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What is the most powerful flying bug? This poll is closed. |
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| 🦋 |
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15 | 3.71% |
| 🦇 |
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115 | 28.47% |
| 🪰 |
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12 | 2.97% |
| 🐦 |
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67 | 16.58% |
| dragonfly |
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94 | 23.27% |
| 🦟 |
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14 | 3.47% |
| 🐝 |
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87 | 21.53% |
| Total: | 404 votes | ||
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery Artillery Artillery are ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, fairly immobile siege engines. As technology improved, lighter, more mobile field artillery cannons developed for battlefield use. This development continues today; modern self-propelled artillery vehicles are highly mobile weapons of great versatility generally providing the largest share of an army's total firepower.
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Dec 21, 2023 06:13
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https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-karl-nehammer-austria-hungary-eu-brussels-ukraine-war/ The rumored resurrection of Austria-Hungary BY MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG DECEMBER 13, 2023 4:02 AM CET 5 MINUTES READ A sure way to rankle an Austrian is to mention an upcoming Austria-Hungary football match and then ask who is the opponent. For many in Brussels these days, the answer is clear: the EU. Whether the issue involves Ukraine, Russia, or even the Israel-Hamas conflict, the impression in EU circles is that the pair are singing from the same songbook. “This is classic Austrian behavior,” an EU diplomat told POLITICO, insisting on anonymity in order to cast aspersions on a European ally. “Don’t be mistaken: this is the dual monarchy rising from the grave.” With Hungary holding €50 billion in aid to Ukraine and the country’s EU accession hostage, Vienna, its critics claim, is using the impasse to push its own priorities behind the scenes while ignoring the urgency of Kyiv’s situation. Austria’s recent move on Ukraine fits a familiar pattern of leveraging its neutrality to cozy up to Moscow while also claiming allegiance to the West, a tactic Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán has also mastered (without neutrality). Austria’s reputation for obstinance in Brussels has been exacerbated by its yearlong blockade of Bulgaria and Romania’s path into the borderless Schengen zone. Even Hungary supports including the two countries. An Austria that goes against the pack, and often in cahoots with Hungary, is a frightening prospect for many in Brussels. For one, Austria has traditionally been a member of the Western European fold that, despite occasionally causing problems, can generally be counted on to support the liberal consensus. What’s more, though the two countries are roughly the same size in terms of population, Austria’s economy is about three times larger than Hungary’s, which lends it more clout. Neighbors, not friends EU officials often ascribe an effortless haughtiness to their Austrian counterparts, which feeds the stereotype that Vienna hasn’t woken up to the fact that its imperial days are long gone. While it’s tempting to think Vienna, high on delusions of the “imperial and royal” splendor of the Habsburg empire, is seeking to revive its collaboration with the Hungarians, which ended in the ashes of World War I, Europe’s fear of a resurrection of Austria-Hungary is nonetheless unwarranted by the facts on the ground — at least for now. In private, Austrian government officials bristle at comparisons with the Hungarian leader, whom they regard as an authoritarian. “We seek to get along with Orbán because he’s our neighbor, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it,” an Austrian official with extensive dealings in Budapest said. There is persistent tension between the two countries on migration, for example. Vienna suspects Hungary of waving asylum seekers across its territory to Austria without registering them in order to avoid having the migrants sent back, as required under EU rules. Hungary denies this, yet the large increase in asylum seekers in Austria in recent years tells a different story. Balkan ghosts The real reason Austria is suddenly making noise about Ukraine in Brussels involves Bosnia-Herzegovina. If the EU opens accession talks with Ukraine, Austria wants Bosnia-Herzegovina, to which it has longstanding economic and political ties, to be included as well. "We want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU family,“ Austrian Europe Minister Karoline Edtstadler said this month on a visit to Sarajevo, arguing that the country’s accession was “a geopolitical necessity.” Given Austria’s proximity to the region, calming tensions in the former Yugoslavia has long been at the top of the country’s foreign policy priorities. Austria has deployed its military as part of United Nations peacekeeping missions there for decades. Vienna is convinced that the best way to create lasting peace in the region — and also blunt Russia’s persistent influence there — is to bring the Western Balkans into the EU fold. The EU declared Bosnia-Herzegovina an EU candidate country in late 2022, but the Commission argued Bosnia-Herzegovina needs to address its alleged backsliding when it comes to the rule of law before it can entertain full-fledged membership talks. With Ukrainian accession on the agenda of this week’s EU summit, Austria saw an opportunity to sneak Bosnia in through the backdoor. “We have no intention of stepping in the way of Ukraine’s accession path,” a senior Austrian official insisted, adding that doing so would be like “standing in front of a freight train.” Austria’s only agenda, the official said, was to quietly attach Bosnia-Herzegovina “to the back of the train.” That should calm Austria’s critics in Brussels. Yet when it comes to Austria’s political direction, there’s still plenty of reason for concern. The country is scheduled to hold elections next fall. The anti-EU Freedom Party, which regards Orbán’s Hungary as a model, leads in the polls by a comfortable margin. On a recent visit to Budapest, Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl called Hungary a “refuge of national self-determination and resistance against globalist intervention from Brussels.” Despite the budding far-right fraternity between Kickl and Orbán, Europe can take solace in the fact that Austro-Hungarian collaboration has never stood the test of time. The last attempt only lasted about 50 years.
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Dec 21, 2023 07:04
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https://paizo.com/community/blog/v5748dyo6shzx?Stand-with-Ukraine-Humble-Bundle Stand with Ukraine Humble Bundle Like all of you, we at Paizo are watching the unfolding humanitarian and refugee crisis in Ukraine. We know that there are many players, volunteers, and freelancers that are impacted by this event. And we have friends in harm’s way. We're joining forces with Humble Bundle and other top publishers to support those impacted by the invasion. 100% of the proceeds for the bundle will be given to charities to support the millions of refugees and the ongoing humanitarian needs arising from the conflict. This bundle supports Razom for Ukraine, International Rescue Committee (IRC), International Medical Corps, and Direct Relief. Paizo’s contributions to the bundle are the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook and the Starfinder Core Rulebook. If you already own the digital copies of these products, please share them with friends and family members who need their own copies.
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Dec 21, 2023 10:23
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https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-should-expect-surprises-next-year-says-ukraines-main-security-service-chief-vasyl-malyuk/ Ukrainian spies vow to stab Russia ‘with a needle in the heart’ BY VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA DECEMBER 20, 2023 2:44 PM CET 4 MINUTES READ KYIV — Ukraine's spies aim to intensify intelligence operations and conduct sabotage strikes deep in Russian-controlled territory next year to bring the war as close to the Kremlin as possible, the head of Ukraine's SBU security service told POLITICO. “We cannot disclose our plans. They should remain a shocker for the enemy. We prepare surprises,” Major General Vasyl Malyuk said in written responses to questions. “The occupiers must understand that it will not be possible to hide. We will find the enemy everywhere.” While he dodged specifics, Malyuk did give some hints. Logistics targets and military assets in occupied Ukrainian territory are likely to continue to be a focus. And then there are strikes that hit the enemy across the border. “We are always looking for new solutions. So, cotton will continue to burn,” Malyuk joked. Ukrainians use the word "cotton" to describe explosions in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine organized by Ukrainian special services. It came from Russian media and officials describing the growing number of such incidents with the word khlopok, which means both “blast” and “cotton” in Russian. With combat along hundreds of kilometers of front lines essentially stalled for much of this year, the exploits of the SBU both boost Ukrainian morale and also hurt Russia's war fighting abilities. “The SBU carries out targeted point strikes. We stab the enemy with a needle right in the heart. Each of our special operations pursues a specific goal and gives its result. All this in a complex complicates the capabilities of the Russian Federation for waging war and brings our victory closer,” Malyuk said. One area of focus will be Crimea and the Black Sea, building on this year's operations. Malyuk’s pet project is the Sea Baby drone, called malyuk in Ukrainian, which means "little guy." The drone carries about 850 kilograms of explosives and is able to operate in stormy conditions, making it difficult to detect. “With the help of those little guys we are gradually pushing the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation out of Crimea,” Malyuk said. It's been used to attack the Kerch Bridge that links occupied Crimea to mainland Russia in July as well as to hammer Russian ships. In October 2022 the SBU’s marine drones attacked Sevastopol Bay damaging four Russian warships. This year, the drones hit two missile carriers, a tanker, an amphibious assault ship and also damaged a large military tugboat and Russia's newest reconnaissance and hydrographic ship. That forced Moscow to shift much of the fleet away from its base in occupied Sevastopol in Crimea, leaving the west of the sea free of Russian vessels and allowing Ukraine to resume use of its ports for shipping. The Kerch Bridge is still standing after a 2022 truck bomb attack and this year's strike, but is only partially open, Malyuk said. “It is a legitimate target for us, according to international law and the rules of war. Ukrainian law also allows us to attack this object. And we have to destroy the logistics of our enemy,” Malyuk added. Malyuk said that Kyiv carefully considers its targets before striking — an effort to stay within the rules of war in contrast with Russia, which has fired missiles, artillery and drones at both military and civilian targets. “When planning and preparing its special operations, the SBU carefully selects its targets. We work on military facilities or on those that the enemy uses to carry out their military tasks. We act fully by the norms of international law,” Malyuk said. The SBU conducts most of its operations on Ukraine’s territory — in Donbas, Crimea and the Black Sea. “This is our land and we will use all possible methods to free it from the occupiers,” Malyuk said. When it comes to planning something in Russia, SBU says it focuses only on targets used for military purposes like logistical corridors for supplying weapons — like the rail tunnel in Siberia hit with two explosions (the SBU hasn't claimed responsibility) as well as warships, military bases and similar targets. “All SBU operations you hear about are exclusively our work and our unique technical development,” Malyuk said. “These operations became possible, in particular, because we develop and implement our technical solutions.” Russia should prepare to be hit.
