TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

‼️💥Breaking news, in Russia, a powerful explosion occurred at a defense plant

Residents of the Siberian city of Biysk reported on social networks about a loud explosion, a shock wave and a column of smoke over the city.

A powerful explosion occurred in the area where the "Altai" enterprise is located, which produces, in particular, explosive materials.

The mayor of the city announced that the works are being carried out "according to the technological process".

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱Liz

Russia began preparing military airfields for massive attacks by Ukraine and NATO.

The Russian Ministry of Defense tested military airfields for resistance to massive strikes. During the exercises, special forces of the Russian army practiced the restoration of runways and aircraft parking areas, sources in the department told Izvestia. According to them, the exercises took place in several regions at once, including in the western and southern strategic directions. They brought in engineering and sapper units, who sealed craters and rebuilt caponiers to protect aircraft from shrapnel.

The airfield service has units that must quickly restore the runway and, in the event
of a fire, remove aircraft, says military expert Alexey Leonkov. “Such exercises should be conducted on a regular basis.

According to him, after the start of the war against Ukraine, Kyiv regularly attacks Russian airfields with drones, and in the future Russia may collide with NATO.
Moscow Times.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱Liz

🔱 Operational information as of 18.00 on 15.02.2024 regarding the Russian invasion

❗️ The main summary:

➡️ During the day, 51 combat clashes took place. In total, the enemy carried out 30 missile and 56 air strikes, carried out 70 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.

➡️ In the Kupyansk direction, our defenders repelled an attack in the area of Ivanivka, Kharkiv region.

➡️ In the Lyman direction, our soldiers repelled 5 attacks near Terni, Yampolivka, and Vesely, Donetsk region.

➡️ In the direction of Bakhmut, the Defense Forces repelled 9 attacks in the areas of Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka settlements of the Donetsk region.

➡️ In the Avdiivka direction, our defenders repelled 14 attacks in the Avdiivka area and 1 more attack near Pervomaisky, Donetsk region.

➡️ In the Mariinsky direction, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy near Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Pobieda and Novomykhailivka, Donetsk region. Here, the invaders, with the support of aviation, tried 17 times to break through the defense of our troops.

➡️ In the Novopavlovsk direction, our defenders repelled 3 enemy attacks south of Prechistivka and near Staromayorsky, Donetsk region.

➡️ The enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) actions in the Zaporozhye direction.

➡️ In the area of responsibility of the "Odesa" anti-aircraft missile defense system in the Kherson direction, the enemy does not give up its intention to knock out our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnieper. Yes, during the day, 1 attempt to storm the positions of our troops was made.

🔥 During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 12 areas where enemy personnel were concentrated.

🔥 Units of the missile forces struck 2 personnel concentration areas, 1 artillery piece, 1 ammunition depot, and 1 enemy radar station.

Support the Armed Forces! Let's win together!✊
Glory to Ukraine!🇺🇦
AFU

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱

🕯 Another loss in the sports family — Ukrainian judoka Stanislav Hulenkov was killed at the front

Defending our country from the russian invaders, 22-year-old master of sports of Ukraine in judo, winner of the European Junior Cup, multiple winner of national championships among cadets and youth, Stanislav Hulenkov from Lutsk, gave his life.

Stanislav Hulenkov was killed on 20 April 2023 while performing a combat mission to protect the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine near Novokalynove, Donetsk region.

The body of the soldier has been identified only now.

Our sincere condolences to Stanislav's family!

Eternal memory to the Hero...🇺🇦

The Youth and Sports Committee

Source: Judo Federation of Ukraine

French Aid to Ukraine

ℹ️ 15 French TRF1 howitzers were purchased by the French company S2M-Equipment. It was from them that Ukraine received 15 installations.

ℹ️ The main activity of S2M-Equipment is the restoration and modernization of equipment previously used by the French Armed Forces and its sale on the used arms market.

ℹ️ In December 2023, the French Ministry of Defense announced that it would continue to provide the necessary training for the use of transferred equipment such as the TRF1. In December, Macron announced negotiations to return equipment from the Persian Gulf countries, where 28 TRF1 howitzers are in operation.

ℹ️ Ukraine can receive military equipment from companies that buy, replace, modernize and resell it on the international market. However, in order to comply with the overall strategy of the French Ministry of Defense, the manufacturers who transfer the equipment must guarantee its quality.

ℹ️ Support in working condition is an important aspect that S2M-Equipment rightly counts on. As Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu emphasized at the hearing: "There is no interest in getting a carcass that will only work for a few days."

