TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

75 years ago, on 4 April 1949, an agreement was signed in Washington that established the North Atlantic Alliance.

75 years ago, NATO's 12 founding members came together to be stronger together. And to counter security challenges together.

Over the past 75 years, the Alliance has expanded to include 32 full members, and today NATO is the principal military and political alliance united by common principles, values and standards.

For Ukraine, membership in the North Atlantic Alliance is one of the strategic goals of our security policy.

On 30 September 2022, together with the President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, I signed Ukraine's application to join NATO. 

Since then, many parliaments have expressed political support for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

And I am convinced that NATO countries can invite Ukraine to join the Alliance right now.

In July, the NATO Summit in Washington will take place, and Ukraine is counting on this decision.

This is what Ukrainian soldiers on the front line defending NATO's eastern flank expect.

This is what civilians who experience russian terror every day are waiting for.

And this decision can be a powerful step towards de-escalating the security situation on the European continent.

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk

@ukrainejournal

Article: Putin's German aides
Mariupol was completely destroyed by Russia. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and displaced. Reconstruction plays a central role in the Russian propaganda war. According to Monitor research, German companies are also involved.

It was one of the most terrible battles of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For weeks, Russian troops besieged Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, starving the population and sparing neither the patients in hospitals nor civilians hiding in the theater. Many survivors were driven out by Vladimir Putin's army. A large city was completely ruined.

When the Russian flag was raised on the destroyed buildings of Mariupol, construction work on the "new" Mariupol began. A Russian city, with Russian residents, built on behalf of the Kremlin. There are construction sites all over the city, blocks of flats built out of the ground.

This is so important for Russian propaganda that even Putin personally got an impression of the progress of the work last year. "We will rebuild the apartments, schools, hospitals, theaters and museums," Putin said of Mariupol. Everything that he previously had brutally destroyed.

But who will help him with this project? Among other things, German companies. For example, the Knauf company, the world leader in plaster production. Also because it has been doing important business in Russia for a long time. Company patriarch Nikolaus Knauf was Russian honorary consul for more than two decades; in photos he smiles next to President Putin. He retained this post even after the annexation of Crimea, and in 2018 he described the subsequent sanctions against Russia as “terrible”. Knauf says it continues to employ 4,000 people in Russia and has billions in sales there.

Even if building materials are not generally covered by the EU's sanctions rules, companies must be able to "effectively rule out that there is a military connection, any military connection, from what they supply." This “military relationship” arises from the client: an official Knauf dealer publicly advertises that he has built a residential building project with Knauf building materials on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Monitor editorial team has photos of this construction site with Knauf sacks.

But Knauf is not an isolated case. In the images and videos evaluated by Monitor, concrete blocks in green packaging film are noticeable on numerous construction sites. On it is the logo of a German company from Münsterland in North Rhine-Westphalia - WKB Systems GmbH. The company equips, among other things, factories for the production of concrete blocks.

The company's main shareholder is the Russian oligarch Viktor Konstantinovich Budarin. Budarin used his German company as a supplier to the construction industry in Putin's Russia. Customs data available to Monitor show: For several years, WKB Systems GmbH supplied entire systems for factories for the production of such aerated concrete blocks to a Russian company from Budarin - apparently the very company with whose products Russia is trying to consolidate its power in Mariupol.

Numerous Russian oligarchs have already been sanctioned in recent years. Budarin is not one of them.

Read the full article here:
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/monitor/ukraine-mariupol-wiederaufbau-russland-100.html (use the translation tool of your browser)

@ukrainejournal

Warning: violent!
Fat ruzzians being beaten up.

Paddy Power!
In Ireland some ruzzians made the mistake of chanting Putin on the street.

If they love Putin's Russian World so much, why aren't they there?
@ukrainejournal

German companies help Russia rebuild occupied Mariupol, — ARD.

At least two companies from Germany — Knauf and WKB Systems are supplying construction materials for use by Russia in occupied Mariupol, according to an investigation by the ARD TV program Monitor.

The authors of the investigation note that after the occupation of the completely destroyed city, its restoration “plays a vital role in Russia's propaganda war.” “When the Russian flag was raised over the destroyed buildings of Mariupol, the construction of a 'new' Mariupol began. A Russian city, with Russian residents, built on behalf of the Kremlin,” the publication says.

At the request of the editorial staff, Knauf stated that they condemn Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and comply with all EU sanctions against Russia, and that Knauf products manufactured in Russia are intended exclusively for the Russian market. According to ARD, Knauf currently has four thousand employees in Russia and makes billions of dollars in sales on the Russian market.

In addition, in photos and videos from construction sites in Mariupol, ARD journalists noticed concrete blocks in green packaging film with the name of the German company WKB Systems from the Münsterland region of North Rhine-Westphalia. Among other things, this company supplies concrete block production plants. WKB Systems did not respond to journalists' requests for comment.

The photo shows the ruins of the Mariupol Drama Theater, which was first destroyed and now being rebuilt by the Russians.

😡The russians hit Zaporizhzhia again.

There are injured journalists from Ukrinform and 1+1.

The number of victims increased to 19.

