We Are Preparing New and Absolutely Modern Solutions for Our Warriors – Address by the President

2 August 2024 – 18:56

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

Today there were many substantive meetings. The beginning of the day was devoted to military matters. There was a report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the frontline situation. And of course, most attention was paid to the Pokrovsk direction. This is where the fighting remains the most intense, and this direction requires our most intensive responses to the occupier. Each brigade, each unit in the Pokrovsk direction – all our warriors who are maintaining their resilience there and defending our positions despite the Russian assaults, are in many ways also holding the foundation of the defense of the entire eastern part of our country. At the same time, we do not diminish our attention to all other directions on the front – in the Donetsk region, as well as in the Kharkiv region and our southern regions. I am grateful to everyone whose courage is fully working for Ukraine. Also, today there was a report by Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Budanov. The details are not public. Minister of Defense Umerov also reported, in particular, on our cooperation with Türkiye. Among other things, he spoke about the construction of our corvettes for Ukraine: we will continue this cooperation. I also held a meeting with the team of the Ministry of Defense. We are preparing new and absolutely modern solutions for our warriors, which will definitely eliminate a lot of unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork from the units. Soon these solutions will be presented to our society. They look really innovative. Also today, both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the international experts of the Office reported on our special foreign policy opportunities – opportunities that our country has thanks to many Ukrainians and millions of citizens of other countries who believe in Ukraine, who support us. These are opportunities to keep Ukraine in the focus of the world’s attention, to increase support for our state, for our people, and to really effectively advocate Ukraine’s needs and the main need – the need to end the war as soon and as fairly as possible. Ukrainians have withstood in this war and have been able to do so much because they have been united not only within the country, but for years now they have kept the world united for the right reasons – for the sake of Ukraine and for the sake of everything that makes this world human and capable of defeating evil. Our unity must be maintained in the future – all of us here in Ukraine, all of us in Europe and in the world who value Ukraine, who value life. As early as this August, we are preparing news about greater consolidation of both our people and everyone in the world who helps us. But for this, the Government and the Verkhovna Rada need to do some more work in August.

Glory to our people!

Glory to Ukraine!

Fair winds and following seas!

Minister @rustem_umerov and the First Lady of Ukraine @ZelenskaUA took part in the launching of the Ukrainian corvette “Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi”.

It’s the second Ada type corvette, manufactured in 🇹🇷. “Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi” and “Hetman Ivan Mazepa” are equipped with cutting-edge… pic.twitter.com/Ffe7cJqa42

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2024

Minister @rustem_umerov and the First Lady of Ukraine @ZelenskaUA took part in the launching of the Ukrainian corvette “Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi”.

It’s the second Ada type corvette, manufactured in 🇹🇷. “Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi” and “Hetman Ivan Mazepa” are equipped with cutting-edge weapons and will become a significant addition to our fleet, increasing the defense capability of Ukraine.

We are grateful to our Turkish partners for their support during a difficult time for our country.

The reason:

“My friends died, my colleague who was a teacher… there’s just not enough fury,” – Alina, who recently joined the mobile groups of Bucha volunteer guards.

“Bucha Witches”, as these women call themselves, shoot down Russian drones in Kyiv region.

📹: Frontliner, Suspilne pic.twitter.com/LgXKMAKCk6

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 2, 2024

The Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, but many Ukrainian athletes are currently at war. Among them is Oleksandr Dolhopolov, once the 13th racket of the planet, 4-time winner of ATP tennis tournaments.

He volunteered for the frontlines in the spring of 2022. At first, he… https://t.co/PgOxMQNljj pic.twitter.com/OJkHyEViuj

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 2, 2024

The Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, but many Ukrainian athletes are currently at war. Among them is Oleksandr Dolhopolov, once the 13th racket of the planet, 4-time winner of ATP tennis tournaments.

He volunteered for the frontlines in the spring of 2022. At first, he fought in intelligence, and later joined the Ground Forces of Ukraine.

Oleksandr is also helping to develop an exercise program for people on the front line.

📹: Voice of America

“Our boys are [fighting] there for us, and we are here for them.”

These wonderful ladies make dried fruit desserts for Ukrainian Defenders.

📹: shanowna_n/TikTok pic.twitter.com/O3WfX1Js4m

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 2, 2024

 

 

 

Kharkiv:

“I think that people who stay in (a city like) Kharkiv today accept the strict rules of the game and understand that every day and every moment could indeed be the last,” Ivan Senin, a local poet and musician, told the Kyiv Independent. https://t.co/P2LsrHYCGV

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 2, 2024

From The Kyiv Independent:

The wail of the air raid siren in Ukraine, which signals potential or incoming attacks, has become as burdensome and commonplace a sound as that of traffic or construction work.

