[Shafaq News] The White House issued an urgent call on Thursday for all American citizens to leave Russia immediately in response to the arrest of the American journalist for The Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, in Moscow.
The House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the arrest in the strongest terms, saying that the U.S. government had contacted the journalist's family and the Russian government about the matter.
The arrest of Gershkovich has caused concern among U.S. officials, who have expressed their strong condemnation of the incident.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the United States was "extremely concerned" about the situation and is currently communicating with the Wall Street Journal about the journalist's arrest.
"I want to strongly reiterate that Americans should heed the U.S. government's warning not to travel to Russia. U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately, as the State Department continues to advise." Said Jean-Pierre, adding that targeting U.S. citizens by the Russian government is "unacceptable."
Russia has faced criticism over its treatment of journalists and media freedom domestically and internationally, particularly in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. This has included the detention and expulsion of foreign journalists.
The relationship between the two countries concerning journalists has also been shaped by broader geopolitical tensions and conflicts, such as the conflict in Syria and allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. These issues have contributed to a broader climate of suspicion and mistrust between the two countries, making it more difficult for journalists to report freely and without fear of reprisals.
[NY Times] Hidden in the bowels of an unmarked building, set well back from the fighting, a command center directing operations in the city of Bakhmut was high-tech and humming. Soldiers monitored video screens with live feeds of destroyed buildings and a cratered battlefield.
Six weeks after coming to help defend Bakhmut, the men of the Adam Tactical Group, one of Ukraine’s most effective battle units, were quietly confident they had turned the tide against Russian troops trying to encircle and capture it.
"The enemy exhausted all its reserves," the commander, Col. Yevhen Mezhevikin, 40, said on Tuesday, straddling a chair as artillery, air defense and intelligence-gathering teams worked around him.
Through wave after wave of Russian assault and tenacious Ukrainian defense, Bakhmut has, over eight months, become a central battlefield of Russia’s invasion despite limited strategic significance.
Russia has lost extraordinary numbers of troops in the battle, and Ukraine large numbers, too, and as casualties have mounted, so has the political symbolism of the city. Kremlin officials have described it as a necessary prize in the campaign to seize Ukraine’s Donbas region. To Ukraine, it has become an important line to hold, both to whittle down Russia’s forces and to deprive them of a victory.
But now, Colonel Mezhevikin said, the Russian assaults have slowed and the imminent threat of encirclement has been thwarted. "The density of assaults dropped by several times," he said. "Before, they could assault in all directions simultaneously and in groups of not less than 20, 30 or 40 people, but gradually it is dying down." Much more at link.
[Yahoo] Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Bakhmut say that troops from the mercenary Wagner Group are their toughest enemies on the battlefield.
But that assessment isn't necessarily due to Wagner's training — Ukrainian troops told The New York Times that Wagner troops fight harder because they face physical punishments if they retreat or lose.
"They are scared to give up and to leave positions. They prefer to die here," Ukrainian colonel Yevhen Mezhevikin told The Times.
It's a stark difference from other Russian units, the colonel added. Some divisions holding defense points in the city often lack the morale to keep fighting, he said.
"It's easier to fight them. They are running away," Mezhevikin told The Times.
Wagner units have played a major role in Bakhmut, pushing the offensive in recent months. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told US lawmakers on Wednesday that despite vicious fighting, there are still around 6,000 Wagner troops in Bakhmut, CNN reported.
The number of Wagner mercenaries fighting in the city could be an effort by Russian military leaders to "expend" the group. Earlier this month, experts assessed that the ongoing feud between Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian leadership could have led to Russia wasting Prigozhin's soldiers and weakening his power and influence.
#1
I watched a Russian (subtitles) movie about snipers some time ago. A herd of recruits (I used the term "herd" because that is how they were treated) was shown getting some weapons and rushed to the front; they were slaughtered by Nazi machine gunners. As they retreated, they were slaughtered by the Political Commissars. Decide where you want to die. Appears the same thing (or something very much like it) is going on nowl.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[VESTI] March 30 is the 400th day of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Briefly about the main thing that is happening in the country on this day, about the situation in the regions, the exchange of prisoners, losses, as well as all the relevant information from key departments - online Vesti.ua .
9:00. At night, Russian troops launched mortar shelling along the coastline of the Ochakovo community in the Nikolaevsk region. There were no casualties.
9:45. On the night of March 30, Russian servicemen fired from the "Grad" (BM-21 MRL) at the Orekhovskaya bulk of the Zaporozhye region. The houses of local residents were damaged. In high-rise buildings, the blast knocked out windows, demolished roofs, and also destroyed the walls inside the apartments.
10:20. In the morning, the Russian army hit with guided aerial bombs the village of Lvovo in the Kherson region. The Regional State Administration reports that about 10 houses were damaged by the explosion and debris, there were no casualties.
17:00. In the Kherson region, a car was blown up by a mine: one person was killed, another is in serious condition. This is reported by the regional prosecutor's office.
17:51. There will be no massive Russian strikes on Ukraine in the near future: the GUR explained why.
18:22. Kuleba delicately hinted that the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may not bring the expected results. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister shared his thoughts with the Financial Times.
19:00. The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine announced her readiness to pick up all Ukrainian orphans deported to Russia, on the border of the Russian Federation and any EU country.
19:41. During the day, the enemy launched one missile and three air strikes, carried out five attacks from the MLRS on the civilian infrastructure of settlements. Operational summary of the General Staff as of 18:00.
20:02. In the evening, the Russians fired again at the Dnepropetrovsk region. They hit the Nikopol region with artillery. The Marganets community came under attack. Currently, the shelling territories are being examined, the consequences are being established. There were no casualties.
20:31. Aviation of the Defense Forces in a day delivered six strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Russian Federation, rocket launchers and artillery hit two areas of concentration of manpower, weapons and military equipment and two ammunition depots of the enemy. It is reported by OK "South".
21:00. Kharkov region under fire from the S-300.
Explosions in Kherson . Details are being specified.
21:41. In the Chernihiv region, the curfew was reduced. Now it will last from 00:00 to 04:00. This was stated by Governor Chaus. Also reduced the time limit for the sale of alcohol. Implementation is allowed for trade establishments - 11:00-21:00, and catering establishments - 11:00-22:00.
22:15. In the Kiev, Sumy and Chernihiv regions, an air alert has been declared. A number of monitoring channels report the departure of the UAV. Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak urged not to ignore the alarm.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 22:56 The Russians launched at least six strikes on Kharkov, previously with S-300 missiles. They are shelling from the direction of Belgorod, information about the victims and destruction is being specified, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.
22:07 Ukraine has been resisting Russia's full-scale aggression for 400 days, Zelensky recalled in an evening video message. He said that today he spoke with the commanders and intelligence, and also held meetings on the internal situation. "We are preparing our next steps, our active actions. We are preparing the approach of our victory," the president said.
21:33 Yermak said that 45 OSCE member states have initiated an investigation into the abduction of Ukrainian children from the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia. "We are also working on the issue of the return of our children, we are creating an international working group that will focus on this," the head of the President's Office added.
21:28 Pentagon Speaker Patrick Ryder said that 65 Ukrainian military have completed training on the Patriot system in the United States and have already arrived in Europe. In Europe, they integrate with another group of air defense forces. In total, more than 7,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained by the US since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, he added.
