We Are Preparing New Decisions to Strengthen Ourselves and Protect Our People – the Address by the President

29 June 2024 – 16:51

Dear Ukrainians!

We have been working for a very long time to free from Russian captivity Nariman Dzhelyal, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, two priests of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and civilians who were captured by Russians in the occupied territories back in 2017 and 2018. Finally, our people are at home. Ten civilians. This week, 90 servicemen were also released from captivity, and in total, during this war, 3,310 people were brought back to Ukraine from Russian captivity. And we have to find and bring back to Ukraine all of our people, everyone who is in captivity or deported – adults and children, military and civilians. All of them. I am grateful to our team that deals with the exchanges. Yermak, Budanov, Maliuk, Lubinets, Klymenko – thank you. I thank the United Arab Emirates and the Holy See for mediating the releases that took place this week. We continue working. Today I met with Nariman Dzhelyal, and we have already discussed what we will do next – both for our victory and the liberation of our entire land, and for the support of the Crimean Tatar people. Today, I also attended the National Prayer Breakfast and personally congratulated the priests released from captivity, Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levitsky. I also thanked all the representatives of churches and religious communities for supporting our people, our communities, for helping our state in this extremely difficult time of war. May all prayers for peace for Ukraine and for our Ukrainian victory be answered.

And one more thing.

Dnipro. Work is still underway at the site of the Russian missile strike on the apartment building. The rubble is being cleared. So far, one person has been reported dead – my condolences to the family and friends. Twelve people were injured. Everyone is being provided with the necessary assistance. The fate of several people remains unknown. All efforts are being made to clarify all the circumstances, all the details. And of course, Russia will be held accountable for this terror against Ukraine. We are preparing new decisions to strengthen ourselves and protect our people.

I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine! Glory to everyone who works for Ukraine, who fights for Ukraine. We will definitely ensure peace.

Glory to Ukraine!

Also, apparently, Ukraine has been convinced to import the American National Prayer Breakfast. President Zelenskyy also addressed the National Prayer Breakfast earlier today.

Here’s the write up from the official website of the President of Ukraine:

More than 800 Participants from 15 Countries Joined the National Prayer Breakfast

29 June 2024 – 20:52

The National Prayer Breakfast, held for the first time under the auspices of the President of Ukraine, was attended by 836 people from 15 countries, including representatives of 12 denominations.

The event was also attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Members of Parliament, leaders of churches and religious organizations, volunteers, chaplains, military personnel, veterans and athletes.

The Ukrainian President emphasized that the Prayer Breakfast had brought together people with different views, but all united by the desire to ensure a true victory of good over evil for Ukraine.

The participants of the National Prayer Breakfast were addressed by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

“We pray for the continued strength of the Ukrainian army, the safety of the Ukrainian people and lasting peace in your homeland,” said the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In his address, Mike Pence stressed that for more than two years, the Ukrainian people have bravely resisted the unprovoked and unconscionable invasion of a nation four times larger in population and ten times more powerful in economic capacity.

“Across borders, continents, and languages, we have come together to ask God to bring peace, justice, and victory to the people of Ukraine,” Mike Pence noted.

U.S. Congressman Don Bacon mentioned that he is praying for Ukraine’s victory.

“We are praying for the wounded warriors to recover, we are praying for all the Ukrainian children, abducted by the Russians, to return to their families,” Don Bacon said.

Brian Fitzpatrick, Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, pointed out that the entire world is witnessing the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people in their fight against tyranny.

“This heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people is reminiscent of our own struggle for freedom and democracy,” he added.

National Prayer Breakfast attendees were welcomed via video by U.S. Representatives Robert Aderholt, Mike Quigley, Tim Walberg, Juan Vargas, Jerry Moran and House Chaplain Margaret Kibben; Senators James Lankford, Richard Blumenthal, Steve Daines; Senate Chaplain Admiral Barry Black; and leaders of 56 religious missions and churches from around the world.

