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
China admits responsibility for the explosion of a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia in the Baltic Sea.
The explosion on the Balticconnector gas pipeline, which connects the gas networks of Finland and Estonia, in October 2023 occurred due to a Chinese ship, the New Polar Bear, flagged in Hong Kong. This conclusion is contained in a report by China, which was sent to law enforcement agencies in Finland and Estonia, the South China Morning Post reports, citing the document.
According to Beijing, the accident was the result of a severe storm, during which the container ship Newnew Polar Bear under the flag of Hong Kong damaged the gas pipeline with an anchor. Thus, the incident was accidental, the Chinese authorities emphasize.
The Chinese Ministry of Justice has yet to respond to detailed queries from Estonia and Finland. It is understood there has been willingness voiced to comply with the European probes at a later date.
Meanwhile, the document, which was drafted in Chinese and under the rules of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), does not say anything about the two communication cables, also damaged by the anchor. One of them provided a link between Estonia and Sweden, and the second belonged to Russia.
At the same time, the gas pipeline was damaged in Finnish waters, and one of the cables in Estonian waters. The accidents occurred about two hours apart against the backdrop of a strong storm in the Baltic.
At the end of October last year, an anchor was raised from the bottom of the Baltic Sea, which, according to the Finnish police, belonged to the Chinese ship New Polar Bear and damaged the gas pipeline along with cables. The vessel itself was in the Gulf of Finland at the time of the gas pipeline explosion, after which it sailed to St. Petersburg.
The 77 km long Balticconnector gas pipeline is a key source of gas for Finland. Last November, Finnish authorities said Beijing had promised to cooperate with the investigation, and in January, incumbent Finnish President Sauli Niinistö held what he said were "constructive" talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the damaged gas pipeline.
The disabling of the Balticconnector by the Chinese ship heightened concerns in the EU about the vulnerability of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The explosion on the Estonian-Finnish gas pipeline occurred after three of the four branches of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which connected Russia and Germany, were blown up in September 2022.
Source
@freerussia_report
🇪🇺 @EU_Report
❗️At least 10 unmanned aerial vehicles were launched at Moscow overnight
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says this is one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital. He claims that all the drones were shot down on their approach to the city.
The Russian Ministry of Defense says that 45 drones were shot down over Russia overnight: 11 over the territory of Moscow Oblast, 23 over Bryansk Oblast, six over Belgorod Oblast, three over Kaluga Oblast, and two over Kursk Oblast.
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In Proletarsk, priests were called in to help extinguish the fire at the oil depot, and they read an akathist
For four days now, Russians have been unable to extinguish the fire in the Rostov Oblast.
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A Russian car ran over a TM-62 anti-tank mine somewhere in Donetsk region.
Six children aged 11 to 17, who were injured by Russian shelling in Malokaterynivka, Zaporizhzhia region on August 20, are currently hospitalized.
According to the doctor, two boys are in serious condition with suspected spinal cord injuries.
It is also noted that a 14-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries from the shelling while in the hospital.
Russian General Lapin's Missteps Weakened Defense in Kursk Region, — WSJ
Russian General Alexander Lapin's decision to disband the interdepartmental defense council in the Kursk region months before a major offensive by Ukrainian forces led to a weakened Russian defense, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing Russian intelligence sources.
The council, which previously coordinated military and special services in the region, was dissolved in the spring, with Lapin asserting that only the military had the resources to protect the Russian border. However, the lack of a unified command center created chaos among Russian security forces during the Ukrainian offensive. As a result, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB, and Ministry of Defense competed for control, leading to disorganized and ineffective responses.
Although Lapin is not solely blamed for the failures, his actions are seen as emblematic of the broader detachment of Russia's military leadership from the realities of war. This was not Lapin's first strategic error; his failure to secure the northeast of Ukraine in 2022 allowed Ukrainian forces to regain territory. Despite being removed from his post as commander of the Central Military District in November 2022, Lapin was reassigned in January 2023 to head the main staff of Russia's ground forces, overseeing defense operations in border regions, including the Belgorod region, where his performance remained under scrutiny.
Ukraine has a very efficient intelligence service. I am sure they were aware when the incursion began.
The Ukrainian Air Force has shared details about the latest Russian night attack on Ukraine.
The attack involved two ballistic Iskander-M/KN-23 missiles, an Kh-59/Kh-69 air-launched missile, and 69 Shahed-type attack drones. During the anti-aircraft battle, Ukrainian forces successfully shot down 51 air targets, including one Kh-59/Kh-69 missile and 50 Shahed drones. Additionally, 16 hostile UAVs were neutralized by radio-electronic countermeasures, causing them to crash. Further information is still being updated.
🔥The Oil depot in Proletarsk in the Rostov region of has been burning for the fourth day following a UAV attack: priests of the Russian Orthodox Church joined in the liquidation - it did not help
On August 18, as a result of a drone attack, an oil depot in Proletarsk, Rostov Region, caught fire. The next day, a state of emergency was declared. More than 20 fuel tanks have already exploded there.
Even the Volgodonsk diocese joined in the "extinguishing" of the fire - priests of the Russian Orthodox Church prayed near the burning oil depot in front of an icon.
Poor Russia. Their pontoons did not work out.
https://kyivindependent.com/pontoon-river-crossing-in-russia-kursk-oblast/
Germany has been more help than the United States when it comes to air defenses
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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