TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@qoto.org
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian Z fascist invaders.
I am a 72 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 2992. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
These horrific photos show Roman Horylyk after 2 years in Russian captivity.
Roman is a senior checkpoint supervisor at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The Russians took him captive at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, and in March 2022 brought him through Belarus to Russia. On May 31, he was returned home along with 74 other prisoners of Russia in this condition.
Poor Russians keep losing planes.
🟣 It is just another typical day in “starving Gaza” when kids who are facing “genocide” sell cookies for relaxing Gazand at the beach
ℹ️ Congressmen Jim Himes and Mike Turner, chairmen of the House Intelligence Committee, and Congressman Jerry Connolly wrote a letter on May 20 urging the administration to support Kiev's requests. Himes then spoke to Sullivan, urging the administration to seriously consider the damage already done to Kharkov and the consequences of opening a second Russian front in Ukraine.
The White House has always been excessively conservative in matters of providing weapons. But when the Russians attacked Kharkiv, we cannot allow them to open a second front in Ukraine. And when the Russian troops attacked Kharkiv, it really brought the issue to the fore. The Russians knew that the Ukrainians' hands were tied and they could not reach the artillery that was wreaking havoc in the Kharkiv region
ℹ️ At the time, Sullivan was finalizing his recommendations for Biden, which he presented on May 15. In the Oval Office, Sullivan argued that Ukraine should be able to use American weapons to defend against Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region precisely for the purpose of firing back. The president agreed and instructed Sullivan and the Pentagon to begin work on the changes.
ℹ️ At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv for another round of discussions with Ukrainian officials. During a press conference in Kyiv, Blinken emphasized that Washington "does not encourage and does not allow strikes outside of Ukraine," instead he noted that "Ultimately, Ukraine must decide for itself how it is going to conduct this war."
ℹ️ Biden instructed Sullivan and the Pentagon to conduct a final round of internal discussions about the decision, but it was a conversation with Blinken on May 17 that further convinced the president that it was the right move.
ℹ️ While the US deliberated and planned, it watched as more than a dozen countries granted similar permits to Ukraine. The isolation of the Biden administration has increased in recent days after the president of France, the head of NATO and Britain's top diplomat spoke in support of lifting the restrictions.
ℹ️ On May 20, an online meeting with the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine took place in the Pentagon. The meeting, chaired by Austin and Brown, discussed allowing Ukraine to use American weapons to strike across the border.
ℹ️ Earlier this week, Sullivan gave the Pentagon the final green light to inform Ukraine of the administration's official decision. A classified letter was sent to the Ukrainian military, which describes in detail what kind of weapons they can use and under what circumstances. Officials in Washington and Kyiv agreed to keep news of the decision secret while Ukraine planned its counteroffensive.
ℹ️ On Wednesday, Blinken was the first to publicly hint at what had already been decided.
💬 A distinctive feature of the Biden administration's approach was adaptation to conditions, to changes on the battlefield, to changes in Russia's actions. We have also adapted and adapted, and we will continue to do so, he said during his visit to Moldova.
ℹ️ The next day, American officials confirmed the change in policy.
ℹ️ Two people close to the Zelenskyi administration said there is some frustration in Kyiv about how geographically limited the use of American weapons is. This is a restriction that other countries have not implemented. But this is only the beginning. Zelensky will meet Austin on the sidelines of the summit in Singapore on Saturday, where the issue will be high on the agenda.
ℹ️ At a press conference in Prague on Friday, Blinken did not rule out that targets for destruction may be allowed in other parts of Russia.
In Factum
@worldnewschat
🇨🇿😧In the Czech Republic, a group of Russians attacked Ukrainian and Czech volunteers, said a representative of the Prague Maidan volunteer organization.
It happened in the center of Prague near the tent of Russia Hands Off Ukraine volunteers, where they sell merchendise and organize meetings.
👀On the video you can see how a Russian woman knocks out the phone of Ukrainians. Also how she and other Russians beat the volunteers with their feet and hands, cursing in the direction of Ukrainians and Czechs.
The Ukrainian Ombudsman
Lubinets reacted to the video showing ruzzian abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war
Lubinets appealed to the ICRC and the UN to document the fact of abuse as evidence of Russia's violation of international humanitarian law.
Lubinets also called on the world to react to Russia's war crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Dmytro Lubinets emphasized that, according to preliminary information, this war crime took place in the Kharkiv direction, where the Russians are currently trying to conduct offensive actions.
The video recorded beatings, humiliation, threats, and an imitation of a shooting.
Unfortunately, such treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not an exception to the rules, but a common tactic for the occupiers, the ombudsman said.
He noted that such actions are a violation of the Geneva Conventions, according to which prisoners of war have the right to humane treatment.
"This case should be recorded as another proof of the violation of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation! I have sent official letters to the ICRC and the UN to document the fact of abuse. This will be another addition to the evidence base for the future criminal tribunal," Lubinets explained.
Russian scum on camera is tormenting prisoners on the Kharkiv front, forcing them to sing the Soviet Union anthem, beating them, and threatening them with execution.
The video is filmed by the Russian military, presumably in the Kharkiv region. In the video, servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces lead several Ukrainian prisoners of war in a column. They are forced to sing the USSR anthem and the song “Arise, huge country.”
"Tonight you will sing. Of course they know the anthem of the Soviet Union. They are rapping. Pig, why don't you sing?" - said the Russian military to the captives.
Two Ukrainians are kicked by the military, then threatened to be shot if they don't get up after the blows.
