[Military] The Army has found its replacements for the M4 rifle and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, handing out a contract to put new guns in the hands of tens of thousands of soldiers.
The force is awarding a 10-year, $20.4 million contract to Sig Sauer for the XM5 Rifle, which will become the new standard rifle for soldiers, and the XM250 Automatic Rifle, which will replace the SAW.
The service will also switch from 5.56mm ammo to 6.8mm, after a search for rounds better built to penetrate body armor.
"Both weapons fire common 6.8 millimeter ammunition utilizing government provided projectiles and vendor-designed cartridges," an Army spokesperson said in a press release. "The new ammunition includes multiple types of tactical and training rounds that increase accuracy and are more lethal against emerging threats than both the 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition."
The news comes after a 27-month evaluation process in which other defense contractors, including General Dynamics, competed to be the Army's go-to small arms dealer.
The weapons will include the XM157 Fire Control optic, which includes a laser range finder, ballistic calculator, visible and infrared lasers, and a compass. That optic is made by Vortex Optics.
It's unclear how many weapons the Army aims to buy over the decade, or how quickly soldiers will totally ditch the decades-old SAW and rifle. In its proposed 2023 budget, the force is requesting 29,046 new weapons. But that budget still needs to be approved by Congress.
Courtesy of M. Murcek, the SIG SAUER press release can be seen here.
#1
Billions and Billions of rounds of 5.56 world-wide and now a 6.8mm round? Really, in a time of massive debt, and you want to abandon decades of spending now? Cui Bono? Note bottom two on list below.
#2
The people who can only say "mouse gun" and "poodle shooter" still won't be happy, but the 6.8 is a good round. And I totally doubt the 5.56 inventory will wind up in a landfill.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 12:24
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#3
new source of Ukrainian ammo?
The Ukrainian Air Force already uses %5.56 and so do Special forces.
It would give them a more accurate round than the AK-47.
#8
Lots of potential confusion here. 6.8 SPC is Remington 6.8 Special Purpose Cartridge, developed some years ago at the behest of Special Forces to provide something more hard hitting than 5.56. It's 6.8 x 43, designed to work in 5.56 lowers, but with a different magazine and bolt carrier group than the 5.56 uses. The new SIG 6.8 hybrid cartridge is not the same. It's 6.8 x 51 and you can learn more about it here.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 15:50
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#10
Too soon to say, but I suspect if you do want an upper chambered in the new cartridge, it will have to ride on an AR-10 lower. The AR-15 lower's mag well just won't be long enough.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 16:32
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#11
^All I know is I want that new toy to build a new rifle and play
[FOX] A group of 26 Republican governors is launching a multi-state partnership to secure the southern border as the number of migrants being detained and appearing at the border continues to increase.
The American Governors’ Border Strike Force will target cartels and criminal groups by increasing collaboration, improving intelligence, combating human smuggling, and stopping drug flow among each of the participating states, according to a group memorandum outing its mission.
#1
Time to make a non-driving version of the driver's license a defacto state ID card and make it a requirement to get housing, work or vote.
Then make proof of citizenship a requirement to get the state ID card.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 7:41
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#2
Send Zelensky and what's left of the Azov Battalion to the border
Posted by: Albemarle Oppressor of the Boskonians1535 ||
04/20/2022 8:13
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#3
The making of a new nation: The other states involved in the effort are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Are you in?
[ORYXSPIOENKOP] A detailed list of destroyed and captured vehicles and equipment of both sides can be seen below. This list is constantly updated as additional footage becomes available.
This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, munitions, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment (including aircraft) are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the origin of a piece of equipment can't be established, it is not included in the list. The Soviet flag is used when the equipment in question was produced prior to 1991.
Russia - 3011, of which: destroyed: 1593, damaged: 47, abandoned: 243, captured: 1128
[Free Beacon] Coca-Cola Consolidated and Giant Food held an Earth Day environmental cleanup event with a Democratic Washington, D.C., councilman who has accused Jews of controlling the climate.
Ward 8 councilman Trayon White Sr., who is challenging incumbent mayor Muriel Bowser in the Democratic mayoral primary, teamed up with the Coke-bottling company and grocery chain last week to host the cleanup day for Oxon Run, a stream located in White’s ward.
White’s fraught relationship with the Jewish community dates back to at least 2018, when he claimed that wealthy Jews used "climate manipulation" to cause bad weather in D.C. and donated $500 in community funds to sponsor a conference by infamous Jew-hater Louis Farrakhan.