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Dec 21, 2023 10:26
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https://kyivindependent.com/umerov-ukraine-will-mobilize-ukrainian-men-living-abroad/ Umerov: Ukraine will mobilize Ukrainian men living abroad by Nate Ostiller December 21, 2023 11:15 AM 2 min read Ukraine will recruit Ukrainians living abroad and may sanction those who do not show up to recruitment offices, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in an interview with German media outlet Die Welt on Dec 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a press conference on Dec. 19 that Ukraine plans to mobilize 450,000-500,000 new soldiers. He instructed Umerov and Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi in November to formulate a new procedure for mobilizing such a significant number of people. Zelensky also said that the plan will need to address a number of key issues before he can officially support it, including provisions for the rotation and demobilization of troops that have been fighting for almost two years. Umerov said that Ukrainian men living abroad would first be "invited" to report to recruiting offices, but added that measures would be taken if they did not show up willingly. "We are still discussing what will happen if they don’t come voluntarily,” Umerov said. BBC Ukraine reported in November that as many as 650,000 Ukrainian men of military age had left the country for Europe since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Under martial law, it is prohibited for men aged 18-60 to leave Ukraine, barring special circumstances.
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Dec 21, 2023 10:28
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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/12/20/7433932/ Zelenskyy announces changes in journalists' access to combat zone TETYANA OLIYNYK — WEDNESDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2023, 21:54 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on reporters’ access to the contact zone on 20 December and promised that there would be more information. Source: Zelenskyy’s video address on 20 December Quote: "There are a lot of meetings during the day. [With] The Prime Minister. [With] The Minister of Defence. The issue of communication on the war, our defence, and the contact zone as a whole is very important. Access of the journalists to the contact zone [is crucial]. Changes have been prepared, more information about the contact zone should be available. I am grateful to everyone who understands the importance of this and helps [us] keep our defenсes, [meeting] our defenсe needs in the spotlight of the world." Details: Zelenskyy also said he met with the minister of strategic industries, who coordinates the work of the entire team dealing with the shelter system. According to the president, there are good results this month. At a morning selector meeting, the military briefed the president on the situation at the contact zone and also discussed the elimination of consequences of the Russian attack on Kherson. The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reported on the trends of the near future and important operations that are being prepared. Quote: "A separate conversation about drones is [focused on] what is [stored] in warehouses and what is needed in the contact zone. Logistics will be faster. We are also working to ensure that drone efficiency, particularly that of FPV [drones], increases on all fronts. This is an obvious priority of the state and a very specific way to protect the lives of our soldiers."
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Dec 21, 2023 10:30
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https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/best-games/best-tabletop-rpgs Though is considered one of the best tabletop roleplaying games, there’s an entire smorgasbord of great RPGs out there besides . Enabling players to be immersed in entirely different worlds and realities via their imaginations, tabletop RPGs can range from the extremely accessible to the deeply complex – which you decide to play depends on the kind of experience you want. While some of the best roleplaying games are more focused on a rich ruleset intended to simulate living in another world, others are more concerned with providing the tools needed for storytelling. Best tabletop RPGs 2023 Kids on Bikes Blades in the Dark Cyberpunk Red Mörk Borg Lancer Trail of Cthulhu Monsterhearts 2 Honey Heist Fiasco Coyote & Crow Ryuutama
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Dec 21, 2023 15:15
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Source: Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/germany-announces-88-5-million-euros-in-winter-aid-for-ukraine/ Germany announces 88.5 million euros in winter aid for Ukraine by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk December 21, 2023 2:55 PM 1 min read Germany will provide Ukraine with an additional 85.5 million euros ($94 million) in aid to help the country endure the winter and withstand Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, the Foreign Ministry announced on Dec. 21. The funds are jointly procured from the Foreign Ministry and the Economy Ministry and will help pay for spare parts for critical energy infrastructure, repairs, and equipment, such as generators and transformers. In addition, the funds will be directed towards the "green reconstruction" of Ukraine, helping the country replace outdated equipment with modern, sustainable energy infrastructure. Moscow attempted during the fall and winter of 2022-2023 to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which led to frequent blackouts and a lack of heating across the country. As Ukraine prepares for a likely repeat of the strategy, its allies have announced new winter aid packages, including air defense, energy infrastructure equipment, and other measures to help alleviate the combined impact of cold weather and Russian attacks. The latest announcement of aid from Germany brings the country's total commitment to supporting Ukraine's energy infrastructure to 218 million euros ($240 million).
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Dec 21, 2023 23:25
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fizziester posted:https://kyivindependent.com/umerov-ukraine-will-mobilize-ukrainian-men-living-abroad/ Source: British Broadcasting Corporation https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67787173 Ukraine war: Male citizens living abroad to be asked to join army By Robert Greenall 7 hours ago Ukrainian men between the ages of 25 and 60 living abroad will be asked to report for military service, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has said. He described this as an "invitation" - but seemed to suggest anyone who did not comply would be sanctioned. However, a spokesman later clarified that no call-up was being considered. President Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday that 450,000-500,000 new soldiers were needed but achieving this was a "sensitive issue". This comes as Ukraine's recent counter-offensive appears to have stalled. Kyiv has also seen setbacks in provisions of aid, with US Republicans blocking a $61bn (€55bn; £48bn) military package and Hungary stopping an EU financial deal worth €50bn ($55bn; £43bn). In an analysis of figures from EU statistics agency Eurostat in November, BBC Ukrainian found that some 768,000 Ukrainian men aged 18-64 had left the country for the EU alone since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The figure does not include citizens living outside the EU, or those resident anywhere abroad since before February 2022. In an interview for the media outlets Die Welt, Bild and Politico, Mr Umerov described the recruitment drive as "not a punishment" but "an honour". "We are still discussing what should happen if they don't come voluntarily," he said. But later a spokesman for the ministry appeared to deny any kind of coercion was involved, and said "accents were shifted" in the interview. "There is no discussion on the agenda of a call-up from abroad," Illarion Pavlyuk said, quoted by Ukrainian media. "The minister is calling on all citizens of Ukraine to join the army, wherever they may be," he added. "Just because you haven't received call-up papers, doesn't mean the threat to Ukraine has disappeared. Does that apply to Ukrainians abroad? Absolutely." There are no recruitment centres outside Ukraine, and the Ukrainian authorities have no means to force anyone to attend them. The defence minister said that it was important to be fair, informing mobilised men how they would be trained and equipped, when and where they would serve and when they would be discharged. Mr Zelensky suggested in his end-of-year news conference on Tuesday that there were currently 500,000 Ukrainian troops at the front. He also said there were issues with rotation and holidays. Currently conscripts and volunteers are obliged to serve until the end of the war, and are only allowed 10 days' leave a year. In comparison, Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week there were 617,000 Russian troops taking part in the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine. The BBC is unable to independently verify troop numbers.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:29
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Source: Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/14574bd9-e4c0-4423-9b47-74388b62c750 Viktor Orbán vows to stand firm against EU funding for Ukraine Marton Dunai in Budapest 15 minutes ago Viktor Orbán has vowed to stand firm on blocking the EU’s financial package for Ukraine, saying he will not be swayed by offers of money or threats from fellow leaders at an emergency summit next year. The firebrand Hungarian leader vetoed a four-year, €50bn aid package to Kyiv last week, leaving fellow EU leaders racing to find alternatives, which may require a cumbersome procedure to send money without Hungary. Speaking at his only international press conference of the year, Orbán said he would insist that the EU meets four conditions if leaders want to press ahead with Ukraine funding at a planned summit early next year. Orbán demanded the funding package be modest in size, outside the common EU budget, stretching over one year rather than four, and designed to exempt Hungary from any new joint EU borrowing. “To commit in advance to giving Ukraine €50bn for [four] years from the EU budget, which has no money to fund this, so forcing new borrowing, that is a bad decision,” Orbán said. “We should make a good one instead.” The EU is trying to develop ways for 26 of its member states to support Ukraine on a bilateral basis if Hungary is unwilling to participate. Orbán alluded that would be the only way forward at an emergency summit due on February 1, adding he did not fear EU leaders retaliating against him by threatening to suspend Hungary’s voting rights. “The EU treaty is clear that such a procedure can only be launched in case of a sustained breach of the rule of law,” he said. “But the European Commission has just said . . . our justice system is in order. I am not concerned.” The commission last week unblocked about €10bn of funds, part of more than €30bn that had been frozen because of longstanding rule-of-law concerns. But it has kept more than €20bn held back, and Orbán said that money was still “due to Hungary”. Even so, Orbán said he would not relent in his opposition to the Ukraine funding proposal, even if the rest of the money was released. “This is not about the money, but about the four conditions I have outlined,” he said. He also claimed he had only agreed to allow the EU to start accession talks with Ukraine because fellow heads of state reminded him at the summit that Hungary had dozens of future opportunities to block Ukraine’s path to membership. “What we are preparing to do now is a mistake. I spent eight hours in vain trying to convince the other leaders about this,” Orbán said. “They are against Hungary now but they will eventually come around.” Orbán defended a decision earlier this year to hold direct talks with Vladimir Putin, saying it was “the right thing to do”, and also defended describing the invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”. “It is a military operation, as in there is no declaration of war between the two countries,” he said. “We should all be glad there is no war, because war means a general draft, which I don’t wish upon anyone.”