Ryder also said that at the end of March, more than 4,000 Ukrainian military personnel will be trained in Germany, including one brigade training on Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and the second on Stryker armored personnel carriers.
21:25 The Cabinet of Ministers allowed for the period of martial law to import components for drones into Ukraine without the conclusion of the SBU, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development Mikhail Fedorov. According to him, earlier it took up to 15 days to obtain a conclusion, and the examination itself delayed the process of importing components for drones. Simplification of the procedure will speed up the import, assembly and delivery of these components to the front.
20:49 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned the arrest in Russia of The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and called on Americans who are in Russia to leave the country as soon as possible.
20:43 In the Chernihiv region, the curfew has been reduced: from April 1, it will last from 00:00 to 04:00, said the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus. Alcohol can be bought in trade establishments from 11:00 to 21:00, in cafes and restaurants - from 11:00 to 22:00. In addition, it is allowed to study full-time in schools located 20 km from the border with Russia. Previously, all schools within 40 km from the border worked remotely.
20:17 Washington has received new information that Russia is actively trying to acquire additional ammunition from North Korea, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. According to him, Moscow is going to send a delegation to the DPRK and offer food in exchange for weapons. Washington fears that Pyongyang will provide such assistance.
19:36 Putin signed a decree on spring conscription for military service, according to which 147,000 people will be called up to the RF Armed Forces from April 1 to July 15.
19:34 A new "head of government" has been appointed to the "DPR" - it is Evgeny Solntsev, who arrived from Moscow in June 2022, where he was assistant to the Minister of Construction, Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation. From November 11, he held the position of "First Deputy Prime Minister" of the fake "republic". Former "Prime Minister of the DNR" Vitaliy Khotsenko appointed Acting Governor of the Omsk region of the Russian Federation.
19:02 The monks of the UOC-MP were ordered to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra due to the cancellation of the lease agreement. Priests refuse to comply with the demand of the Ministry of Culture and the National Security and Defense Council. Korrespondent.net is following the events, for more details, see the material The eviction of the Moscow Patriarchate from the Lavra. Online .
18:39 The Polish Senate adopted a resolution condemning the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
18:11 The Government of North Macedonia has officially approved the transfer of combat helicopters to Ukraine. Earlier, Defense Minister Slavyanka Petrovskaya announced her intention to transfer 12 Mi-24 helicopters to Ukraine.
18:08 In Malaya Oleksandrivka, Kherson region, a civilian car ran over Russian explosives - one person died, one was injured, the OVA reported.
17:49 The German government announced that it had transferred to Ukraine 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks and their ammunition, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, two Bergepanzer 3 armored recovery vehicles, two WISENT demining vehicles, 28 Zetros trucks, 40,000 first-aid kits and 103,000 turnstiles .
17:34 Zelensky said that he had met with a delegation of the German defense industrial concern Rheinmetall AG, headed by Chairman of the Board Armin Papperger: "We discussed in detail the current state of cooperation with the concern and the prospects for its development. It is necessary to further deepen the partnership in order to meet both the urgent needs of the Forces defense of Ukraine, and for a significant strengthening of the defense capability of our state in the future."
17:11 Ukraine is ready to pick up deported Ukrainian orphans on the Russian border with any EU country - for example, with Estonia, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said. According to her, now the process of returning is pointwise, it is very complex and lengthy. Sometimes the search, all the necessary procedures and the road take many months, but in this way 327 children have already been taken from the territory of the Russian Federation. And if they have parents, then they do it, and the state deals with the issues of orphans and children deprived of parental care.
"As a representative of the government, I officially express my readiness to take all our orphans. To do this, I propose the following mechanism. Through the mediation of international organizations - the UN, the ICRC or another - we are ready to come to any European country on the border with the Russian Federation. For example, to Estonia, to Narva, and there to take away all Ukrainian orphans who are now illegally detained by Russia," Vereshchuk said.
16:57 Kuleba said in an interview with the Financial Times that Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang assured him in a conversation that Beijing would not provide weapons to Moscow. And while Ukraine does not see an increase in military support for the Russian Federation from China, the Ukrainian minister added.
According to Kuleba, China has not yet decided what role it can play in the current situation: "Beijing has not yet decided whether to fully invest in mediating an end to the war through negotiations or increase its support for Moscow, including through the supply of weapons. China is probing soil, whether the moment has come to play a part or not."
Kuleba believes that China will not allow the collapse of the Russian Federation, but "they need a weak Russia that will make concessions to China and provide resources."
16:33 The first four MiG-29 fighter jets handed over by Slovakia are already performing combat missions in the sky over Kharkiv, Verkhovna Rada Vice Speaker Elena Kondratyuk said during a speech in the Slovak parliament.
16:28 Foreign ministers of the Bucharest Nine countries will meet on March 30-31 to discuss preparations for the NATO summit and further assistance to Ukraine. "We plan to adopt working agreements on the recommendations for the Vilnius summit. The negotiations will concern strengthening the eastern flank of NATO and supplying weapons here, as well as supporting Ukraine and a large number of topical issues," said Lukasz Jasina, spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry.
16:07 Moscow's Lefortovo Court has arrested Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, for one month and 29 days on charges of espionage. He faces ten to 20 years in prison. Gershkovich has already been sent to a pre-trial detention center. The meeting was held behind closed doors, the lawyer was not allowed.
CNN notes that Gershkovich became the first American journalist to be detained in Russia on charges of espionage since 1986.
15:29 Russia is trying with all its might to change the government in Moldova to a pro-Russian one in order to use the country for a war against Ukraine - like Belarus is now, President Maia Sandu said. “You have seen the Kremlin’s recent statements that they will deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. This is exactly what Russia wants to do in the case of Moldova. However, today in Moldova there is an independent government elected by its citizens, working for the benefit of citizens, and therefore it cannot be use it the way a pro-Russian leadership would," she added.
15:10 There is not a single whole house left in Avdiivka, the city is completely destroyed, the head of the city administration Vitaliy Barabash said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. According to him, next week they plan to forcibly evacuate the last six children from the city, whom their parents hide from the authorities. He clarified that we are not talking about the removal of children from their parents: at least one of them must necessarily leave with the child.
"We gave them time, almost two weeks have passed. Next week we will take them out by force. I would not want to come to this, but if irresponsible parents put their children in mortal danger, then there is nothing to talk about - you just need to take it and take it out," Barabash explained. He added that the infrastructure in the city was completely destroyed, the housing stock was destroyed by more than 80% - "this is something that can no longer be restored, repaired, but only demolished and rebuilt."
14:58 For two days, Russian troops have been shelling the territory of the Zaporozhye region from multiple launch rocket systems, aviation and artillery, and also used drones. The residential infrastructure of the Pologovsky district suffered, in particular in Gulyaipole and Orekhovo. As a result of the shelling, one person died and two were injured, the National Police said.
14:52 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that the Russian air defense allegedly for the first time shot down a new Ukrainian tactical missile Grom-2 in the combat zone.
14:36 Some representatives of the Russian elite have already contacted Ukraine with a request to provide them with security guarantees, Andrey Yusov, spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with Gazeta.ua: "Many representatives of the so-called Russian elite already understand that this was a colossal mistake and a crime, "and the finale will be tragic for Russia. They are trying to look for options for their own salvation. So far, it's not about fighting for another country, but about their own security and business. They are trying to get in touch and agree on personal security guarantees. There are already such cases."