The event raises questions about why such prominent brands would partner with a political leader who is known for pushing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Coca-Cola Consolidated, one of the main Coca-Cola bottlers in the United States, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photos from the April 9 event show White posing with cleanup volunteers from Coca-Cola Consolidated with Coca-Cola flags and signs prominently displayed in the background.
A spokesman for Giant told the Washington Free Beacon that the event, and White’s invitation, was Coca-Cola Consolidated’s idea.
"This was an event run by Coca-Cola that we were happy to be a part of, because cleaning up our environment is very important to Giant Food. D.C. Councilman Trayon White Sr. was invited by Coca-Cola, so I cannot speak on that," said the spokesman.
COKE went WOKE and Anti-Semitic, because COKE is cozening up to this new generation of idiots to increase sells and recapture loss marketing shares. Like 1000's of Food places switching to Pepsi ONLY. eg. SAM's Club
I'll go so far as to say. it would not even surprise me if COKE decided to drop the colors Red & White on its products claiming social, racial and Political stated reasons.
#4
Well, Pepsico stuff has been off my shopping list since Indra Nooyi's "America gives the world the finger" nonsense and now Coke is off too. Last time I tried RC Cola as a replacement for what little soda I consume, I was underwhelmed.
Easier to stick with unsweetened iced tea, which is basically a social crime here in the south, but sugary beverages just make me thirsty and fat.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 8:48
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#5
Of course they control the weather - see what they have done to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Libya, etc.,
Does that mean we need to leave the lights on all week? For Earth Day, we leave the lights on for 24 hours to celebrate the wonder of Western Civilization. But all week seems a bit excessive.
[Breitbart] Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Tuesday suggested that it will continue to force individuals to wear masks — a move which would effectively ignore the ruling from a federal judge who on Monday deemed President Biden’s federal mask mandate illegal.
"The safety and security of passengers and employees is the highest priority for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)," the airport said in a relatively unclear statement Tuesday afternoon.
"The CDA will continue to follow, observe and enforce all guidance by federal, state and local health and security authorities. This includes Illinois Executive Order 2022-06, which requires masks on public transportation and in transportation hubs," it added:
#4
I flew on Lufthansa yesterday. They still required masks. Also only serve vegetarian meals in coach (which is unintentionally so very class conscious). Everything always defaults to the lowest common denominator.
[Gateway] A federal prosecutor who urged the jury to convict four men accused in Governor Whitmer’s alleged kidnapping plot dropped out of the case on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney Jonathan Roth withdrew on Tuesday from the alleged kidnapping case of the tyrannical Michigan Governor Whitmer, according to court documents.
Roth was the co-lead prosecutor in the kidnapping case along with Nils Kessler.
This comes after a Michigan jury found NO guilt verdicts in the trial against four of the alleged kidnapping defendants two weeks ago. The case continues to fall apart now that the American public know the FBI actually hatched the plot. paid for the plot, ran the plot, and set up the innocent men in their immoral scheme. Emphasis in closing para added.
[American Thinker] Two weeks ago, Elon Musk initiated the biggest Leeroy Jenkins move against a social media giant we have ever witnessed.
That is a gaming reference, and this is a game that is being played out. With his bid to take Twitter private and restore free speech, he provided a stage for the mainstream media and the progressive pundits to expose themselves as not only being in favor of censorship, but demanding that there be more of it.
Musk's stunning gambit rumbled through the halls of Twitter and the newsrooms of CNN and MSNBC. Their fear was palpable. After years of saying, "If you don't like what we are doing to you, go build your own social media platform," they suddenly were faced with someone calling their bluff.
The progressives found themselves wallowing in their own hypocrisy on the matter. When Facebook purchased Instagram, there was no outcry of "foul." When Jeff Bezos purchased the Washington Post, there were cheers from the left. But when Musk put his money where his mouth was and purchased 9% of Twitter, they immediately tried to toss a flag on the play. They screamed warnings of dire consequences of people being able to express themselves.
Their reaction was no surprise. The man who single-handedly ushered in the return of electric cars was overnight painted as a social media pariah. The progressive left staked out its lack of moral high ground as advocating that you have to have restrictions on free speech. Some went so far as to say we needed even more restraints. The leftist media advocated that allowing anyone to share their opinions is dangerous, racist, and un-American. Their stark fears that Donald Trump might be given voice again were palpable.
The right of free speech is fundamental to the American way of life. Yes, social media have given utter morons a platform to spew hate, on both sides of the political spectrum, but it also gives us the ability to ignore those people. Censorship in any manner is against a principle that this nation was built on. Clearly, Elon Musk sees this and is willing to pay big bucks to set these matters right.
