TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

Anna goes Ukraine https://open.substack.com/pub/annabowles/p/the-underground-drone-workshop?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

Soldiers of Wild Division 82 oDShBr decided to cheer local residents up, and set up a flag of Ukraine using a FPV drone.

Annoyed Z-commanders ordered to knock the offending flag down... which left the russians without communication by destroying the cell tower.

Conclusion: Just drop Ukrainian flags all over the TOT, russians will do the rest by themselves.

@freerussia_report
@Ukraine_Report

Baiting the occupiers
You may have seen recent video of drones putting Ukrainian flags on high places in contested areas, it annoys russian commanders to the bones and zeroes troops that are sent to retrieve them.
Here's such an operation...

Soldiers of Wild Division 82 oDShBr decided to cheer local residents up, and set up a flag of Ukraine using a FPV drone.

Annoyed Z-commanders ordered to knock the offending flag down... which left the russians without communication by destroying the cell tower.

Conclusion: Just drop Ukrainian flags all over the TOT, russians will do the rest by themselves.

Distraction and surprise

https://open.substack.com/pub/ukrinformsubscription/p/newsletter-19062024?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

https://open.substack.com/pub/rebekahjones/p/activists-color-stonehenge-orange?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

https://open.substack.com/pub/jefftiedrich/p/author-who-interviewed-trump-confirms?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

Baiting the occupiers
You may have seen recent video of drones putting Ukrainian flags on high places in contested areas, it annoys russian commanders to the bones and zeroes troops that are sent to retrieve them.
Here's such an operation...

Soldiers of Wild Division 82 oDShBr decided to cheer local residents up, and set up a flag of Ukraine using a FPV drone.

Annoyed Z-commanders ordered to knock the offending flag down... which left the russians without communication by destroying the cell tower.

Conclusion: Just drop Ukrainian flags all over the TOT, russians will do the rest by themselves.

A record number of NATO countries spent 2% of GDP on defense.

The unprovoked war unleashed by russia in Ukraine and the threat of the conflict spreading to other European countries have forced NATO members to rapidly increase defense spending. According to the latest data from the alliance, a record number of countries have reached the goal of 2% of GDP - 23.

Combined spending by European countries and Canada increased by 17.9% this year. "This is the largest increase in decades," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed. In 2023, the growth was 9.3%, and in the period from 2015 to 2022 it ranged from 1.6% to 5.9%.

Among the countries that brought defense spending to 2% of GDP for the first time are Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Also, for the first time, the average spending of alliance members (excluding the US) reached this level. This goal was set by NATO countries after Putin sent troops into Ukrainian territory in 2014, annexing Crimea and initiating a separatist movement in the Donbass. Prior to that, NATO's total defense spending was declining (again except US).

Among the leaders in defense spending are countries bordering ruZZia and BelaruZ, which are most likely to be attacked or become victims of provocations. The NATO top 10 in terms of %GDP:

Poland — 4.12%,
Estonia — 3.43%,
USA — 3.38%,
Latvia — 3.15%
Greece — 3.08%.
Lithuania — 2.85%
Finland — 2.41%
Denmark— 2.37%
United Kingdom — 2.33%
Romania — 2.25%

In light of ruZZia's growing aggressiveness, Polish President Andrzej Duda, during a visit to Washington in March, suggested that all countries of the alliance increase spending of defense to 3% of GDP.

Putinistan has reportedly dedicated in 2024 about 6% of GDP for spending on military.

Result of the maZter Ztrategist "demilitariZing"...

@freerussia_report

Ukrainian woman sentenced to 12 years for action with balloons in Moscow.

The 2nd Western District Military Court sentenced Kristina Lyubashenko to 12 years in prison for an anti-war rally on the Sparrow Hills, Mediazona reports. The 35-year-old woman was found guilty of participating in a terrorist organization and spreading "fakes" about the Zetards army.

According to investigators, on May 8, 2023, Lyubashenko put speakers on the window of a rented apartment in Dolgoprudny near Moscow, turning on a recording with an anti-war speech and the anthem of Ukraine, after which she went to the Sparrow Hills in Moscow and launched balloons with a white-blue-white flag tied to them, which the Z-regime consider a symbol of the Legion "Freedom of Russia", fighting on the side of Ukraine. Earlier, the Zupreme Court recognized the Legion as a "terrorist organization". The investigation regarded the launch of balloons as participation in it, and the broadcast of an anti-war speech as the dissemination of "fakes" about the army.