More than 40,000 air raid sirens lasting from minutes to hours throughout the day and night have sounded across Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale war over two years ago, according to official reports.

Choosing to take shelter during a Russian attack can often mean the difference between life and death. However, in certain situations, such as when there is no time to activate air defense systems or heavy weaponry is launched, survival might just boil down to pure luck.

Yet, despite the threat the air raid siren signifies, many Ukrainians, even in frequently targeted cities like Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kramatorsk, often don’t seek refuge in a bomb shelter when they hear it.

The decision not to go hide amid the threat of attack can vary by person and is usually influenced by factors like time of day, location, and whether a person is by themself or with their family.

And in some cases, the reluctance to take shelter is driven by a sense of fatalism, an outlook that has been adopted by many Ukrainians during the full-scale war that has killed tens of thousands of their fellow citizens.

“I think that people who stay in (a city like) Kharkiv today accept the strict rules of the game and understand that every day and every moment could indeed be the last,” Ivan Senin, a local poet and musician, told the Kyiv Independent.

On the first night of Russia’s full-scale war, Senin and his brother were in the latter’s fourth-floor apartment in Kharkiv discussing the “rule of two walls,” a strategy meant to better ensure a person’s safety by maintaining at least two walls between them and a potential blast impact.

“My brother put it quite simply: above us, there were two walls, and on three sides, there were three to four or even more walls. On the only side with a window, our forces were stationed,” Senin said.

“This would definitely protect us from multiple launch rocket attacks, but against the (ballistic) S-300 missile, Iskander missile, or something similar, not even a basement would save us.”

After that first night, Senin has mostly opted out of going to seek shelter, even though an S-300 missile landed near his building entrance in summer 2023, and a glide bomb early this May.

Kharkiv, situated about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Russian border, has faced repeated attacks over the past two and a half years. Protecting the airspace over Ukraine’s second-largest city is more challenging due to its proximity to Russia.

There were nights during the first weeks of the full-scale war when Russian forces bombarded Kharkiv with “seemingly everything they had,” according to Senin.

As Ukraine repelled Russian forces’ attempts to seize the city in 2022 and liberated occupied settlements later that year along the border, the situation improved enough that people who had fled the city started moving back.

But the past several months have seen an increase in attacks against Kharkiv and the surrounding region.

In one recent attack at the end of May, Russian forces launched glide bombs at a home goods hypermarket in Kharkiv on a busy Saturday, killing 19 people and injuring almost 50 others.

Despite the uptake in attacks, most shops don’t close, public transport continues to run, and people in Kharkiv generally don’t react to the air raid sirens.

“I can’t say that I see any defiance or anything like that in this decision,” Senin said. “Unfortunately, this is just the reality of living in Kharkiv today.”

The air raid siren can sound multiple times a day in Kharkiv and last for hours at a time. At the end of July, Kharkiv broke the record for having the longest air raid siren since the start of the full-scale invasion. It lasted for nearly two days, starting at around 6:31 p.m. on July 23 and ending at around 9:02 p.m. on July 25.

“Responding to each of them and running to the shelter means that one might just never leave it.”

Much more at the link.

Chasiv Yar:

Ukrainian Armed Forces show defeat of the enemy near Chasiv Yar.

Warriors of the 225 separate mechanized brigade repelled a Russian attack. Unmanned aerial vehicles, mortar launchers, easel automatic grenade launcher operators and infantry took part in the fight. pic.twitter.com/snJewbfbVP

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 1, 2024

Somewhere on the Dnipro:

Incredibly precise shot.
A grenade dropped from a drone destroyed a russian boat on the move.

📹: Hora Group pic.twitter.com/51oAU7nHED

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2024

The Toretsk direction:

Ukrainian Special Operation Forces at work. They halted the enemy’s advance in the Toretsk direction. pic.twitter.com/olEt2rnhYI

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2024

Kyiv:

From Kyiv, some wise words from Stephen Fry. pic.twitter.com/FLQbu6MrCy

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) August 2, 2024

From Kyiv, some wise words from Stephen Fry. pic.twitter.com/FLQbu6MrCy

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) August 2, 2024

Sevastopol, Russian occupied Crimea:

At night there was a ballistic missile strike on Sevastopol, Crimea. Video of tonight’s Russian air defence activity in Sevastopol. https://t.co/H4GkMRMSo3 pic.twitter.com/Drcup7PTG7

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 2, 2024

/3. Debris of a downed ATACMS in Sevastopol. pic.twitter.com/BqeDuRhXam

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) August 2, 2024

ATACMS + Wild Hornets = Democracy. Sevastopol will confirm

HIMARS rocket artillery and FPV drones have become game changers in this war. So we decided to organize a little collaboration).