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Dec 21, 2023 23:33
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Source: Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-hopes-find-ways-unblock-border-with-poland-this-week-2023-12-21/ Ukraine hopes to find ways to unblock border with Poland this week Reuters December 21, 2023 9:58 PM GMT+8 Updated 9 hours ago KYIV, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine hopes to reach agreement with the new Polish government this week to end truck blockades at the countries' border crossings, Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Thursday. On Monday Polish truckers resumed their blockade of one of the main crossings at the Ukrainian border, demanding that the European Union reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc. Polish drivers have been blocking several border crossings with Ukraine since Nov. 6, but the blockade at the major Yahodyn-Dorohusk crossing was temporarily lifted after a local mayor took action to stop it because he feared it would threaten jobs. "We plan to come to a common position this week in Kyiv together with representatives of the Polish government," Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov was quoted as saying after he met with new Polish infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak in Warsaw. Kubrakov, who is also Ukraine's minister of infrastructure, restoration and communities, said the unblocking the border was the main topic of the meeting because major crossings were completely blocked and only three trucks had left Yahodyn in the past day. Kubrakov said government representatives of Ukraine and Poland would hold another meeting in Kyiv before the end of this week. Polish truckers complain they are losing out to Ukrainian companies which offer cheaper prices for their services and which are transporting goods within the EU, rather than just between the bloc and Ukraine. "We presented key figures and analytical data on freight traffic by Ukrainian and Polish carriers, which show that the problems that the protesters are talking about do not actually exist," he said. Ukrainian transport analysts say about 3,900 trucks are on the Polish side waiting for permission to enter Ukraine. Poland's newly appointed Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that the new government will try to put an end to the truck drivers' protest at the Ukrainian border quickly.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:35
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Source: New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/21/business/china-russia-trade.html War in Ukraine Has China Cashing In Keith Bradsher Reporting from Heihe, Aihui and Harbin, China Dec. 21, 2023 On China’s snowy border with Russia, a dealership that sells trucks has seen its sales double in the past year thanks to Russian customers. China’s exports to its neighbor are so strong that Chinese construction workers built warehouses and 20-story office towers at the border this summer. The border town Heihe is a microcosm of China’s ever closer economic relationship with Russia. China is profiting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has led Russia to switch from the West to China for purchases of everything from cars to computer chips. Russia, in turn, has sold oil and natural gas to China at deep discounts. Russian chocolates, sausages and other consumer goods have become plentiful in Chinese supermarkets. Trade between Russia and China surpassed $200 billion in the first 11 months of this year, a level the countries had not expected to reach until 2024. Russia’s war in Ukraine has also gotten an image boost from China. State media disseminates a steady diet of Russian propaganda in China and around the world. Russia is so popular in China that social media influencers flock to Harbin, the capital of China’s northernmost province in the east, Heilongjiang, to pose in Russian garb in front of a former Russian cathedral there. Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, and Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, have made numerous public demonstrations of the nations’ close ties. Mr. Xi visited Harbin in early September and declared Heilongjiang to be China’s “gateway to the north.” China’s exports to Russia soared 69 percent in the first 11 months of this year compared with the same period in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine. “Maintaining and developing China-Russian relations well is a strategic choice made by both sides on the basis of the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” Mr. Xi said as he met in Beijing on Wednesday with the Russian prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin. China has filled a critical import need for Russia, which many European and American companies shunned after Mr. Putin started his war in February 2022. China has pursued its role as a substitute supplier of goods despite risking its close economic ties with many European nations. Before the Ukraine invasion, leaders of Germany, France and other European countries mostly set aside differences with China over issues like human rights to emphasize commerce. Chinese officials, for their part, insist that they should not be forced to choose between Europe and Russia, and that China should be free to do business with both. The biggest winners for China from the surge in trade with Russia have been its vehicle manufacturers. On a recent afternoon in Heihe, lines of diesel freight trucks with decals of snarling bears, a symbol of Russia, on their drivers’ doors waited to be driven across an Amur River bridge to Russia. The bridge is new, and so are the trucks, which wore Genlyon badges, a brand that belongs to the state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. The company, known as SAIC, also makes car brands like MG, acquired from Britain. The sales helped China overtake Japan this year as the world’s largest car exporter. German manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW used to be strong sellers in Russia, but they have pulled out in response to sanctions on the country by Europe, the United States and their allies. Sales of luxury cars in Russia have plunged, contributing to a decline in the overall size of the country’s car market, which is now less than half the size of Germany’s. But lower-middle-class and poor Russian families, whose members make up the bulk of the soldiers fighting the war, have stepped up purchases of affordable Chinese cars, according to Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. One reason, Mr. Gabuev said, are the death and disability payments that the Russian government and insurers are making to families of Russian soldiers — as much as $90,000 in the case of a death. Russia has not released the number of its killed and wounded, but the United States estimates the total at 315,000. Russians buy almost exclusively internal combustion cars. China has a surplus of them because its consumers have shifted swiftly to electric cars. And the land border means China can transport cars to Russia by rail, an important factor because China lacks its own fleet of transoceanic carrier ships for vehicle exports. The result? Chinese carmakers have grabbed 55 percent of the Russian market, according to GlobalData Automotive. They had 8 percent in 2021. “Never before have we seen automakers from a single country gobble up so much market share so quickly — the Chinese came into a windfall,” said Michael Dunne, an Asia automotive consultant in San Diego. The United States has strongly warned China against sending armaments to Russia, and has not yet uncovered evidence that it is doing so. But some civilian equipment that China is selling to Russia, like drones and trucks, also has military uses. Beijing’s embrace of Russia has also provided a modest but timely boon to China’s construction industry. The economy has struggled to heal from the scars left by almost three years of stringent “zero Covid” measures. The real estate market is in crisis across China. Tens of millions of apartments are empty or unfinished, and new projects have stalled — depriving the construction sector of work that has long powered jobs. “Many buildings have been built, but without anyone living inside,” said Zhang Yan, a wooden door vendor in Heihe. But some laborers are finding work on the 2,600-mile Russian border, which until this year had a dearth of truck stops, customs processing centers, rail yards, pipelines and other infrastructure. Construction moved ahead briskly over the summer in cities like Heihe, although it has paused for the frigid winter. Pipelines are needed for one of the most crucial commodities traded between the two countries: energy. Cheap Russian energy, bypassing sanctions imposed by the West, has helped Chinese factories compete in global markets even as their manufacturing rivals elsewhere, notably in Germany, have faced sharply higher energy costs for much of the past two years. Russia has been ramping up natural gas shipments through its Power of Siberia pipeline to China, and has been negotiating to build a second one that would carry gas from fields that served Europe before the Ukraine war. China and Russia also agreed less than three weeks before the Ukraine war to build a third, smaller pipeline that would carry gas from easternmost Russia to northeastern China, and construction on that project has raced ahead. The newest pipeline will cross land that Russia seized from China in the late 1850s and never returned. As recently as the 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were quarreling over the placement of their border and their troops skirmished. In a village near Heihe, a larger-than-life-size statue of an imperial Chinese general still glares across the Amur River. Today Russia and China are building bridges and pipelines that cross it.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:41
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https://responsiblestatecraft.org/ukraine-neutrality/ Ukraine should take a page out of Finland’s fight with Stalin Anatol Lieven and Alex Little Dec 21, 2023 As public support for Ukraine has waned over time, and Washington’s policy elites are shifting their focus more toward the conflict in Gaza, an endgame for Ukraine is desperately needed. U.S. and European officials have reportedly broached the issue of possible peace negotiations with their Ukrainian counterparts. This begs the question: What could a peace treaty between Kyiv and Moscow look like? One historical instance stands out among many as a potential model for how the Russo-Ukrainian War could end. The “Winter War,” or the Soviet-Finnish War that took place from November 1939 to March 1940 (and was renewed by the Finns as allies of Germany between June 1941 and September 1944), has drawn some comparisons with the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. After Finland rejected an ultimatum to concede a considerable portion of its territory and the Soviet signing of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Joseph Stalin’s Red Army invaded Finland to install a puppet Communist Finnish government and eliminate a potentially hostile presence near the Soviet Union’s second city and only Baltic port of Leningrad. Similar to the initial phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Soviet officials predicted that Helsinki would fall to Soviet troops in as little as three days. However, despite the Soviets outnumbering the Finns in soldiers by three to one, Helsinki succeeded in holding off the Red Army for more than three months, inflicting extremely heavy casualties on the invading forces. Though Finland was eventually defeated and forced to concede about 11 percent of its territory, the Finns scored a moral victory. It is widely considered that the grit and courage of Finland’s resistance convinced Stalin that incorporating Finland into the Soviet Union or turning it into a Communist client state like Poland would be more trouble than it was worth. This also contributed to Stalin’s eventual agreement to sign a peace treaty with Finland in 1944 in return for a small amount of additional territory and a commitment on Helsinki’s part to neutrality. Finland thus became the only part of the former Russian Empire that was not reincorporated into the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin. Thereafter, Finland implemented the Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine, which aimed to preserve Finland’s survival as an independent country by maintaining a neutral foreign policy stance, while Finnish nationalism became a central ideological and political driving force in Finnish society. The Soviet Union stuck to the terms of the treaty with Finland, and during the Cold War Finland developed as a remarkably prosperous and successful Western democracy. On this basis, after the Cold War ended, Finland was able to join the European Union in 1995 and then NATO in 2023. While “Finlandization” was considered a pejorative suggestive of accommodation, if not appeasement among Western geopoliticians during the Cold War, it turned out to be a diplomatic triumph. Finland has long had one of the world’s highest per capita GDPs, scores 100% on Freedom House’s Democracy Index (the United States scores 83), and Finns have long ranked as the world’s happiest people. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955, which guaranteed Austrian neutrality, by which Soviet and NATO troops withdrew from the country, also ensured that Austria developed as a successful and prosperous Western democracy. Kyiv might learn from the Finnish example that surrendering some territory, though deeply painful, is still worth it if the greater part of the country thereby secures its independence and capacity for economic and political development. Hopefully, the strength of Ukrainian nationalism and the tough and united resistance of Ukrainians to Russia’s invasion have also persuaded Putin, as Stalin was persuaded by Finnish resistance, that his goal of turning the whole of Ukraine into a Russian client state is impossible. This is already a great victory for Ukraine, not just in terms of Russia’s initial goals but the history of the past 300 years during which Russia has dominated Ukraine. The government of Ukraine currently remains steadfast in its maximalist aims of recovering all of its internationally recognized territory, including Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Military reality, however, suggests that this goal is extremely unlikely to be achieved and that an agreement freezing the existing battle lines may well be the best that Kyiv can hope for, at least for the present. On the other hand, if the war continues, Russia’s massive advantages in manpower, industry, and weapons production could lead to far more significant Ukrainian losses — just as Finland would likely have suffered complete disaster if it had continued to fight after March 1940 or September 1944. Washington can do its part by not encouraging unrealistic war goals and thereby possibly exposing Ukraine to future disaster. Ukraine has already won in key respects. Vladimir Putin has no hope of subjugating the whole of Ukraine as a vassal state in the foreseeable future. Kyiv is moving closer to the West and could be integrated into the European Union (EU) in the future. Moreover, Moscow’s actions have actually reinforced Ukrainian nationalism. As with Finland, this national unity presents the best hope for Ukrainian independence.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:43