The prosecutor demanded 15 years in prison for Liubasenco, noting that "the request was formed taking into account mitigating circumstances", since the defendant was not previously convicted and she cares for two young daughters, a mother with cancer and a grandfather suffering from dementia.

Lyubasenco herself claims that she was a victim of a provocation by the russian special services who persuaded her to the action by threats, giving instructions and controlling every move.

True is when she launched the balloons, she was instantly detained: the employees of the "E" center knew in advance about the location of the action and were ready. The defense noted that after the arrest, the investigator came to Liubasenco in the temporary detention center with "pre-compiled interrogation protocols" and a "pocket" lawyer, convincing her to put her signature with a promise that she would receive a suspended sentence for hooliganism and could return home.

Read more

@freerussia_report

The Russian publication Proekt has published an extensive investigation into the way Ramzan Kadyrov was brought to power and the crimes he has committed over the 20 years he has ruled Chechnya.

It describes Kadyrov's rise to power, the schemes how corruption works in Chechnya, and a series of high-profile murders in which he was involved. They also cover his personal life, the harem with the often underage concubines.

Officially, Ramzan Kadyrov has one wife, which is allegedly the mother of all 14 children, but this is a lie. Kadyrov simply adscribes the children of his concubines to her.

"Kadyrov prefers virginal young girls, schoolgirls, or first-year students. He has an assistant who keeps the contacts of many young Chechen women. Dozens, maybe hundreds"

Video Kadyrov's Vertical -A film about the secrets of the Chechen regime

Read the English text version of Proekt's film which, among other things, includes facts and illustrations mentioned in the film/or were not included in it.

@freerussia_report

⚡️ Ukraine to receive Frankenstein air defense tank from Rheinmetall.

Rheinmetall, the German arms manufacturer, will deliver a new Frankenstein air defense tank to Ukraine, The Telegraph reported on June 17.

The Frankenstein air defense tank consists of an advanced German Skyranger anti-aircraft gun mounted on a Leopard 1 battle tank.

It remains unclear when Ukraine can expect to receive the vehicle.

From "The Analyst":

RUSSIANS DESPERATE IN VOVCHANSK: COMBAT DEATHS MOUNT

Russian forces have poured men into Vovchansk over the course of the campaign, forcing them to endure a difficult crossing of open land to even reach the suburbs of the town.
You may recall from an earlier briefing how the Russians had adapted Ukrainian tactics of small groups of 4/5 men to infiltrate positions in the town, then bring four or five of those groups together, so that they could engage in superior numbers, in places that would knock the defenders off guard.
The problem with this tactic is it requires training and coordination, which are usually provided by secure radios (still rare amongst Russian troops) and friendly drone observation - again not a strong feature of Russian tactical operations. The training comes in when positional awareness and trust in your unit having worked together creates a homogenous force.
Take these elements away, poor comms, no drones and poor training and you see how things can go awry.
Groups don’t join up, get isolated and taken out. Casualty rates spike and morale plummets.
Lack of training is shocking. One of the over-weekend videos shows a Russian Storm-Z soldier attacked by an FPV drone that fails to detonate. Rather than leave it alone he beats it with a stick and it detonates killing him.
Another video shows a Russian capture saying that of 100 men in his unit that began operations using the tactics described, only 12 were left by the end of the day. They complain of heartless officers who just demand that they move forward no matter the cost, using motivational words such as ‘you’re all going to die here anyway, so make a good job of it’.
Yet another began as a group of 48 and only 6 survived- they surrendered rather than face going back and be made to attack again.
Indeed one of the unusual aspects of Vovchansk has been the unusual level of surrenders.
Even the Ukrainian General Staff stated that they had never seen such losses before in one section of the front. Vovchansk alone counted 1,784 dead Russians in a single day.
That’s the best part of two battalion tactical groups.
Just bare in mind that the total initial
attacking force for the Russian offensive against Kharkiv oblast was 50,000. That’s a 3.6% loss rate per day. At that rate if sustained everyone would be dead in 28 days. That explains why so many reinforcements have had to be drawn from other operations.
At what point do the Russians decide the cost outweighs the benefits? It seems that they don’t. Orders are orders and men will simply have to die.
Add to that the attacks behind the lines on their logistics and supplies, this entire Russian campaign has been a tactical and strategic mess from the start. A sinkhole of failure and death.
This persistent belief that throwing thousands of lives to the slaughter will miraculously break the defences is now at WW1 proportions.
In 1917 exhortations to make one more stand and sacrifice lives lead to mutiny and revolution. They had no ideals or principles or leaders to fight for worth their lives. In WW2 they at least had a cause and an enemy they loathed - as well as barrier troops preventing retreats. Now they have no motivation, but still face barrier troops. It’s a Russian army terrified of its own soldiers that uses its own men to kill those who don’t obey, where they stand. Welcome to Putin’s new world order.

