Ukraine - Russia's perfidious attack, a chronicle of events

[Alex_Sor]

Operational information as of 06.00 25.03.2022 regarding the #russian_invasion.

The 30th day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the russian military invasion began.
The Defence Forces grouping continues to conduct a defence operation in the Eastern, Southeastern and Northeastern directions.
The joint forces are conducting a sustained defensive operation in the Donetsk, Slobozhansky and parts of the Tavriya areas in the designated operational zone, focusing their efforts on preventing enemy breakthroughs. 
So, during the previous day our soldiers repulsed 9 enemy attacks, destroyed 12 tanks, about 20 units of armoured and automotive equipment and 9 artillery systems. The enemy lost more than 200 servicemen. Air defence units shot down 2 planes and 2 enemy UAVs.
The group of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the previous day hit 6 enemy air targets: 1 plane, 1 UAV and 4 cruise missiles. The Air Force patrolled the airspace, destroyed the troops and facilities, and fired on the armoured personnel carriers, logistics centres, and clusters of enemy troops.
In Volyn, the main efforts of the defence forces are focused on covering the state border.
A defence operation continues in the Siverskyi region. A group of troops holds the city of Chernihiv and hinders the advance of the enemy in the direction of Kyiv.
At the same time, the grouping of forces and means of defence of the city of Kyiv continues to repel the enemy's offensive, inflict fire damage on it and maintain all the defined lines of defence.
In the South, the defence operation continues in the designated operational zone, a stabilization operation is underway, and territorial defence tasks are being performed.
russian terrorist forces continue to fight, knowingly violating international humanitarian law and the rules of war.
Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Keep calm! Glory to Ukraine!

[Alex_Sor]

The Central Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs: "Occupying Russian troops seize and destroy Ukrainian literature and history textbooks."

/ The Central Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs: "Occupying russian troops seize and destroy Ukrainian literature and history textbooks."
In the libraries of the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Chernihiv and Sumy regions, the seizure of Ukrainian historical and fiction literature, which does not coincide with the postulates of Kremlin propaganda, has begun.
For this purpose, Russian units of the "military police" were involved. At present, in addition to the repressive, they perform so-called "ideological functions".
The police are most interested in books on the history of Ukrainian Maidans, ATO / OOS, and the history of Ukrainian liberation struggles. "Extremist" literature includes school textbooks on Ukrainian history, scientific and popular historical literature.
The occupiers have a whole list of names forbidden to be mentioned. Among them: Mazepa, Petliura, Bandera, Shukhevych, Chornovil. In the cities of Kreminna, Rubizhne (Luhansk region), Hrodna (Chernihiv region) there are cases of seizure of the book "The Case of Vasily Stus" by Vakhtang Kipiani.
Found books are confiscated, destroyed on the spot or taken away in an unknown direction.
In Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, the Russian occupation administration is taking steps to introduce Russian rubles into circulation in shops and markets.
Putin's troops are also trying to deploy occupation administrations. Patriots and members of the anti-terrorist operation / environmental protection are being searched.

[Alex_Sor]

New Chernobyl victims appear in Russia!
The first wounded with radiation sickness are being taken to a hospital in Moscow!

Russian invaders spent a couple of weeks in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, raising radiation dust with their equipment, digging in radiation forests, sleeping on contaminated land, and now having trouble.

 

[Alex_Sor]

Providing the EU and Ukraine with energy resources is the task of a new US and European initiative

The United States and the European Union have expressed solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and announced a new joint initiative to "resolve the energy security emergency by securing energy supplies to the EU and Ukraine."

"We are uniting to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy. We will not subsidize Putin's brutal attack on Ukraine," said US President Joe Biden, introducing the initiative. He added that Putin was using the money from the sale of energy resources for "his war machine".

"The energy security and resilience of the EU and Ukraine are crucial to peace, freedom and democracy in Europe," the March 25 EU-US statement said.
The initiative confirms the intention to get rid of Europe's energy dependence on Russia by 2027. Among the measures are increasing the supply of liquefied gas from the United States to Europe, coordination of European countries in preparation for the next winter season. In particular, the development of liquefied gas terminals in both the United States and Europe, the filling of European gas storage facilities by at least 90% by November 1 of each year, the development of clean energy.

To prepare for the next heating season, the US and the EU will work to attract an additional 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas to the EU in 2022. An EU energy platform is also being set up to generalize Europeans' energy demand from April to October 2022.

A joint working group of the White House and the EU President's Office will work on the initiative.

[Alex_Sor]

police officers from Fairfield collected 200 bulletproof vests and helmets for the Ukrainian military

[Alex_Sor]

In 10 days, the Russian Federation sold Europe oil for an amount equal to the cost of 440 cruise missiles

Over the past 10 days, 77 Russian tankers have taken 4.4 million tons of oil to Europe.

Over the past ten days, Russia has sold oil to Europe from the Black Sea ports for an amount equal to the cost of 440 Kalibr cruise missiles. The aggressor country is actively using these missiles in the war against Ukraine.

Andrey Klimenko, head of the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies, said this during an online briefing.

"Active maritime traffic continues to export Russian oil from Russian ports of the Black Sea to European countries. In just 10 days, from March 14 to March 24, 77 tankers with Russian oil passed through the Turkish straits, which transported 4 million 400 thousand tons of Russian oil "The cost of this oil is equivalent to the cost of 440 Caliber cruise missiles, that is, it is bloody oil. This is an opportunity for the Russian Federation to finance the continuation of rocket attacks on Ukraine, and this must be stopped immediately," Klymenko stressed.