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fizziester posted:Source: Reuters Source: Kyiv Post https://www.kyivpost.com/post/25796 Ukraine Lost Over a Billion Euros Due to Blocking of Border by Polish Carriers by Kyiv Post December 21, 2023 9:06 pm Blocking the border by Polish carriers harmed not only the economy of Ukraine, but also caused significant losses to the economy of Poland itself. "If we speak globally, the economy of Ukraine has lost more than one billion euros,” Vice-President of the Association of International Motor Carriers Volodymyr Balin told Ukrinform. “The Polish economy lost even more. I think that today, with such risks, we are losing our strategic partnership due to the fact that today our exporters cannot conclude agreements with their customers, in particular, in the European Union. And they, in turn, due to logistical difficulties, are looking for similar goods in other countries, in particular in Poland,” Balin said. Polish hauliers on Monday, Dec. 18, resumed their blockade of the largest freight border crossing with Ukraine following a court order that allowed the truckers to go back to the Dorohusk checkpoint. The truckers have been blocking the border for over a month to demand the reintroduction of permits to enter the European Union for their Ukrainian competitors. The bloc had waived the permits system after Russia invaded Ukraine, but the Polish road carriers – at least one of them, Rafał Mekler, a far-right politician associated with a pro-Russian political alliance – say the move took a toll on their earnings. Last week the local authorities in Dorohusk withdrew permission for protests at the border crossing, but the decision was later overturned by the court. On Monday, the police confirmed that the truckers were once again blocking cargo traffic.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:46
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Source: Ukrainska Pravda https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/12/21/7434041/ West is thinking of scenarios where Putin wins in Ukraine Olena Roshchina Thursday, 21 December 2023 15:11 The Western opinion on the war in Ukraine has been moving towards thinking that Russia could win the war, and Ukraine could lose additional territories and even its sovereignty, in which case NATO would be defeated, and the consequences would be felt around the world. Such opinions are expressed in articles by the Financial Times and Bloomberg. Source: Financial Times and Bloomberg Details: The Financial Times wrote that the West is toying with the idea of letting Vladimir Putin have Ukraine. And two days earlier, Bloomberg wrote that the stalemate with aid from the US and Europe was causing Ukraine's allies to worry that Putin might win. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy has calculated that promised Western aid to Ukraine has fallen by almost 90% since 2022, even before the US and EU failed to approve additional funds this month. Voters, incited by the pro-Putin far-right, are fed up with the war in Ukraine. The West, after an 18-month hiatus, is resuming its 15-year appeasement of Putin's aggression. According to the FT, the "if Russia wins" scenario is becoming more and more plausible. And it could look like this: - Russia exacts terrible victor’s justice on Ukrainians. This isn’t speculation. It’s precisely what the Russians have already done in Ukraine: mass executions, castrations, rapes, torture and abductions of children. Guerrilla attacks by Ukrainian partisans would trigger more Russian reprisals. Millions more Ukrainians would flee west, this time permanently. Remember that the arrival of 1.3mn refugees in 2015 turbocharged Europe’s far right. - A free state might survive in western Ukraine, writes former UK diplomat Peter Ricketts. It might even join the EU. But it could expect repeated Russian attacks, no matter what "treaties" were signed. A rolling Russian advance would take territory when it could. - Putin would control close to a quarter of the world’s wheat exports. He has already been upgrading from gas as a weapon to food as a weapon. - Putin’s success would encourage countries interested in invading a neighbour: China, Venezuela, Azerbaijan and, indeed, Russia. The likely creation of a Ukrainian army in exile running sorties from European countries would further incentivise Russian attacks on those places. - A discredited NATO would face its biggest test. Putin seeks to prove they won’t hold. If he attacked the Baltics, NATO would probably send troops. Once a few hundred western soldiers came back dead, far-right parties would demand "peace". Western countries could retreat, saying nobody would want to escalate to nuclear war. - Americans and Western Europeans feel secure, and some Eastern European countries have begun to spend huge amounts of money on defence and armaments. Quote from the Financial Times: "Ditching Ukraine would be a choice. There is an alternative. Russia has a low-tech economy about the size of Canada’s. The Europeans could help Ukraine withstand Putin even if Trump pulled out. We’d have to build up our arms industries fast, but the effort required of us would be tiny compared with Russia’s. We’d also need to replace American aid to Ukraine — €71.4 billion in the war’s first 21 months, according to the Kiel Institute, or €40.8 billion on an annualised basis. That’s €70 a year per European citizen of Nato. We could find that if we wanted." Quote from Bloomberg: "With more than $110 billion in assistance mired in political disputes in Washington and Brussels, how long Kyiv will be able to hold back Russian forces and defend Ukraine’s cities, power plants and ports against missile attacks is increasingly in question. Beyond the potentially catastrophic consequences for Ukraine, some European allies have begun to quietly consider the impact of a failure for North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II." Details: Bloomberg stated, citing people familiar with the internal conversations who requested anonymity, Europe is overestimating the risks that an arrogant Russia could pose to NATO members in the east. The ripple effects, as these people said, would be felt around the world as US partners and allies question the credibility of Washington's defence promises. If Ukraine falls, Russia's threat to Eastern Europe will increase, as before the invasion, Ukraine served as a buffer between Russia and non-Baltic NATO members. Quote from Bloomberg: "If Russia fully occupied Ukraine, it could establish new military bases in the west of the country and move sizeable forces there. To counter a potential threat against eastern Europe, NATO would have to improve its defensive measures at an enormous financial cost. Even so, it might be unable to defend against a Russian attack." More details: In addition to doubts in the West about Ukraine's ability to liberate all of the occupied territory, there seem to be doubts about the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to hold the territories under their control. Kristine Berzina, managing director at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, said: "There is increasing concern about lack of movement on aid for Ukraine on both sides of the Atlantic and frustration that there is this stagnation with dire battlefield consequences. The possibility of Ukraine losing additional territory and even its sovereignty — that is still on the table." According to European officials, Russia is likely to try to seize more territory and destroy more infrastructure if Ukraine does not get the weapons it needs to defend itself. If Ukraine is unable to defend itself, they said, it may be forced to accept a ceasefire on Russian terms. The situation on the front makes it increasingly clear that the fight could last for years and that even the availability of aid may not produce a significant breakthrough. Analysts also suggest that the United States will have to choose between maintaining sufficient forces in Asia to defend Taiwan from a potential Chinese attack and deterring a Russian attack on NATO. The cost of deploying forces will continue as long as the Russian threat persists – potentially indefinitely. And this does not take into account the prospect that Donald Trump could win the 2024 presidential election and fulfil his promises to withdraw from major alliances, including NATO, and to strike a deal with Putin over Ukraine.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:51
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fizziester posted:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery Originally, the word "artillery" referred to any group of soldiers primarily armed with some form of manufactured weapon or armour. Since the introduction of gunpowder and cannon, "artillery" has largely meant cannon, and in contemporary usage, usually refers to shell-firing guns, howitzers, and mortars (collectively called barrel artillery, cannon artillery or gun artillery) and rocket artillery. In common speech, the word "artillery" is often used to refer to individual devices, along with their accessories and fittings, although these assemblages are more properly called "equipment". However, there is no generally recognized generic term for a gun, howitzer, mortar, and so forth: the United States uses "artillery piece", but most English-speaking armies use "gun" and "mortar". The projectiles fired are typically either "shot" (if solid) or "shell" (if not solid). Historically, variants of solid shot including canister, chain shot and grapeshot were also used. "Shell" is a widely used generic term for a projectile, which is a component of munitions. By association, artillery may also refer to the arm of service that customarily operates such engines. In some armies, the artillery arm has operated field, coastal, anti-aircraft, and anti-tank artillery; in others these have been separate arms, and with some nations coastal has been a naval or marine responsibility. In the 20th century, target acquisition devices (such as radar) and techniques (such as sound ranging and flash spotting) emerged, primarily for artillery. These are usually utilized by one or more of the artillery arms. The widespread adoption of indirect fire in the early 20th century introduced the need for specialist data for field artillery, notably survey and meteorological, and in some armies, provision of these are the responsibility of the artillery arm. The majority of combat deaths in the Napoleonic Wars, World War I, and World War II were caused by artillery.[1] In 1944, Joseph Stalin said in a speech that artillery was "the god of war".[1]
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Dec 21, 2023 23:52
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Ukraine Catholic Church in Ukraine The Catholic Church in Ukraine (Latin: Ecclesia Catholica in Ucraina; Ukrainian: Католицька церква в Україні) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. Catholics make up 10% of the population of Ukraine.[1][2] The majority of Catholics in Ukraine belong to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, while significant numbers of others belong to the Latin Church, Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo and Armenian Catholic Church.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:52
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe[c] between 1867 and 1918. Austria-Hungary was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states with a single monarch who was titled both emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.[7] Austria-Hungary constituted the last phase in the constitutional evolution of the Habsburg monarchy: it was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War and was dissolved shortly after Hungary terminated the union with Austria on 31 October 1918. One of Europe's major powers at the time, Austria-Hungary was geographically the second-largest country in Europe after the Russian Empire, at 621,538 km2 (239,977 sq mi)[6] and the third-most populous (after Russia and the German Empire). The Empire built up the fourth-largest machine-building industry in the world, after the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.[8] Austria-Hungary also became the world's third-largest manufacturer and exporter of electric home appliances, electric industrial appliances, and power generation apparatus for power plants, after the United States and the German Empire,[9] and it constructed Europe's second-largest railway network after the German Empire. With the exception of the territory of the Bosnian Condominium, the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary were separate sovereign countries in international law. Thus separate representatives from Austria and Hungary signed peace treaties agreeing to territorial changes,[10] for example the Treaty of Saint-Germain and the Treaty of Trianon. Citizenship[11] and passports were also separate.[12] At its core was the dual monarchy which was a real union between Cisleithania, the northern and western parts of the former Austrian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary. Following the 1867 reforms, the Austrian and Hungarian states were co-equal in power. The two countries conducted unified diplomatic and defence policies. For these purposes, "common" ministries of foreign affairs and defence were maintained under the monarch's direct authority, as was a third finance ministry responsible only for financing the two "common" portfolios. A third component of the union was the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown, which negotiated the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement in 1868. After 1878, Bosnia and Herzegovina came under Austro-Hungarian joint military and civilian rule[13] until it was fully annexed in 1908, provoking the Bosnian crisis.[14] Austria-Hungary was one of the Central Powers in World War I, which began with an Austro-Hungarian war declaration on the Kingdom of Serbia on 28 July 1914. It was already effectively dissolved by the time the military authorities signed the armistice of Villa Giusti on 3 November 1918. The Kingdom of Hungary and the First Austrian Republic were treated as its successors de jure, whereas the independence of the West Slavs and South Slavs of the Empire as the First Czechoslovak Republic, the Second Polish Republic, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, respectively, and most of the territorial demands of the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Italy were also recognized by the victorious powers in 1920.