The silent acceptance of social media platforms like Twitter using bots and mysterious, unnamed "fact-checkers" to determine what is the truth, blocking things that they deem inappropriate, is borderline madness. Yet it is the world we have begrudgingly been forced to accept.
[OneIndia] The violence that broke out during Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are a cocktail of several factors. While the radical elements behind the violence need to probed, the agencies are also not ruling out the possibility of an external hand in these cases as has been seen in the past.
In this backdrop a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by advocate Vineet Jindal alleging a conspiracy against the Hindu comment. He urged the Supreme Court ...the political football known as The Highest Court in the Land, home of penumbrae and emanations... to order an impartial probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Clashes broke out in Jahangir Puri Delhi on April 16 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti celebration and before that even during Ram Navami celebrations in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat ...where rioting seems to be a traditional passtime... , Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh and in JNU campus during peaceful processions and celebration, the devotees were attacked, the petition said.
Post these festivities there have been several allegations regarding the role played by internal as well as external elements. It has also been seen several times in the past that these radical elements use illegal immigrants colonists from Bangladesh and the Rohingya Moslems to undertake acts of terror and violence.
Even during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests similar elements were seen carrying out violence. An Intelligence Bureau official tells OneIndia that the role of the ISI has always been there. They fund such elements to undertake acts of violence to keep India on the boil.
There has been a sustained effort on part of these Islamic gunnies to fan violence and create communal divide. One saw that during the anti-CAA protests, the hijab row, Ram Navami and now Hanuman Jayanti.
The officer cited above said that there has been a sustained effort to target Hindu festivals and create a communal divide. These are pre-planned and not sporadic incidents, the officer explained. In future they will do this more if stringent action is not taken, the officer further said.
The ISI's plan is to keep the country on the boil in every corner. The communal riots or be it the revival of the Khalistan movement, the ISI has its hand in everything. Pakistain has turned to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... to drum up anti-India sentiments. The ISI along with Turkey has been influencing Moslems across the world to speak about the Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... issue and project a false narrative of India.
Turkey according to an Intelligence Bureau report has adopted a three pronged approach against India.
They include employing Kashmiri journalists to put out a false narrative, dole out scholarships so that radicalisation can take place at educational institutes and fund NGOs to influence Indian Moslems on foreign policy which is detrimental to India's interests.
[FoxNews] 'U.S. nuclear power plants contribute more than half of our carbon-free electricity'
The Biden administration is launching a $6 billion effort to rescue nuclear power plants at risk of closing, citing the need to continue nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power that helps to combat climate change.
A certification and bidding process opened Tuesday for a civil nuclear credit program that is intended to bail out financially distressed owners or operators of nuclear power reactors, the U.S. Department of Energy told The Associated Press exclusively, shortly before the official announcement. It’s the largest federal investment in saving financially distressed nuclear reactors.
Owners or operators of nuclear power reactors that are expected to shut down for economic reasons can apply for funding to avoid closing prematurely. The first round of awards will prioritize reactors that have already announced plans to close.
The second round will be opened up to more economically at-risk facilities. The program was funded through President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal, which he signed into law in November.
"U.S. nuclear power plants contribute more than half of our carbon-free electricity, and President Biden is committed to keeping these plants active to reach our clean energy goals," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. "We’re using every tool available to get this country powered by clean energy by 2035, and that includes prioritizing our existing nuclear fleet to allow for continued emissions-free electricity generation and economic stability for the communities leading this important work."
A dozen U.S. commercial nuclear power reactors have closed in the past decade before their licenses expired, largely due to competition from cheaper natural gas, massive operating losses due to low electricity prices and escalating costs, or the cost of major repairs.
This has led to a rise in emissions in those regions, poorer air quality and the loss of thousands of high-paying jobs, dealing an economic blow to local communities, according to the DOE. A quarter or more of the fleet is at risk, the DOE added. The owners of seven currently operating reactors have already announced plans to retire them through 2025.
Most U.S. nuclear plants were built between 1970 and 1990 and it’s costing more to operate an aging fleet. The only nuclear plant under construction in the United States is in Georgia. Costs have ballooned and another delay was announced in February.
The shuttered reactors include Indian Point Energy Center in New York, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station in Nebraska and Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. Entergy cited low natural gas prices and increased operating costs as key factors in its decision to close Indian Point last year. New York officials sought the shutdown, saying the plant 24 miles (39 kilometers) north of Manhattan posed too great a risk to millions of people who live and work nearby.
Twenty more reactors faced closure in the last decade before states stepped in to save them, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry’s trade association. Illinois is spending nearly $700 million to keep three plants open while additional renewable resources come online.