He noted that this oil goes to the ports of France, Italy and the Netherlands (Rotterdam). The expert also called on the world community to stop buying Russian oil.

Separately, he noted that it is necessary to restore maritime navigation from the ports of the Odessa region.

"The fact is that these ports have a huge amount of grain. This is exactly the grain that the whole world is talking about, that the lack of export supplies of grain from Ukraine will cause a food crisis, at least in African countries, which are the main buyers of this grain," Klimenko said.

[Alex_Sor]

Two Putin Weaknesses the West Should Hit - New York Times

The West is hitting false targets, trying to influence the owner of the Kremlin, taking away their property from businessmen close to the Kremlin. It won't work, says the NYT columnist.

Vladimir Putin is not interested in the fate of the Russian oligarchs, therefore arrests of yachts, freezing of accounts and other sanctions will not have the desired effect on the President of the Russian Federation by the West.

Eileen O'Connor, a former ABC and CNN reporter who also worked as a lawyer in Russia and Ukraine, expressed this opinion in a column for the New York Times.

“In 1996, when I was head of the Moscow bureau of CNN, there was a struggle between a group of corrupt oligarchs and cronies of the bodyguard of President Boris Yeltsin, who demanded more money from them for political protection and threatened to disrupt the planned elections.

I asked Anatoly Chubais, who was then Deputy Prime Minister, the question that seemed to be the main one in the struggle: what is more important for Russians - power or money? He replied: "If you are asking this question, you do not understand Russia." The correct answer is power.

As Putin faces the biggest test of his 22 years in office, sandwiched between Ukrainian resistance and tightening sanctions on oligarchs, oil and technology transfers, the answer remains the same throughout Russian history.

Many in the West hope for Putin's overthrow. They do not understand either Russia or the attitude of people in Russia to power.

Russian scholars have long noted that the lack of private property rights and impartial judiciary results in state actors wielding power that in every way determines the lives of Russians. Outside its borders, since the 15th century, Russia has shown its power through military aggression. In a country where power is almost everything, sanctions and lost fortunes alone will not change this fundamental principle.

Putin's speech in early March proves this and illustrates what he and many in Russia see as the purpose of the war: to protect Russian territory and sovereignty from Western domination. According to him, the West has ignored Russia for too long and denied it the status of a superpower.

In Western capitalist democracies, wealth is often equated with access and influence. So it's not surprising that many believe that sanctions against the oligarchs could prompt them to put pressure on Putin to change course.

This is a miscalculation. The oligarchs may have wealth that binds them to power and can be used by Putin, but in Russia this does not mean that they have any power over him or those in the Kremlin.

The lack of clearly defined property rights and the legal and institutional framework means that the oligarchs are still dependent on the Kremlin. Judgments in favor of or against the oligarchs can easily be reversed, depending on the Kremlin's goodwill.

Putin has made it clear how dangerous it is to challenge his power. Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once the richest man in Russia, having acquired several formerly state-owned oil fields in Siberia and created the Yukos corporation. On TV in the Kremlin in 2003, he dared to criticize government corruption. In response, Putin stripped Khodorkovsky of his assets and imprisoned him for 10 years.

An experience like Khodorkovsky's explains why so few oligarchs are speaking out now. Those who spoke about the war did so from places like London, where Mikhail Fridman, the founder of Alfa Bank, issued a statement saying that "war can never be the answer" but did not criticize president. Despite this, Putin, in a recent speech, listed the oligarchs as an adversary-the West, saying that they could not do without oysters and foie gras and that their thoughts were far from Russia. He vowed to spit them out "like a midge in our mouths." Perhaps that is why Chubais, who not only oversaw privatization, but also became an oligarch himself and retained Putin's favor, resigned his symbolic post of climate czar and left the country.

What goals should the West hit
To influence them, the West must prioritize what they believe makes Russia a superpower: oil and the military.

The oil and gas sector of Russia provides up to 40% of the country's federal budget revenues and provides 60% of the country's exports. That's why President Biden's focus on sanctions banning oil imports is important, if somewhat symbolic, given how little the US imports from Russia. While Germany has halted the development of a major natural gas pipeline, the European Union has not stopped deliveries of Russian gas, which accounts for about 40% of its needs. If European countries were serious about influencing Putin's thinking, they would spend less time grabbing the oligarchs' yachts and further reduce their dependence on Russian energy. Likewise, the West should insist that India and China join the anti-Russian sanctions.

The best way to undermine the Russian military is to restrict access to technology.

As it has become clear on the ground in Ukraine, the Russian military lacks the vital hardware and software used by other modern forces to collect real-time field intelligence, as well as the communications systems needed to effectively use this intelligence. And the multi-day delay of the tank column indicates that the Russians do not have a complex system for supplying troops with food and gas.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Friedman, the London-based oligarch under British sanctions, said that if the European Union thinks it can tell Putin to "stop the war and it works, then I'm afraid everyone is in big trouble" because it is means that Western leaders "understand nothing about how Russia works."

He is right"

[Alex_Sor]

US President Joe Biden expressed admiration for the courage and strength of the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression and stressed that democracy and values shared by the West are at stake in this war.
He said this during a meeting with the US military stationed in Poland, Ukrinform reports with reference to CNN.

"The Ukrainian people have a strong character. They have a lot of courage, "Biden said.

As an example, he cited the fact that civilians in Ukraine, including women and young people, are stopping "damned tanks" and saying they are not moving because they are defending their own land.

