TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian fascist invaders.
I am a 73 year old Covid hermit who
lives on 10 acres in a sparsely populated area of the Ozarks. I heat with wood that is leftover by the lumber industry. When cutting oak for lumber only the trunk is used.
The largest town is population 2993. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
🔱 Operational information as of 11:30 a.m. 18/05/2024 regarding the Russian invasion
⚡️The enemy lost one Su-25
❗️ The main summary:
🔵 Over the past 24 hours, the Air Force and missile forces and artillery of the Defense Forces hit 19 personnel concentration areas and one enemy radar station.
🔵 In total, over the past day, the combat losses of the Russian invaders, irreversible and sanitary, amounted to 1,210 people. Also, the enemy lost 13 tanks, 43 armored combat vehicles, 36 artillery systems, one anti-aircraft vehicle, one Su-25 aircraft, 35 BpLA operational-tactical level, three missiles, 65 vehicles and six units of special equipment.
🔵 Since the beginning of the day, 22 military clashes have taken place, eight of which are ongoing. Also, the Russian occupiers launched one missile strike, used 25 kamikaze drones, and fired 547 shots at the positions of our troops.
🔵 In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy launched two attacks on our positions in the direction of the settlements of Liptsi and Vovchansk. Does not achieve success. Our defenders are trying to push back the enemy in the direction of the settlement of Hlyboke.
🔵 In the Kupyan direction, units of our troops repel two enemy attacks in the direction of the settlement of Berestov. The situation is under control. The defense forces continue their assaults in the areas of Sinkivka and Terna settlements, and have partial success in some areas.
🔵 In the Kramatorsk direction, during the current day, the enemy tried five times to break through the defense of our troops. Ukrainian defenders repelled four attacks, the battle continues in the area of the settlement of Klishchiivka.
🔵 The enemy does not give up its intention to seize the city of Chasiv Yar. For the second day in a row, the enemy is widely using armored vehicles in the direction of the settlement Novy. Yes, yesterday, Russian units with two tanks and 21 infantry fighting vehicles tried to penetrate our order of battle, but suffered losses and retreated. During the current day, the enemy has already used a tank, two BMPs and two Tiger armored vehicles here. During the battle, our troops destroyed a tank and two BMPs, the enemy retreated again.
🔵 In the Pokrovsky direction, two Russian attacks continue in the area of the settlement of Umanske.
🔵 In the Kurakhiv direction, four combat clashes are ongoing in the directions Slavne – Paraskoviivka, Slavne – Novomykhailivka, Solodke – Vodyane, Solodke – Kostyantynivka. At the moment, no positions have been lost during the fighting.
🔵 In the Orykhiv direction, the enemy made one unsuccessful attempt to dislodge units of the Defense Forces northwest of the settlement of Verbove, Zaporizhzhia region.
🔵 In the Dnieper direction, the Defense Forces repelled one attack by the occupiers. Another combat clash continues in the direction of Oleshkivski Pisky - Krynky. Loss of our positions was not allowed.
Let's choose Victory together!✊
Glory to Ukraine!🇺🇦
StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in social networks
The SBU detained a traitor who "leaked" to the Russians the positions of the Air Defense Forces covering Kharkiv
Military counter-intelligence of the Security Service detained another FSB agent in the Kharkiv region. He was preparing a series of rocket-bomb attacks on the combat positions of the Defense Forces, which are protecting the region from a new offensive of the Russian Federation.
According to the available data, the main targets of the enemy were the bases of radar stations and anti-aircraft missile systems.
In order to destroy Ukrainian objects by fire, the agent tried to establish and transfer their coordinates to the Russian special service.
To fulfill this task, he traveled around the suburbs of the regional center, where he secretly recorded the places of possible deployment of units of the Armed Forces.
However, the Security Service prevented the implementation of the enemy's plans and detained the intruder in his own apartment.
At the same time, additional measures were taken to secure the positions of the Armed Forces.
Criminal tools were seized from the detainee.
According to the investigation, a 30-year-old resident of one of the villages of the Kharkiv district turned out to be an enemy accomplice.