Russia used three missiles, and soon after it carried out a second strike with two more missiles while rescuers and police were on the scene.

From "The Analyst":

AIRBASE STRIKES SUCCESS

Ukrainian drones struck at least two airbases successfully last night. I’ve been waiting to see the latest figures but we may have to wait a little longer to be absolutely sure of the totals of Russian aircraft lost, but it’s looking like it’s between 12 and 18.
Ukraine knows it has to make the front line airfields untenable- and the Russians know it too, so they are quite well defended. As Russia has learned from the experience of attacking Ukraine, Ukraine has in turn learnt from Russia how to approach such targets.
Unquestionably drones were shot down, that was expected and what usually happens is that enough arrive in two formats - firstly the all at once method, where so many arrive at once they can’t possibly be all shot down, or that sacrificial drones go in first to wear down the air defences and the second wave arrives just as the missiles run out and have to be reloaded.
Even so, there’s outrage in Russia that they haven’t been able to produce or even start to organise, simple Ukraine style man on a pickup truck with machine gun defences. These have been successful in Ukraine but Russia seems incapable of producing them.
It’s become such a bind for the oil refinery companies that they have been paying for their own anti-drone equipment and hunting around the world for it wherever they can buy it at any price.
A third airbase was also reached - outside of Saratov, which is much deeper inside Russia - but this seems to have been a recon/probing operation more than a straight up mass attack.
Again the tactics Ukraine are employing are designed to keep Russian air defences on their guard and uncertain. What do you defend? The refineries? The air bases? There’s only so many defence systems to go around - and they’re not on the front line leaving that as another operational area open to attack.
The Russians seem taken aback by the fact their own tactics and strategies have been adopted so quickly and effectively by their victim. What did they expect? Not this I think. They have forgotten the old but always relevant rules of war.
If you can’t win don’t fight. And if you do fight when you know you can’t really win, don’t be surprised that the victim of your attack uses your own ideas and weakness against you.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!

From "The Analyst":

RUSSIAN TACTICAL AIR FORCE UPDATE

Russian Tactical Aerospace Forces, or VKS, continues to burn through its fighter aircraft in the war against Ukraine. After two years of air war, its total force is slightly less than 75% of its prewar strength.
The VKS has directly lost approximately 16 fighters over the past eight months. However, this does not account for the imputed losses, which arise from an aircraft accruing more flight hours than planned, reducing its overall life. Based on updated available information, the VKS is on track to suffer approximately 60 imputed aircraft losses this year from overuse. That’s equivalent to losing 26 new aircraft of newer types. Meanwhile the Russian MoD currently procures only about 20 total Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft per year, and even that is stretching believability under the current sanctions regime.
The air war has mostly maintained a steady state since mid-2023, with the exception of February 2024, when the VKS flew approximately 150 sorties per day in support of the Avdiivka offensive, proving decisive. Given that Russia also has been using longer-range glide bombs and devoted more aircraft to air-to-ground roles, the average sortie duration has also likely decreased, reducing the accelerated aging. Even so, slightly more than half of the tactical airframes are more than 30 years old; these have far fewer flight hours left.
This accelerated aging may be shaping Russian combat operations. The majority of VKS fighters operating (and lost) over Ukraine are the newer Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft with occasional reported sightings of Su-25, but many of these were lost early on and they are very elderly.
The older MiG-31s and Su-27s have been relegated to supporting hypersonic Kinzhal strikes and air patrol at a distance. With an estimated average remaining airframe life of less than 20% and 35% respectively, these older aircraft can be used for this war, but likely have insufficient life to support Russia’s potential future air warfare needs.
Russia’s air-to-air warfare MiG-29s are totally absent, even from air-patrol missions. Given their age, these aircraft are likely unserviceable. Regardless, whether due to lack of upgrades, survivability or age, these are effectively non existent aircraft.
The Su-24s, on the other hand, were used extensively in the invasion of Ukraine. But there have been no reports of Su-24 losses so far in 2024. These aircraft are old with the newest models manufactured in 1993. The VKS may have chosen not to configure them for their new FAB-1500 glide bombs, which would also hint at the fact that the Su-24s may be reaching the end of their useful lives.
Ukraine, which is short on air defense munitions, has a few options to accelerate Russian air losses. Attacking air bases would likely reduce VKS sortie rates by more than 20% by disrupting operations and forcing them to fly from more distant bases. The greatest opportunity remains the effect of F-16’s (and possible Gripens) to divert Russian sorties from ground-attack to air-to-air efforts.