"They're incredible," Biden said.

The President of the United States also stressed that the stakes in the war waged by Russia in Ukraine go far beyond Ukraine's borders.

"The question is who will win? Will democracy and the values we share win? Or will autocracies win? That's what's really at stake, "Biden said.

In this regard, he addressed the US military, which arrived in Poland to strengthen NATO's eastern flank: "What you do is very important, really great."

As reported by Ukrinform, US President Joe Biden arrived in Poland on Friday to show support for the country, which provides significant assistance to Ukraine during the armed confrontation unleashed by Russia in Europe.

[Alex_Sor]

An international naval humanitarian operation is urgently needed in the Black Sea to eliminate the mine threat.
The head of the Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies Andriy Klymenko told about it during the briefing, Ukrinform reports.

On the Black Sea mining. On March 19, the Ukrainian Navy issued a naval warning stating that the Russian Federation's Black Sea Fleet had mined the Black Sea area adjacent to the mouth of the Danube. This is the only waterway left in Ukraine to the west. in the area of Zmiiny Island, this is exactly where the recommended route from the Bosphorus to Ukraine's Black Sea ports passes.

According to Klymenko, an international naval humanitarian operation must be launched immediately today

If there is a mine danger in the Black Sea, then this danger must be eliminated. to cover both from the sea and from the air, because it is no secret that from the Black Sea and the airspace Russia is shelling the territory of Ukraine, not only coastal places, but also remote - such as Lviv, Rivne and other regions of Ukraine, " he emphasized.

The expert clarified that one of the problems is also the active maritime traffic of Russian oil exports from Russian Black Sea ports to European countries.

"In just 10 days, from March 14 to March 24, 77 tankers with Russian oil passed through the Turkish Straits, carrying 4,400,000 tons of Russian oil ... In order to carry out an international humanitarian naval operation in the Black Sea, we need to demand that the Russian Federation cease hostilities in the Black Sea and withdraw ships from the Black Sea and other fleets from the Black Sea region, "he added.

According to expert estimates, there are still at least 64 foreign vessels in the Black Sea ports, 6 foreign vessels in the ports of the Sea of Azov, 6 in the port of Mariupol, and 5 foreign vessels in the port of Berdyansk until March 15.

I want to note that yesterday the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the creation of so-called humanitarian corridors from morning till night, so that these merchant ships from the ports of Ukraine in the Black Sea could leave and go home. In fact, this is a very cynical thing. "Fighting continues in the Black Sea, and at least five commercial vessels have been damaged by missiles and shells, one vessel has sunk. There are casualties, there are dead and wounded among crew members, foreign nationals," he said.

As Ukrinform reported, on February 27, Turkey closed the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles to warships. Sanctions do not allow ships of the northern, Pacific, Black Sea and Baltic fleets of the Russian Federation to enter the Black Sea.

The navigation service of the Turkish Navy reported danger to ships due to mining of approaches to the ports of Odessa, Ochakovo, Black Sea and South.

[Alex_Sor]

The Pentagon says that Russia is sending troops to Ukraine from the occupied territory of Georgia - CNN
In order to strengthen its offensive potential in Ukraine, Russia is transferring part of its forces from the occupied territories of Georgia to the Ukrainian border.
This was announced on Friday by CNN with reference to a high-ranking official of the US Department of Defense, Ukrinform reports.

"At the present stage, we have signs that they are attracting forces from Georgia to Ukraine," said a Pentagon spokesman.

He stressed that the United States does not conduct air reconnaissance for the movement of Russian forces and so far refused to say in which area these forces can cross the border in Ukraine. At the same time, according to him, the Russians are trying to support increased activity mainly in the region of the Ukrainian Donbass.

It is noted that Russian troops are stationed in the occupied part of Georgia after the 2008 invasion.

The Pentagon spokesman also said that Russian troops have 22 ships in the Black Sea, most of which are landing craft.

"We saw them moving into the Sea of Azov to carry out a landing assault, to try to intensify their offensive from Mariupol, but we did not observe their movement in the direction of Odessa," the official said.

[Alex_Sor]

Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

"Deconserved" Russian military equipment completely stolen, the commander of the tank regiment - shot himself

Russian occupiers are trying to recover losses from equipment removed from long-term storage. In particular, at the airfield in the village of Klimove, Bryansk region (35 km from the border of Ukraine), the enemy is deploying a repair and rehabilitation base (RBB). Currently, the enemy RBB is trying to "put into operation" a significant amount of equipment coming from long-term storage facilities. The condition of this equipment is mostly extremely unsatisfactory, which makes its full use impossible.
At the same time, places are being created for storing equipment that has been disabled on the battlefield.
In general, the Russian Federation often faces the problem of the impossibility of restoring equipment after "deconservation" from warehouses. Optical devices and electronics containing precious metals were completely stolen from the combat vehicles.
In particular, the 4th Panzer Division of the Russian Federation found that out of 10 "deconserved" tanks, only one is in a more or less operational condition. The rest are completely dismantled. Some of them do not even have engines. At present, plans to transfer to the front equipment removed from storage has become impossible..
According to available information - the commander of the 13th tank regiment of the 4th tank division of the Russian Federation - shot himself.