I’ll remind everyone that the National Prayer Breakfast, and all the state and municipal level ones in the US, and all the ones that have been exported are the result of the Christian nationalist work of the group known as C Street, the Fellowship, and the Family. Jeff Sharlet documented their history, their activities, and their strategic objectives first in his article “Jesus Plus Nothing” and then in his book C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy. From the article “Jesus Plus Nothing”

Ivanwald, which sits at the end of Twenty-fourth Street North in Arlington, Virginia, is known only to its residents and to the members and friends of the organization that sponsors it, a group of believers who refer to themselves as “the Family.” The Family is, in its own words, an “invisible” association, though its membership has always consisted mostly of public men. Senators Don Nickles (R., Okla.), Charles Grassley (R., Iowa), Pete Domenici (R., N.Mex.), John Ensign (R., Nev.), James Inhofe (R., Okla.), Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), and Conrad Burns (R., Mont.) are referred to as “members,” as are Representatives Jim DeMint (R., S.C.). Frank Wolf (R., Va.), Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.), Zach Wamp (R., Tenn.), and Bart Stupak (D., Mich.). Regular prayer groups have met in the Pentagon and at the Department of Defense, and the Family has traditionally fostered strong ties with businessmen in the oil and aerospace industries. The Family maintains a closely guarded database of its associates, but it issues no cards, collects no official dues. Members are asked not to speak about the group or its activities.

The organization has operated under many guises, some active, some defunct: National Committee for Christian Leadership, International Christian Leadership, the National Leadership Council, Fellowship House, the Fellowship Foundation, the National Fellowship Council, the International Foundation. These groups are intended to draw attention away from the Family, and to prevent it from becoming, in the words of one of the Family’s leaders, “a target for misunderstanding.”¹ The Family’s only publicized gathering is the National Prayer Breakfast, which it established in 1953 and which, with congressional sponsorship, it continues to organize every February in Washington, D.C. Each year 3,000 dignitaries, representing scores of nations, pay $425 each to attend. Steadfastly ecumenical, too bland most years to merit much press, the breakfast is regarded by the Family as merely a tool in a larger purpose: to recruit the powerful attendees into smaller, more frequent prayer meetings, where they can “meet Jesus man to man.”

From an interview that Professor Scott Horton conducted with Sharlet when the book came out.

1. Let’s start with a bit of Scripture. Acts 9:15 says, “This man is my chosen instrument to take my name… before the Gentiles and their kings.” How is this understood by the men who gather in C Street?

The clue is in the emphasis the Family puts on those last two words. “Their kings” is italicized in the document from which I quote it in the book, “Eight Core Aspects of the vision and methods.” It was distributed to potential new members of the Family, the organization behind C Street, at the 2010 National Prayer Breakfast, the Family’s only public event. Every year, the Family uses American political leaders—they refer to them as “bait”—to attract foreign leaders they want to evangelize. The focus is on leaders, or “kings.” The Family twists Acts 9:15 into a justification for a complete inversion of Christianity, a faith that, whatever else one thinks of it, was born of a radically egalitarian premise. To the C Streeters, Christianity is all about elites. They pay lip service to helping the poor, but they believe the best way to help the weak is to help the strong.

They seem nice.

If you’d prefer, here’s a video interview of Sharlet.

It is important to remember, as we’ve discussed here over and over since 2016, that the Russians have worked very hard to infiltrate the white Christian evangelical denominations in the US, often using the National Prayer Breakfast to do so.

But buried within the Justice Department’s affidavit was a peculiar detail: Butina, a Russian citizen living in the U.S., allegedly sought to influence U.S. officials not only through organizations such as the National Rifle Association, but also by exploiting the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in Washington, D.C., that typically includes a speech by the president of the United States.

According to the affidavit, Butina intended to use the 2017 prayer breakfast as a way to gather a group of influential Russians in the U.S. to “establish a back channel of communication” with Americans. She allegedly described the list of Russian attendees to the prayer breakfast as “populated by important political advisors to Russian President [Vladimir] Putin, university presidents, mayors, and substantial private businessmen.”

She also reportedly discussed with a colleague the possibility of bringing Putin to meet President Trump at the event, although that meeting did not ultimately occur.

Using a religious event to broker unsanctioned political communication may seem like an unorthodox ploy. But evidence suggests sustained links between Russian officials and the National Prayer Breakfast that potentially opened the gathering up to exploitation.

But if the charges against Butina are true, it shows how the fusion of the foundation’s influence and dedication to anonymity may have allowed it to become a target for political exploitation and potential international espionage.

The charges against Butina were indeed true.