At the end of 2023, he was recruited into the intelligence apparatus of the enemy's special service and received the task, in addition to transmitting data about air defense facilities, to mobilize into the ranks of the Armed Forces.
But military counter-intelligence officers prevented an enemy agent from entering a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the registration stage.
On the basis of the received evidence, the investigators of the Security Service informed the detainee of the suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
The perpetrator is in custody. He faces life imprisonment.
The special operation was conducted under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor's office.
Independent weekly edition https://mailchi.mp/kyivindependent/ukraine-weekly-qhzqk7stzm?e=7763f0b74a
FROM THE ANALYST
UKRAINE POUNDS RUSSIA WITH VAST DRONE STRIKE
The russians claimed they shot everything down. I laughed.
At one point an astonishing 80 drones in a vast line stretching back miles, described by some Russians who witnessed it as ‘creepy and surreal’, piled its way into an oil refinery complex.
In other more distant ones, drones the size of small aircraft undid the repairs the russians had made to a cracking plant.
Multiple drones struck the refineries at Tuapse. More smashed into the shipping tranfer port at Novorossiysk. At least 30 sea drones were identified attacking the ports on the Black Sea russian mainland. Crimea was struck again.
‘Hundreds’ of drones made themselves felt and hardly any were stopped. The russians are hopelessly bad at dealing with such wide ranging attacks - their geography plays against it and their incompetence does the rest.
Russia thought it would have no problem dealing with this drone war. The last thing it expected was Ukraine not just outmatch it but out produce it.
One of the things I’m proud of the UK for being part of is one of the Eight Partnerships established by NATO. The UK joins with Estonia in organising and manufacturing drones for Ukraine - pretty much anywhere they can be obtained and in huge volumes. If they can’t obtain them they make them. Over £3 billion has been allocated to these programs. Other nations partnerships concentrate on other specialisms, such as air defence, shell manufacture, spares and parts, and so on. All of the things that matter.
This prevents duplication and allows concentrated effort to be focused rather than haphazard.
And it clearly works.
Ukraine’s army of drone manufacturers, which amount to a passion in the country, many people cooperating after work, at night, during power cuts, relentlessly building a seemingly never ending series of parts and complete drone systems for the soldiers on the front, creates a sense of everyone being involved. And the russians can’t destroy it because it’s so highly dispersed.
I’m feeling especially mean spirited towards the russians today. It’s one of those days when I couldn’t give a flying shit about whether their entire country vanished and they all died. I’m sick of them constantly trying to be something they never were or ever could be. They must be the most deluded people in the planet. They’re miserable people who have never experienced happiness in its true form and seem to want nobody else to do so either. Let them watch in wonder as Ukraine’s drones rain down on them. It’s just the beginning.
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!
@ukrainejournal
The Assassination Attempt on Robert Fico Will Change Slovakia Forever
By Dalibor Rohac
The Spectator
May 15, 2024
Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot several times. While it is impossible to fully flesh out the consequences of today’s assassination attempt, it is safe to say that the event is a dramatic game changer for Slovak, and potentially for Central European, politics.
During a meet and greet with the public following a cabinet meeting in the small mining town of Handlová, a man reportedly shouted at Fico, ‘Rob, come here,’ before shooting at him three or four times aiming at his chest and abdomen. The prime minister fell on the ground before being taken by his protection officers to the car and then on to the hospital in Banská Bystrica. His alleged attacker has been arrested.
The assassination attempt has, unsurprisingly, horrified Slovaks of all political stripes. Political violence has not been a regular feature of politics in Central Europe. To find an example of an assassination of a truly prominent political figure in Slovakia – or rather in Czechoslovakia – one may need to go back to 1923, when an anarchist shot the finance minister Alois Rašín in Prague.
@ukrainejournal
2️⃣0️⃣ border guards received state awards
One reserve officer was awarded the Order "For Courage" III degree. Nine border guards were awarded medals "For military service to Ukraine". Five defenders received "Defender of the Fatherland" medals. Five more border guard officers were awarded the departmental incentive awards of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine "Firearms".
The awarding ceremony was conducted by the Deputy Head of the State Border Service of Ukraine, Major General Vadym Chenchyk.