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Dec 21, 2023 23:53
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman Woman A woman is an adult female human.[a][2][3] Prior to adulthood, one is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent).[4] Typically, women inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and are capable of pregnancy and giving birth from puberty until menopause. More generally, sex differentiation of the female fetus is governed by the lack of a present, or functioning, SRY-gene on either one of the respective sex chromosomes.[5] Female anatomy is distinguished from male anatomy by the female reproductive system, which includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, and vulva. An adult woman generally has a wider pelvis, broader hips, and larger breasts than an adult man. Women typically have less facial and other body hair, have a higher body fat composition, and are on average shorter and less muscular than men. Throughout human history, traditional gender roles have often defined and limited women's activities and opportunities, resulting in gender inequality; many religious doctrines and legal systems stipulate certain rules for women. With restrictions loosening during the 20th century in many societies, women have gained wider access to careers and the ability to pursue higher education. Violence against women, whether within families or in communities, has a long history and is primarily committed by men. Some women are denied reproductive rights. The movements and ideologies of feminism have a shared goal of achieving gender equality. Trans women have a gender identity that does not align with their male sex assignment at birth,[6] while intersex women may have sex characteristics that do not fit typical notions of female biology. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Dec 21, 2023 23:54
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Source: New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war.html Russia Makes Small Battlefield Gains, Increasing Pressure on Ukraine By Constant Méheut Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Dec. 22, 2023, 9:28 a.m. ET Russian forces have scored small territorial gains along Ukraine’s eastern front in recent weeks, using their manpower advantage in grueling battles and prompting the Ukrainian authorities to consider a push to mobilize up to 500,000 soldiers to sustain the exhausting fight next year. The chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said this week that he saw no alternative to a large-scale mobilization to make up for Ukraine’s losses. And President Volodymyr Zelensky said his army chiefs had asked him to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 men. “This is a serious number,” Mr. Zelensky said at a news conference on Tuesday, adding that a plan still had to be drawn up before he could make a decision. Although many Ukrainians have yet to be drafted into the military, the authorities are reluctant to resort to mass conscription for fear of stirring up social tensions. Most recently, Russian troops have been closing in on the city of Avdiivka, a Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk region. The capture of Avdiivka would be a strategic success for Russia — the city is a linchpin of Ukrainian defenses in the region — and would deal a blow to Ukrainians’ morale. The city is a symbol of resistance, having withstood nearly a decade of warfare since Russian-backed forces first tried to seize it in 2014. Russia’s recent advances near Avdiivka, as well as around other cities such as Kupiansk, Bakhmut and Marinka, are also further evidence that Russia has firmly seized the initiative on much of the battlefield, after Ukraine’s top general acknowledged last month that his country’s summer counteroffensive had stalled. Russia is making that progress at a critical moment for the government in Kyiv. Political infighting in Washington and in the European Union has blocked the delivery of military and financial aid packages that Ukraine says it desperately needs to hold its lines against Russia. “Currently, the situation on the front line is difficult and is gradually deteriorating,” Yehor Chernev, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s committee on national security, defense and intelligence, said in an interview. “Without American ammunition, we are beginning to lose territory that was hard won this summer.” On Friday, departing Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands announced that his government was preparing to send Ukraine a first batch of 18 F-16 fighter jets, the powerful aircraft that Ukraine has long been lobbying for. Ukrainian pilots have already begun training on the jets in countries such as Romania, which the Netherlands provided with at least five F-16s for practice purposes. Since launching offensive operations near Avdiivka in October, Russia has gained a total of about seven miles in all directions around the city, according to the Institute for the Study of War. “But it has cost them dearly,” Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Army, told national television on Wednesday. He noted that Russia had suffered 25,000 casualties in the east over two months, most of them around Avdiivka. Although these figures could not be independently verified, Britain’s military intelligence agency said last month that Russia was probably experiencing the highest casualty rates of the war so far and that the battle for Avdiivka was likely the reason. Ukrainian troops have also suffered heavy losses. Nonetheless, Russia’s incremental gains largely result from the sheer mass of its army. “I would say the motto of their attacks is ‘We have more people than you have ammunition, bullets, rockets, and shells,’” Tykhyi, a major fighting with the Ukrainian National Guard in Avdiivka, said in audio messages, using only his call sign to identify himself, as per Ukrainian military rules. Tykhyi said Russian forces were using a range of tactics on the battlefield, including frontal assaults, feigned attacks and smoke to hide attacks. He added that Russia was monitoring movements into Avdiivka, meaning that Ukrainian soldiers can enter only at night and “have to turn off their headlights long before” getting in. Moscow’s offensive push in the east has consisted of a series of localized assaults following an arc that stretches from Kupiansk in the north to Marinka more than 120 miles to the south. Kupiansk, which was liberated from Russian occupation last year, remains under Ukrainian control. But months of heavy bombardment have devastated the city, and Russian forces have been attacking relentlessly from the north and east, nibbling away at Ukrainian land as they try to reach the outskirts of the city. In Avdiivka, a hot spot in the battle for the city is an industrial zone to the east. The position is so vast and covered in trenches, bunkers and tunnels that some parts have been compared to an anthill. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said last month that Russian forces had advanced into the eastern part of the zone. Geolocated footage suggests that they have now seized most of it. Thibault Fouillet, the deputy director of the French Foundation for Strategic Research, said both sides were now locked in bloody, inconclusive fighting — a situation that he compared to World War I, when hundreds of thousands of soldiers were thrown onto the battlefield to conquer and defend small patches of land. Russia’s brutal offensive operations, from Bakhmut earlier this year to Avdiivka today, have enabled it to conquer more land than it has lost in 2023, according to a recent analysis by Estonia’s Ministry of Defense. But much like Ukraine’s limited successes during its counteroffensive, none of these gains have fundamentally changed the balance of power along a front line that has barely moved this year. Mr. Fouillet said that each side was now hailing the slightest gain as a strategic success for political purposes. “In reality,” he added, “the stakes are low, and the advances are minimal.”
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Dec 23, 2023 00:14
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Source: Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/netherlands-deliver-18-f-16-fighter-jets-ukraine-2023-12-22/ Netherlands to deliver 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine Reuters December 22, 2023 9:21 PM GMT+8 Updated 10 hours ago AMSTERDAM, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Netherlands will deliver 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help its battle against Russia's invasion, the Dutch government said on Friday. "Today I informed President Zelenskiy of our government's decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine," caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a post on social media platform X. "The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine." The delivery of the fighter jets is still pending on an export permit by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs and the fulfillment of criteria for staff and infrastructure in Ukraine, Rutte added without giving a timeline for these decisions. But the announcement made it possible to reserve funds and people to prepare the planes for delivery, the government said. "I spoke with Mark Rutte to thank the Dutch government for its decision to start preparing the initial 18 F-16 jets for their delivery to Ukraine," Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said on X. The Netherlands sent its first U.S. made F-16s to a new training facility for Ukrainian pilots and staff in Romania last month. Denmark, Norway and Belgium have also announced they will give F-16 jets to Ukraine, after the U.S. government approved sending them to defend against Russia as soon as pilot training is completed.
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Dec 23, 2023 00:17
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fizziester posted:Headline
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Dec 23, 2023 00:19
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Source: Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/22/ukraine-ammunition-shortage-russia-war/ With Western aid stalled, Ukrainian troops run low on artillery shells By Siobhán O'Grady, David L. Stern and Kostiantyn Khudov December 22, 2023 at 3:04 p.m. EST KYIV — Ukrainian forces are suffering from a shortage of artillery shells on the front line, prompting some units to cancel planned assaults, soldiers said this week, and stoking fears over how long Kyiv’s troops will be able to hold their ground against continuing Russian attacks. The ammunition shortage is deepening the already palpable anxiety in the Ukrainian capital, as U.S. and European aid stalls and winter sets in. “Our gunners are given a limit of shells for each target,” said a member of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, which is fighting in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. “If the target there is smaller — for example, a mortar position — then they give five or seven shells in total,” he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “The guys are tired — very tired,” he said. “They are still motivated — many people understand that they have no other choice.” “But you can’t win a war only on motivation,” he continued. “You should have some kind of a numerical advantage, and with the weapons and weapons systems, it only gets worse and worse. How long can we last? It’s hard to say, but it can’t be long. Everyone understands this.” Artem, 31, a gunner in the 148th Artillery Brigade who fires a 155mm howitzer, said his unit found a “dramatic” difference in stocks of shells after recently relocating from the southern front in Zaporizhzhia to positions in the east. Artem said his unit was now firing just 10 to 20 shells per day at enemy targets, while previously it used an average of 50 shells, and sometimes up to 90. He spoke on the condition that he be identified only by first name in keeping with Ukrainian military rules. “If the situation doesn’t change, or even worsens, we will not be able to suppress them and they will push us back,” Artem said. “What can you do with 10 shells per day? It is barely enough to respond to their advances — we are not even talking about attacking their positions.” Insufficient supplies of shells have been a persistent problem for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the current shortage during his year-end news conference this week, though he insisted that the military was holding strong. Earlier this month, Zelensky visited Washington, where he pleaded for lawmakers to free up $60 billion in aid that President Biden has proposed for Ukraine. No deal came through, however, as Republicans tied the aid to controversial border security measures. Days later, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked $55 billion in European Union assistance to Ukraine. The delays, which come on the heels of Ukraine’s unsuccessful counteroffensive this summer and fall, have created more unwelcome hurdles ahead of the winter holidays. Russia continues to try to push forward on the southern and eastern fronts, and also to hammer Ukrainian cities with drone and missile attacks — many of which have been thwarted by Ukraine’s improved air defense systems. But those systems, too, depend on continued foreign support. Ukrainian soldiers stationed at the front said they have not detected any sign that Russia is facing a similar shortage of artillery shells. Although Moscow was forced to considerably slow its ammunition production in the first few months after the invasion, it has since managed to subvert hard-hitting Western sanctions and export controls and has reenergized its military production. It has done this, in part, by exploiting loopholes in supply chains, while illicit smuggling networks have brought in key weapon components, including from the United States, by rerouting them through countries such as Turkey and Armenia. A deal cut between Moscow and Pyongyang in September also provided critical help, with North Korea agreeing to supply Russia with much-needed missiles and shells. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said this week that North Korea appeared recently to have delivered “1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions” to Russia for use in Ukraine. Ukrainian Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavsky told Reuters that troops are facing ammunition shortages and that some plans have changed because of lack of supplies. Lt. Gen. Ivan Havryliuk, one of Ukraine’s deputy defense ministers, declined to speak about the ammunition shortages, saying he did not have the authority to do so. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The United States is Ukraine’s most important ally and Zelensky told reporters this week that he is “sure the U.S.A. won’t betray us.” But Biden’s failure to secure the urgently needed funding for Ukraine before the end of the year showed that the White House simply cannot ensure everlasting support. Biden, who previously insisted the United States would stand by Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” instead said earlier this month that it will support Kyiv for “as long as we can.” The Biden administration has warned that barring passage of a supplemental spending bill, there is only enough money left to replenish U.S. stocks and deliver one remaining aid package. “Once these funds are obligated, the department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine,” Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord said in a Dec. 15 letter to Congress. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged allies to work together to increase production for Ukraine. Aware that it cannot rely forever on external aid, Ukraine is trying to ramp up its domestic weapons manufacturing. Its minister for strategic industries announced Wednesday that Ukraine plans to make 1 million first-person-view drones next year, along with thousands of other mid- and long-range weapons. The explosive FPV drones have become key to Ukraine’s attack methods this year. But in his own year-end news conference this month, Putin made clear that he is monitoring how Western aid for Ukraine has slowed. “Today, Ukraine produces almost nothing,” he said. “Everything is brought in … for free. But the freebies may end at some point, and apparently it’s coming to an end little by little. Some countries recently pledged tangible new military support for Ukraine. On Friday, the Netherlands said it will transfer 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, although a timeline for that delivery was not made public. Japan, meanwhile, agreed to send Patriot missiles to the United States, in a move that would probably allow Washington to send more of the weapons to Ukraine. Kyiv relies heavily on the U.S.-designed Patriot systems to protect critical infrastructure in major cities. But Ukrainian troops here say they need more of everything, and fast. “We lack everything,” said the member of 128th Mountain Assault Brigade. Ivan Zadontsev, a press officer for the 24th Separate Assault Battalion, also known as Aidar, said it had reduced firing by about 90 percent compared with last summer. His battalion needs 122mm munitions for Soviet-era howitzers; Western partners have tried to procure the ammunition for Ukraine throughout the war. Aidar’s tactics changed around mid-autumn as deliveries of munitions diminished. Although the battalion has faced artillery shell shortages in the past, there are concerns now that reserves will not be replenished. Like the 148th Artillery Brigade, Aidar is trying to hold defensive lines in the east, near the town of Klishchiivka, which Ukrainian forces liberated from Russian occupation in September. But Zadontsev said that to plan any further assaults “would be stupid … while the Russian army has artillery superiority.” He said the worries over U.S. border policy that are holding up U.S. aid for Ukraine pale in comparison with the life-or-death urgency Ukrainians feel on the front. It is hard for him to imagine, he said, that anyone abroad can “even understand the situation at all … and how it’s critical right now.” “I hope the U.S. government understands,” he added, “that keeping Ukraine safe with ammunition is much cheaper than rearming Poland and the Baltic countries if Ukraine will fall.”
