TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

During the exchange, Maryana Checheliuk - an investigator from Mariupol, who was in captivity for 2 years, returned home.

Together with her sister, she escaped from shelling in the Azovstal bunkers.

Representatives of the UN and CH promised to take Maryana and Alina to Zaporizhzhia, but they took them to the village of Bezimenne for filtering. The sister was freed, but Maryana was captured.

❗️In her letters to her mother, the girl wrote that she was starved, beaten and abused.

Now she is at home 😌

‼️After a long break, another exchange of prisoners took place: 75 defenders and civilians were released from enemy captivity.

👇👇👇to continue

Good morning Resisters. Rain around 9 and Tstorms at 3.

Goodnight Resisters

🔥 Moscow is on fire! The former "Toros" machine-building plant is burning violently.

The fire has already covered 4,000 m². There is a threat of the fire spreading to neighboring buildings (fingers crossed!) The cause of the fire is unknown, but locals wrote about "kabooms". No casualties.

Pentagon opens ammunition factory in Texas to keep arms supply to Ukraine, — New York Times.

The factory under construction in Mesquite, Texas, will soon produce 30,000 155-mm artillery shells per month, roughly double the current US production capacity. In particular, they should cover Ukraine's need to counter Russian forces.

To keep Ukraine’s artillery crews supplied, the Pentagon set a production target last year of 100,000 shells per month by the end of 2025. 

However, the launch of a single new factory may not be enough to change the outcome of the fighting in Ukraine's favor.

“The steady increase of artillery ammunition production is significant for long-term U.S. and Ukrainian needs,” said Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “but even in the best case scenario, I would say those late-2025 output targets will arrive late in this war, and it is likely that Russian artillery output will still be higher than the US and Europe combined at that point.”

Macron intends to create a European coalition of military instructors in Ukraine, — Le Monde, citing its own sources.

According to the publication, several hundred specialists from several countries may be involved to train sappers or even help form a new motorized infantry brigade.

It is noted that consultations on this issue are planned to be accelerated in the coming days in order to make a statement during the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron in France on June 6-7.

Sweden's new military aid package, announced on May 29, includes two ASC 890 airborne early warning and control aircraft equipped with the latest radar systems.

The ASC 890 aircraft function as advanced radar tracking systems and airborne command posts capable of coordinating the operations of aviation, naval forces, and missile forces, while detecting a variety of threats, such as fighter jets, helicopters, cruise missiles, and naval targets.

"ASC 890" stands for Airborne Surveillance and Control, meaning Air Combat Command and Air Surveillance Platform in Swedish. It is a twin-engine Saab 340 propeller aircraft equipped with a fixed Erieye radar on the roof, developed by the Swedish military-industrial complex.

The Erieye radar can track ships, planes, missiles, and even hovering helicopters up to a distance of 300-400 km at an altitude of 6,100 meters. It covers an effective observation area of over 500,000 square kilometers, allowing the ASC 890 to operate from a safe distance from enemy forces.

The aircraft is equipped with a wide range of communication facilities, providing connectivity with involved units and other control centers both on the ground and in the air, allowing anti-aircraft troops to transmit their data through the plane.

According to the official specifications, the ASC 890 can perform the following missions:

▫️Air and sea surveillance, including reconnaissance
▫️Early air warning
▫️Control over own military assets
▫️Surveillance and control of national borders
▫️Search and rescue
▫️Alarm notification
▫️Airspace protection

The crew consists of six people, and the aircraft can fly for about six hours.

These aircraft will provide Ukraine with "absolutely new opportunities for radar reconnaissance and combat control of targets in the air and at sea."

🤔United States Secretary of State Blinken made statements today in Moldova on Ukrainian use of US weapons to strike russia in self defense

Journalist to Blinken (visiting Moldova): "Mr. Secretary, in recent days a number of leaders – Macron, Scholz, Secretary General Stoltenberg – have spoken about potentially letting Ukraine use Western arms to strike directly on Russian soil when Russia is directly targeting Ukraine.  You’ve been publicly reported to be the most forward-leaning senior American official to be pushing for that.  Do you think President Biden can be persuaded to agree on that?"