Answering the question about who is in Putin's inner circle and knew about his plans to invade Ukraine, Yusov noted that these names are known to intelligence. In particular, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, is among them. "To a large extent, the decision to start a full-scale war is a consequence of their management model. Modern Russia is a closed society, including within the dictatorial vertical: there is no discussion or pluralism of opinions. The decision is made by one person, not very educated and not competent, and therefore the consequences are catastrophic for Russia," the speaker of the GUR believes.
14:22 Volunteers from the Czech Republic, as part of the Gift for Putin initiative , raised 3.75 million euros, for which they purchased 15 Viktor mobile anti-aircraft systems to fight enemy drones. The complexes are already ready for shipment to Ukraine. Volunteers also said that they would soon send a Przemyslaw rocket launcher and 365 missiles to Ukraine - the collection for them is still ongoing.
13:44 The banking group Raiffeisen Bank International, after pressure from Austrian investors and the European Central Bank, announced that it is committed to reducing its business activity in Russia. In doing so, the group "will continue to promote potential agreements that could result in the sale or spin-off of Russia's Raiffeisenbank and the deconsolidation of Russia's Raiffeisenbank from the RBI group, in full compliance with local and international laws and regulations."
13:31 Russia is actively using cruise bombs against the Ukrainian military, Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said: "This is a new threat that we face: without flying into the zone of destruction of our air defense, they drop these bombs. Bombs of 500 kg fly tens of kilometers ". Ignat stressed that Ukraine badly needs Western fighter jets to counter the constant Russian attacks. According to him, air defense systems will not be able to cover the entire territory of the country.
13:25 Russia could have taken out several thousand Ukrainian children since the beginning of a full-scale invasion, Daria Gerasimchuk, presidential commissioner for children's rights, told Radio Liberty. According to her, we are talking not only about children taken to Russia, but also about those forcibly moved to the occupied territories. Currently, more than 19,000 deported children are known for sure.
13:16 The Wall Street Journal is deeply concerned about the safety of its journalist Evan Gershkovich, denies all charges and demands his immediate release. The publication stated that Gershkovich writes about Russia as part of the magazine's Moscow bureau and is accredited to work as a journalist in Russia by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In turn, Peskov said that this was not about suspicions, Gershkovich was allegedly caught red-handed. And Zakharova said that what the Wall Street Journal employee was doing in Yekaterinburg "has nothing to do with journalism."
12:24 Zelensky spoke online before the Austrian Parliament and said that it is impossible to maintain a neutral position when it comes to evil. He also invited Austrian parliamentarians to Ukraine so that they could see with their own eyes the consequences of Russian aggression.
"We must understand how important it is not to be morally neutral against evil. This is not about geopolitics... This is about the fact that you always need to remain human and protect humanity," Zelensky stressed.
12:06 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia "as a gesture of good will" will notify the United States about launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine missiles under the 1988 treaty, despite the suspension of START.
11:57 In Switzerland, a court found guilty the bankers who helped Putin's close friend, cellist Sergei Roldugin, transfer money to bank accounts, writes Reuters. Three Russians and one Swiss who helped Roldugin deposit millions of francs in Swiss bank accounts between 2014 and 2016 were sentenced to seven months' suspended prison sentences.
11:30 Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko called on global energy companies to share their profits with Ukraine. “Many energy companies are making huge windfall profits because of the war. We estimate that it is more than $200 billion. They are getting this money because of the war because we are at war. I think it would be fair to split this money with Ukraine so that help us restore the energy infrastructure," Galushchenko said in a comment to Politico.
The publication notes that the Lithuanian Ignitis Group has already announced its readiness to send about 10% of its profits to help restore Ukraine.
11:23 Russia has included Hungary in the list of "unfriendly countries" due to Budapest's accession to European sanctions, Russian Ambassador to Hungary Yevgeny Stanislavov said. At the same time, he added that Budapest "demonstrates a pragmatic position, which is not going to give up even under pressure from its allies in the EU and NATO."
11:02 US citizen Evan Gershkovich, correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russian Yekaterinburg. The FSB stated that, on instructions from Washington, he was allegedly engaged in "collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret."
Earlier there was information that Gershkovich was missing. According to media reports, he was preparing a material about PMC Wagner.
10:46 The Chinese Ministry of Defense said that the Chinese army is ready to cooperate with the Russian one to further "strengthen strategic communication and coordination." In particular, the Chinese army is ready to "maintain regional peace and security" together with the Russian army.
10:29 Zaporizhzhya NPP is now impossible to protect, since the number of troops around it has increased significantly, said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi after a visit to the plant. "Obviously, military activity is increasing throughout the region. Therefore, the station cannot be protected," Grossi said.
10:10 British intelligence does not believe that Russia will be able to recruit another 400,000 people voluntarily into the army, as it has declared. Analysts note that Russia presents this campaign as a voluntary call for professional personnel, and not as a new mandatory mobilization. But there is a real possibility that in practice this difference will be blurred and regional governments will try to fulfill their recruiting goals by forcing men to join the army.
Intelligence also reminds that in order to restore Russia's combat power, it is necessary not only to recruit personnel, but also to supply them with ammunition and military equipment, which it does not have in the required quantity.
09:51 Ukraine has arrested Russian assets worth 41 billion hryvnias, Vadym Melnyk, director of the Economic Security Bureau, said. He clarified that, in particular, we are talking about a variety of equipment, production capacities, inventory items, including construction and fuel and lubricants, which are already used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
09:23 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed, one was wounded. In the Donetsk region, one dead (in the city of Chasov Yar) and five injured, according to the IVA.
08:46 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of March 30.
personnel - about 172,900 (+560) people liquidated,
tanks - 3610 (+1),
armored combat vehicles - 6974 (+8),
artillery systems - 2671 (+12),
MLRS - 526 (+0),
air defense systems - 278 (+1),
aircraft - 306 (+0),
helicopters - 291 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 2239 (+0),
cruise missiles - 911 (+0),
ships/boats - 18 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 5518 (+11),
special equipment - 291 (+3).
08:31 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. The units of the Defense Forces repulsed more than 60 enemy attacks on them. Belogorovka, Bakhmut, Avdeevka and Marinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities, the General Staff said in a morning report .
In Crimea, the Russian occupiers continue to put pressure on the citizens of Ukraine and violate human rights. In particular, in Krasnoperekopsk, FSB officers carry out active counterintelligence activities accompanied by "filtering" procedures - people are undressed, interrogated, beaten, etc.
08:22 Japan has allocated a new $470 million humanitarian aid package to Ukraine - the funds will be mainly used for demining territories and restoring the energy system, the country's Foreign Ministry said.
07:59 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggests that Lavrov, during a meeting in Moscow with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian, could agree on new deliveries of Iranian weapons in exchange for the transfer of Su-35 attack aircraft to Tehran. Analysts say Iran is trying to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia, in which both will be more equal partners, and will likely increase arms supplies to Moscow to achieve this goal.
05:04 The United States intends to double the production of 155-mm artillery shells by the end of 2023, and six times over the next five years, said Gabe Camarillo, deputy head of the Pentagon for ground forces. According to him, the Pentagon will spend about $1.45 billion to upgrade the production capacity of 155-mm shells in order to support the defense of Ukraine and replenish the US army.
He added that the US Army is also ramping up production of Javelin anti-tank missiles and guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS). Specifically, Javelin production will more than double to 330 per month, and launcher production will double to 41 per month.