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Dec 23, 2023 00:26
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Ukraine says it received last tranche of EU's 18 bln euro aid package Reuters December 21, 2023 12:10 PM UTC · Updated 5 hours ago Dec 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine has received the last 1.5 billion euro ($1.65 billion)tranche from the 18 billion package from the European Union for 2023, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Thursday. The country's economy depends heavily on financial support from partners and Kyiv has been concerned whether it will continue as new packages have been blocked so far both in the EU and in the United States. "Today we have received the last 1.5 billion euros of the 18 billion euro financial aid package. Hope for continued unwavering support from the EU," Shmyhal said on the X social media platform. This year the EU was the largest donor of direct budget support, covering more than 45% of the external financing needs, according to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko. For 2024, Ukraine hopes to receive 18.5 billion euros from the EU and more than $8 billion from a U.S. package that also contains vital military assistance. Voting on both packages was moved to the beginning of the next year. The country's economy can weather the next few months until foreign aid arrives, but 2024 is certain to be tougher than this year and Kyiv will need to rely more heavily on its own resources. The country managed to reduce 2024 external financing needs from an initial $41 billion to $37.3 billion, Marchenko said on Wednesday following measures to maximize budget revenues and activate the domestic debt market. "While defense and security are financed at the expense of domestic budget revenues, we are counting on the help of international partners to meet the needs of the social sphere," he said.
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Dec 23, 2023 00:32
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NOTE TO MODS: THE FOLLOWING POST IS A POST THAT THORN WISHES TALON POSTED WITHIN THIS VERY THREAD IN THE C-SPAM SUB-FORUM.Thorn Wishes Talon posted:It's a paradox that you made up in your head. Washington Post posted:
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Dec 23, 2023 00:35
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Source: Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/editorial-why-we-dont-avoid-unpleasant-stories-about-ukraine/ Editorial: Why we don’t avoid ‘unpleasant’ stories about Ukraine December 22, 2023 9:23 PM 4 min read We’ve got some bad news. In fact, we’ve got plenty of bad news. As well as some good news, and a handful of regular news. As with any media publication, we cover many topics and developments, both upsetting and inspiring. But lately, we have seen a worrying trend that needs addressing. That is, people have been attacking journalists for “negative” stories about Ukraine and the war. More often than before, when we publish a story touching on something that can be seen as “upsetting,” we get pushback from those following what’s happening in Ukraine, in the form of emails to journalists or comments on the website and social media. These “upsetting” stories include reports about the hardships on the front line, battlefield missions not going as planned, corruption allegations rocking the Ukrainian government, or political quarreling that seems inappropriate for the times of war. While such stories get a lot of appreciation from our readers seeking well-rounded reporting about Ukraine, they also provoke accusations of being “too pessimistic,” publishing “harmful” or “demoralizing” stories, helping Russian propaganda, or even being “infiltrated with Kremlin agents.” The words “clickbait” and “disinformation” get thrown around. We want to take this opportunity to explain why we, a Ukrainian publication, choose to publish stories that can be seen as presenting Ukraine in a “bad light.” At the Kyiv Independent, our mission is to report on Ukraine. We aspire to be the place for those seeking to understand Ukraine and the developments here. As journalists, we keep the public informed and hold those in power to account. That includes Ukraine’s leadership in times of war. We wouldn’t be doing anyone any good if we ran the Kyiv Independent as a propaganda outlet or a feel-good publication, filled solely with stories about Ukraine’s successes, of which we cover a lot. Falling out of touch with reality is dangerous, especially in times of war. We saw how this disconnect with reality has been the reason behind some of the Russians’ failures. Thanks to their bad intelligence and corrupt leadership, they walked into Ukraine thinking they would take Kyiv in three days and be met with flowers. We can’t afford to fall into the same trap of ignorance. Reading the stories of Ukrainians’ incredible bravery and victories feels good – and so does writing them. But reality is bigger than just those stories. As with anywhere, our reality in Ukraine is a mix of inspiring and upsetting developments. The war makes everything more vivid. Corruption or political quarreling are more shocking than before, because they’re happening while Ukraine’s defenders lose their lives to buy the country time. And we understand that people are shocked and hurt that these things still happen. So are we. We would be doing a poor service to our readers, both inside and outside of Ukraine, if we filtered out the “bad” stories. In fact, we’d be actively causing harm if we were doing it. We have been getting comments complaining about things “becoming more negative” or “editorial policy changing in the last few months.” The truth is, the editorial policy hasn’t changed. The events we report on have. We are careful and do everything we can to get our facts straight. We’d rather wait and run the story later but get it right. There have been many stories that we haven’t published because we didn’t have enough evidence to be absolutely sure that we have a solid story. Like everyone else, we make mistakes. We make sure to fix it fast, run a correction, and talk it through in the newsroom to keep it from happening again. We understand that readers find certain stories upsetting. It doesn’t change that they are part of our objective reality, and the public deserves to know about them. The only facts we won’t publish are the kind that can hurt troops on the battlefield, such as the locations of specific units or details of planned operations. But we don’t think that the war should be used as a pretext to put a blanket cover over issues like corruption or misconduct. We also don’t think that “upsetting” stories from the front lines should be censored. The daily reality of the war is brutal and it shouldn’t be concealed for the sake of positivity alone. Soldiers defending Ukraine are people with feelings and fears. They are giving their lives and the least we can do is listen to what they have to say, especially if doing so can prevent misconduct whose cost is measured in human lives. Shedding light on it can make a case for action. Importantly, no matter how upset one is with any story, incendiary comments and personal attacks against journalists are irresponsible and can’t be justified. We live and report in a country where journalists have been attacked and killed for their work. Last but not least, Ukraine is about freedom. This war is about staying free – not just from Russia, but from what it stands for: authoritarianism, oppression, and lawlessness. One can’t win a war by adopting the enemy’s values. Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of democracy and a healthy society. Suppressing “unpleasant” stories and calling for the journalists’ silence isn’t what Ukraine stands for. We are serving Ukraine, its future, and our readers. In light of this, expect that the Kyiv Independent will continue to bring you the truth. At times, it will be unpleasant.
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Dec 23, 2023 00:41
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Source: Institute for the Study of War https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-22-2023 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT: DECEMBER 22, 2023 Key Takeaways: - Ukrainian officials continue to warn that Russia maintains its maximalist objectives and additional goals for territorial conquest in Ukraine, despite recent comments made by Western officials suggesting that Russia is already defeated. - Ukraine will very likely receive the first batch of F-16s before the end of 2023. - The Russia Aerospace Forces (VKS) reportedly lost three Su-34 attack aircraft in southern Ukraine between December 21-22. - The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) named Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close ally and Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, as the individual responsible for the assassination of Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin. - The Kremlin continues to position itself as a neutral arbitrator in the Israel-Hamas war despite its recent increasing anti-Israel rhetoric. - US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on December 22 granting the US Treasury Department the authority to impose sanctions on banks and other financial institutions that facilitate Russian sanctions evasion. - Russian officials continue to downplay deteriorating Russian-Armenian relations, possibly as part of a concerted campaign to improve the bilateral relationship amid concerns about Russia’s waning influence in the South Caucasus. - Russian forces made confirmed advances northeast and southwest of Bakhmut and southwest of Avdiivka and continued positional engagements along the entire line of contact. - A Ukrainian intelligence official reported that Russian forces are intensifying force generation efforts to keep pace with the rate of Russian losses in Ukraine so that they can sustain ongoing offensive operations along the front. - Kremlin-appointment Commissioner on Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova outlined new social support measures meant to further integrate occupied Zaporizhia Oblast into Russia during a working visit to the occupied oblast on December 22.