 

[Alex_Sor]

Rostislav Demchuk, a Ukrainian journalist, writes

Curiosity with Boris Johnson
Yesterday, when the joint meeting of the NATO summit ended, bilateral, tripartite meetings of NATO leaders were held, followed by briefings for journalists.
During the briefing of Polish President Andrzej Duda, he almost cried: "Before our eyes in the center of Europe is the destruction of the state and its people. I watched videos and photos of bombed Mariupol, destroyed Kiev ... Such a beautiful European metropolis plundered. It's just my heart's breadth. And it reminded me of photos and newsreels of our native Warsaw bombed by Nazi Nazis during World War II.
... We, Poland, are good friends and neighbors with Ukraine, and we do not refuse to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine. But because NATO does not approve of this issue, we cannot do what we want on our own. We will continue to convince our allies of the need to provide Ukraine with all the weapons it needs, "Andrzej Duda said.
Of course, I presented Andrzej Duda's abridged theses.
Then there was the President of France Macron. He killed me on the spot. "... France will not provide Ukraine with heavy weapons because we do not want to be involved in the war and become a party to the war .... Macron repeated this thesis five times." ... France is in favor of ending the war and we want to be a mediator in settlement of this terrible armed conflict, but France does not want to be a party to the war. "Macron repeated this thesis five times.
Well, finally we have the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. I somehow blinked that it was necessary to be noted in the list of journalists who want to ask questions. Johnson's speech was very powerful in defense of Ukraine. He then moderated the press conference himself. I sit in the second row, in front of his eyes, raising my hand to ask a question. But Boris Johnson looks at his list and names the names of those who are marked there. And finally, he says: the last question gives someone the floor. All! The press conference is over and Johnson is off the podium. And here I say to him: "Oh, Boris! It's a pity that you forgot your old Ukrainian friend and colleague. After all, we worked together in an office in Brussels and drank beer in an Irish pub. Don't you recognize?". Johnson comes closer and exclaims: "Oh, my God! Grow up, but you're so gray ... Everyone, in place. Questions from our Ukrainian friend." Commanded by Johnson. I asked him about talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on providing military assistance to Ukraine. Without much clarification, Boris Johnson said that they had agreed with Erdogan as follows: Britain provides Ukraine with anti-battery systems to destroy long-range Russian artillery, from which they are shooting Mariupol. This British artillery will also be able to destroy Russian ships at a long distance. And Turkey will also deliver a batch of Bayraktars to Ukraine, as well as powerful wheeled tractors with platforms, which will be loaded with British heavy long-range artillery and delivered to the right locations. I thanked. we shook hands and agreed to stay in touch. And all this was broadcast on all monitors at NATO Headquarters.

Rostislav Demchuk

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=491809349079706

 

 

[Alex_Sor]

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 26.03 were approximately:
personnel - about 16400 people,
tanks - 575 units,
APV - 1640 units,
artillery systems - 293 units,
MLRS - 91 of,
Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 51 units,
aircraft - 117 units,
helicopters - 127 units,
vehicles - 1131 units,
boats / cutters - 7 from,
fuel tanks - 73,
UAV operational-tactical level - 56.
special equipment - 19.
mobile SRBM system - 2.
Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the high intensity of hostilities.
Strike the occupier! Let's win together!
Glory to Ukraine!

[Alex_Sor]

The Russian Embassy in Prague right now.
Excellent visualization of war crimes.
We call on activists in the diaspora to repeat the performance in every Russian embassy, cultural center, community center and organization!
Every Russian who did not condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine back in 2014 is personally responsible for genocide and war crimes.
It was not Putin who created the Russians, but the Russians created Putin!

[Alex_Sor]

About two-thirds of Americans - 67% - support the United States in accepting Ukrainian refugees amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Such results were shown by a recent AP / NORC survey.
21% of respondents were neutral about this, 13% - opposed.
Also, 82% of respondents supported the provision of humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees. 64% were in favor of providing weapons to Ukraine. At the same time, 56% of Americans surveyed believe that US President Joe Biden did not react harshly enough to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, the White House announced that the United States would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.

[Alex_Sor]

And a new fire will blow….
We have been defending for a month now. We fight victoriously and heroically. It is difficult for us, we are burning with the pain of loss and tears of our children. At the same time, we are overwhelmed with pride for the Ukrainian people: for professional and victorious soldiers of the Armed Forces, for volunteers and volunteers, for all who joined the Ukrainian national resistance, for all who help… Ukrainians from old to young defend Ukraine: and residents of occupied Kherson, chanting "Kherson is Ukraine", and Ukrainian tractor drivers, and a hunter who blew himself up with the occupiers, and an old man who gave his five thousand to the Armed Forces, and a grandmother who fed the occupiers with poison cakes and 11 -year-old boy who came to enlist in the defense and many, many others…
We are a nation of free people who will never submit to invaders. The nationwide war of liberation has been going on for a month now, reminding us of our glorious and heroic past. Our victory is an immortal tradition from the ancient rulers of the steppes and forests, medieval warriors and knights, Zaporozhian Cossacks, soldiers of the UPR and UPA and peasant insurgents who resisted the occupiers…
In 1845, remembering Koliivshchyna, Taras Shevchenko prophesied: "And a new fire will blow from the Cold Yar." Less than a hundred years later, his words came true. Since 1919, the whole of Ukraine has been engulfed in anti-Bolshevik peasant uprisings against looting and arbitrariness, against terror and repression by the occupiers. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians joined the rebel forces. One of the most powerful insurgent centers was the Cold Yar, which for four years resisted the Moscow invasions.
The Kholodnoyarsk Republic covered the territory of more than 25 surrounding villages and had a 15,000-strong peasant insurgent army. The Cold War fighters called themselves Cossacks and their commanders called atamans. The Kholodnoyarsk atamans - the Chuchupaki brothers, the Black Crow, the Blue Bone, Gerasim Nesterenko-Orel and others became a legend.
 Desperate Kholodnyars carried out brilliant raids under the flag of the Ukrainian People's Republic, cleared the territory of Kholodny Yar from enemies. Red troops disappeared without a trace in the Cold Yar. All generations of Cold War enthusiasts were fascinated by the struggle: from children who served as scouts, to the adult generation, which bore the brunt of the struggle, and to the older generation, who supported the youth as best they could. They were simple farmers who were forced to challenge Bolshevik lawlessness. It is also important that this was combined with the support of the church, because the spiritual center and headquarters of the Cold Yar rebels became Motroninsky Monastery.
"This is a living example of how small but unshakable in spirit can successfully fight an incomparably stronger enemy," wrote Yuri Gorlis-Gorsky about the insurgents of the Cold Yar.
Today, the "fire of the Cold Yar" has engulfed Ukraine again. Taras Shevchenko's prophecy is coming true again. Because we are Cossacks.
Ukrainians, descendants of real soldiers and commanders, bravely and heroically defended their land. The unity of power, security and defense forces and society is impressive. There are millions of us.
In unity is our strength and the key to our victory!
Let's win together!
Glory to Ukraine!