But Butina was not the only connection. From Salon:

“What people don’t understand about the National Prayer Breakfast, is it’s not a government event,” Sharlet explained. “It’s run by a private, sectarian, fundamentalist organize called The Fellowship and The Family that believes in precisely this kind of action. In fact, the long-time leader of the organization has called it quiet diplomacy, back channel, back door interactions between international leaders, that they use the prayer breakfast to bring them together. As recently as a year ago, the current leader, Doug Burleigh, was predicting alliance between [President Donald] Trump and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. He predicted that that at a Russian prayer breakfast.”

Sharlet explained that the cozy relationship between Christian conservatives and Russians stems from the conservatism in Russia, mainly Putin’s crusade against LGBT people and revival of the Russian Orthodox Church.

“The Fellowship, that organizes the National Prayer Breakfast, particularly admire him because they’re theology, their religious view, is built around their understanding of Jesus, the strong man. They believe Christianity gets it wrong when speaking to every day people. They’re called to administer to elites like Trump and Putin, who can bring peace together. That’s their vision. That’s what they created the prayer breakfast for.”

Putin has also worked very hard to infiltrate in order to influence the white Evangelical Christian movement in the US. White Evangelical Christians also make up the largest group of Americans who support Israel known as Christian Zionists. The primary vehicle is the World Congress of Families, which is the brainchild of two Russian sociologists working through the American evangelical Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society. Jay Sekulow, who ran Trump’s impeachment defenses and is a former Jewish American who converted to the Messianic Jews for Jesus Movement under Pat Robertson’s guidance, also funds Putin linked religious lobbyists in Russia. Maria Butinaa, the Russian illegal who infiltrated and influenced both the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfasts bringing dozens of Russian oligarchs to Washington, DC for pancakes, eggs, and prayer in a semi-off the books Russian operation, was being funded by a Russian who has funded the campaigns of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

The National Prayer Breakfast in the US, the state and municipal American equivalents, and the ones that the Family have exported to other states, are a counterintelligence nightmare. That Speaker Johnson, who is bankrolled, despite not actually having a bank account, by one of Putin’s oligarch catspaws, delivering one of the two keynotes is not surprising. Nor is Mike Pence delivering the other one as he is tied tightly into the World Congress of Families. It has always been my professional assessment that Paul Manafort selected Pence to be Trump’s vice presidential nominee because of Pence’s covert ties to Putin’s surrogates through his religious beliefs.

The cost:

Нашу Чеку посмертно нагороджено орденом «За мужність» ІІІ ступеня

Іро, добра памʼять та слава про тебе ще довго буде на вустах людей в Україні та світі. За життя ти зробила багато для цього

Вдячні. Сумуємо та любимо. pic.twitter.com/fX7JooNCzG

— HOSPITALLERS PARAMEDICS (@hospitallers_) June 29, 2024

Our Cheka was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage” III degree

Iro, good memory and fame about you will be on the lips of people in Ukraine and the world for a long time. You have done a lot for this during your life

Grateful We miss and love.

WARNING!!! WARNING!!! DISTURBING IMAGERY!!! WARNING!!! WARNING!!!

Ukrainians who returned home on June 25 from Russian captivity.https://t.co/UvuwhGlcRE pic.twitter.com/rWbPVAf4DX

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 29, 2024

Ukrainian Oleksandr Hrytsiuk tortured to death in Russian captivity.

“Sasha was tall—180 cm. Before captivity, he weighed 110 kg and was physically healthy. What was left of him were just bones and skin. His head was all bruised, his nose was crooked, and his index fingers had… pic.twitter.com/H1TFFOZwct

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 29, 2024

Ukrainian Oleksandr Hrytsiuk tortured to death in Russian captivity.

“Sasha was tall—180 cm. Before captivity, he weighed 110 kg and was physically healthy. What was left of him were just bones and skin. His head was all bruised, his nose was crooked, and his index fingers had no nails. Whether they were ripped out or smashed, I do not know. There were signs of torture all over his body.”

https://texty.org.ua/articles/112816/russian-death-camp-three-stories-ukrainian-prisoners/

ALL CLEAR!!!