Slava Ukraini🇺🇦!

From "The Analyst":

KHARKIV UPDATE

The Kharkiv front is still the most active and the most fluid.
Russian forces have been concentrating for yet another attack on the Liptsy front.
Recognising this then Ukrainian air force along with attack helicopters,
The only way the Russians had been able to slow their withdrawal under Ukrainian pressure was by flooding the front with as many infantry as they could find from other sectors, but at best that was a short term fix that wouldn’t last long given their casualty rate and strategy of attack to defend.
Subsequently the Russians gathered their forces Huiliobke, a village they occupy north of Liptsy.
Infantry is their only option. Ukrainian drones massacre their armour even over the border in Russia itself, let alone near the front lines. Ukrainian drone operators are immensely skilled and deeply effective.
The Russians are also stuck with their choice of operating axis, as to the east the area is large open fields and patch woodland - flat and easily controlled and defended by Ukrainian drones, cluster munitions and other artillery.
The Russians had been pushed out of the suburbs of Liptsy once, and the new attack was clearly aiming for the dachas in those suburbs again, which are easier for the Russians to get a foothold in if they make it.
Realising the potential danger, the Ukrainians didn’t wait.
Helicopters and air strikes - possible only because the Russian air defences have been obliterated - targeting enemy positions and destroying advancing forces.
Using a single Ukrainian built BTR-4 they carried out a daring raid into Russian advanced lines shattering the houses they were holed up in and killing any stray Russians lurking around the outskirts of Huiliobke.
The Russians never launched their attack.
By the end of the day the Ukrainians
Had actually pushed the Russians back into the village and retook some ground. By yesterday morning the Russians had begun abandoning some of their advanced positions in the village.
One of the most interesting aspects of this is the lack of Russian tactical VKS aviation. They either can’t see the Ukrainian air strikes coming - and they travel some distance and use the LO-HI-LO strike pattern to drop J-DAM bombs, or they simply don’t want to risk getting close enough to fire their air to air missiles because they’re afraid of Ukrainian Patriots.
Overall then Ukrainians have control over the airspace - an extraordinary achievement without an effective air force - they have control over the drone and EW space, outnumber the Russians, have morale and firepower on their side, and the ability to use limited amounts of armour with relative impunity.
How stupid do the Russians have to be to see that this scenario is not going well for them and they’d
simply be best off abandoning the whole operation?
Ukraine is potentially on the cusp of a decisive victory here. Yet I can’t help but wonder if they think it’s best to attrit Russian forces as they struggle repeatedly to make something of their situation, rather than let them be defeated and retreat into Russia to become a problem somewhere else.
If this is their plan, then it’s some merit. It’s also ironic that the Russians haven’t so much distracted the Ukrainians as they have themselves.

Slava 🇺🇦!

Undoctored video of Biden at G7

https://youtu.be/3yrVOivW1z4?si=K2InNvHKnjcguUSi

https://open.substack.com/pub/twogrumpyoldmenonukraine/p/an-oldie-but-a-goody?r=70k1h&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

⚡️ SBU drones hit Russian oil depots in Rostov Oblast, source says.

Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) hit two oil depots in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on June 18, a source in security and defense forces told the Kyiv Independent.

According to the source, the drone attack successfully targeted the oil depots Azovska and Azovnaftoprodukt, where 22 oil storage tanks were located. Powerful fires erupted following the reported attacks.

Photo: Telegram

⚡'Deliberate delays' to F-16 training will mean more jets than pilots, Ukrainian MP says.

The U.S. is "deliberately delaying" F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots, resulting in a situation where there will be "fewer trained pilots than fighter jets," Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova said to the Times in an article published on June 17.

⚡️Russia turns to blackmail and big money in effort to recruit German spies, Berlin officials say.

Russia is "working hard" to counter the expulsion of diplomats from Germany by turning to blackmail and the lure of big payouts to recruit spies, Berlin officials said on June 18.