[Alex_Sor]

Poland wants to regain the Kaliningrad region
Polish general: Warsaw can claim Kaliningrad Former commander of the Polish ground forces Waldemar Skszypczak said that the Kaliningrad region has been under Russian occupation since 1945. In his opinion, Poland has the right to claim this territory. This was reported by the newspaper Do Rzeczy. "It simply came to our notice then. It would be worth recalling the Kaliningrad region, which, in my opinion, is part of Polish territory ... We have the right to claim this territory, which is occupied by Russia, "Skshipchak said. The general also expressed the opinion that the Kaliningrad region "has no military significance." As you know, Kaliningrad is a city in the Russian Federation, the administrative center of the Kaliningrad region. Until 1945 - the German Prussian city of Konigsberg. On April 9, 1945, a red flag was hoisted over the Der Don tower, now home to the Amber Museum, marking the end of the city's German history. By decision of the Potsdam Conference, the northern part of the German province of East Prussia, together with its capital Königsberg, was temporarily ceded to the Soviet Union. Later, during the signing of the treaties on borders, the Kaliningrad region was fully recognized as a possession of the Soviet Union.

[Alex_Sor]

This is how the Bayraktar drone works
This is a wonderful sight!
Video = https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=398127825013700

 

[Alex_Sor]

Thousands of Matador RPGs from Germany came to Ukraine

The first batch of anti-tank weapons arrived in Ukraine, the purchase of which was approved by the German government.

The completion of the delivery on Saturday, March 26, reports the German newspaper Bild.

This is a light hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher Matador, purchased from the German arms company Dynamit Nobel Defense (DND).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MATADOR

According to the German manufacturer, this RPG is capable of piercing armor up to 50 mm, ie almost any tank in service with the Russian Federation.

On Saturday, Ukraine received 2,650 units of such RPGs.

Total procurement - 5,100 units; the remaining 2,450 are currently being manufactured and will arrive in Ukraine in smaller batches by the end of May.

The purchase price reportedly amounted to 25 million euros.

It is noted that the German government agreed to this sale in the shortest possible time. Bild claims that the request from Kyiv was received on Friday, March 18, and was approved by the export agency on Monday, March 21, with the active assistance of German Economy Minister Robert Habek.

RGW90 HH Matador (Mananportable Anti-Tank, Anti-DOoR) is a disposable hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher developed as a result of cooperation between Singapore and Israel. It is an upgraded version of the German Armbrust grenade launcher and works on the same principles.
A characteristic feature of Matador is the presence of a dual-mode grenade detonator. A special key on the body of the grenade launcher allows you to switch it to either HEAT (cumulative) or HESH (high-explosive armor-piercing). The first mode allows you to hit armored vehicles, the second - fortified structures. The warhead allows you to make a hole in the wall with a diameter of more than a meter.
In one version - a dual-mode detonator and a tandem warhead.
This anti-tank weapon is significantly different from the American "Javelins" - it is for close combat, at a distance of 20 to 500 meters. "Matador" weighs 9 kg (against 23 kg in the American device) and provides the ability to shoot from the room.

It will be recalled that before the Russian invasion, Germany refused to supply arms to Ukraine, and also blocked supplies from other NATO countries, having "sentiments" towards Russia.
On February 26, Berlin's "tectonic shift" became known when Germany announced the provision of 500 stingers and 1,000 ATGMs to Ukraine.

 

[Alex_Sor]

The Russians opened fire on Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, breaking the silence. The shelling was carried out by Tochka-U and Grady, said Serhiy Haidai, head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration.
🔻 In Severodonetsk, a grocery store, residential and several country houses are on fire, and the garages of the ambulance station are damaged.
🔻 Due to the shelling, a house in Lysychansk caught fire, the mine where the workers are underground was cut off. Now they are trying to raise them to the surface.
🔻 On March 26, a “silence regime” was agreed with humanitarian corridors, particularly in these cities.

[Alex_Sor]

The Red Cross participated in the deportation of Ukrainians from the occupied Donbass to the Russian Federation

The "resettlement" of people from the occupied territories of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions with the help of the Red Cross began a few days before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.

The International Organization of the Red Cross participated in the "resettlement" of Ukrainians from the temporarily occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the Russian Federation.