We publish an exclusive video of the night operation of HIMARS rocket launchers with… pic.twitter.com/Ap6txEy4gv

— Wild hornets (@wilendhornets) August 2, 2024

ATACMS + Wild Hornets = Democracy. Sevastopol will confirm

HIMARS rocket artillery and FPV drones have become game changers in this war. So we decided to organize a little collaboration).

We publish an exclusive video of the night operation of HIMARS rocket launchers with ATACMS missiles.

We thank our artillery troops for burning the katsaps.

We are not hinting at anything, but the S-400 “Triumph” air defense system was hit in Sevastopol.

More to come!

Obligatory!

I want to take a moment and deal with this news:

This is a very big deal⤵️ A Musk election interference effort that tricks people in swing states into thinking they’ve registered to vote. Read/ share. https://t.co/VNeeCbX7qW pic.twitter.com/oUs9k61HMV

— Jennifer Schulze (@NewsJennifer) August 2, 2024

CNBC has the details.

If a voter in Michigan performs a search on Google, a somewhat shocking ad might pop up.

The ad shows a young man lying in bed late at night when someone else texts him, “Hey you need to vote,” and then sends the man a video of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The man can hear the gunshots and people screaming in the background.

As Trump is rushed off stage with blood pouring down his face, the man watching the video types in response, “This is out of control. How do I start?”

The ad then displays a website for a group called America PAC.

The website says it will help the viewer register to vote. But once a user clicks “Register to Vote,” the experience he or she will have can be very different, depending on where they live.

If a user lives in a state that is not considered competitive in the presidential election, like California or Wyoming for example, they’ll be prompted to enter their email addresses and ZIP code and then directed quickly to a voter registration page for their state, or back to the original sign-up section.

But for users who enter a ZIP code that indicates they live in a battleground state, like Pennsylvania or Georgia, the process is very different.

Rather than be directed to their state’s voter registration page, they instead are directed to a highly detailed personal information form, prompted to enter their address, cellphone number and age.

If they agree to submit all that, the system still does not steer them to a voter registration page. Instead, it shows them a “thank you” page.

So that person who wanted help registering to vote? In the end, they got no help at all registering. But they did hand over priceless personal data to a political operation.

Specifically, a political action committee created by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, one aimed at giving the Republican presidential nominee Trump an advantage in his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris, the de facto Democratic nominee.

“I have created a PAC, or a super PAC … the America PAC,” Musk said in a recent interview.

Musk also owns the social media platform X, and has a net worth of more than $235 billion, according to Forbes.

The combination of owning a social media company that gives him an enormous platform to push his political views, and creating a PAC with effectively unlimited resources, has made Musk, for the first time, a major force in an American presidential election.

The America PAC has spent more than $800,000 since early July on digital ads that target voters in the key battleground states of Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to AdImpact.

The ads appeared on Facebook, Instagram and Google through YouTube, and many encouraged people to register to vote at America PAC’s website.

The PAC’s effort to collect information from people using the idea of “voter registration” is a critical piece to its plan to make personal contact with these voters.

“America PAC is focusing on door-to-door canvassing in support of Trump,” said Brendan Fischer, a deputy executive director at campaign finance watchdog Documented.

“I think it is safe to assume that the voter data gathered through these digital appeals are going to inform America PAC’s canvassing and other political activities,” he added.

Fischer pointed to the group’s privacy policy which says it can use the data they’ve collected on “other activities and/or fundraising campaigns.”

Since June, America PAC has spent more than $21 million on canvassing, digital media, text message services and phone calls, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The PAC’s website offers no indication one way or another what the group’s political leaning is. But in its federal filings, the group discloses that all of its work is designed to either help Trump or hurt his opponent.

Fischer said he has seen some other PACs try to use a “register to vote” message to gather people’s data.

But what is unique about America PAC’s project is who is backing it and the timing of its creation.

In most cases, super PACs are not allowed to directly coordinate the ads they pay for with the campaign. But this spring, regulators ruled that door-to-door canvassing falls outside the scope of the ban because, unlike an ad, it is a person-to-person exchange.

“What makes America PAC more unique: it is a billionaire-backed super PAC focused on door-to-door canvassing, which it can conduct in coordination with a presidential campaign,” Fischer said. “Thanks to a recent FEC advisory opinion, America PAC may legally coordinate its canvassing activities with the Trump campaign — meaning, among other things, that the Trump campaign may provide America PAC with the literature and scripts to make sure their efforts are consistent.”