@ukrainejournal
Zelensky:
Eighty years ago, one of the most terrible crimes against human life was committed: the Soviet authorities deported the Crimean Tatar people. Both children and adults - all of them. In a few days. Mercilessly. On a foreign land. To the accompaniment of lies. The exact number of dead is still unknown - at least a third of the Crimean Tatar people lost their lives as a result of this deportation. And people were able to return home only after tens of years. But the criminal was not punished. The regime was not condemned. Disdain for human life and state violence, which prevailed in the last century, have been revived in our time. Ten years ago, the old evil - the evil of genocide - updated its form, changed its ideological cover, but did not change its essence and targets, and it also went against Ukraine, starting with Crimea.
Our joint historical duty is to respond to Russia's blows with the resilience of our people, the victory of our state over the evil of occupation, and fair punishment for all Russian crimes of this war, starting from 2014. By defending Ukraine, our people and the truth about what happened on our land, we honor the memory of all those whose lives were destroyed and affirm the strength of humanity – strength for our future generations.
"Magura" fighters defeated the assault of the Russian Federation on the Pokrovsky direction: what is happening at the front
"The Russians tried to storm with the help of two BMPs and a tank, but they were spotted by aerial reconnaissance in time. The gunners, in cooperation with FPV drone operators, stopped the attack and destroyed the Russian equipment," the 47th brigade said.
Today, the most tense situation among the entire front remains in this direction.
🇺🇦@ukraine_report 🇺🇦🔱 Liz
As Fico struggles for his survival, having been attacked by an armed aggressor, one might wonder how he would feel if some of his comments were played back to him?
Why did they take Fico to hospital, giving him help and support? Doesn't that just prolong the inevitable?
Why are they wasting medicines and resources on Fico?
Fico should have sat down and arranged peace negotiations with the shooter!
Fico could have given some of his organs to the shooter. Why does Fico need two kidneys? You can live with just one.
Treating Fico is an escalation - if Fico stays alive he could provoke his antagonists even more!
They should make Fico a buffer zone! Stay away from him!
All organs that were shot should now belong to the shooter. We need to sit down at the negotiating table!
Also, it is urgent to recognise the shooters rightful needs. Negotiate with him so he won't shoot anymore.
Accept the real situation as it is - don't remove the bullets!
Latvia detains two suspected Russian spies.
On May 13, the State Security Service of Latvia (VDD) detained two persons on suspicion of gathering intelligence for the purpose of passing it on to Russia.
Criminal cases against both culprits were initiated on May 2 under Article 85 of the Criminal Code (espionage).
It was noted that the perpetrators had been illegally collecting classified information regarding other persons suspected of espionage and taken into custody. One of the detainees is Sergei Sidorov, who was previously accused of spying for Russia.
On May 15, the court ruled to remand both suspects in custody pending the VDD’s further inquiry.
*As reported, the VDD stated that Russian intelligence intensified the campaign to recruit spies via the Telegram messenger.*
- Ukrinform
⏺ In a few months, Ukraine and Russia can go to negotiations and freeze the war according to the Korean scenario. The coming months may be decisive, — NYT refers to the mood in the Biden administration
💭🐵 The beginning of negotiations with Ukraine can be along the current front line, without the withdrawal of Russian troops, — Putin
💭🇨🇿 Czech President Petr Pavel, in an interview with Sky News, spoke in favor of ending hostilities in Ukraine and starting negotiations on a post-war system
💬 It is necessary to stop the war and start discussing the future post-war system
Pavel considers the idea that Kyiv will be able to return the territory occupied by the Russian Federation in the foreseeable future "naive". "We have to be realistic," he said
However, according to him, in order to achieve peace, it is not enough to simply accept the Kremlin's goals, because in this case "the whole of Ukraine will come under the control of the Russian Federation", and in Kyiv "a Moscow vassal will rule"
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian fascist invaders.
I am a 73 year old Covid hermit who
lives on 10 acres in a sparsely populated area of the Ozarks. I heat with wood that is leftover by the lumber industry. When cutting oak for lumber only the trunk is used.
The largest town is population 2993. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
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