TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org

https://t.me/Israel_Report/25411

Dog killer
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/trumps-evil-veep-prospect/55744/

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/looks-like-fox-news-didnt-get-the-memo/55743/

Colin Yost
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trump-gets-slam-dunked-for-falling-asleep-by-white-house-correspondents-dinner-host-colin-jost/55752/

Biden had fun at the Correspondent's Dinner.
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/president-biden-comes-out-swinging-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/55753/

Good morning Resisters everywhere. We here in the Ozarks have 2 dangerous storms coming today. One in morning and another tonight. I'm ready.

Russia is using these guy's logo on disinformation
https://t.me/United24media/21252

Russian disinformation is now accusing Ukraine of selling weapons to the Mexican drug cartels. Like the GOP, every Russian accusation is a confession.

https://t.me/ukrainejournal/10775

Goodnight Resisters everywhere 😴
Tonight I am actually cooking dinner. I ran out of those frozen 1 pound pizza 2 weeks ago so this is what I have to do.

FROM THE ANALYST

TAURUS: THE REAL REASON GERMANY WON’T SUPPLY IT

I admit I knew about this and never said - largely because it was never really clear how well known the information really was and there’s been a lot of speculation and research that shows there’s more publicly known than in the past. Even so I still feel like I shouldn’t be saying anything! Old habits die hard, and for that I am remiss.

Germany is not a nuclear power. It has access to and can deliver American nuclear weapons of the B-61-12 tactical bomb type. But it can only use them if the US gives active permission. They are not a partly German bomb. None of the Nuclear Partnership weapons are. Partner nations merely deliver American weapons.

Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG are a lesser variant of the much more advanced Taurus. You can easily find the technical details on the Taurus online - it has the most incredible warhead capable of penetrating massive amounts of silo grade concrete and protected bunkers as much as three floors deep.
It was never designed or intended to be used as a surface level destroyer of air defence sites or to knockout above ground facilities.
It’s true purpose was to break up russian command and control systems in their bunkers, but principally to strike at nuclear weapons storage sites and the many missile silos in the russian west before they launched a nuclear attack. The plan was, that as soon as russia began deploying nuclear weapons of any kind from reserve bases in wartime, Germany would use Taurus to attack and destroy C2/C3 sites and the launch sites, silos and other structures enabling that nuclear launch.

You have to remember that this was before the days of the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the Warsaw Pact; many of these weapons were forward based in the DDR and Poland when Taurus was first planned and authorised. The venerable Panavia Tornado strike fighter was the main means of delivery - and until F-35 arrives still is. To the Germans this is their antidote to russian nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad and Belarus.
And they seem to be taking the threat of these more seriously.

There has been a rush program to refurbish the entire stockpile - about a third of them were operational. That’s said to have doubled and all of them have been brought to combat readiness by the end of this year. There is even rumour that more have been ordered from SAAB-MBDA. Sweden also uses the missile and it works on the Gripen.
Germany did look long and hard at the Taurus but in many ways they could find little reason Ukraine really needed such a weapon. The StormShadow/SCALP-EG in their minds, was more than sufficient for Ukrainian needs. Besides which even France and the UK had restricted the use of those to inside the 1991 borders, just as America has with ATACMS.

There were sufficient technical changes that it would be difficult to get the Su-24 to deliver the missiles and they are much heavier than the short range SS/SEG versions. It’s not unfair to say that Germany had more than a few good reasons that the Taurus wasn’t viable enough. Yet they understand the importance of the signal it sends.
The main russian command centres in Crimea have been largely destroyed. The real centre of command is in Rostov-on-Don inside russian territory and out of bounds.
ATACMS and SS/SEG are enough for what Ukraine needs.

Post war, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ukraine was allowed to purchase such missiles. What it did with them in the event of a new war would be up to them. But in this one Germany has its reasons for retaining the Taurus and, because there is very little willingness to discuss nuclear weapons issues in Germany, the politicians would rather take the heat for not supplying than they would confess to the real reason they had them in the first place. A reason that’s very much returned to the fore, as Putin rattles his nuclear sabre every other day and only this week, threatened again to attack western nuclear bases if deemed necessary.
I understand the German point.
Both practically and essentially, the missiles are probably a bit over the top for Ukrainian needs when you understand their true purpose.
It would in reality, be better if France and the UK resumed production of their versions (and they were supposed to have done so, contracts were said to be announced last July but never happened). That way more - and ideally longer ranged versions could be supplied, de-risking the delivery aircraft of which Ukraine has few left.