Low electricity prices are the main cause of this trend, though federal and state policies to boost wind and solar have contributed as well, the NEI added.
There are 55 commercial nuclear power plants with 93 nuclear reactors in 28 U.S. states. Nuclear power already provides about 20% of electricity in the U.S., or about half the nation’s carbon-free energy.
If reactors do close before their licenses expire, fossil fuel plants will likely fill the void and emissions will increase, which would be a substantial setback, said Andrew Griffith, acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy at DOE.
While natural gas may be cheaper, nuclear power hasn’t been given credit for its carbon-free contribution to the grid and that has caused nuclear plants to struggle financially, Griffith added.
The bailout for the nuclear industry is reminiscent of assistance the auto and airline industries received after the 2008 economic collapse and the coronavirus pandemic, respectively.
#3
We have a school bond vote coming up; AFAICT it’s to pay for what the last two bonds were supposed to have been for before the money was ‘redirected’ but all they say is we have to pass it “for the children.”
[FoxNews] Airmen's Time is included in the Air Force's training program
The U.S. Air Force has launched a new initiative called "Airmen’s Time" which, among other things, aims to create a "safe space" where service members can share perspectives with their commanders.
"The intent of Airmen’s Time is to create a safe space, be present, and ensure that our Air Force culture invites healthy conversation for every Airman…anytime, anywhere," reads a memo, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, that was recently sent to commanders.
I have no idea what that sequence of words means.
The memo, written by Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Joanne S. Bass and General USAF Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown, Jr., states "building trust and belonging is never a one-time event – it is a daily commitment to those we serve."
"To further advance this cultural shift, leaders at every level are entrusted to prioritize time to elevate connection, growth, and enhance the well-being of individual Airmen while building unity within teams," the memo says.
An Air Force schedule and training program available online shows that "Airmen’s Time" is already included in the list of activities over eight and a half weeks.
A spokesperson for the Air Force told Fox News that "an environment focused on continued growth is key to mission success and readiness of the force."
"Allowing leaders to carve out time to directly communicate with their Airmen is crucial for unit cohesion and connectedness," the spokesperson said in a statement. "By further investing in and empowering our Airmen, through initiatives like Airmen’s Time, we are better positioned to act confidently and out-think our adversaries by approaching and solving problems in new ways."
The Pentagon did not respond to Fox News' request for comment by publication.
[Townhall] Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, claimed on Monday he saw CNN trying "to create conflict and film it" while covering the protests and riots in Ferguson, Missouri in the aftermath of the officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown.
Dorsey made the comment when responding to Brain Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent, posting an article from the Washington Post about how Fox News host Tucker Carlson is always selling the same thing, "He's selling doubt..."
[Antiwar.com] Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told Politico in an interview published Monday that he can’t get meetings with senior Biden administration officials at the White House and State Department.
Antonov, who took the post in Washington in 2017, said that his letters to meet with US senators and House representatives have also been rejected. He said the Russian Embassy still maintains lower-level contacts with the Biden administration but described the situation as a "blockade."
"Frankly, we are in a blockade," Antonov said. "When I came to Washington, my idea was to use the word ’improvement’ to describe his goals for the relationship. Now I prefer to use the word ’stabilization.'"
The Russian ambassador decried the lack of contact with US officials and stressed that the US and Russia must cooperate. "It’s impossible to imagine even under such circumstances that problems of strategic stability, climate change, coronavirus, fighting against terrorism, fighting against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction could be solved without active engagement of the United States and Russia," he said.
The Biden administration has abandoned diplomacy with Russia since it invaded Ukraine on February 24. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hasn’t spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since February 15, and President Biden doesn’t seem interested in holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Antonov hasn’t spoken with Putin since 2017 but insists that is typical of the Russian system and said he has a direct line with the Kremlin.
Antonov said that the US has to decide what sort of relationship it wants to have with Russia. "You have to decide who we are for you," he said. "Whether we are partner for you, whether we are rival for you, whether we are opponent, or I don’t want even to use this word, ’enemy.'"
While Washington and Moscow still maintain formal diplomatic ties, the US has been leading a Western sanctions campaign aimed at isolating Russia from the global economy. The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the US and its allies are digging to isolate Russia for the long-term and are preparing for a new world where they no longer try to cooperate and coexist with Russia.
For his part, Antonov hopes for better relations. "As for me, I’m still sure we should be partners," he said. "Previously, I would say that we are partners. Now we are not partners. It’s a pity."
#4
^ As long as the US is not stuck right alongside them throwing money down a black hole to keep the MIC and it's associated retainers happy.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 8:01
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#5
As long as the US is not stuck right alongside them throwing money down a black hole to keep the MIC and it's associated retainers happy.