Camarillo said that by 2026, the US Army also intends to double (from 566 to 1110 units) to increase the monthly order for the production of rockets for MLRS. According to public data, the United States has already sent 1,074,000 155-mm shells to Ukraine, with the monthly consumption of these shells, according to experts, amounting to up to 143,000 units.
03:12 The United States has not recorded any egregious violations in the use of Western military assistance by Ukraine, said John Kirby, coordinator of the White House National Security Council. He stressed that the aid sent to Kyiv is being used for its intended purpose, and the Ukrainian authorities share concerns about its intended use and proper accountability. However, Kirby added that in the course of a war it is impossible to predict every movement of every product used by every soldier.
02:16 In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO has created a powerful military structure on the eastern flank, Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe, said: “Now I have more than 40,000 troops under my command, and another 200,000 troops that countries have brought to be ready in case I need them. We have almost 100 aircraft that patrol the airspace now, almost 100 ships that control the situation on the water."
Cavoli pointed to the need to continue to support Ukraine. More than 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers are now being trained across Europe, he said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov
[RIA] Where are the arrests? This question has been repeated by many of our citizens for a year now. I mean the officials, military and entrepreneurs responsible for what is happening at the front and in the rear - for illiterate military operations with serious losses, thoughtless non-deployment of personnel, lack of certain types of weapons, and so on. The indignation is understandable: military actions reveal all the problems, and we (with all the efforts to build an effective control mechanism) had a lot of them. Not only problems, but also birth traumas, characteristic of the entire post-Soviet socio-economic system. And corruption here is one of the strongest diseases.
There was intolerance towards it even in peacetime - and the consistent tightening of the fight against embezzlement could be observed throughout the previous decade. But in wartime, corruption literally becomes a betrayal of the Motherland - and the fact that in legal terms it is not equated with it, in fact, does not change anything. Both society and the highest authorities treat those who, in the most difficult time of trials, think about how and where to snatch from the treasury, including from the money allocated for the army and security.
Therefore, the news of recent days about arrests in Moscow and Bryansk is perceived not as one-time actions, but as signs of work already gaining momentum. In Moscow, two days ago , the head of the department of the Naval Directorate of the Russian Guard , Sergei Volkov, was arrested , and on Wednesday it became known that the Investigative Committee accused the colonel of supplying faulty Orel-UAV complexes to guard the Crimean bridge. At the same time, we are talking not just about the supply of faulty weapons - but also about their purchase at obviously inflated prices.
In the capital, they also took two deputy governors of the Bryansk region - Tatyana Kuleshova and Elena Yegorova. Here the scheme was not related to wartime, officials in the capital received four million rubles from the daughter of the chairman of the regional Public Chamber. For what? The tangle may turn out to be confusing, because on the same day another deputy governor, Nikolai Simonenko, was already arrested in Bryansk. And he, in particular, oversaw the construction of a "protective line" on the border with Ukraine .
The nuances here, of course, are significant, but something else is even more important. In the border region of the Bryansk region, officials wanted to live as before - not realizing that new times were coming. In which they will not only find themselves under the close control of law enforcement agencies (this happened before, but nepotism and local orders often did not give rise to an investigation), but they will also receive their hands in an accelerated mode, not having time to turn on unofficial mechanisms of bureaucratic protection. Because wartime is not in the Bryansk region, but in the country as a whole.
This is not a new 37th year. Then the bottom line was that after the first repressions against Stalin’s rivals who had lost the struggle for power, the state apparatus in a fit of denunciation began to grind itself up (as a result, several compositions in the leaderships of the regions, including the NKVD departments, changed). The flywheel of repression literally got out of control not only of the security forces, but also of the country's leadership, including Stalin (although they continued to approve the lists of the repressed sent to them, they could no longer help but see the absurdity of the accusations).
Now we are not talking about intimidating everyone in a row, and even more so not about fighting the opposition or conspirators (real or imaginary) - it is necessary to adjust the entire nomenklatura (that is, the management elite) to the standards of work of the new time. They are very simple - responsibility, honesty, professionalism, efficiency.
Only one thing differs: the degree of responsibility of the nomenklatura for their observance. Therefore, you can, of course, call postmodernism the gesture of Dmitry Medvedev, who read Stalin's telegram to the leadership of the defense industry, which he sent to the directors of military factories in September 1941 - the secretary general asked to fulfill orders honestly and on time, threatening otherwise: "I will start smashing you like criminals neglecting the honor and interests of the Motherland". And you can understand and accept that only that part of the elite that will take everything (including warnings about responsibility) as seriously as possible will pass through the current tests.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 22:16 At least seven explosions sounded in Kharkiv, earlier an air raid alert was announced in the region. Infrastructure facilities in the Kharkiv region under rocket fire from the Russian Armed Forces.
In addition, the siren turned on in Kyiv and the region, as well as the Sumy and Chernihiv regions of the independent. Ukrainian sources report a flight of Russian "Geraniums" towards the capital. Local authorities are urging residents not to ignore the air raid alert. 21:49 Statement of head of the press center of the group "West":
During the day, in the Kupyansk direction, the military personnel of the Zapad group of troops opened and destroyed three enemy DRGs from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 103rd and 105th Territorial Defense Brigades, and also disrupted the rotation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the forefront in the area of the settlement of Molchanovo.
In addition, the group's artillery destroyed two enemy mortar crews in the area of the settlements of Krakhmalnoye and Kotlyarovka.
On the defense sector of the Russian 1st Tank Army, the enemy attempted to conduct reconnaissance in force with the forces of the 115th Artillery Regiment of territorial defense. As a result of the counterattack of our troops, the enemy suffered losses and was forced to retreat to previously occupied positions. During the battle, up to 15 militants were destroyed, five were taken prisoner.
Calculations of the Tor-M2U air defense system destroyed three Furiya UAVs in the area of the settlements of Naugolnoye, Veliky Vyselok.
20:53 Russian artillery beat them several enemy infantry fighting vehicles in the Kremensk direction
20:53 Destruction artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation of the Ukrainian stronghold
19:54 Enemy ammunition depot took off into the air
Russian attack aviation continues to successfully strike at the positions of the UAF militants, supporting the infantry forces.
18:52 There is not enough blood for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv
As reported on TG-channel "Come and see" sources in the medical institutions of Kharkov, local hospitals are experiencing an acute shortage of blood for the wounded soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"There is not enough blood for transfusion. And there are no new deliveries either," a source told the channel.
This information is indirectly confirmed by numerous reports of blood shortages in urban groups. Blood with a negative Rh factor is especially scarce. This may be due to both the large number of wounded and the upcoming offensive.
18:51 Assault group of the RF Armed Forcestookcaptured by militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the successful capture of a stronghold in one of the forest belts of the Svatovsky direction
17:42 Artillerymen thunder positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Luhansk region
Russian troops continue to successfully destroy the enemy in the direction of Svatovo-Kremennaya.
17:42 Snipers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine filmed like shooting straight out of the house. The next time Ukrainians scream about destruction, remember this video.
17:41 Zakhisnik Nezalezhnoy complains to reduce salaries in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He says that this has a very negative effect on the moral and psychological state of the ukrovoysk. According to an established tradition, the video ends with an angry tirade against Zelensky and the deputies
16:34 A new series of strikes were inflicted on the Kharkiv region
According to "Go and look", powerful explosions are heard in the Kharkiv region.