This information was published by blogger Anton Khodza on the social network, referring to a report published on the organization's website.

"Resettlement" began a few days before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine - February 18. In three days, 61,000 people were displaced, mostly women, children and pensioners.

"The Rostov branch of the Russian Red Cross was engaged in the reception and provision of resettled citizens," Khodza said.

The report directly states that people were resettled from the "Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics."

“That is, the Red Cross, firstly, actually recognized them. Secondly, it participated in the rashist deportation of Ukrainians from the occupied Donbass,” the blogger noted.

He expressed hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine would assess this savagery. Just like the world community.

"Not a penny of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Do you want to help Ukraine and Ukrainians? Look for other organizations," Khodza urged.

At the same time, he specified that the Ukrainian Red Cross "seems to work autonomously and has nothing to do with these nits."

Before that, reform expert Dana Yurovich compared the Red Cross to shit on her social media page. "What is the synonym for the word shit? That's right, the red cross. They can talk a lot about the fact that the life and health of people in all sides of the" conflict! "is important to them, but sorry. Negotiate with terrorists and settle people there as hostages? The highest degree infamy and humanitarian crimes. The Hague is crying for you, Samaritan devils," Yurovich expressed her opinion.

 

[Alex_Sor]

Russian  occupiers hit Lviv again - just before Biden's briefing

The Russian occupiers fired at Lvov again. This was announced by the mayor of the city Andrey Sadovoy and the head of the Lviv OVA Maxim Kozitsky.

Local authorities shared the information in their Telegram channels. According to Kozitsky, three more explosions were heard in Lviv around 19:00. This was confirmed by eyewitnesses who spoke about the bombing on the Web. Kozitsky urged the townspeople to stay in shelters and not to publish photos or videos of the strikes. Information about the victims has not yet been received. But infrastructure facilities suffered significant damage, as reported by Sadovoy. Residential buildings were not bombed, firefighters are working at the impact sites.

Curiously, the occupiers carried out the recent strikes just before a briefing by US President Joe Biden in Poland's neighboring Warsaw. The head of the United States of America should address the situation regarding the war in Ukraine. Apparently, the Russian Federation decided to "flex its muscles" and shell a large city near the western border.

Earlier today, two missile strikes had already been carried out on Lviv. Due to the bombing, five people were injured and a fuel depot caught fire.

 

[Alex_Sor]

Azerbaijan goes on the offensive: martial law has been introduced in Nagorno-Karabakh

The armed forces of Azerbaijan have entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian military contingent in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Martial law has been introduced on the territory of the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (NKR).

This is reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian "peacekeeping" contingent in the territory of Karabakh and set up an observation post. In addition, from March 24 to March 25, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces delivered 4 strikes by Bayraktar-TB 2 UAVs on units of Nagorno-Karabakh near the settlement of Furukh.

Earlier, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported on the violation by the armed forces of Azerbaijan of the line of contact on the border with Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of Russian "peacekeepers". The Azerbaijani military occupied the village of Parukh in the Askeran region of the "NKR".

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has already made a statement that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is tense and could become a crisis.

Recall, as UNIAN wrote, after the start of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, Moscow transferred part of the "peacekeeping" contingent from Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan) to Ukraine.

 

Danilov on Karabakh and Georgia: the opening of second fronts against the Russian Federation would help Ukraine

Danilov noted that if Pridnestrovie and Georgia were now engaged in the return of their territories, this would greatly help Ukraine.

The opening of additional fronts in the sphere of interests of the Russian Federation in the territories of other countries would greatly help Ukraine to fight the Russian attack.

This opinion was expressed by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov on the air of the telethon.

"After Nagorno-Karabakh introduced martial law on its territory today, I can say that events are really taking place there. Bayraktars not only iron the orcs on our territory, they worked in Nagorno-Karabakh. And Armenia is turning to the Russian Federation there today to "she helped with the troops. But they removed the troops from there and sent them to our country last week. We tracked these columns that were moving. And we understand that the help that the Russian Federation promised to Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, perhaps, is unlikely to appear there," Danilov explained.

In addition, he drew attention to the fact that after Japan's statement that the four islands of the Kuril chain belong directly to Japan, the Russian Federation began exercises. "The number of military personnel that are in that sector of the defense of the Russian Federation is extremely small today, because they sent them all here," the NSDC secretary said.

"How this situation will end is still unknown. But if the second fronts open for the Russian Federation, which it has artificially created by its own actions in its short history, they will help us very well," Danilov emphasized.

Danilov also noted that "Georgia is not behaving very correctly, to put it mildly."

"But if both Pridnestrovie and Georgia, and everyone today would be engaged in the return of their territories ... Moreover, Poland has not yet officially made claims to the Kaliningrad region. This would definitely help us, because they would have something to do, in addition to destroying our cities and villages, killing our children and women," the NSDC secretary added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on March 22, the Japanese authorities reacted sharply to Russia's withdrawal from negotiations on a peace treaty and the freezing of joint economic projects related to the disputed Kuril Islands. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called Russia's decision "unfair" and "completely unacceptable."

[Alex_Sor]

Biden: Putin should not stay in power

Biden stressed that Putin "has set himself a goal that he will not achieve."

US President Joe Biden, speaking in Warsaw on March 26, noted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin should not remain in power. He, like all autocrats, believes that whoever is stronger is right.

The head of the White House emphasized that Zelensky is a legitimately elected president, whose grandfather fought against Nazi Germany. And his family was fleeing the Holocaust. And Putin himself "set himself a goal that he will not achieve."