But we are stuck, and it is a black hole. The US taxpayer will be stuck with the tab for this. Reconstruction of Ukraine will cost a trillion or more.
Most of that btw will simply be stolen; remember, this is the poorest, worst governed, most corrupt country in Europe, and reconstruction will be presided over by the Bidens. And it's now a one-party dictatorship under the penile pianist-comedian.
#6
I don't see how the US is "stuck". We can walk away anytime, or adjust resupply as needed.
The US should have little interest in rebuilding Ukr. That's a EU problem.
#7
Rebuilding the AzovStal steel complex alone will cost many billions. Plus 10 percent for TBG.
Oops, I forgot: it's now under Russian control. So redirect the billions and the grift to another one of Rinat Alhmetov's entities. Or just into his pockets (it's faster, more efficient).
#8
#6 I don't see how the US is "stuck". We can walk away anytime, or adjust resupply as needed.
The US should have little interest in rebuilding Ukr. That's a EU problem.
"Build Back Better", Eastern version.
Ukraine is every D.C. Swampie's favorite piñata. Endless opportunities for embezzlement and sweetheart deals.
Washington will be all over the trillion dollar Ukraine gold rush like flies on shit.
Why the hell else do you think they want to keep this completely futile (from Ukraine's standpoint) war going? It's only going to partition Ukraine and cause what's left to be completely destroyed. It's all about $$$ for official Washington + Pentagon contractors now.
#9
Well. Imagine a situation where the FBI tires of setting up incels for failed "insurrection stings" and instead dusts off the ABSCAM playbook. That gold rush will look like a shitshow in short order.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 8:44
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#10
Obama put Joe Biden in charge of Iraq policy, and the Biden family got rich overnight. James Biden pocketed tens of millions in deals that brother Joe steered to him.
Now Joe's even more powerful and son Hunter has golden connections to Ukraine's most corrupt officials and oligarchs.
And unlike Iraq, Ukraine under Zelensky is a one-party state, a dictatorship that gets fawning western press coverage. There will be no scrutiny at all of the trillion $ that flows into the Ukrainian sinkhole. Just imagine how much will flow into the Bidens' and Zelensky's offshore accounts.
So of course they want to prolong this war. Every day ratchets the total tab up another $2-3 billion, and their take another $2-3 million.
If they can prolong the war another 2 years, we're looking at $2 trillion, with profits for the Biden family alone in the $20 million range.
#14
If peace means Russia stuck in Ukraine and bleeding itself white and losing weapons it cannot replace, then I'm all for it.
^ As long as the US is not stuck right alongside them throwing money down a black hole to keep the MIC and it's associated retainers happy.
I liked how these two jived, and even with the covert arming, it should remain covert, not gum flappers and tiktokrs bragging up being involved in Flying Tigers or out of place equipment showing up like Scorpians. A free and independent Ukraine must win it on its own perhaps with supplied regional equipment and good intel or they will simply be a fodder vassal of the NATO/EU/and or USMIC conflict interest.
I'd say, say what you will about Russia in Ukraine, and their relationship with Iran, it sure has all the stink that Russia supplying Iran with Uranium was an Obama initiative which tapped Clinton's connections to use the McCain Weapons Train to make contact and organize physical transport while Team Biden was appointed with dealing with the financial aspects of the laundering via Ukrainian accounts, of which Zelenski would become the latest political face of.
As far as what goes on in the Dr. Who Booth, as the title suggests, who knows. All I know is by act or accident, Team Brandon manages to up the rhetoric and intent with calls for assassination and calls of genocide which is a legally binding charge, an established cause for aggressive military intervention. Did it fall out of his mouth like a Kamela job interview, sure, but there it is, the Face of Brandon escalating the tension.
FFS, the Brandon Officials are taking dictates from the Gardammed Easter Bunny.
#16
I see an opportunity to train our warthog pilots, on a volunteer basis, like Gen Chenaults 'flying tigers' of WWII. Face it ... conflicts are the best training ground and if you want well trained Warriors then ... I am not a warrior but we have had some...Ventura, Patton, Gavin, Forrest, Longstreet, Sherman, Grant ... ad infinitum. In my opinion it is the female who saves posterity and men who fight. "war means fighting and fighting means dying" NBF
#17
"Mr. President, fresh off your top level mission briefing with 8 year olds covering the strategic interests in Afghanistan, what call you tell our Allies to shore them up for a potential conflict in Ukraine?"
"New Hampshire."