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Dec 23, 2023 02:39
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euphronius posted:- Ukrainian officials continue to warn that Russia maintains its maximalist objectives and additional goals for territorial conquest in Ukraine, despite recent comments made by Western officials suggesting that Russia is already defeated That's a reference to recent remarks made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-22-2023 Ukrainian officials continue to warn that Russia maintains its maximalist objectives and additional goals for territorial conquest in Ukraine, despite recent comments made by Western officials suggesting that Russia is already defeated. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated on December 22 that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has lost Ukraine altogether" and can "no longer achieve its war goals," which is a "major strategic defeat."[1] Stoltenberg also cautioned against expectations in the West of a rapid end to the war. Stoltenberg's comments echo comments made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 20, wherein Blinken stated that Russia has already failed to achieve its principal objective of erasing and subsuming Ukraine.[2] Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, however, also stated on December 22 that even if Russia failed to achieve its operational-strategic objectives in 2023, Putin will simply shift Russia's objectives to the next year, suggesting that it is premature to talk about Russia's complete failure in the war thus far.[3] Skibitsky's statement is consistent with ISW's assessment that Russia continues to pursue Putin’s maximalist goals in Ukraine and that the current failure of Russian operations in Ukraine thus far is not a permanent condition.[4] A Russian source seized on Blinken's comment and similar statements made by Western officials to propagate the narrative that these comments aim to justify reducing Western support for Ukraine.[5] Russian information space actors will likely continue to exploit Western statements regarding the failure of Russian operations in 2023 and falsely frame such statements as indicators that Western leaders intend to stop supporting Ukraine.
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Dec 23, 2023 03:03
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Thorn Wishes Talon posted:it is lol, the chinese are pretty far behind
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Dec 23, 2023 11:16
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Source: Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-farmers-suspend-protest-ukraine-border-truckers-stay-2023-12-23/ Polish farmers to suspend protest at Ukraine border, truckers stay on Reuters December 23, 2023 12:50 PM UTC Updated an hour ago WARSAW, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Polish farmers will suspend a protest at the border crossing with Ukraine at Medyka from Sunday, but truckers will continue blockades at three other crossings over Christmas and will allow even fewer trucks to pass than earlier, they said on Saturday. Polish drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since Nov. 6, demanding the European Union reinstate a system whereby Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc, and the same for European truckers seeking to enter Ukraine. They were later joined by farmers who demanded government subsidies for corn and no hikes in taxes. Roman Kondrow, one of the leaders of the protesting farmers, said after talks with Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski that the protest in Medyka will be suspended from Sunday morning until Jan. 2 or 3, 2024, PAP news agency reported. However, truckers said they would stay on the border over Christmas and will let through only one commercial truck every three hours, instead of three every hour. "We are intensifying the protest, (allowing only) one truck every three hours," said Edyta Ozygała, one of the leaders of the trucker's protest in Dorohusk, told Reuters, adding that the transport of humanitarian help and military equipment were not being blocked. Poland's deputy infrastructure minister said on Friday after a meeting in Kyiv that he hoped truckers' protests on the border with Ukraine could be resolved before the end of the year. Polish truckers resumed their blockade of one of the main crossings at the Ukrainian border this week after a short break. According to data from Poland's Customs office, the wait at the Dorohusk crossing was 77 hours on Saturday.
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Dec 24, 2023 01:20
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mawarannahr posted:wish ff was around Source: Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-catholic-church-says-document-blessing-same-sex-marriage-does-not-2023-12-23/ Ukrainian Catholic church rejects Vatican document on same-sex marriages Reuters December 23, 2023 6:04 PM UTC Updated 35 min ago Dec 23 (Reuters) - The head of Ukraine's eastern-rite Catholic church on Saturday said a document endorsed by Pope Francis this week permitting blessings for same-sex couples did not apply to his church and its teachings. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the Vatican document "interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church" but made no reference to issues governing the eastern, or Greek Catholic, church. "Thus ... this Declaration applies solely to the Latin Church and has no legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church," Shevchuk said in a statement. He said a blessing could not be separated from the church's teachings and "can in no way contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about the family as a faithful, indissoluble, and fertile union of love between a man and a woman." The eastern-rite church worships according to rites similar to the Orthodox faith, but is in communion with Rome by virtue of a 16th century agreement. Repression forced the church underground in Soviet times and it now has about 4.5 million parishioners, or roughly 10% of the population of Ukraine. The document from the Vatican's doctrinal office said Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular church rituals or liturgies. It said such blessings would be a sign that God welcomes all but should not be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage. Gay rights are making some progress in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states outside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed sympathy for upholding gay rights, though ruling out constitutional changes to allow single-sex marriages while the country is at war.
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Dec 24, 2023 01:23
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Source: Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/media-estonia-ready-to-help-mobilize-ukrainian-citizens-if-needed/ Media: Estonia ready to help mobilize Ukrainian citizens if needed by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 23, 2023 12:24 PM 2 min read Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets said Estonia is prepared to aid in mobilizing Ukrainian citizens if requested by Ukraine, according to the Estonian paper Postimees. "We know where these people live in Estonia. We are ready to assist in bringing these people from Estonia to Ukraine, if they need it," said Laanemets, according to the paper. He said 7,500 Ukrainian citizens of fighting age live in Estonia, but some of them are exempt from mobilization for various reasons. The Estonian Interior Minister said he plans to officially notify Ukrainian authorities of the country's readiness to sign the necessary agreement to enable the process if needed. The Estonian paper cited Janek Maggi, Head of the Border and Migration Policy Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, saying that Ukraine did not request help on mobilization from Estonia. The statement comes as Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he wants to recruit Ukrainians living abroad in an interview with German media outlet Die Welt on Dec 21. Defense Ministry press officer Illarion Pavliuk clarified that Umerov spoke generally about the importance of joining the army for Ukrainians, including those living abroad, in a comment to the Ukrainian media outlet Babel. There is currently no active discussion on the recruitment of Ukrainians from abroad, Pavliuk added.
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Dec 24, 2023 01:24
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Source: Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-low-quality-north-korean-shells-injure-troops-ukraine-says-2023-12 Low-quality shells supplied to Russia by North Korea are injuring its own troops and damaging artillery, Ukraine says Alia Shoaib Dec 23, 2023 7:08 PM SGT Russia is using low-quality, often-defective artillery shells from North Korea that can cause problems on the front lines, Ukraine's army said in a Facebook post Tuesday. In some cases, the North Korean-supplied shells damage cannon and mortar barrels and even injure Russian soldiers. It is particularly a problem in the "Dnepr" grouping of forces operating around the southern Kherson region under the command of Mikhail Teplinsky, according to Ukraine's army. Teplinsky, the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, or VDV, was recently put in charge of the area where fighting has raged in recent weeks. North Korea, one of Russia's few international allies, has sent it large quantities of ammunition. One South Korean lawmaker estimated that North Korea had sent Russia at least a million shells, Politico reported. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea in August to ask for ammunition amid reports that Russian forces were suffering from shortages. Trevor Taylor, the director of the Defence, Industries & Society Programme at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, previously told Politico that it was unclear whether the North Korean ammunition was of a reliable quality. "North Korea runs a war economy, which we don't," Taylor said. "But whether the ammunition they are supplying is at the standard of reliability and safety that the Europeans would adhere to is another question." Meanwhile, fears of a Ukrainian shell famine are growing as Western military aid shows signs of faltering. During its counteroffensive in the summer, Ukrainian forces burned through artillery shells at a rate of about 7,000 rounds a day, figures from Estonia's defence ministry show. The Kiel Institute, which has tracked aid promised and sent to Ukraine, said in an update earlier this month that while the new US aid package was delayed to next year, the EU's commitment to supplying one million rounds of ammunition has stalled. Israel's war with Hamas could also divert tens of thousands of artillery rounds intended for Ukraine, Axios reported in October.
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Dec 24, 2023 01:26
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Thorn Wishes Talon posted:it is lol, the chinese are pretty far behind
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Dec 24, 2023 02:47
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Source: Institute for the Study of War https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-23-2023 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, DECEMBER 23, 2023 Key Takeaways: - The New York Times (NYT) - citing former and current senior Russian, US, and international officials - reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using back channels and intermediaries to signal his interest in a ceasefire, despite Putin’s recent public statements to the contrary. - The timing of Putin’s reported interest in a ceasefire is more consistent with Russia’s ongoing efforts to delay and discourage further Western military assistance to Ukraine, than with a serious interest in ending the war other than with a full Russian victory. - Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) Commander Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky obliquely indicated that VDV forces are under significant pressure to conduct rapid offensive operations near Bakhmut and repel Ukrainian attacks on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast. - Teplinsky also implied that the Russian military command is deploying new VDV officers and troops promptly to the frontlines without having them complete pre-combat training. - Russia's Black Sea Fleet's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade confirmed that it is deliberately using chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces in an apparent violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a party. - Recent analysis by OSINT analyst MT Anderson confirms that while Russian forces have moved the bulk of Black Sea Fleet (BSF) assets away from occupied Sevastopol, the BSF maintains a limited naval presence in Sevastopol. - The Russian information space exploited news of a Ukrainian journalist’s decision not to return to Ukraine after an assignment abroad to amplify ongoing Russian information operations about resistance to full mobilization efforts in Ukraine that purposefully ignore the much more substantial Russian resistance to Russia’s partial mobilization of reservists in September 2022. - Russian milbloggers used the granting of Russian citizenship to Palestinian refugees on December 23 to promote the idea of Russia’s “compatriots abroad” - an oft-used Kremlin justification for its war in Ukraine. - Russian forces made recent confirmed advances near Kupyansk and Kreminna, northeast of Bakhmut, southwest of Donetsk City, and in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast and continued positional engagements along the entire line of contact. - Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec subsidiary United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Head Yuri Slyusar stated during a television interview on December 19 that UAC will increase its production of combat aircraft in 2024 and 2025, including its production of new types of aircraft. - Russian occupation authorities are building out electoral infrastructure in occupied Ukraine to set conditions for the upcoming presidential election.