ℹ️ Ukraine is satisfied with the type and high quality of the provided French equipment and the sequence of its arrival. Maintenance and training, as well as convincing Ukrainians that this approach is better than the "use and throw away" practice.
@ukrainejournal

⚡️ 13 ROCKETS OF DIFFERENT TYPES WERE DESTROYED
----------------------------------------------------------
On the night to February 15, 2024, the Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 air-based cruise missiles, Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles, Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, and S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles , guided by Kh-59 air missiles.

A total of 26 rocket launches of various types were recorded:
❗️ 12 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles from T-95ms strategic aircraft (Engels);
❗️ 6 "Iskander-M"/ KN-23 ballistic missiles (Voronezh);
❗️ 2 Kalibr cruise missiles (Novorossiysk - Russian Federation);
❗️ 4 Kh-59 guided air missiles (ToT Zaporizhzhya region, Kursk region - Russian Federation);
❗️ 2 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles (Belgorod region - Russian Federation).

💥 The forces and means of the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed 13 missiles of various types:

❗️ 8 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles;
❗️ 1 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missile;
❗️ 2 Kalibr cruise missiles;
❗️ 2 Kh-59 guided air missiles.

✊ Let's keep the sky!
🇺🇦 Together we will win!
@ukrainejournal

From "The Analyst":

UPDATES 14-15 FEBRUARY

Obviously the sinking of the Ropucha-III Class Landing Ship Cesare Kunikov was big news. These ships - most of which were sailed from the Baltic to the Black Sea in late 2021 and January 2022, were originally intended as sort of the force that would land troops at Odesa. That never happened and they’ve mostly been used as ferries for men and material ever since.
The Ukrainian forces used five of their latest Magura naval drones.
The result was a a rapid explosion and the vessel sank south of Crimea.
Russian forces intercepted messages clearly had them saying all they could see was a ‘large patch of oil’.
Ukraine used its ‘Wolf Pack’ tactics, where one drone acts as a decoy and the others - in this case four of them
according to the released video, attacked the opposite side. It’s another erosion of Russian abilities to supply Crimea - but even more shocking to me is that they know these are targets and they seem to do little or nothing to protect or escort them.  They had plenty of warning the ship was a target - three waves of aerial drones crossed Crimea - so many in fact the Russian air force tried to intercept them with fighters to little success. The missile defences are so badly degraded from prior attacks on command sites and radars they’re next to useless.

AVDIVKA
Things are bad, it’s very very tense.
Russian forces pushed towards the road and came within meters of cutting it before being repulsed by the 3rd Airborne Assault Brigade, using Bradley’s. These regained some 150m of ground and added to Russian losses - so far averaging 645 men per day in Avdivka area alone.
In the south they continue to press the area of the Zenit defences.
The Ukrainians seem to be letting the Russians pour in every last bit of their manpower in the hope that sooner or later it runs out and then they’ll strike back harder.
Meanwhile Russian aviation lobbed 60 FAB bombs into the area - several of them clearly hitting their own forces - but they don’t seem to care about it and it doesn’t stop them.
Russia continues to press hard in the Kupiansk area too, along with two other areas on the eastern front. Holding back the Russian advance on Chasiv Yar has also becoming challenging.
The use of meat waves in the Kupiansk region continues to be the problem of the moment. Endless numbers of troops sent to their deaths for small gains in territory is a price Russian commanders are willing to pay. Their soviet era blocking troops force men forward and there is no way out. I wonder often how the Russian men and women back home would truly react if they knew how these  battles were being conducted. This isn’t a defence war, it’s a war of conquest and prideful violence.
Wherever we look things are tense. Politics in America cannot be divorced from what is happening on the frontlines. Donald Trump is sacrificing Ukraine for his own ends - he controls what the Republicans do. American aid is crucial and he is stopping it.
Yet there has been good news. Allied nations are doing their utmost to push ammunition supplies higher and ramp up production but building the facilities takes time and money. Germany is doing its best, Finland is building new factories to build shells for Ukraine.
But it’s America that has the extraordinary industrial and military reserves that make the difference. 41% of global defence spending is American. Without America the tide of this war cannot be fully turned. But it doesn’t mean Russia wins. Ukraine will grind them down and make them pay for every meter of territory they take.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!
@ukrainejournal

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the US. We will destroy you from within.”

Nikita Kruschev, Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 18 January 1956.
It is something the Russians always have believed. Eventually America will swallow itself from within. Donald Trump is the epitome of how it sees that happening even now.
The Analyst
@ukrainejournal

According to the DPA agency, Germany has informed NATO about its allocation of a record sum for defense.