The reason:

“I realized that we have to reclaim what’s ours, so without any thought of hesitation I decided to go to war”

Anastasiia, 19, went to 15 military commissariats and became the first drone operator in the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

📹:… pic.twitter.com/QMdGMOcYBT

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 29, 2024

“I realized that we have to reclaim what’s ours, so without any thought of hesitation I decided to go to war”

Anastasiia, 19, went to 15 military commissariats and became the first drone operator in the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

📹: Suspilne Dnipro

England:

🚨We just dropped in on Farage’s election rally with a beaming picture of Putin. Nigel was not pleased. pic.twitter.com/KeDiOMeyu6

— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) June 29, 2024

I had nothing to do with what Led by Donkeys did, but my name is Adam L. Silverman and I endorse that message!

Dnipro:

The only thing Alisa remembers are shouts, “Is anyone alive?”

She was in the hallway of her apartment when a part of the building collapsed a few meters away.

She is still shaking, and the only thing the girl realizes is that she won’t be able to return to her room.

The horror… https://t.co/NayyfdZVRo pic.twitter.com/4HdTsz2KTS

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 29, 2024

The only thing Alisa remembers are shouts, “Is anyone alive?”

She was in the hallway of her apartment when a part of the building collapsed a few meters away.

She is still shaking, and the only thing the girl realizes is that she won’t be able to return to her room.

The horror to which terrorists condemn our people will not be tolerated.

📹: Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration

Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

Seven people, including two children, were killed by a Russian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia region. At the moment, we know about eleven injured people, three of them are children. Unfortunately, the number of casualties may still increase.

Our cities and communities suffer… pic.twitter.com/dbKQT8KTZK

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 29, 2024

Seven people, including two children, were killed by a Russian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia region. At the moment, we know about eleven injured people, three of them are children. Unfortunately, the number of casualties may still increase.

Our cities and communities suffer from such Russian strikes every day. But there are ways to overcome this—by destroying the terrorists where they are, eliminating Russian missile launchers, hitting them with long-range weapons, and increasing the number of modern air defense systems in Ukraine.

I thank all our partners who are helping us. The decisions we need must be accelerated. Any delay in making decisions in this war means the loss of more human lives.

Terny, Donetsk Oblast:

“Minus one near us!”.

Video from the newly reclaimed positions near Terny. Russian troops are assaulting the lost trenches, acting chaotically and without any plan.

Since the beginning of the year, the enemy has been continuously attacking the positions of the Defense Forces… pic.twitter.com/0Ue9jcNHFn

— Azov Brigade (@azov_media) June 29, 2024

“Minus one near us!”.

Video from the newly reclaimed positions near Terny. Russian troops are assaulting the lost trenches, acting chaotically and without any plan.

Since the beginning of the year, the enemy has been continuously attacking the positions of the Defense Forces near Terny. The situation in the area was threatening: the invaders spared neither personnel nor equipment to capture the village.

As a result of a successful operation conducted by the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov, the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade and adjacent units, the Defense Forces drove the enemy back from Terny and Yampolivka and secured the liberated positions.

The occupiers’ units suffered severe losses. Equipment was destroyed by the dozens, personnel — by the hundreds.

The video shows the elimination of an occupier on the outskirts of the positions recently regained by the Defense Forces. The footage was recorded on the action camera of a soldier of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov.

Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast:

Toretsk, Donetsk region.

📹: deniskhrystoff/TikTok https://t.co/r4V07acdIK pic.twitter.com/RZyUr72kg6

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 29, 2024

Russia:

https://t.co/xyiBu7XNDo

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) June 29, 2024

From The New York Times:

May was a particularly deadly month for the Russian army in Ukraine, with an average of more than 1,000 of its soldiers injured or killed each day, according to U.S., British and other Western intelligence agencies.

But despite its losses, Russia is recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 new soldiers a month — roughly as many as are exiting the battlefield, U.S. officials said. That has allowed its army to keep sending wave after wave of troops at Ukrainian defenses, hoping to overwhelm them and break through the trench lines.

It is a style of warfare that Russian soldiers have likened to being put into a meat grinder, with commanding officers seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are sending infantry soldiers to die.

At times, this approach has proved effective, bringing the Russian army victories in Avdiivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. But Ukrainian and Western officials say the tactics were less successful this spring, as Russia tried to take land near the city of Kharkiv.

American officials said that Russia achieved a critical objective of President Vladimir V. Putin, creating a buffer zone along the border to make it more difficult for the Ukrainians to strike into the country.

But the drive did not threaten Kharkiv and was ultimately stopped by Ukrainian defenses, according to Western officials.