"We see how Ukrainians demonstrate that the unity of the people is stronger than the plans of one cruel dictator. A dictator who seeks to restore a long-gone empire will not achieve his goals, because people do not want to live in his world. Free people will never support this. Free people refuse live in a world where darkness reigns. We strive for light, for democracy, for freedom of opportunity," Biden said.

At the same time, he added that "this person should not remain in power."

This Biden statement reflects a significant change in the American approach to Moscow.

US officials have previously said that removing Putin from power was not their goal.

US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "butcher".

He made the corresponding statement after a visit to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, informs CNN.

When asked by reporters what made him think about refugees when he deals with Putin every day, Biden replied:

"He's a butcher."

Biden also said that he had previously been to similar places in his life, but said that he was always surprised by the "depth and strength of the human spirit."

"It's incredible, it's incredible. I see all these little children. I just want to hug, I just want to say thank you," he said.

"Each of these kids said something like, 'Pray for my father, grandfather, or brother who is fighting.' And I remember what it's like to have someone in a war zone. Every morning you get up and wonder "You're just surprised. And you're praying you don't get a call," Biden said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, President of the United States of America Joe Biden today at a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Russia's war against Ukraine would change the history of the 21st century.

[Alex_Sor]

Humanism does not smell. Why is it necessary to put an end to the International Committee of the Red Cross

The failure of the organization of humanitarian corridors to the destroyed by the Russian army Mariupol or Chernihiv, to the surrounded Kherson or Slavutych, the genocide that the Rashists staged in Ukraine, is largely on the conscience of international humanitarian missions. In particular, the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The International Committee of the Red Cross defines its main goal as "providing protection and assistance to victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence." In addition, the ICRC must promote international humanitarian law and encourage those who bear arms to respect it. Unfortunately, in Ukraine, the ICRC has shown that such a humane mission exists only on paper. In fact, the International Committee is ready to assist terrorists from Russia to forcibly deport Ukrainians to the Kremlin camps.

Red cross without "red cross" 
Questions to the International Committee of the Red Cross arose immediately with the start of Russia's large-scale offensive on Ukrainian territories. First of all, the mission, which was supposed to provide assistance to the victims of the rashists, who despise international law and do not want to follow any "laws of war", took their representatives away from hostilities. If you believe the Ukrainian volunteers - and it's hard not to believe them after eight years of war - then after February 24, the Red Cross disappeared from Sumy, Konotop, Akhtyrka, Trostyanets, Genichesk and other "restless" cities. Mariupol, according to eyewitnesses, representatives of the Red Cross finally left on February 28.

This was preceded by a revealing story told by one of the residents of the occupied city to the Ukrainian media on condition of anonymity. In short, having visited the central office of the ICRC in Geneva, and after meeting in Budapest with the head of the RC mission in Ukraine and telling about all the horrors that are happening in Mariupol, the man did not achieve anything. As a result of the meeting, he was informed that the Red Cross does not independently organize humanitarian corridors, for this an intermediary is needed - a third party, and air and sea evacuations are not considered, since the RC does not have such competence.

The cynicism of the situation is that on March 7, the ICRC announced that for two days they were trying, together with the Ukrainian military, "to evacuate civilians who want to leave Mariupol." The head of the ICRC sector in Europe and Central Asia, Martin Schüpp, said that "the ICRC team remains in Mariupol in the most difficult conditions" and is ready to help if Russia and Ukraine agree on a dialogue. "After that, our colleagues need an appropriate level of security. We appeal to everyone who suffers from the conflict in Ukraine: do not hesitate that we will do everything we can to help," he said.

True, instead of help, for example, the aforementioned Mariupol resident received a letter from the ICRC on March 11, in which he was told:

Red Cross does not have a program or capacity to help families and citizens who want to leave the country.
The Red Cross can only advise anyone caught in a war zone to hide.
QC employees cannot move due to blocked roads and danger. Once the danger has passed, the AC will "assess needs and respond in the best possible way" to support people.
This sounds not only cynical, but also quite disgusting, if you know that by this moment, when Russia was ironing Mariupol with might and main with air bombs and covering Kharkiv, Sumy and Kherson regions with Grads, the International Committee of the Red Cross also forbade the use of its emblem on Ukrainian cars, carrying out humanitarian missions. "The International Red Cross forbids us to use our emblem on our vehicles that carry out humanitarian missions. This is indicative. This says a lot about the fact that some people, very influential people, decided to put an end to the Ukrainians," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said at the time .
However, the ICRC did not show readiness not only to save the still living Ukrainians - victims of Russian aggression, but also did not help in the "evacuation" of thousands of dead Rashists from Ukraine, although Ukraine made this request on February 26. "We ask the International Red Cross to help take the bodies of Russian soldiers to the Russian Federation. These are thousands of bodies of invaders, this is a humanitarian need," Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Irina Vereshchuk said.

Nor can the ICRC mission as an observer of the work of humanitarian corridors be called active. It is quite difficult to do this, being hundreds of kilometers from settlements suffering a humanitarian catastroph

"We send our people to where there is such an opportunity. For example, in Odessa, our employees live in a hotel. Also, ICRC employees are present in Kyiv, Vinnitsa, Severodonetsk, Poltava, Dnipro and Kamyants-Podolsky," he added and specified that from - due to the unstable situation in Ukraine, the ICRC does not plan to open new offices and representative offices.