For the first time in three decades, Germany has announced a planned defense budget equivalent to 2% of GDP. The government has disclosed a transfer of $73.4 billion to military needs, marking a record amount for Germany, the report notes.

Archived NATO documents reveal that Germany last allocated 2% of GDP to defense in 1992. During the Cold War, Germany's military spending quota exceeded 3% of GDP.

NATO defense ministers are expected to discuss the situation regarding military spending at a meeting in Brussels on February 15. It is anticipated that by 2024, approximately 20 out of the 31 NATO states will meet the norm of military spending at the level of 2% of GDP.

@ukrainejournal

AVDIVKA: CLOSE TO THE END?

The Zenit fortress has fallen, the Russians have broken through deeply from the north and the pocket is now within days, maybe even hours of closing. Ukraine is outnumbered 7:1 and despite that inflicting heavy losses on the Russians, not that they care.
There is little to say - which is why I have said so little. The air strikes have been devastating and played a critical part in breaking the defence of the city. The need for F-16’s and their long range anti-air missiles has never been greater. They cannot come soon enough.
Whatever plan Ukraine has for getting out of the city it must already be underway.
This is not a symbolic moment as much as a significant strategic gain for Russia. The loss of Avdivka will unquestionably make it incredibly hard to regain the occupied territories later. The future of the war in this area will be very different. I hope to god if he exists that the Ukrainians get out.  Live to fight another day.

The Analyst
@ukrainejournal

The US House of Representatives went on recess without voting for a bill to help Ukraine

House GOP leadership canceled votes for Friday, and the House will return to Washington on Feb. 28.

The White House on Thursday bashed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for starting the House recess without bringing the Senate-passed Ukraine aid package to the floor for a vote.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates argued in a memo, first obtained by The Hill, that Johnson is cutting and running early to go on recess “instead of ending the harm he’s doing to our national security.” 

“Every day that Speaker Johnson causes our national security to deteriorate, America loses. And every day that he puts off a clean vote, congressional Republicans’ standing with the American people plunges,” Bates said.

"Running away for an early vacation only worsens both problems.”

“The American people are outraged at the damage Speaker Johnson is causing to America’s national security in the name of politics, as voters in New York proved Tuesday,” Bates said.  

“But instead of ending his politicization of the country’s safety, Speaker Johnson is cutting and running, sending the House on an early, undeserved vacation as he continues to strengthen Russia’s murderous war effort and the Iranian regime at the expense of American national security, U.S. manufacturing jobs, and our closest alliances,” he added.

Good morning Resisters.

People are thrown to the "basement" and beaten for speaking Ukrainian in the temporarily occupied territories.

Recently, a civilian couple managed to leave the temporarily occupied Kherson region. They spent almost two years in the occupied territory and suffered cruel treatment by the occupiers. The woman was twice taken to the "basement" and severely beaten because she spoke Ukrainian," informed Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

The man and woman tried three times to get to the Ukrainian-controlled territory: the first time, an evacuation vehicle was shot at in front of them, and the second time, the Ukrainians were beaten. Only the third attempt was successful.

With the assistance of the Ombudsman's Office, an evacuation route was developed, and psychological support was provided to the couple. As a result, today Ukrainians are in relative safety. The woman says that when she found herself on the territory controlled by Ukraine, she knelt down and kissed the ground.

TOP NEWS TODAY ❤️

🔥 GUR destroyed the Russian VDK "Cesar Kunikov" with MAGURA V5 drones.

⚡ A group of allies is going to provide 1 million drones to Ukraine, - Stoltenberg

🙏 There is a partial withdrawal of our units in Avdiivka to more advantageous positions.

🇫🇷 Zelensky will sign an agreement on "security guarantees" with France in Paris, - Liberation

🇩🇪 Germany has pledged new military aid worth ~ €100 million to Ukraine.

🇬🇧 UK will provide Ukraine with thousands of drones, including FPV drones.

🇪🇸 Spain will hand over to Ukraine a batch of M113 armored vehicles and electric generators.

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan decided to join the financial sanctions against Russia.

🇦🇲 Azerbaijan is planning a "full-scale war" against Armenia, Pashinyan said, - AFP

🇳🇴 Norway will provide inflatable boats and equipment around NOK 60 million to Ukraine.

🇵🇱 NATO is creating a new training center in Poland, which will allow training of AFU.

🇳🇴 Norway will start training Ukrainian marines in combat operations on small boats in the spring.