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Dec 24, 2023 22:15
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Source: Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/umerov-says-mobilization-bill-to-be-registered-in-ukrainian-parliament-in-coming-days/ Minister expects bill in 'coming days' to change approaches to mobilization by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 24, 2023 7:30 PM 2 min read A bill on the mobilization of conscripts will be registered in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, in the "coming days," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne in a Dec. 24 interview. Umerov said the bill would change the approaches to mobilization in Ukraine to make sure that society does not see conscription as "punishment." "We are preparing a mobilization blueprint should be understandable to the public. We are discussing it with the military, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Verkhovna Rada," Umerov told Suspilne. The new mobilization plan is about joining the military to serve the country, training conscripts, rotation, and finishing military service, he said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in November that he had instructed Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi and Umerov to present a new mobilization plan. On Dec. 19, Zelensky said Ukraine’s military leadership had proposed mobilizing 450,000-500,000 additional conscripts. "This is a serious number. I said I need more arguments to support this direction," Zelensky said during a press conference. Umerov told Suspilne that, if society wants Ukraine to return to the borders of 1991, it is necessary to understand how occupied territories will be liberated. He added that the mechanism of mobilization and demobilization required adjustment in this context. "If we seek society's support, we must explain how and whom we want to invite to serve, what will happen to that person when they are discharged. To address this, we are preparing a draft law," Umerov said. He also said that the term "demobilization" would not be used until the end of the war, but there would be military leaves for soldiers. fizziester has issued a correction as of 22:29 on Dec 24, 2023 |
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Dec 24, 2023 22:26
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mila kunis posted:There is no reason to reinvent the wheel or create any kind of "frosted flake thought". The dialectical synthesis of hereditary monarchy with socialist characteristics already exists Source: Kyiv Independent https://kyivindependent.com/defense-ministry-paris-to-host-artillery-coalition-to-strengthen-ukrainian-army/ Defense Ministry: Paris to host 'artillery coalition' to strengthen Ukrainian army by The Kyiv Independent news desk December 24, 2023 8:03 PM 2 min read A new "artillery coalition" to strengthen the Ukrainian army will begin its operations in Paris in January 2024, Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk announced on Dec. 24 during the meeting with the delegation from the Senate of the French Parliament. He said that it's crucial for Ukraine to "enhance its firepower by receiving artillery systems from its allies," according to the Defense Ministry’s statement citing Havryliuk. "In particular, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are interested in further procurement of self-propelled artillery units, such as Caesar," reads the statement. The Defense Ministry also reported that in 2024, "tests are scheduled for the fire control system of the Caesar self-propelled artillery unit using artificial intelligence." Havryliuk said the AI implementation "will result in a 30% reduction in the use of ammunition for zeroing in and targeting," the ministry reports. According to the statement, Havryliuk also asked the French delegation to assist in increasing the number of ammunition for the Caesars. Earlier on Dec. 18, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said that Ukrainian forces face shortages of artillery shells and have to scale down some military operations due to a decrease in foreign aid. "There's a problem with ammunition, especially post-Soviet (shells) – that's 122 mm, 152 mm. And today, these problems exist across the entire front line," said Tarnavskyi, who commands the Tavria group of forces. Russia's advantage in artillery shells has long been one of the key obstacles pointed out by Ukrainian commanders. "The volumes that we have today are not sufficient for us today, given our needs. So, we're redistributing it," Tarnavskyi said, explaining that the military is scaling down its tasks as a result.
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Dec 24, 2023 22:29
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Source: Ukrainska Pravda https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/12/24/7434405/ Czechia to pay Ukrainians coming back home EUROPEAN PRAVDA, UKRAINSKA PRAVDA SUNDAY, 24 DECEMBER 2023, 13:15 Czech President Petr Pavel has signed amendments to the Lex Ukraine law, regulating the status of Ukrainians who have left for Czechia since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: Czech president’s website; European Pravda Details: The amendment's key provision extends temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens in Czechia until March 2025, in accordance with the decision of the EU Council. At the same time, the law also foresees providing financial support to refugees with temporary protection status as they seek to leave for Ukraine. The amount of this assistance is yet to be determined by the Czech government. Refugees will have the opportunity to apply for such assistance only once and no later than three months before the expiry of their right to stay in Czechia under temporary protection, i.e. by the end of 2024. Should these people later seek a long-term visa in Czechia, they would first face the obligation to repay half of the amount that the Czech government allocated so that they could travel back home. Background: As of October, there were 359,000 Ukrainian refugees in Czechia, about 115,000 of whom were legally employed. Earlier this year, Czechia also tightened the conditions for assisting Ukrainian refugees to reduce budget expenditures.
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Dec 24, 2023 22:31
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Source: The Independent (UK) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-war-us-aid-stops-putin-frontline-b2464421.html Ukraine will suffer ‘insane’ losses if US stops aid, warn frontline troops Arpan Rai 14 hours ago There is a growing sense of alarm among Ukraine’s frontline forces at dwindling supplies of arms and ammunition and signs that the commitment of international partners is faltering, according to multiple senior Ukrainian military officials. Ukraine’s military fears Vladimir Putin’s forces could break through its defensive lines and secure victory for Russia within days if the US does not commit to more aid, with intense fighting still taking place and hourly assaults targeting the key industrial town of Avdiivka, despite the onset of the country’s bitter winter. “It is a very difficult situation, very difficult, but the guys from the defence forces are holding their ground,” says Vitaliy Barabash, the head of Avdiivka’s military administration, in an interview with The Independent. Volodymyr Zelensky has continued to strike a grittily optimistic tone while appealing for more support from allies in recent days, firmly rejecting the suggestion that Ukraine is about to start losing the war when questioned at a news conference with foreign media on Tuesday. But, with the US Congress failing to agree even a smaller Ukraine aid package or temporary relief before breaking up for the winter recess, Mr Zelensky’s frontline commanders have a much more grim warning for the future that awaits the country if it is left to fight on its own. If US aid comes to a halt, Barabash says it will lead to huge losses among both his personnel and the local civilian population. “The line of defence may change and it will lead to insane losses, as it was at the beginning of a full-scale war,” he says. Barabash says the fighting in Avdiivka is “very hot right now”, and that Ukraine urgently needs more supplies if it is to hold onto the town, never mind win the war as a whole. “For the last five days, the enemy has been actively using dozens of pieces of [aerial] equipment. Our military is burning this equipment; almost everything is shot down,” he says. “The enemy is pressing from almost 16 directions precisely along the Avdiivka defence line. The Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant and Stepove direction are the most important for their attacks. And, of course, the direction of Pervomaysk, Opytne, Vodyane [villages], where they try to enter from the flanks.” Mr Putin’s forces appear better prepared for the second winter of their invasion compared to Ukraine, which expended a great deal of effort and resources this summer on a long-awaited counter-offensive that produced only small territorial gains. Shortages of ammunition are proving the biggest pressure point, Barabash says. “The most important thing we need – not only in our direction (Avdiivka) but in general along the entire line of defence – to stop the army of the Russian Federation is as much ammunition as possible. 155 mm calibre ammunition, more HIMARS are needed,” he says, referring to a US-made mobile artillery system. Dmytro Lazutkin, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanised Brigade which is holding the northern outskirts of Avdiivka, says it is no secret that Western arms supplies are what have allowed his military to withstand the onslaught from its much bigger neighbour so far. “Of course, Western aid is of great importance,” he tells The Independent. “Our brigade is fighting primarily with Western equipment, we have Bradley [tanks], we have Paladin self-propelled guns, and ammunition for them is crucial for our military to fight effectively. “At the moment there is something to hold in Avdiivka, and there are powerful means to prevent the enemy from advancing aggressively.” Mr Lazutkin says Ukraine is facing a ruthless enemy in Avdiivka, with Russian forces not even pausing to clear the bodies of its soldiers that litter the battlefield, from the walls of Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant to the Stepove village railway station. He points to declassified US intelligence figures suggesting Russia has lost 13,000 soldiers in the fight for Avdiivka just since the beginning of October. “They really do not spare people, their attitude is that the goal justifies any means.” He says the enemy they face appears largely to consist of so-called “Storm Z” units, comprising former convicts and recently mobilised recruits who have just finished training. Mr Lazutkin says Russia has committed more than 40,000 troops to try and capture Avdiivka, but while Ukraine is outnumbered the town can still be saved. Ukrainians there, he says, fight “not only for their families, for their homeland, for their country, but also for European values, and the European order we are used to”. Another senior Ukrainian commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the defence forces in Avdiivka had just enough ammunition to hold out in their current positions, but not enough to “make Russia stop” if the situation intensifies. “Some things cannot be predicted,” he says. “For example, Russians began to use new versions of S-400 rockets to hit ground targets in Kyiv, which means we need more Patriot missiles than we previously expected.” Russia has succeeded in crippling Kyiv’s industry, according to this senior Ukrainian officer, making it impossible for it to produce the supplies it needs domestically. “This war has become a war of attrition and we have to hold the line for some time to win. We are really depending on international support from the US, Britain, the EU and South Korea,” he says. “Of course, it does not mean that we will stop fighting without external help. We have too many examples in front of our eyes to know that this war is a genocide, and no one here wants his town to share the fate of Bucha or Mariupol. It’s just about the number of losses we will have in our struggle.”
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Dec 25, 2023 03:56
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Source: Institute for the Study of War https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-24-2023 RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, DECEMBER 24, 2023 Key Takeaways: - European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs High Representative Josep Borrell stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in a limited territorial victory in Ukraine and will continue the war “until the final victory.” - Russian forces are reportedly decreasing aviation activity and their use of glide bombs in Ukraine after Ukrainian forces shot down three Russian Su-34s in southern Ukraine between December 21 and 22. - Russian forces conducted a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of December 23 to 24. - Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov further detailed Ukraine’s efforts to establish a sustainable wartime force-generation apparatus and an effective defense industrial base (DIB) during an interview published on December 24. - Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to portray himself as a gracious leader who cares about the well-being of Russian military personnel, while also presenting himself as an effective Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces. - Russia appears to be continuing its efforts to build out a military occupation force in Ukraine separate from its frontline units through the use of its newly formed Rosgvardia units. - The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade edited its acknowledgement that its personnel are deliberately using chemical weapons in Ukraine in a likely effort to hide what could be evidence of an apparent violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is party. - Russia’s labor shortage, which is partially a result of the war in Ukraine, reportedly amounted to about 4.8 million people in 2023 and will likely continue to exacerbate struggling Kremlin efforts aimed at increasing Russian economic capacity. - Russian forces made confirmed advances near Kreminna and near Avdiivka as positional engagements continue along the entire line of contact. - The newly formed 337th Airborne (VDV) Regiment (104th VDV Division) operating in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast near Krynky is continuing to suffer losses. - Russian officials claimed that Russia’s handling of the situation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is sufficient, despite recent unsafe incidents during Russian occupation of the plant.
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Dec 25, 2023 14:10
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