Gripen on the other hand has a handy capability to fire both versions with little modification. Sweden needs to make a decision on delivering these aircraft soon.

Olaf Scholz does make himself look like an idiot by not being willing to discuss difficult issues publicly. Yet it’s fair to say Germany has now done more than almost anyone else to supply what it can as quickly as it is able to. For that it must be given credit. Scholz may appear to be naive, but it’s on his watch that much has been forthcoming - and more is en route. Hopefully the above will help with your understanding of the difficult situation and practicalities Germany finds itself in. When you have a history such as theirs, responsibility weighs heavily on modern leadership in ways it’s hard for non-Germans to fully comprehend. Japan has started to move away from its past and endless atonement. Germany is still some way behind.
@ukrainejournal

‼️As of 07:00 04/27/2024

There are 2 enemy ships in the Black Sea, including 2 Kalibr cruise missile carriers with a total salvo of up to 8 missiles.
There are no enemy ships in the Sea of ​​Azov;
in the Mediterranean Sea, 2 enemy ships, including 1 Kalibr cruise missile carrier with a total volley of up to 16 missiles.

During the day, in the interests of the Russian Federation, passage through the Kerch Strait was carried out by:
to the Sea of ​​Azov - 6 ships, of which 2 were moving from the Bosphorus Strait;
to the Black Sea - 7 ships, of which 1 continued its movement in the direction of the Bosphorus Strait.

@ukrainejournal

Someone else with good night vision, located in Crimea, Ukraine.

Good night from
@ukrainejournal

Rest in Peace

🕯Oleksandr Yushchenko, Chief Sergeant of the 13th Rapid Reaction Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), has been killed in a combat mission near the village of Dolynske (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast).

This was stated by the mayor of Lutsk, Ihor Polishchuk, on Telegram.

"Chief Sergeant Oleksandr Mykhailovych Yushchenko was killed on 23 April 2024 while performing a combat mission to protect the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine near the village of Dolynske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast."

The funeral service took place on Friday, 26 April, at 11 o'clock at the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Lutsk.

@ukrainejournal

From President Zelensky

38 years ago, a disaster occurred in Chernobyl. A radiation accident, the consequences of which went far beyond the borders of this region of ours, all of Ukraine, and even all of Europe. The world felt that catastrophe. But still it was localized. The unfolding of the catastrophe was stopped - stopped thanks to the fact that the cowardice of our people did not happen, the indifference of Ukrainians did not happen.

People saved Ukraine in the 22nd year, and Putin will lose only to people, to all our people. Any evil cannot stand against a brave people who do everything to protect life. This is exactly how our people are. We can do what would be impossible for many others in the world. We can make life win. And we must always remember that everyone's life depends on each person's personal choice and courageous actions.

We would now like to express our respect to all the people in Slavutych - to each and every one who preserved the courage and devotion to protecting life, which saved us all in 1986 and which helped Ukraine in the spring of 22. Slavutych did not submit to the occupiers. Showed his character. Fought He defended himself. And we saw you in this square. We saw the heroism of those of our people who worked in shifts at the station during the russian occupation. All this helped our entire state to stop the unfolding of the disaster brought by the russian army.

Thank you to all those who protected life 38 years ago! Thank you to everyone who stood up to the enemy in the 22nd year! We are proud of everyone who is fighting for Ukraine and life now and will definitely win.

An expedition of the combined search group of the Humanitarian Project of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "ON SHIELD" took place in Kyiv region

The mission was coordinated by the Central Department of Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of AFU. Servicemen of the of the Armed Forces, together with a freelance search and evacuation group of the TDF "Southern", volunteers of the Pavlograd search and rescue canine unit "Antares" and the Military Historical Center "Memory and Glory" worked the locations where the battles for Kyiv Oblast took place at the beginning of the large-scale invasion.