-cut cut cut...first, no more phone calls until we get James Cromwell up to speed.-
#18
of course they want to prolong this war. Every day ratchets the total tab up another $2-3 billion, and their take another $2-3 million.
Economists calculating how much infrastructure investment would be required to restore lost GDP use a metric called ICOR, Incremental Capital-Output Ratio. That is the ratio of investment to growth, and the average across countries is about 5.
Ukraine is wildly corrupt, so a ratio of 6 or even 7 is more appropriate. If Ukraine loses 60% of its GDP as a result of the war's destruction, then the lost GDP will total about $110 billion. The cost to restore destroyed infrastructure would then be about $660-770 billion.
If the war goes on full tilt for another year, then Ukraine will lose more like 80% of GDP. That would require $1 trillion of reconstruction spending.
So Zelensky is right -- assuming the US can keep bleeding his country and keep the war going for another year.
#20
The Big Guy's 10% of the upcoming $1 trillion Ukraine Build Back Grifter / Green New Deal program will equal $100 million... putting him in the same league as fellow demo-rat grifters Obama, Gore and the Clintons
[Rudaw] A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was killed and another was injured on Monday in festivities with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) in Anbar, also resulting in the death of two hard boys, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
A PMF brigade thwarted an attempted attack by suspected ISIS members in the Akashat area of western Anbar, killing two of the gunnies in the festivities that ensued. The group’s members came from "the depths of the Iraqi desert," and launched the attack from four pickup vehicles, according to a statement from the cell.
The statement added that one fighter from the PMF brigade was killed during the incident, and another was injured. The vehicles fled towards the same location they came from, and are being pursued by the forces.
The media cell also announced that the PMF in Baghdad were able to arrest an ISIS administrative official on Monday, sentencing him to life imprisonment.
In its propaganda magazine on Thursday, ISIS claimed to have conducted 24 attacks in Iraq from April 7 to April 13, killing and injuring 31 people.
ISIS on Sunday vowed to seek "Dire Revenge" over the killing of its former leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quryishi, and called on supporters to make the most of the war in Ukraine to resume attacks in Europe.
ISIS typically sends messages to followers during Ramadan to garner support.
⚡️76 Ukrainians return home as part of prisoner exchange with Russia.
This number includes 60 servicepeople, including 10 officers, and 16 civilians, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on April 19. She did not say how many Russians were exchanged.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
Posted by: Fred ||
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It takes lots of cannon fodder to soak up bullets in the Russian style of war fighting.
[Garowe] Long queues have been witnessed in the past few weeks within the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, triggering sharp reactions on social media with critics claiming a number of Æthiopians could be registering to join the Russian army.
For about two months, Russia has been confronting Ukraine, leading to condemnation around the world as sanctions bite Moscow for its "improper" attitude. Both sides, reports indicate, have suffered casualties.
With most countries standing in solidarity with Russia, there have been questions about the future of Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... is increasingly getting isolated from the rest of the world due to his "confrontational attitude".
On Monday, Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa denied reports that Æthiopians queuing on the premises were joining the Russian army. On the contrary, the embassy says the people lining up there are standing in solidarity with the increasingly isolated European powerhouse.
Russian embassy Press attaché Maria Chernukhina told AlAin website that "Russia has not advertised to recruit Æthiopians for the war in Ukraine, and the information circulation on social media is false." But she said it was true that Æthiopians had gone to the embassy "to show their solidarity with Russia."
Further, she insisted many Æthiopians were sending emails and delivering messages in person in support of Russians who are at war with Ukraine. According to her, the messages also thank Russia. Æthiopia is seemingly the only African country standing with Russia.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shootout, Butch shot Ike through the elbow. Take that, Ike! he yelled...... the embassy of Ukraine in Addis Abeba informed a fact-checking website, Æthiopia Check, that "this is a tragic happening. If an Æthiopian dies in this war, it will be a tragedy for both Ukraine and Æthiopia, Ukraine said in a statement.
Back at home, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is struggling to contain internal rifts including the Tigray war which has left thousands of people dead. The war, which involves Æthiopian National Defense Forces and Tigray Defense Forces, started in November 2020.
Already, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom says despite the declaration of a humanitarian truce ..The purposes of a truce are twofold: 1.) bring up more arms, ammunition, and reinforcements; and 2.) get the enemy to relax his vigilance. A truce is not the same thing as a ceasefire, and a ceasefire doesn't mean you have to stop shooting... in the country, only a few trucks have been allowed to deliver food to Tigray. The Æthiopian government insists it's cooperating with other agencies to deliver the much-needed aid.