“Coordination is incredibly important: it ensures that the PAC’s activities are maximally beneficial to the campaign, and frees up the campaign’s own funds for other uses,” he said. “I suspect that the PAC’s ability to coordinate its data-driven canvassing activities with the Trump campaign made it very appealing for donors.”

Longtime Republican strategists Phil Cox, Generra Peck and Dave Rexrode are among those now guiding the PAC after a shake-up in mid-July, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. This person was granted anonymity to speak freely about a private matter.

The change suggests there could be a shift in tactics by the PAC come November. The New York Times first reported on the moves.

Musk is not the only tech executive backing this effort.

The America PAC raised more than $8 million between April 1 and June 30, according to FEC records. It has received donations from veteran investor Doug Leone, cryptocurrency investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and a company run by longtime venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale, according to FEC records.

Lonsdale, a co-founder of the software company Palantir, is also a leader of the PAC, and “serves as a political confidant to” Musk, according to the Times.

The records do not yet list Musk as a donor. He recently said on X that he is “making some donations to America PAC,” but did not say how much. The PAC is not required to file a third-quarter report until Oct. 15, the first time that Musk’s name could be listed as a donor.

A spokesman for America PAC declined to comment. Musk did not return emails seeking comment.

Much more at the link.

This is important not just because it actually prevents people from registering to vote who want to, nor because others have been charged and convicted for similar voter registration scams, but because this is the type of data needed to run active influence operations on potential voters. With name, address, age, and phone number, especially cell number, you’ve got everything you need, especially if you have the financial resources, to develop an audience to target for influence. The ripple effects from what Musk and his fellow weird, creepy, and dodgy oligarchs are doing has the potential to become incredibly damaging.

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

Another vacation video from Patron’s official TikTok!

@patron__dsns

Мав маленьку відпустку, всього три дні. | я щасливий, що побачив їх — наші Карпати. Про гори я чув і раніше, але ніколи не мріяв про них. Дарма, як виявилося. Це той випадок, коли мрія здійснилася ще до того, як я встиг її загадати. Тут, у горах, відчув себе малим та великим одночасно. Бо наче ось вона — могутня Говерла. Але якщо дивитися на неї з підніжжя, то вершина вміщається на кінчику мого носа. Та коли почав підніматися, то втома гуде в ногах ще до першої полонини. А далі — краса без кінця. Сідаю перепочити, підкріпитися, помилуватися природою і відчуваю, як вона ділиться зі мною своєю силою. Шум лісу, дзюрчання річки та навіть дзвіночки у корівок на шиї гомонять одне: «Все вийде, ти зможеш, вперед!». Втома зникає швиденько. І далі мчу вгору, аж доки смачнюща вода із гірського струмка не змусить зупинитися. А на вершині розумію, що ще ніколи не був так близько до хмар. Але й до землі теж, бо мої очі вперше можуть охопити так багато простору. Дивлюся на сусідні гори, на безкрайні ліси, на далекі полонини і ще раз переконуюся: такою гарною є наша Україна. Михайло протягує мені шматок сиру, бо на спуск теж потрібні сили. Жую його і, здається, підкріплюся не лише ним… Про гори можу розповідати ще багато. А поки залишаю для вас цілющий карпатський лизь 👅 P.S. Привіт всім, кого зустрів дорогою на Говерлу. Так, то був я 🤭 #песпатрон

♬ original sound – shixmmy

Here’s the machine translation of the caption:

I had a short vacation, just three days. | I am happy that I saw them – our Carpathians. I had heard about the mountains before, but I had never dreamed of them. In vain, as it turned out. This is the case when a dream came true even before I had time to make it.

Here, in the mountains, I felt small and big at the same time. It seems like here it is – the mighty Hoverla. But if you look at it from the foot, the top fits on the tip of my nose. But when I started to climb, fatigue was buzzing in my legs even before the first meadow. And then there is no end to the beauty. I sit down to rest, refresh myself, admire nature, and feel it sharing its power with me. The noise of the forest, the murmur of the river, and even the bells on the cows’ necks are all saying the same thing: “You can do it, you can do it, go ahead!” Fatigue disappears quickly. I continue to run uphill until the delicious water from the mountain stream makes me stop.

At the top, I realize that I have never been so close to the clouds. But also to the ground, because for the first time my eyes can cover so much space. I look at the neighboring mountains, at the endless forests, at the distant meadows, and I am once again convinced that our Ukraine is so beautiful. Mykhailo hands me a piece of cheese, because the descent also requires strength. I chew on it and, it seems, I’ll be refreshed not only by it… I can tell you a lot more about the mountains. In the meantime, I leave you a healing Carpathian slip 👅

P.S. Hello to everyone I met on the way to Hoverla. Yes, it was me 🤭 #песпатрон

Open thread!