The one real advantage Russia has, and that Putin is exploiting, to continue his genocidal re-invasion is the size of the Russian population. Specifically, the non-ethnically Russian population that lives from from Moscow and St. Petersburg and where one month’s mobilization pay for serving in Ukraine is equivalent to 8 months or so of what can be earned in these far less developed parts of Russia. The Ukrainians are going to have to find a solution to this and, to be very blunt, that solution is likely to be very unpleasant.

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

A new video from Patron’s official TikTok:

@patron__dsns

Якби ви могли зазирнути у мої найщасливіші спогади, то побачили б там ось це 😌💗 #песпатрон

♬ son original – Easy Piano

Here is the machine translation of the caption:

If you could look into my happiest memories, you would see this 😌💗 #песпатрон

Open thread!

Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Constitution Day

28 June 2024 – 09:01

Dear Ukrainians!

On June 28, 28 years ago, the Basic Law of our state was adopted.

And today we celebrate the Constitution Day of Ukraine!

I am recording this address on my way from Kyiv to Brussels, in Lviv. A city that is one of the first to welcome our international partners, that has been receiving our people and evacuation trains since the first days of the war.

And now I am here at the time of the historic decision on negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. We are now on our way to Europe. In every sense of the word. All of Ukraine is overcoming a challenging journey. When much has been accomplished, yet much lies ahead. When we cannot stop or take a wrong turn. When we must reach the destination. When we have to successfully complete this path – Ukraine’s path to Europe.

What do these words mean in practice? What does this path look like? It did not begin yesterday, or a year ago, or in 1991. It was taken by different generations who fought for an independent, European Ukraine. This path is made up of different destinies, different roads, different people. This path is full of trials, obstacles, pain that we had to endure, and the will that allows us to keep moving – moving forward. And each of us is walking this path today.

Our Constitution’s first article begins with the word “Ukraine.” And from the first minutes of the war, millions of people proved that Ukraine really comes first for them. Everyone who thought, first and foremost, not of themselves, who understands that in times of war, a key duty comes to the fore. Article 17 of the Constitution. Protecting Ukraine is the most important function of the state and a matter of concern for the entire Ukrainian people.

Millions of Ukrainians demonstrate their commitment to this every day. Heroes on the front lines and those working tirelessly to strengthen the state. Ukrainians who have changed their lives and professions, but not their commitment to freedom, Ukraine, and Europe.

People who, unfortunately, have lost their home, but fortunately, have not lost Ukraine in themselves. Who knows that temporary occupation will not defeat eternal truths: Ukraine is united and independent, Ukraine is homeland.

Everyone who teaches and everyone who studies. So different, different in age, yet so free in spirit. In one word – citizens. Citizens of Ukraine.

They fight, help, heal, build, and manufacture shells. Firefighters who defeat fire, power engineers who defeat darkness, everyone who creates jobs, and everyone who works. Together, they are the people creating Ukraine on the pillars of will, freedom and law – the basic principles of the Constitution of Ukraine.

The path to Europe and freedom today is not only geographical and political, but also ideological.

It takes place in different directions: Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Zaporizhzhia, Siversk, the day before I was in the Pokrovsk direction… And in many others. This path is difficult, but Ukraine will overcome it. Because we are walking it together, in every corner of Ukraine. Which, of course, is a European state and will undoubtedly be a peaceful one.

Dear people!

The Constitution of Ukraine is human-centered.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is human-destructive.

Putin strikes not only at our land. Every day, he attacks the constitutional freedoms of Ukrainians. He shoots and kills our rights, he attacks the inalienable right to life, development, prosperity, and the right to make our own choices. All the rights of our children. All the rights of our people guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine. The right of our entire nation and our country is the right to peace.

Therefore, every day of our resistance is a fight not only for our sovereign territories but also, and above all, for our sovereign rights, for our human rights. The principles by which we lived before the war. And by which we will live after the victory. As citizens of Ukraine. Independent, free, successful. Ukraine – part of a united Europe, part of the global world.

Happy Constitution Day, fellow citizens!

Glory to Ukraine!

Happy Constitution Day of Ukraine! 🇺🇦

Our Constitution reminds us every day what we are fighting for: sovereignty, the rights and freedoms of every citizen, and the right to live in a free and democratic country. pic.twitter.com/yviwWv20XI

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024

#SlavaUkraine 🇺🇦

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) June 28, 2024

The cost:

Sergiy Cherednyk was an engineer and a nuclear scientist.