But less than a week later, the information space was blown up by the news that such a representative office could be opened in ... Rostov-on-Don.

exemplary friendship
This happened after Peter Maurer's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

“I would like to enlist your support in strengthening the logistics structure in Russia in order to improve our work in the Donbass and in other parts of Ukraine under the control of the Russian armed forces,” Maurer said.

The head of the ICRC allegedly arrived in Moscow to discuss the delivery of humanitarian aid "to the conflict zones." But, unfortunately, I forgot to consult with Kiev before that.

According to Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk, before this visit of the head of the ICRC to Russia, there were no negotiations on the possibility of exporting Ukrainians to the territory of the Russian Federation and opening a humanitarian office near the border.

"Ukraine categorically opposes the opening of the Red Cross office in Rostov-on-Don for allegedly more efficient work in the east of Ukraine. Thus, Russia wants to "consecrate" the so-called "humanitarian corridors" to its territory, but in fact the illegal abduction and export by the enemy of our citizens, which is already happening right now," she said.

Moreover, according to her, Ukraine provided humanitarian organizations with evidence of the creation by the occupiers of filtration camps for the kidnapped residents of Mariupol and other cities.

According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, after the Ukrainians pass through the filtration camps, they are sent to the depressed regions of the Russian Federation and "offered" work there. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, by the 20th of March, about six thousand Mariupol residents were deported to such camps. In fact, continuing to hold them hostage.

False neutrality
The decision of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the Rostov representation looks even more strange if you pay attention to the fact that Ukrainians massively refuse to travel to Russia and Belarus. If this happens, it is only under duress - the residents of cities suffering a humanitarian catastrophe, the rashists simply do not leave any other choice.

“People from the east are forcibly taken to Russia from cities where humanitarian catastrophes are taking place today. The Russians seize mobile phones from these people and forbid them to return to their cities, even if people express a desire (the practical mechanism of such a ban is not entirely clear, but there are more and more such reports from those who have been subjected to these actions by the Russians.) There is information that Russian troops forcibly turn around buses with evacuees heading to the Zaporozhye region and send them to Russia. That is, we are talking about deportations, and the Red Cross they are actually supported by their decision to work on the border between Russia and Ukraine on the part of Russia," says Maria Kucherenko, an analyst with the Come Back Alive Foundation.

She emphasizes that it is impossible to say here that the principle of the neutrality of the mediator is being implemented in this way: “If the Red Cross really acted as such in this situation, its representatives would get directly to the scene and make sure that people were given a choice, on whose territories they should go and how exactly to escape from the humanitarian catastrophe arranged by Russia.

It is significant that the ICRC not only supports such a policy of Russia, but also facilitates the transfer of Ukrainian hostages to the Russian Federation and Belarus controlled by it.

And after that, he does nothing to help Ukrainians get out of these countries, if not to Ukraine, then at least to Europe.

Unfortunately, such actions of the ICRC make us remember again and again that during the Second World War the organization proved to be very far from humanism and philanthropy. Here we can also mention that the ICRC knew about the Nazi plan for the complete extermination of the Jews, but for a long time concealed this information. And that the president of the ICRC actively collaborated with Nazi Germany and even admired the actions of Hitler (moreover, he was not alone). And about the fact (this is generally monstrous information) that the visit to the Dachau concentration camp caused a "favorable impression" among the ICRC staff, in the report after visiting the Theresienstadt concentration camp, the ICRC representative posted photographs of specially selected smiling children, and after a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp did not ask a single question about gas chambers and massacres, but appreciated the good manicure of the SS men ...

"Real Values"
And another stone in the garden of the Red Cross is indifference to Ukrainian volunteers who are trying to save people under the auspices of the Red Cross. The story of one of these people - Andrey - was told to UNIAN by the deputy of the Dymersky village council (Vyshgorodsky district of the Kiev region) Irina Pobidash, who herself spent eleven days surrounded by Russian military without electricity, food and water.

"In our territorial community, only a representative of the Red Cross remained - a volunteer, our local resident Andrei. Only thanks to his personal qualities - courage, determination, compassion - many people managed to leave the occupied villages," she said.

Andrey organized all unofficial "green corridors" on his own. He rallied like-minded people around him, they pulled white sheets with red crosses over themselves and helped people evacuate from dangerous areas.

“I can’t say that the Red Cross provided assistance. They worked on the territory of Ukraine free from the occupiers. Andrey did most of the work himself, without the accompaniment of the ICRC. Together with like-minded people, he led people out under shelling. It seems that he has some kind of mandate "But the Russians don't care," said Irina Pobidash. "Now he is being terrorized, they visit relatives, they threaten him... A few days ago I watched his video, in which he begs the Red Cross to get involved in the work. But this is the voice of one crying out in the desert. Although, in my opinion, the Red Cross should already be shouting at all sites that their representative is under occupation, that he is being intimidated and threatened. But they do nothing. Absolutely no organization."

Stories like these are hard to ignore because the ICRC calls the war in Ukraine the organization's biggest operation. According to Peter Maurer, if the Red Cross budget for operations in Syria and Afghanistan was about $200 million, then the budget for the operation in Ukraine has been significantly increased and amounts to about $267 million.

"75 million a year was approximately our budget for Ukraine. We increased it, asked our donors for 150 million. As a result, our budget for Ukraine is now 250 million Swiss francs (about 267 million US dollars - UNIAN). That is, donors are very generous in everything related to the situation in Ukraine, which will allow us to expand our activities,” Maurer said.

In the current situation, generous donors, perhaps, should not only stop funding such a useless humanitarian organization as the International Committee of the Red Cross, but also ask where these fabulous sums are spent.