Æthiopia is also battling inter-tribe conflicts, especially in Oromia and Amhara regions. Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... troops are also believed to be fighting alongside the Æthiopian army in the Tigray region, leading to condemnation from both the US and other important stakeholders in the country.
On this planet of poverty, pain,
And cruel European disdain,
'Tis clear -- please don't wince,
Philosophical prince! --
That true happiness lies in... Ukraine.
#6
Russia dominates the African arms market and is rapidly becoming the most influential foreign power in Africa. The African nations are solidly behind Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Along with China, India, the OPEC nations, most of the Middle East, Brazil and Mexico, Africa's support for Russia is a nice return on Russia's investments in good relations with the continent over the last two decades.
Most importantly, having the support of China, India, Latin America and Africa means that Russia can tell the US and the EU to fuck off.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontainfo] 23:04 The city of Kremennaya has completely passed under the control of the armed forces of the LPR. AFU abandoned positions and armored vehicles, leaving the city in a hurry. 22:12 Since the beginning of the current day, the DPR servicemen have destroyed 27 Ukrainian nationalists, 2 armored personnel carriers, 3 firing positions of 122-mm D-30 artillery howitzers and 1 cargo vehicle. 1 armored personnel carrier and 2 cargo vehicles were captured.
21:35 According to the operational line of the DPR JCCC, information was received about the wounding of 13 civilians as a result of shelling of the previously liberated territories of the Republic by the AFU:
n.p. Mariupol:
— girl born in 2010;
- men: born in 1959, 1978, 1950, 1965, 1948, 1970;
- women: born in 1971, 1936, 1959, 1953.
n.p. Pavlovka:
- a girl born in 2010.
n.p. Volnovakha:
- a woman born in 1985.
21:03 “No one got out of Azovstal itself, but taking advantage of the silence from the houses that are in close proximity to the Azovstal checkpoint, about 140 people left,” Alexei Nikonorov, head of the administration of the Head of the DPR, told Zvezda TV channel.
20:37 As a result of a strike by high-precision air-launched missiles, two strongholds in the Kalinovo-Papasnoye area and six enemy manpower and military equipment concentration areas in the areas of Mirny, Slavyansk and Popasny were hit. Up to 180 personnel and 15 armored vehicles were destroyed, and a Buk-M1 air defense missile launcher was also destroyed in the Barvenkovo area - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
20:33 Residents of Lisichanskstartedprovide armed resistance to the Ukrainian authorities.
20:32 The LPR forces took a strategically important height at the stronghold of the Ukrainian troops, from here they fired at Donetsk, Frunze, Golubovsky.
20:10 According to the operational line of the DPR JCCC, information was received about damage as a result of shelling of the VFU in Donetsk at the following addresses:
Petrovsky district: st. Ulyanovs. Kuibyshevsky district st. Oginsky, 46 - a fire in a private house. Information about the consequences of shelling continues to arrive.
19:44 Armed formations of Ukraine continue to terrorize the civilian population of the DPR. As a result of artillery shelling, a residential private sector of Gorlovka was hit.
19:15 “The Azovstal plant was bombed and almost completely destroyed,” said the deputy commander of the Azov regiment* Svyatoslav Palamar
18:47 As a result of the shelling of the VFU, a two-story building on the street was damaged. Federative, 19 in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk - Kulemzin.
18:45 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): 4 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired.
18:32 More than 120 civilianscame outfrom Azovstal. Taking advantage of a short lull, the civilians of Mariupol, who became hostages of neo-Nazi militants, were finally able to get out of the basements of houses that stand directly at the main Azovstal checkpoint.
18:24 Even before the special operation, neo-Nazis in Mariupol were preparing hundreds of coffins in order to bury civilians. On the frames it is seen that the coffins were made back in 2014. They were brought to Mariupol in order to carry out the operational burial of civilians who died at the hands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
18:20 "Officers of Russia"broughtassistance to Volnovakha and Mariupol hospitals. The representative of the regional branch of "Officers of Russia" in the Tyumen region, Alexander Sukachenko, said that he had come to the Republic for the correct and targeted formation of cargo with the help of Donbass. During the visit, guests from Russia brought humanitarian kits to the doctors of the hospital in Volnovakha, as well as food and sweets for the children's department in Mariupol.
18:09 Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: from the direction of the settlement. Orekhovo in the settlement Donetsk with the use of 152mm artillery guns (10 shells) - the representation of the LPR in the JCCC and in the negotiation process.
18:05 "This is not an army - these are real criminals!". A resident of Novoaydar, who suffered from shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, spoke about his attitude towards Ukrainian militants.
18:00 No one took advantage of the new humanitarian corridor for civilians organized near Azovstal, said Alexei Nikonorov, head of the administration of the head of the DPR.