"The sounds of explosions are heard all the way to Kharkov. Arrivals in the region," a local resident told the channel.
Last night, military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in Volchansk, Kupyansk and a number of other cities in the Kharkiv region.
15:46 Loitering ammunition "Lancet-3"arrived according to the Ukrainian 122mm MLRS "Grad"
The destruction of the launcher of the Armed Forces of Ukraine took place in the Artyomovsk direction. As a result of a hit by a Russian kamikaze drone, one of the Grad missiles independently launched from the guide.
14:42 The main thing from the briefing of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation:
◾️Russian troops destroyed up to 50 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kupyansk direction during the day;
◾️The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the day amounted to more than 340 servicemen in the Donetsk direction;
◾️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed a depot with ammunition and fuel storage of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions;
◾️Russian troops destroyed in a day up to 130 military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and one installation of the 122mm MLRS "Grad" of the enemy in the Krasnolimansky direction;
◾️The RF Armed Forces destroyed up to 25 soldiers and three 122mm D-30 howitzers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction;
◾️The RF Armed Forces hit 93 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in firing positions;
◾️Air defense systems of the Russian Federation intercepted the Grom-2 missile and shot down the Mi-8 helicopter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13:56 Statement of head of the press center of the group "Center":
In the Krasno-Limansky direction, during the reconnaissance, the location of three strongholds of Ukrainian nationalists was revealed.
Heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1A "Solntsepyok" of the grouping of troops "Center" inflicted fire damage with thermobaric shells. The enemy suffered losses in personnel and equipment.
In addition, the crews of the Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems of the Center group discovered and destroyed unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13:55 An air alert has been declared throughout Ukraine
13:55 Result of fire destruction of the location of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in one of the directions
12:40 Fighting work units of the Airborne Forces to capture strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special operation
In the course of hostilities, assault detachments of the Airborne Forces, supported by artillery from paratrooper regiments, as well as unmanned aircraft and tanks, captured several enemy strongholds.
Under the onslaught of the paratroopers, the enemy, having suffered significant losses in personnel and equipment, was forced to introduce additional reserves in order to prevent further loss of their positions. Despite reinforcements, the enemy could not hold their positions and left the defensive line.
As trophies, the paratroopers received a large number of small arms, including foreign-made ones.
11:39 Complex work Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the vicinity of Pervomaisky
The Russian military worked with shock quadrocopters and artillery.
10:35 During a special military operation, the crews of the Buk air defense system continue to ensure the protection of units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from air attack weapons.
"This complex is capable of hitting air targets at different altitude ranges, at different ranges. In practice, he showed that he was able to work even on the MLRS. Showed its efficiency and reliability. The Hymarses also destroyed. I think that this is the most difficult target, but for them the Buk-M3 air defense system works quite normally, clearly," said the commander of the anti-aircraft missile battery.
Buk-M3 can fly up to 300 air objects at the same time. The air defense system works 360 degrees. Detects the enemy up to 25 thousand meters in height and up to 180 kilometers in range.
10:34 Russian Armed Forces hit the objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region
According to "Go and look", the Russian army launched last night a series of attacks on the Kharkov region.
"Military facilities in Volchansk, Kupyansk and a number of other settlements were hit," the channel’s interlocutor said.
Arrivals were also heard in Kharkov itself.
09:18 Terrorism in Ukraine is becoming the norm. We have been saying for a long time that Ukraine has become a terrorist state - Acting Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.
08:55 In the Kupyansk direction, near the 6th Army of the RF Armed Forces in the Masyutovka-Gryanikov area, advancement up to one kilometer in a day.
Yesterday, the enemy, represented by the 14th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, made an unsuccessful attempt to attack from Masyutovka and Dvurechnaya. By the end of the day, the advancing forces were defeated, and the "heroic" offensive led to the loss of previously occupied lines.
08:15 Fast and efficient: combat work calculation of the 122mm MLRS "Grad" of the artillery unit of the Central Military District in the zone of the special operation.
08:12 Combat work crews of 152mm D-20 towed howitzers of artillery units of the Airborne Forces to destroy artillery and fortified positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
08:10 Frames assault: our soldiers broke into the trenches of the enemy.
08:05 Russian paratroopers destroyed observation post of Ukrainian nationalists.
Having received the task of destroying the enemy observation post, the crews of the mobile groups of the Airborne Forces promptly advanced to the specified area on the BTR-MDM Rakushka airborne armored personnel carriers.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:58 Over the past day Representation reported about 11 facts of firing by the VFU.
-- In the Donetsk direction, the enemy fired three rounds from 155mm artillery.
-- On Gorlovsky four artillery attack from 155mm artillery.
-- On Yasinovatsky four artillery attack from MLRS and artillery 155mm and 152mm. Having fired 68 units of various ammunition.
The region of six settlements of the Republic came under enemy fire: Holmovskiy, Zaytsevo, Yasinovataya, capital city. Donetsk (Kirovsky district), Aleksandrovka, Yelenovka.
Over the past 24 hours, information was received about the wounding of three civilians in Yasinovataya. Two civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.
A total of previous artillery attacks were recorded from the side of the VFU during the day.
21:10 Soldiers of PMC "Wagner"burned out a column of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during its attempt to return to Artemovsk (Bakhmut)
19:49 Information about the death of one of the victims during the artillery attack of Yasinovataya this morning has not been confirmed. Recall that three people were injured when hitting the city from heavy artillery. Four people have been injured in two days. Head of Yasinovataya Dmitry Shevchenko commented situation in an interview with News Front.
18:40 Ukrainian troops fired at Yasinovataya, firing six rounds of 152mm caliber and 20 rockets from the MLRS, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
18:25 Today at 11:00 a Ukrainian DRG was destroyed on Bolshoy Potemkinsky Island. Five servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine traveled by boat. Russian fighters noticed them and opened fire. All members of the Ukrainian DRG destroyed
18:11 Battle for Bakhmut situation as of 18.00 March 30, 2023:
In the north of Bakhmut, the assault on the industrial zone of the Artemovsky non-ferrous metal processing plant continues. At the moment, fighting is taking place in the Selishche area near the football stadium near Levanevskogo Street, as well as near houses near AZOM.
In the south of the city, the Sobachevsky and Budenovsky districts of Bakhmut have been completely cleared. Assault detachments of the Wagner PMC attack the positions of the Ukrainian army north of Shirokaya and Mariupolskaya streets.
In addition, Russian units have moved north from the central market to Nizhnaya Street, and are also fighting fiercely near the building of the Bakhmut city administration.
In the vicinity of Bakhmut near Krasny, Khromovo and Orekhovo-Vasilevka, positional fettering battles continue. "Wagnerites", with fire support from artillery and aviation, keep the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area, preventing the transfer of reserves to other directions.
17:59 The Armed Forces of Ukraine do not care about their dead soldiers. Near Artemovsk, Wagner does it for them. They collect the corpses of fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and send them to the Ukrainian side through the declared corridors -video.
17:31 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering colossal losses in Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
In March, the number of dead, wounded and missing Ukrainian military increased sharply. The number of deserters too. Every 24 hours, from 20 to 60 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are taken prisoner in the Artyomovsk direction.
17:30 Artillerymen of the RF Armed Forces in the Kremensk direction destroyed military equipment of Ukrainian nationalists.
