking people for their donations.

Kherson’s military administration told the BBC that Russia has changed the type of drone it is using and the city’s electronic systems can no longer intercept a majority of them.

“You feel like you’re constantly being hunted, like someone is always looking at you, and can drop explosives at any moment. It’s the worst thing,” says Kristina Synia, who works at an aid centre just 1km (0.6 mile) from the Dnipro river.

To get to the centre without being followed by drones, we drive at a high speed, take the cover of trees while parking, and then head indoors quickly.

On a shelf behind Kristina, a small device confirms the threat outside – buzzing each time it detects a drone. It buzzed every few minutes while we were there – often detecting the presence of at least four drones.

Trauma is visible on the faces of the residents we meet, who have braved stepping out of their homes only to stock up on food. Valentyna Mykolaivna wipes her eyes, “We are in a horrible situation. When we come out, we move from one tree to another, taking cover. Every day they attack public buses, every day they drop bombs on us using drones,” she says.

Much more at the link including imagery.

That’s enough for tonight.

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War for Ukraine Day 981: The Butcher’s Bill for the Glide Bombs Launched from Russian Safe SpacesPost + Comments (39)

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