Three from the Analyst

From "The Analyst":

RUSSIAN FAILURE AT KRASNOHORIVKA

Having taken the town of Merinka after a long slog of a battle that lasted months, made more complex by difficult lakes, swamps and rivers, the town of Krasnohorivka just to then north of Merinka is a key defensive point.
The town has long been on the frontline - right back to 2014. As a result it’s heavily fortified with an industrial zone and high rise buildings offering outstanding zones of observation and fire control.
In addition there are swamps, bogs and wetlands around the area that, due to so much long term fighting over ten years, have effectively re-wilded without human interference to maintain drainage and farmland. It is not an easy place to attack even on the best of days.
By now you will know what the Russians use to demolish high rise buildings - waves of air launched glide bombs, and that’s exactly what they have done.
Russian forces started to accumulated for this offensive in early March, and the bombings intensified dramatically in preparation.
The attacks began on April 3-4 with the first coming through the southern wetlands gap - a very narrow approach point the Russians must have known the Ukrainian forces would have covered. They attacked anyway and ran straight into a minefield. The first groups didn’t even get out of their carriers before being destroyed. These were sacrificial forces. The second and third waves made their way through and deployed their infantry.
Having forced the defenders out of the lightly defended southern part of the town- and behind the heavier defence line, the Russians dug in to their captured positions.
Ukraine had long expected an attack here and the town is of tactical importance in terms of local supply. Losing it would be unfortunate. As
A result the army had established a group of three sets of quick reaction reserves, designed to be deployed rapidly at whatever point the attack might come from.
These forces, made up of the battle hardened 1st & 2nd battalions of the 3rd Assault Brigade, trained specifically with the best equipment to deal with these types of situations.
They rapidly moved through the Russian lines, using infantry assault tactics and drones, causing chaos in the Russian forces which it was noted, seemed to be disconnected from their command and totally uncoordinated.
Things were so bad that the Ukrainian forces were listening in on the unencrypted Russian comms and knew what they planned - they stood by while Russian artillery was ordered to open fire on their soldiers own positions in error.
The Ukrainian army managed to force the Russians back past their original start position and confirmed observation showed that Russian loses were running at around 4:1.
Yet again the ability of Ukrainian forces to evacuate wounded soldiers saved lives - something not even remotely comparable on the Russian side where even minor injuries can result in death.
The Russians were driven out, their loses high, and they’re back to where they started.
A brilliant counter attack operation by the Ukrainians who clearly have a few surprises waiting for the Russians wherever they try next.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!

153rd Mechanized Brigade is no longer mechanized, — MilitaryLand.

The leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reorganized the 153rd Mechanized Brigade into an infantry brigade. This change was announced through the official social media channels of the brigade.

While the official reason behind the change remains undisclosed, it is presumably linked to the shortage of infantry fighting vehicles. The problem arose already prior to the formation of 150ish mechanized brigades, it’s not new. Western partners are no longer supplying an adequate quantity of equipment to replenish existing mechanized brigades and form new ones. The remaining “free” mechanized equipment is now being allocated to motivated units, who proved themselves in the fight.

The reorganization of the 153rd Brigade may not be an isolated occurrence. According to the sources, the 152nd Mechanized Brigade is also slated for transformation into an infantry brigade in the near future.

https://youtu.be/-MoLDGgAGRA?si=3ertNRw_UeY_CZxN

🔥 The night attack on the Morozovsk military airfield in Russia was organized by the SBU – at least 6 aircrafts were destroyed and 8 more were severely damaged, Army TV reports, citing sources. There are reports of about 20 dead and wounded Russian soldiers.

Frontline bombers Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 were based at the airfield. These bombers attack Ukrainian positions and frontline cities with guided aerial bombs.

🪐 Subscribe to Live: Ukraine

Russia bombed Doctors Without Borders
https://t.me/United24media/20482

Japan has a long list

https://t.me/United24media/20476

https://t.me/United24media/20469

WHERE IS THE MONEY?
The Analyst

The West is very good at making promises but not so good at coughing up the money.
The availability of 1.5 million shells - and now another 300,000 that Estonia can acquire, required funding to the tune of $1.8 billion.
That’s a good deal. Yet Czechia which is brokering the deal, has received just about enough money to buy only 300,000 of the shells on offer.  However it’s been promised enough to buy twice that so far and is looking for the rest from donations. So where is the promised money? Nobody wants to admit who has and hasn’t paid. More to the point how is it so difficult to get hold of just $1.8 billion between some thirty+ countries? Some have offered nothing at all.
NATO is looking to take over the management of the Ramstein process and is looking for a $100 billion permanent fund to support Ukraine on an ongoing permanent basis.
Already, Hungary is refusing to take part and wants nothing to do with the matter.
Many countries are warning that the last thing needed is big numbers that actually can’t be financed and don’t have formalised support.
In the US it’s now become clear that the Speaker is unlikely to put any motion on the table when he said he would. Extreme pro-Russian Trumplicans like Marjorie Traitor Greene are threatening his position and he has barely ten day window to pass the motion before yet another recess for another two weeks starts on April 22nd. That again, is his own doing, designed to prevent any discharge motion of the existing senate-passed bill being voted on. Already at least another month has been added to any feasible aid package and they don’t start work until April 9! It’s deliberate and dysfunctional, it is a betrayal of every decent American.
Yet there’s good news said to be coming from the UK. An announcement on the use of Russian frozen funds for Ukraine weapons is set to be made any day.
The American Administration seems inclined to offer a similar deal not too far down the road.

@Dianna_DiDi

Ukraine needs
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/03/27/australia-laser-weapon-drones/

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/another-one-bites-the-dust-24/55348/

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trump-has-all-caps-meltdown-as-jack-smith-closes-in-on-aileen-cannon/55347/