16:40 Kyiv is pulling Western weapons to the Zaporozhye direction, including howitzers M777, HIMARS, French AMX-10RC tanks, Rogov told RIA Novosti.
In his opinion, Ukrainian troops may try to organize an offensive.
16:02 Attack UAVs and artillery of the Donetsk 1st Army Corps destroy enemy in the Avdeevsky direction.
The operators of shock quadrocopters, together with artillerymen of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps, are point-wise destroying identified Ukrainian militants in the Avdiivka direction.
15:37 Up to 25 Ukrainian troops were killed in the Kherson direction of the RF Armed Forces over the past day - RF Ministry of Defense
In addition, Russian servicemen liquidated 11 vehicles and three 122mm D-30 howitzers, as well as an ammunition depot of the 126th Brigade of the territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Olgovka.
15:05 Personnelthe defeat of an entire battery of American 155mm M777 guns of the Ukrainian army in the Zaporozhye direction.
14:44 Work of artillery of PMC "Wagner" in Artemovsk. Detection and subsequent destruction of the APU group with one precise hit.
14:15 As a result of the Ukrainian armed aggression, the building of the administration of the village of Zaitsevo (Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka) was damaged. Mayor of Gorlovka Ivan Prikhodko reported.
13:59 Ukrainian troops fired at Zaitsevo, firingfive rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
13:40 As of 13.30, as a result of the artillery attack of the settlement. Troitskoye with the use of HIMARS MLRS (the enemy fired two rockets), one civilian was killed and 14 people were injured, the building of the Troitsk Central District Multidisciplinary Hospital and a store were damaged.
13:37Ukrainian troops shelled the village of Golmovsky (Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka). Three enemy rounds exploded near the local Palace of Culture.
13:25 Nazis made shelling using artillery of 155mm caliber civilian infrastructure of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk.
As a result of the shelling, the building of the Territorial Center for Social Services for Pensioners on the street was damaged. Briquette. Investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation fix the consequences of the criminal actions of the military personnel of the VFU.
13:10 Artillery of 132nd Brigade destroyed position and manpower of the enemy.
Artillery crews of the 132nd Brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps (formerly the 3rd Brigade of the NM of the DPR) destroy the positions and manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with accurate artillery fire. Thanks to the skillful actions of a well-coordinated calculation, each shot from a gun becomes fatal for Ukrainian nationalists.
12:39 According to preliminary information, as a result of the artillery attack of the settlement. Troitskoye with the use of HIMARS MLRS (the enemy fired two rockets) injured six civilians, the building of the Troitsk Central District Multidisciplinary Hospital and a store were damaged.
12:17 Escape infantry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after an unsuccessful attack in the Zaporozhye direction.
11:44 The representative office of the LPR in the JCCC recorded artillery attack from the armed forces of Ukraine:
– 11.10 . Troitskoye (LNR) with the use of MLRS HIMARS (two missiles). Information about the victims and damage is being specified.
11:40 According to preliminary information, as a result of the artillery attack of the settlement. Troitskoye, using HIMARS MLRS (the enemy fired two rockets), a woman born in 1984 was injured, and four apartment buildings were damaged.
10:57 Ukrainian troops fired at Yasinovataya, firing four rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
10:23 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for March 30, information was received about victims among civilians in the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Yasinovataya:
- on the territory of LLC “Scientific and Production Association “Yasinovatsky Machine-Building Plant” employees of the enterprise were injured: men born in 1993 and 1966, woman born in 1968.
Information was received about damage as a result of artillery attack of the VFU cities of the Republic:
n.p. Yasinovataya: - damage to the infrastructure of LLC Scientific and Production Association Yasinovatsky Machine-Building Plant was recorded.
10:02 The representative office of the LPR in the JCCC recorded artillery attack from the armed forces of Ukraine:
– 09.10 a.m. Troitskoye (LNR) with the use of MLRS HIMARS (two missiles). Information about the victims and damage is being specified.
09:13 The representative office of the DPR in the JCCC reports 14 facts of firing from the AFU per day.
The enemy fired from MLRS and 155mm artillery, firing 69 units of various ammunition across the territory of the DPR. Under the fire of the VFU were: Yasinovataya, Donetsk, Makeevka, Dokuchaevsk.
Over the past day, information was received about the wounding of one civilian.
09:10 Ukrainian troops fired at Yasinovataya, firing 5 rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
09:08 UAV crews and artillery of the 9th Brigade destroy Nazis in Pervomaisky.
UAV crews and artillery of the 9th Brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps (formerly the 9th Regiment of the NM of the DPR) are destroying the manpower of Ukrainian militants in the village of Pervomayskoye with accurate fire and bombs from copters.
09:00 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Armed Forces of Ukraine were fired from barrel artillery:
- 13 rounds were fired at the Novaya Zburyevka settlement;
- according to n.p. Kardashinka fired seven rounds;
- 11 rounds were fired at the settlement of Krynki;
- Six rounds were fired at the settlement of Podstepnoye;
– In n.p. Aleshki fired 13 rounds;
- according to n.p. Korsunka fired 8 rounds;
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being specified.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlement. New Kakhovka, settlement Kakhovka, settlement Alyoshki, n. p. Gornostaevka, n. p. Kazachi Lagera, firing a total of 44 rounds from barrel artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
08:46 Information on the artillery attack of Gorlovka as of 08:00 on March 30, 2023
08:13 Personnel battles for Maryinka.
08:02 Frontline summary on the morning of 30.03.2023:
On the Donetsk front, Russian troops, supported by artillery, carried out offensive operations in Maryinka, near the city of Krasnogorovka and in the Pervomaisky region. Only on the last of the named sites there is a slight progress.
In the Avdievka direction, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation transferred activity to the northern flank. After massive artillery and air strikes, they tried to advance towards the city from the side of the village of Krasnogorovka.
Also, after a fire impact on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a ground attack was launched near Stepnoy. Russian artillery hit Novomikhailovka, Paraskovievka, Georgievka, Ostroy, Thin and Lastochkin. The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck at Donetsk and Novokalinovo.
To the south-west of Bakhmut, the PMC "Wagner" conducted assault operations near Predtechin and Ivanovsky. In the city itself, after a fire defeat, they advanced in the southern part. To the northwest, Wagner operators attacked at Khromovoe and Bogdanovka. With the support of artillery, they tried to advance in the Orekhovo-Vasilyevka area. Russian troops were advancing on Verkhnekamenskoye.
The positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Chasovoy Yar, Novomarkovo, Minkovka, Vasyukovka and Sporny are under shelling. The Ukrainian army attacked Kurdyumovka and Yagodnoe.
In the Luhansk direction, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, with the support of artillery, attacked near Belogorovka, Nevsky and Novoselovsky. They also attempted an attack on Terny, Stelmahovka and Starch.
07:01 Personnel the work of our artillery on the positions of the Nazis in the region of the Disputed LPR.
06:50 Ukrainian troops shelled Aleksandrovka, firing 10 rounds with a caliber of 155mm, the DPR representative office at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of Issues Related to War Crimes of Ukraine (JCCC) reported.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] The symbolism of this whole story is that the entire so-called south-east of Ukraine is exactly the same MiG. And Ukrainian politicians will not be determined in any way - what is it? Either this is a monument to the damned past, which needs to be decommunized to the ground, or it is still something valuable. Both approaches are still coexisting. And the other day even a “museum” appeared in the person of Margarita Simonyan.