Since these battle sites still have certain "white spots", experienced searchers and canine experts worked out the areas that required further inspection. The team was also able to conduct a search in the Irpin River with the help of a new underwater drone that allows you to explore water bodies.

🤝The search for the missing defenders of Ukraine will continue.

More photos following 👇

@ukrainejournal

⚡️ 21 adversary rockets were destroyed
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
On the night to April 27, 2024, the Russian invaders launched a combined attack on Ukraine with missiles of various types.

In total, the enemy used 34 air, ground and sea-based missiles:
- 9 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aircraft (launch area of ​​Saratov Region - Russian Federation);
- 9 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air missiles (from the airspace of the Belgorod Region and from the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov);
- 2 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles (from the Belgorod region - Russian Federation)
- 2 "Iskander-K" cruise missiles (from Crimea);
- 4 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft (launched from the airspace of the Ryazan and Tambov regions - Russian Federation);
- 8 Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.

💥 Fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force, mobile fire groups and means of radio-electronic warfare of the Defense Forces of Ukraine were involved in repelling the enemy's air attack.

As a result of anti-aircraft combat, 21 air targets were destroyed:
- 6 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles;
- 8 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air missiles;
- 1 "Iskander-K" cruise missile;
- 6 Kalibr cruise missiles.

Thanks to all the units that repelled the rocket attack of the occupiers that night.
🇺🇦 Together to victory!
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
🇺🇦 Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk

@ukrainejournal

It hurts everyone...😞

Kharkiv region, April 26. This is Richard. In the eyes of this furry, horror, despair, fear. A few minutes ago, this devastation did not exist. Life was raging here.

Now only a ruin. In an instant, a Russian aerial bomb destroyed the houses where there was home warmth, which was nurtured and protected.

Richard does not want to eat or drink. He is in pain. Like each of us. At such moments, you just want to hug this nose tightly and be silent.

Hang in there, kid. We will overcome everything! And Russian evil too!
- DSNS Ukraine

@ukrainejournal

The SBU of Ukraine Successfully Neutralized Another Criminal Scheme

SBU and National Police detained "black gunsmiths" who tried to sell trophy grenade launchers and explosives to crime

The Security Service, together with the National Police, prevented the sale of weapons to representatives of criminal circles in the Poltava, Odesa, and Zhytomyr regions.

As a result of comprehensive measures, dealers in trophy weapons, which were illegally exported from places of former battles near the front line, were detained.

Russian anti-tank grenade launchers, Kalashnikov assault rifles, and explosives were among those seized from the suspects.

🔹 Yes, in Poltava Oblast:
a criminal group that tried to sell an arsenal of combat grenades and automatic weapons was neutralized.

To find buyers, those involved used personal connections in the criminal world.

SBU officers detained the organizer and two members of the gang while trying to sell weapons.

🔹 In Odesa region:
a suspicion was reported about a local resident who wanted to sell more than half a kilogram of plastid and devices for mine-explosive substances.

In addition, he tried to implement two combat grenades and almost 5 meters of cord for detonating explosives.

🔹 In Zhytomyr Oblast:
three more arms dealers were exposed. Criminals offered their clients a whole arsenal of trophy weapons.

During the searches, a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Russian-made Jmil infantry flamethrower were seized from the suspects. More than 20 combat grenades and a large number of cartridges for small arms were also discovered.

Investigations are ongoing in order to bring the culprits to justice for all the revealed facts.

The removed weapons are planned to be transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces.

Complex measures were carried out by SBU employees in Poltava, Odesa and Zhytomyr regions together with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office.

💔💔 Rest in Peace Nastya

On April 10, 2024, Russian shelling of the village of Liptsi in the Kharkiv region took Anastasia Dolgova's life.

The girl was 14 years old. She was born and lived in Liptsy. Anastasia's mother, Valentina, is a nurse of the local 10th emergency department. She did not leave the region during the full-scale war and saved civilians.

Nastya, on the other hand, studied remotely at the Hlybokiv Lyceum. She adored history, Ukrainian literature, and physical education. In her free time, she played computer games.