He spent many years working at Ukraine’s Nuclear Research Institute.
He volunteered to join Ukraine’s National Guard aged 58.

On June 28, he was killed in action in Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/ssLpR8P3Iv

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 28, 2024

More Ukrainian POWs are on their way home:

+ 10 more Ukrainian nationals are coming home from Russian captivity

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) June 28, 2024

Finland:

Finland announced the 24th defense aid package for Ukraine, valued at €159 million.

The total value of the defense material delivered by Finland to Ukraine is now 2.2 billion euros.

We are grateful to our Finnish partners for their staunch support. Together, we are stronger.… pic.twitter.com/CdMkCnETdz

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024

Finland announced the 24th defense aid package for Ukraine, valued at €159 million.

The total value of the defense material delivered by Finland to Ukraine is now 2.2 billion euros.

We are grateful to our Finnish partners for their staunch support. Together, we are stronger.
🇺🇦🤝🇫🇮
@DefenceFinland

@anttihakkanen

Donetsk Oblast:

The Ukrainians have taken down another Su-25:

That’s how 🇺🇦 warriors shot down a russian Su-25 with “Igla” MANPADS.

📹: @ng_ukraine https://t.co/98RsD2HkF3 pic.twitter.com/N7WSChX6PL

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024

FPV drones. Donetsk region. Destruction of the russian armor.
Neither anti-drone cages nor ‘turtle’ tanks help the occupiers survive.

📹: 46th Airmobile Brigade pic.twitter.com/3EdnuC2XoX

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 28, 2024

Chasiv Yar:

Instead of a thousand words.

” ‘Thank you,’ Russia, for ruining our lives” – a writing on a damaged building in Chasiv Yar.

Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region was once home to 14,000 people. Now, the city is practically wiped off the face of the earth.

📷: 24th Separate Brigade https://t.co/mWY48FghlR pic.twitter.com/GXykW9cOpe

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 28, 2024

For you drone enthusiasts, here’s some details on the Wild Hornets heavy FPV drone:

Heavy FPV of the @wilendhornets

“Carries an antitank mine TM-62 weighing 9.5 kg. The flight time is 7 minutes, or 5 km one way… And it’s not even the XL version yet. More later)”https://t.co/ULkUusugTj pic.twitter.com/rtJsBg8xwX

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 28, 2024

For those who haven’t heard of the Wild Hornets, they are attempting to source raw materials and build all “made in Ukraine” drones. Here’s an example of what they’re doing:

❗️Help make Ukrainian drones independent from China 🇺🇦

Fundraising for unique Ukrainian flight controllers for FPV drones Wild Hornets.

We want to equip 500 of our drones with a Ukrainian “brain” so that the military receives the best drones.

For this, we need your help -… pic.twitter.com/NflhN4c4Mt

— Wild hornets (@wilendhornets) June 22, 2024

❗️Help make Ukrainian drones independent from China 🇺🇦

Fundraising for unique Ukrainian flight controllers for FPV drones Wild Hornets.

We want to equip 500 of our drones with a Ukrainian “brain” so that the military receives the best drones.

For this, we need your help – please donate $5/10/20 or any other amount to our fund.

With these funds, we will manufacture 500 stacks, install them on the drones, and deliver them to the military.

Our flight controller is a completely unique development that surpasses Chinese counterparts in its characteristics 👊

💲 Our PayPal: [email protected]

#wildhornets #supportukraine #innovations #ukraine

Tambov Oblast, Russia:

Russian Telegram channels report a drone attack at an oil depot in Tambov region of Russia last night.

This video made me think how used we are by now to Russian oil depots burning – I even hesitated whether to post it because the fire looks small-ish. pic.twitter.com/ScC0N6SN8Y

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 28, 2024

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron tweets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

Delivering food to frontline communities in eastern Ukraine this week, Alla from the Hachiko team befriended some new puppies and a strange looking dog 🐐 pic.twitter.com/uJ2jQP2r1y

— Nate Mook (@natemook) June 19, 2024

Drama queen ) pic.twitter.com/1T3jhzTE09

— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) June 28, 2024

Little Jesse celebrating 5th birthday today ) pic.twitter.com/jTBCjMIKbS

— Eugene Kibets (@eugenehmg) June 21, 2024

Open thread!