There is a start to decommunization... There is even a conditional date: on December 8, 2013, a crowd of Euromaidanites toppled a monument to Lenin on Bessarabskaya Square in Kyiv. Since then, they were brought down all over the country, then they took up the smaller communists. A couple of times, for some reason, even Taras Shevchenko (a noble communist!) fell under the distribution. Of the latest high-profile acts - the demolition of the monument to the founders of Odessa (Catherine II and her closest associates). Taras Shevchenko was a Ukrainian writer and poet in the mid 1800s and is in some circles considered to be the father of Ukrainian letters.. I suspect the writer was being sarcastic with his reference to Shevchenko as a Kommie.
But there is no end to decommunization. And fresh Ukrainian humor is a confirmation of this.
There is such a district in Kyiv - Pechersk. If measured by Moscow standards - Patriarch's Ponds. Like the center, but not the very center. A place with history, no fuss. Living there is trendy. And expensive.
A MiG-17 has been standing on the territory of one of the schools in Pechersk since Soviet times. That certainly served as a subject of hidden pride of schoolchildren.
- And our school is cooler than yours!
- Pfff, ours is cooler, we have a plane on the territory.
And that's it, there's nothing to cover here. The best backdrop for graduation photos, you don't even need to travel anywhere.
True, he stood there until last Saturday. Worth no more. Demolished. At the initiative of the deputy of the Kyiv City Council and the "professor" of economics Alla Shlapak. Whether her children go to this school, or she lives nearby, who knows. It must be something deeply personal.
“Territory 5 of the school is finally decommunized!” - the deputy hastened to write in social networks. Let's not sit on our hands.
During the discussion, it turned out that the aircraft was not just dismantled, but already cut into several parts on the spot, and then taken out. Apparently, someone else made good money on the delivery of metal. To the timid regret of one of the commentators, they say, “it was possible to go to the museum,” Shlapak replied that the museum refused to pick up the plane. And between the lines it is directly read: who needs this junk, ha-ha-ha!
At this point, the joke is just beginning.
First, in the comments to Shlapak, the account of the State Aviation Museum named after A.I. Antonov with the phrase: “We apologize, but we have not received any offers.” And then, already on their page, the museum workers in the most correct terms (the times in Ukraine you know what) described the whole insanity of the situation.
First, as already mentioned, no one offered them anything. Still would not. How then can a deputy report on decommunization? For decommunization, you definitely need to break something and mock, otherwise it does not count.
Secondly, harmful museum workers wrote that the plane, it turns out, was of historical value (and here it already smelled of responsibility, at least administrative). Few of them remained, mostly just installed in the form of monuments.
Thirdly, the museum workers hinted at their readiness to accept the plane even in a cut into pieces form, since there are no other sources for the restoration of the exhibits of the museum fund. And this, as we understand it, jeopardizes someone's intention to make money by scrapping three tons of valuable scrap metal.
It’s just the perfect case on the topic “How to write a post on a social network and disgrace yourself out of the blue.”
Ukraine is generally at the forefront of decommunization; for some reason, its partners are lagging behind.
US Major General Bliss once acquired a MiG-17 from Morocco on occasion. And then, in 1983, he transferred it to the USA. Where he still stands in the local The Museum of flight and does not interfere with anyone.
And even Ukraine's closest sister-in-arms (Poland) for some reason does not show due sensitivity: Lim-5 (a licensed copy of the MiG-17, produced in Poland) stands right next to the garrison church in Biala Podlaska.
Although in the matter of the demolition of monuments associated with the USSR and Poland, Poland and Ukraine will give a light. Those who wish can broaden their horizons , MiGs are still in many places.
But this is not the end.
In early March, in Artyomovsk/Bakhmut, during the fighting, the local MiG-17, also installed as a monument, was destroyed.
The Russian media say that it was blown up by the retreating soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian side alternately blames the RF Armed Forces and Wagner PMC. But, in general, it is clear that in the fierce urban battles it could fly from anywhere.
In any case, then, in early March, the Ukrainian media were downright blazing with indignation. Barbarians! Occupiers! The symbol of the city! Well, you understand.
And two weeks later, exactly the same MiG-17 (only in Kyiv) is cut for scrap to the cheerful “Hurrah, demolished, finally!” "Barbarians blew up", yeah ...
There is another aspect to the story of the Kyiv fighter. The motive for its destruction is to get rid of the Soviet past and its artifacts. Only now, in parallel, Ukraine is struggling to get Soviet aviation artifacts.
MiG aircraft for Ukraine is almost a sacred topic.
Already at the beginning of March 2022, Anthony Blinken and Vladimir Zelensky actively persuaded the Poles to transfer the MiG-29 to Ukraine (by the way, the mythical Ghost of Kyiv flew on the same one). A year has passed, and only on March 23, Slovakia handed over four aircraft to Ukraine (Zelensky tried again ). Poland promised to give four more out of 29, warning that it did not plan to give up all the planes: they still needed them themselves.
It's strange somehow. The Ukrainian president runs around the countries of the ATS, begging for the remnants of Soviet equipment still in service, while the deputies of the Kiev City Council consider such equipment to be the legacy of the “damned Soviet regime”.
And most importantly, every time you want to finally understand this flawed-paradoxical logic - and nothing.
Why is one MiG a symbol of the city and a sweetheart, while the other must be cut into pieces, and even lie publicly about the museum?
Why exactly did the MiG-17 need to be cut into pieces and handed over for non-ferrous metals, while the Mriya, which died a year ago during the battles in Gostomel, was for some reason considered by the Ukrainians not as a monument of the Soviet era, but as an unattainable pinnacle of the Ukrainian aircraft industry?
For reference: out of eioght organizations involved in the creation of the An-225, four were Russian (RSFSR), three were Ukrainian (Ukrainian SSR). Plus, the central parts of the wings with flaps and the end parts of the wings were made in Uzbekistan. The plane does not fly without wings, but for some reason I have never heard that the An-225 is the pinnacle of the Uzbek aircraft industry.
As you know, the small reflects the big.
The symbolism of this whole story is that the entire so-called south-east of Ukraine is exactly the same MiG. And Ukrainian politicians will not be determined in any way - what is it? Either this is a monument to the damned past, which needs to be decommunized to the ground, or it is still something valuable. Both approaches are still coexisting.
And the other day even a “museum” appeared (in the person of Margarita Simonyan) with the words “What are you doing, Herods?! Stop destroying everything, let's better buy these lands from you."
Ukraine is silent. Of course you want money. But no less I want to break it down and throw it away. There is something to think about.
#1
When you nation is fighting for their very life you don't decommission anything. Lend lease had the British happily accepting used American ships that they would ordinarily have laughed at, but they needed. Zelensky is a grifter.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin:
[ColonelCassad] Today American spy Evan Gershovich was officially arrested by the Lefortovo Court of Moscow on charges of espionage. Linking to an official job in the Wall Street Journal didn't help much.
The US State Department called on all Americans who still remain in Russia to urgently leave the country. The reason given is the arrest of the American spy journalist Evan Gershovich, who today was detained and arrested by the Lefortovo Court of Moscow until May 29 (sic!) on charges of espionage.