"She did not like exact sciences. But with the history teacher, for example, she became friends during online classes, she liked this subject. She was an energetic child - always wanted to run somewhere, go. Very kind, sincere. She helped volunteers distribute food and clothes. She told the news to all the grandmothers in the village, they adored her," said Valentina's mother.

Anastasia is survived by her parents, brother, grandparents, aunt and other relatives.

The Russians are Rushing Reinforcements into their Ocheretyne Breakthrough. For the Ukrainians, the Situation is Desperate.
(1/2)

Six days after breaking through Ukrainian lines west of Avdiivka, Russian brigades and regiments are slowly widening their salient—a five-mile-deep knife wound plunging into Ukrainian territory, its point lodged in the village of Ocheretyne.

The situation is desperate for the exhausted Ukrainian brigades in the area. It’s a foregone conclusion that the Ukrainians will lose a few villages around the Ocheretyne axis.

The real risk, however, is that the Ukrainian Tavriya Operational-Strategic Group—the command responsible for forces west of Adviivka—will have no choice but to cut its losses, retreat a few miles to the west and reconsolidate along a new defensive line threading north to south west of Ocheretyne.

That retreat could surrender tens of square miles of territory and force hundreds of civilians to flee or resign themselves to living under brutal occupation.

Worse, the retreat—if badly executed—would represent an opportunity for the Russians to redouble their local attacks and achieve a second, third or fourth breakthrough that could, like a chain reaction, trigger a wider Ukrainian collapse.

Retreating is extremely risky even when it’s the best option, which is why disciplined armies plan for retrograde action at least as carefully as they plan for offensive action.

“Retreats are the most difficult operations for any commander and force,” historian Andrew O. G. Young wrote in Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion and Consequences.

How the Russians broke the Ukrainian line west of Avdiivka last weekend is the subject of heated debate in Kyiv and across the 600-mile front line of Russia’s 26-month wider war on Ukraine.

Some observers have blamed the Ukrainian army’s 115th Mechanized Brigade, which recently rotated into positions in Ocheretyne—and was immediately overwhelmed by the Russian army’s 30th Motor Rifle Brigade.

Others have pointed out that the 115th Mechanized Brigade is under-equipped and, like all Ukrainian units, starving for ammunition as it awaits fresh supplies from the United States—supplies that were delayed for six months by Russia-friendly Republicans in the U.S. Congress.

It’s worth noting that all Ukrainian brigades struggle to hold defensive positions under relentless bombardment.

“The aggressor has an advantage in the air and artillery, delivering almost continuous strikes on the Tavriya OSG positions,” the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported.

The firepower imbalance might prove decisive as the battle rages on.

Sensing an opportunity and apparently feeling confident in their chances, Russian commanders have shoved the 15th and 74th Motor Rifle Brigades into the salient along with elements of the 90th Tank Division and some special forces.

At least seven Ukrainian brigades and a separate battalion are fighting back: the 23rd, 25th, 47th, 100th and 115th Mechanized Brigades, the 25th Air Assault Brigade, the 3rd Assault Brigade and the 425th Assault Battalion.

The brigades typically deploy just one battalion at a time.

In all, it’s apparent the Russians have more than 10,000 troops in or near the salient.

Just 3,000 or so Ukrainians oppose them, if the Center for Defense Strategies’ estimate is accurate.

Defending is easier than attacking even when the attacker has a firepower advantage, so the Russians aren’t guaranteed to win the battle and compel the Ukrainians to withdraw.

The Center for Defense Strategies highlighted one of the major risks:

“The resupply of the advanced units of the enemy's 30th Motor Rifle Brigade, which has broken through in Ocheretyne, is effectively blocked by the Ukrainian defense forces, who maintain complete fire control over this route.”

In penetrating five miles into Ukrainian territory, the most westerly Russian troops are essentially alone and far removed from their main supply lines. They’re vulnerable.

If Ukrainian troops can starve them before Russian reinforcements widen the salient and stiffen their logistics, the Russian may yet lose this fight.

That’s the optimistic outcome for the outnumbered, outgunned Ukrainian brigades around Ocheretyne. The realistic outcome is that they attempt a fighting retreat to the west.

But the Ukrainians are desperate to avoid retreating. It’s just too risky.

- David Axe, Forbes