"Sing, fatty, do you think your Class 6 body armor is impenetrable? What, to kill him?" - the Russian military said.
After that, one of them counts to three and shoots near the head of one of the Ukrainians.
It is not known for certain where and when this video was filmed.
The video is too large to download on my phone
From "The Analyst":
RUSSIAN DISASTER AT CHASIV YAR
By far the biggest news is the Russian offensive south of Chasiv Yar that was designed to push west then up and behind Ukrainian forces in the Canal District.
They used the forest to build up two assault groups, one to strike north and one to strike west. This is the section of the canal that goes under the hill in a tunnel with forest above it, and the only place the Russians can cross it with vehicles of any weight.
This move would let them advance into the western forest and then north to the more weakly defended residential areas. If they captured the Novi residential district they would cut Ukrainian supplies into the canal district and force them out.
The Russian idea on paper sounds fine, but the reality of it is more complex. For one it’s almost completely road and track free so the idea of vehicles in support quickly becomes mute. The area can only really be traversed by infantry and even then only slowly.
Add to that the crossing between the forests isn’t forested itself leaving a wide open area to traverse on foot in full view.
So the Russian troops on their way to begin their attacks were constantly under attack from drones and artillery. The Russians also didn’t seem to realise that they couldn’t use air strikes because they had no way of distinguishing their forces or their location in the density of the forest.
Despite it all the Russians carried out the attack, getting to the outskirts of the Novi District.
The Ukrainians used reconnaissance drones to map out the path the Russians were taking, and quietly kept their own forces in the forest, slowly preparing to act as they got into position.
Once ready and guided by drones, the Ukrainians pounced on Russian infantry groups one at a time, eliminating them in surprise attacks.
The Russians lost hundreds of men in the attacks, and even Russian sources say they gave up trying.
Having failed moving west - and bizarrely not having launched both attempts simultaneously, the other Russian group attacked northward. Again they had to cross open terrain and quickly lost most of their manpower and equipment. A T-90M assault tank, three BMD’s and an armoured car were lost in short order.
The whole operation was carried out by supposedly elite airborne forces. The Russians lost almost everything they sent in.
Having failed, they returned to their expensive attacks on the front and direct assaults which drain their manpower in one sided attrition.
Poor planning and lack of coordination, preparation and a failure to understand the terrain they were operating in still shows how incompetent many Russian commanders are. If it’s not outright incompetence it’s utter disregard for the costs of making these decisions in terms of manpower - which they have low regard for anyway. Yet when they are now clearly running low on tanks and armoured vehicles they waste them in piecemeal operations. That suggests the truth about supply of these vehicles isn’t being communicated down the line from above - presumably because nobody wants that known. Satellites tell us that the days of vast Soviet reserves are over - they have used them up.
It seems increasingly clear that Russia must rely on its only real advantage- endless manpower.
Ukrainian patience and planning, preparation and thoroughness again provided a victory over potentially overwhelming manpower - expert use of drones and tactical surprise wrecked this Russian operation.
Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦!
I like Russian disasters
🇧🇪🇭🇺Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib called on EU governments to start the procedure of depriving Hungary of its voting rights.
She stated that Hungary is “having a very hard time moving forward” due to the constant blockades and vetoes of the Orban government.
“This is the moment of truth. Either we fulfill our responsibilities, which requires political courage and willpower. Or we implement mechanisms that do not work. And so we have to choose. If we go all the way with this mechanism, it must work. If it does not work, we have to reform it. This is the future of the EU,” the minister said in an interview with Politico.
Lahbib proposes to apply a no-confidence motion against Hungary under Article 7 of the EU Treaty.
🪐 Subscribe to Live: Ukraine
“I don't know whether or not I will get out of here.”
Anton Andreyev, a contract soldier of the Russian Armed Forces from the 5th company of the 1009th regiment, told ASTRA about the Russian army's operation during the offensive on the Ukrainian city of Vovchansk. According to him, only 12 of his company of 100 men remained.
Officers said his company was told to stay on the Russian-Ukrainian border, but they were sent to Vovchansk. But before the offensive, even before taking one of the strongholds, some of the fighters died from artillery fire.
“The operation started already out of time. They [commanders] started to push us “forward and forward”. Mortars were firing, and people were sent there. Half of the company was wounded during the first night. Most of them were wounded. There were also a lot of dead,” the Russian soldier says.
According to Andreyev, the officers sent the fighters to Vovchansk with nothing but body armors and assault rifles. They managed to take one of the streets in the city on the first night, but after that, large-scale losses began - fresh groups from the training units could not pass two houses, as they were crushed by machine guns and hit by drones. Only one man was left in one of the groups.
“You pass a street, it seems everything is okay, but then you get under the fire - under machine guns, especially drones - they eliminate so many troops! And the commanders on the radio shouting “forward, forward!”. You can't move back. When 5-10 people from all groups are left, maybe they will let us retreat,” Andreyev describes the storming of the streets in Vovchansk.
“'They just kill us and that's it. Sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight hours. Meat assaults. So I don't know if I'll be wounded or killed. Well, and I understand that our leadership is given an order, and those who sit in Moscow, they don't care,” Andreyev says.
Should have thought of that before signing a contract to kill Ukrainians.
@ukrainejournal
I am a Democrat who supports Ukraine in their battle against The Russian Z fascist invaders.
I am a 72 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 2992. The county is 13k people scattered over 713 square miles.
Joined Dec 2022
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