The Biden administration then backed off a little, stating that the call for US citizens (voiced by the State Department) to leave Russia (after the arrest of American spy Evan Gershovich) does not mean a call for American journalists to leave Russia, whose work is already associated with risks (in fact, there are no known risks of American journalists working in Russia, except when they are engaged in espionage activities).
They say it is desirable for ordinary citizens to leave Russia, and journalists should continue to work as long as there is an opportunity.
It looks as if the CIA shook their finger and told them not to break the capabilities of undercover intelligence under the guise of journalistic activity in Russia with their own hands.
Washington is already consulting with Moscow on Gershovich's future. If the FSB has reinforced concrete evidence indicating that Gershovich was engaged in espionage, then we can expect that at the official level the United States will take the position of denial and go into a deaf refusal - they say they tied an innocent journalist, but through closed consultations at the level of the Foreign Ministry-State Department and special services , will gradually probe the ground for organizing an exchange, after the investigation of the Gershovich case is completed and he is sentenced.
There is no particular doubt that Gershovich will be exchanged in the future (but not immediately), the main thing here is who ours will be able to pull out in exchange for Gershovich. In any case, our intelligence agencies did a great job on this issue, and the CIA screwed up.
[REGNUM] White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that the authorities see no reason to trust the accusations of espionage that Russia has brought against American journalist Evan Gershkovich.
“There is no reason to believe that these allegations of espionage are true. The allegations of espionage are incredibly ridiculous, ” Jean-Pierre outlined the position of the White House to reporters.
She added that the United States has not yet classified Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained" - for this, the State Department must conduct a special procedure.
It is noted that American leader Joe Biden is also aware of the journalist's arrest .
As REGNUM reported , on March 30, the FSB in Yekaterinburg detained Evan Gershkovich, an employee of The Wall Street Journal, on suspicion of espionage. He collected information about the enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Russia and was caught red-handed.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Americans to leave Russia immediately.
The US Embassy in Russia has requested official notice of Gershkovich's arrest.
Commentary from the Telegam channel of Ugolok_Sitha
"The post primarily concerns the mobilized and their relatives. There are people who even have a stake on their heads, they will continue to chat, and there are reasonable people, but who simply have not encountered such things before and do not know how to behave. Here it is for them.
The chatter in question falls into two categories: open radio and cellular. With radio communication, everything is simple. Everything that you say in baofeng is known to the enemy in advance. At the same time, do not flatter yourself, the jargon of thirty years ago is perfectly familiar to him and does not mislead him. Therefore, one should not be surprised if, after a phrase like "In 10 small ones, expect a box of pencils" or "Moles work there" (a sore subject), there will be shelling.
Moreover, in the second case, the moles can also beat, if you're lucky, it can only be with your feet. If you're going to speak openly, then at least assign your own names to objects and landmarks and change them regularly, at least once every two weeks. And do not talk openly about the arrival of superiors, supplies, or cooperating units.
Now about cellular communications. Unfortunately, it is also a valuable source of information for Ukrainian partners. And this applies primarily to the conversations of the military with members of their families.
People, for some reason, think that if they don't talk to other military people, then no one is interested, but this is not so. It's just that partners usually post conversations of warriors among themselves, and not with families. Maybe they don't want to draw attention to it. But on slabone blurted out a lot. For example: "Farewell, dear, attack aircraft have arrived, tomorrow at 6 am we will attack." The enemy, knowing the approximate location of the phone, manages to take measures to repel the attack.
Reverse example: "Honey, we are being taken out to rest the day after tomorrow." For those who do not know yet - the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a strong habit of attacking before the shift change in order to use either the suitcase mood of the departing, or ignorance of the situation by new arrivals. Usually at the end of the night and in bad weather, if they have time to prepare and plan everything. And even seemingly neutral: "Sorry, dear, I'm very tired, I went to the headquarters for twenty kilometers, and the road is broken" can lead to trouble.
It is enough to measure the distance on the map, ask the Americans for satellite images, which will show either equipment or its traces, then send local agents for additional reconnaissance and you can wait for Hymars. The examples are based on real events, if anything. It is enough to measure the distance on the map, ask the Americans for satellite images, which will show either equipment or its traces, then send local agents for additional reconnaissance and you can wait for Hymars.
The examples are based on real events, if anything. It is enough to measure the distance on the map, ask the Americans for satellite images, which will show either equipment or its traces, then send local agents for additional reconnaissance and you can wait for Hymars. The examples are based on real events, if anything.
The enemy also carefully collects any negative information regarding the supply, cash payments and the implementation of social guarantees by our beloved MO. Lack and absence of something, delays in payments, outright cheating, red tape, etc. etc. Moreover, their TsIPSO is not pressing on this topic yet, perhaps they are still collecting the primary array of information.
Well, such a moment, there is also a thorough collection of installation data not only for military personnel, but also for members of their families. Why - I don’t know for sure, but it’s unlikely to congratulate them on the holidays. Maybe then scammers will call. Group phones are of particular interest in this regard. This is when a phone with a SIM card is bought alone for a company or department, and the fighters take turns calling home. So it’s also better not to talk too much even on personal topics,
[RIA Novosti] Vladimir Putin signed a decree on spring conscription, which will begin on April 1 and last until July 15.
The document was published on the official Internet portal of legal information.
During this campaign, it is planned to call up 147,000 Russians who are not in the reserve and meet the requirements of the law "On military duty and military service." The head of state instructed the government, regional authorities and draft commissions to ensure the implementation of activities related to the draft.
By the same decree, the president decided to dismiss "from military service soldiers, sailors, sergeants and foremen whose term of military service has expired." The document came into force from the date of publication.
As Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, clarified earlier today, recruits will not be sent to serve in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Also, the project on a phased change in the age of recruits will not affect the spring draft.
Commentary by Russian military blogger Andrey Chervonets:
According to US Air Force General Michael Schmidt, less than 30% of the F-35 fighters in the US can perform all their combat missions, and only 53.1% for partial missions (for training and demonstration sorties).
Although the general's report did not give specific reasons for the situation, several factors were already mentioned, including a shortage of spare parts, too frequent (from expected) engine and other component failures, and long repair times. And the situation is getting worse. For example, in 2020, 39% of aircraft were considered fully operational.
The F-35 still has hundreds of unresolved technical flaws and defects, dozens of them can cause the death or injury of crew members or other military personnel, as well as the loss of the aircraft.
The F-35 cannot be called a 5th generation device. If relative stealth is achieved at the expense of other characteristics and requirements for a 5th generation aircraft, such as: aerodynamics, maneuverability, thrust-weight ratio, cruising supersonic without afterburner?
The aircraft can conduct air combat, but is not designed to gain air superiority. He is not capable of this if the enemy is a fighter of at least the fourth generation. The maximum that the F-35 is designed for according to the tactics of its use as a fighter-bomber is only to “snarl” enemy fighter aircraft in order to carry out the task of striking ground targets. And this is if he leaves part of the place, and so in his small compartments for air-to-air missiles.
By the way, the over-the-horizon Container radar station, which is in service in Russia, can detect the F-35 at a distance of three thousand kilometers. The "container" sees beyond the optical horizon, despite the curvature of the earth's surface. The station was created on the principle of signal reflection from the ionosphere.
#4
89-79-million now cost fluctuations but a lifetime cost of $1.6 trillion for the F-35. Three variations, F-35 A, F-35 B and R-35 C. Conventional, Vertical and Carrier.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Yahoo] Ukrainian soldiers fighting in 