🇹🇷 Ukraine plans to purchase Turkish KAAN fighter jets in the future.

✊ 15 countries signed "Coalition of Capabilities - Integrated Air and Missile Defense".

❗️"Russians are preparing a new offensive in Zaporizhzhia direction", - Dmytro Likhovy

🇭🇺 Hungary has blocked the approval of the 13th package of EU sanctions against Russia.

🤔 The mode of counter-terrorist operation has been introduced in Lelchitsky district, Belarus.

🇦🇺 Australia transferred $32.4 million to Ukraine through the International Fund for Ukraine.

🇺🇸 Trump plans to force Ukraine into peace talks with Russia if he wins election, - Bloomberg

👀 Ramstein: provision of additional missiles for our air defense and anti-ship missiles.

🇺🇦 AFU have established repairs of towed M777 howitzers on the territory of Ukraine.

❗️The Baltic countries are preparing for a Russian invasion, new bunkers, - The Times

🇨🇦 Canada announced the allocation of $46 million to Ukraine in support of F-16 fleet.

⚡ Russians want to put nuclear weapons into space, - ABC News

🇨🇳 China at the UN demands to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine, - Newsweek

🇩🇪 Germany will provide Ukraine with 3-4 times more artillery shells in 2024, - Pistorius

🇳🇱 The Netherlands joining coalition that will provide Ukraine advanced drone
technology.

🇨🇳 China preparing for "protracted" war in
the Indo-Pacific region, - Nikkei Asia

Lost a toss up district by 10 points

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/trump-is-finished-2/54529/

The House is doing nothing for the American people.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/mired-in-their-own-stupidity/54534/

Trump writes a Valentine for Melania. It's a fund raiser. For $47 you can send her your love.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/this-is-just-laughable-at-this-point/54536/

Tankers hit by US sanctions refuse to transport Russian oil — Bloomberg reports.

About half of the 50 tankers subjected to U.S. sanctions from October 2023 have stopped transporting oil from Russia.

After the restrictions were imposed, 18 tankers, of which nine were shuttle tankers, picked up the cargo. The same number of others received fuel in the usual mode. Seven tankers were idle before their inclusion in the sanctions list. 21 tankers did not load fuel.

Between December 10 and December 12, 2023, eight vessels were blacklisted. Another 24 tankers came under sanctions on December 20, when the U.S. imposed restrictions against Sun Ship Management, which manages Sovcomflot's transferred oil tankers. In 2024, UAE-based Hennesea Holdings Ltd. which owns 18 vessels was hit by sanctions, and on Feb. 8, restrictions were imposed against the 50th tanker of Liberian firm NS Leader Shipping Incorporated.

The tightening of sanctions has led to Greek tankers refusing to trade Russian oil, the agency adds.

It is difficult to say with certainty how much Moscow will be affected, as it continues to use a shadow fleet.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱Liz
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-13/tankers-tied-to-the-russian-oil-trade-grind-to-a-halt-following-us-sanctions?srnd=premium-europe

For reference:
Caesar Kunikov is a large landing ship of Project 775. Its length is 112.5 m, width is 15 m, draft is 3.7 m. It carries weapons: 2x2 57 mm AK-725 gun mounts, 4x8 PU MANPADS, 2x30 122-mm NURS A-215 "Grad-M" launchers.

The ship could be used for laying minefields.
And can also be used with various loading options: 150 landing troops and 10 T-55 tanks with a crew of 40 people; 12 PT-76 amphibious tanks with a crew of 36 people; a unit consisting of 3 tanks of the T-55 type with a crew of 12 people, 3 120-mm mortars, 3 combat vehicles of the 2G 27 type, 4 ZIL-130 vehicles, 4 GAZ-66 and one GAZ-69 passenger SUV.

Crew: 87
Landing personnel: 147 landing personnel.
The ship was capable of transporting a
cargo weighing 650 tons over a distance of 4,700 miles.

The Soviet officer and commander of the airborne detachment Tsezar Lvovich Kunikov, after whom the BDK is named, died on February 14, 1943 and was buried in Gelendzhik, where Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has a bunker.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱

🔥 Explosions are heard in the Black Sea near the temporarily occupied Crimea, smoke is also visible

In social networks, it is assumed that the probable cause of the explosions is damage to one of the Russian ships.

A Russian Ka-27 helicopter was spotted in the south of Crimea

The helicopter was spotted near the village of Foros. The Ka-27 is designed for search and rescue flights.

No clarification on what has happened at this time.

🇺🇦@ukraine_report🇺🇦🔱