Blinken: "Another hallmark of our support for Ukraine over these now more than two years has been to adapt.  As the conditions have changed, as the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed in terms of how it’s pursuing its aggression, escalation, we’ve adapted and adjusted too, and I’m confident we’ll continue to do that. "

Prices for coffins have soared in Russia

The war with Ukraine provoked a sharp increase in the cost of funeral services and goods in Russia. In February, citizens had to pay an average of 7.4 thousand rubles to make a coffin. Compared to the same month in 2022, the price jumped by 66% - then a coffin could be purchased for about 4.5 thousand rubles, “Important Stories” calculated based on Rosstat data.

At the same time, digging graves is becoming more expensive. Last year, the increase in prices for this service reached 11.25% and became the maximum for the entire time of available statistics (since 2016). In February of this year, such work cost an average of 10.2 thousand rubles, while in the same month of 2022 it was necessary to pay about 7.9 rubles for them. Cumulatively, over two years of war, digging graves became 23% more expensive.

The cost of cremation has also increased. If in February 2022 you had to pay an average of 21 thousand rubles for it, now it’s already 32 thousand rubles (+52%).

- Russians taking part in the so called special operation may wish to place their orders now before prices increase further.

Rest in Peace

On May 29, during a rotation in the Kharkiv region, Iryna Tsybukh, a paramedic of the Ukrainian volunteer medical battalion “Hospitallers,” was killed. She was only 25 years old🕯️

This battalion has been participating in the Russo-Ukrainian war in Donbas since 2014. They provide first aid, pre-medical assistance, and evacuate wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the hottest spots on the front line.

Rest in Peace

18-year-old swimmer Nikita Zasiadko from Kharkiv gave his life for the freedom and independence of our country.

The boy devoted most of his life to sports. At the age of 15, he was awarded the title of Master of Sports of Ukraine in swimming, and at 17 — a candidate for Master of Sports in freestyle wrestling.

In 2022, Nikita graduated from the Kharkiv Professional College of Sports and entered the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture to study two specialities at once: "Rehabilitation therapist" and "recreation".

Despite the danger, he stayed in his hometown, continued to study and volunteer.

As soon as he turned 18, he took a gap year and voluntarily joined the legendary Azov Brigade. He became a senior machine gunner with the call sign "Proud".

By the Decree of the President of Ukraine, Nikita Zasyadko was awarded the Order "For Courage", III degree (posthumously).

May he rest in peace...

The Committee of Youth and Sports

Source: Sports Committee of Ukraine

Goodnight Resisters everywhere

Kateryna Zakoretska, 35, sergeant major of the 80th Air Assault Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, died defending Ukraine.

Her eight-year-old son will forever miss his mom.

"Katia loved her family, life and believed in our Victory. After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, she performed complex combat missions, defending the skies of Kharkiv region, and remained faithful to her military oath until her last breath," the city council said.

Eternal memory and eternal glory to Ukrainian Hero.

She misses her father who is a hero for his Ukraine. For Europa.
@ukrainejournal

After 9 months they admit they have her

The russian Ministry of "Defense" (human rights abuse) admitted that Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchina, who disappeared in August, is detained in the Russian Federation

The official response that her father received from the department states that Roshchina “has been detained and is on the territory of the Russian Federation,” reports the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.

Roshchina stopped communicating in August 2023 while preparing a report on the occupied territories of Ukraine. Before this, the Russian military had already detained her in Berdyansk, where they held her for 10 days. After she was released, she said that she had no complaints against the Russian special services.

Roshchina has been writing about the war in Ukraine since the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, publishing her materials in Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske and Radio Liberty. In 2022, the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) awarded her the Courage in Journalism Award.

Macron, with a map in his hands, states that Ukraine should have the right to strike at military bases on the territory of the Russian Federation, from which missiles are launched

"They have the right to neutralize military sites from which missiles are launched and other military facilities from which Ukraine is attacked. But we must not allow Ukraine to hit other targets in Russia, civilian targets, of course, or other military targets," said the French president during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

💥Ruzzian tank turret toss world championship entry from Ukraine

How many points would you give from 1 to 10?