17:50 Departed from Grozny to Donbass new group of volunteers. It was instructed to "protect each other" and "protect the civilian population of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics."
17:46 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: - n.p. Maryinka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): 4 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired.
17:44 One of the primary tasks is to move the front line away from our cities so that Donetsk, Gorlovka and Yasinovataya stop appearing in reports - Alexey Nikonorov.
17:35 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): 6 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired.
17:28 Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: from the direction of the settlement. Novozvanovka by settlement Kalinovo with the use of artillery guns 122mm (6 shells) - the representation of the LPR in the JCCC and in the negotiation process.
17:17 More than 200 stores have been restored in liberated settlements of the DPR - Ministry of Industry and Trade
17:01 According to the operational line of the JCCC DPR, information was received about the wounding of two civilians - born in 1939 and 1960. as a result of a direct hit of the VFU ammunition in a residential building in the settlement. Mineralnoe at st. Komsomolskaya, 19. The victims were taken to the Yasinovatsky central district hospital, where they receive the necessary assistance. As a result of the shelling of the VFU of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, housing construction was damaged at the following addresses:
- st. Krasnogorovskaya, 12/1 - a direct hit, a gas pipe was also broken, a bandage was applied;
- st. Federative, 19 - the territory of Avtotransportnik LLC.
16:39 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Novgorodskoye - n.p. Panteleymonovka: eight 122mm rounds were fired.
16:20 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: Avdievka - n.p. Mineral: fired six shells with a caliber of 122mm.
15:55 Ministry of Defense on the situation at Azovstal:
Official representatives of Kyiv claim about the allegedly large number of civilians at Azovstal - this is another information stuffing, invented to save the nationalists.
If someone from the civilian population is at Azovstal, we demand that measures be taken to release them and exit through humanitarian corridors.
The Russian Federation guarantees the safe evacuation of all civilians without exception and their movement as part of humanitarian convoys in any direction they choose.
Officials of the Kiev authorities and the perpetrators of the inhuman action at Azovstal are war criminals and terrorists.
15:43 Fighting on the approaches to the Estuary: the situation on April 19, 2022:
After establishing control over the eastern bank of the Oskol River and the village of Kremennaya, the allied forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the LPR began to develop attacks on the city of Liman.
On the morning of April 19, allied troops attacked units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the villages of Zarechnoye and Torskoye. By the middle of the day, enemy resistance in Torskoy was crushed. The forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine blew up the railway bridge across the river Seversky Donets near the village of Dronovka to slow down the advance of Russian forces. Liman (Red Liman) is a major transport hub.
Taking the city under control will allow developing a further offensive to the southwest towards Slavyansk and southeast in the direction of Seversk - Severodonetsk.
15:27 Eyewitnesses report arrivals at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the national battalions on the territory of the Starokramatorsk Machine-Building Plant (SKMZ).
15:25 Information was received through the operational line of the DPR JCCC about the wounding of a civilian born in 1957. as a result of a direct hit of VFU ammunition in an apartment building at the address: st. Krasnogorovskaya, 12, apt. 1, Petrovsky district of Donetsk.
The area of responsibility of the motorized infantry battalion (commander - Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Matyushka) of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade (commander - Colonel Maistrenko Alexei Sergeevich). The victim was taken to the Central City Hospital No. 14, where she is receiving medical care.
15:16 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): 10 shells of 122 mm caliber were fired.
15:12 The Russian Defense Ministry has opened humanitarian corridors from Azovstal. We observe: they will come out - they will not come out.
15:00 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation again called on the official authorities of Kyiv to show prudence, to give appropriate instructions to the militants to stop the senseless resistance and leave the center of resistance at the Azovstal plant.
14:54 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Avdiivka - n.p. Yasinovataya: five missiles fired from the BM-21 Grad.
14:49 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Sands - Donetsk (Kuibyshevsky district): four shells of 122mm caliber were fired. As a result of the shelling of the VFU in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, the number of victims increased to 2 people.
14:00 A direct hit by a Ukrainian shell was recorded in the apartment of a residential building on the street. Krasnogorovskoy, 12/1 in the Petrovsky district of the city. The glazing was damaged, the gas pipe was broken - Kulemzin.
13:54 The Russian military began distributing bread from their own bakery to residents of the village of Markino (DPR).
The company was up and running the day before. Its capacity is up to 8 tons of bread per day.
It was built specifically to provide fresh bread to the residents of Mariupol and its environs.
13:23 As a result of the morning shelling by Ukrainian militants of the Petrovsky district, a woman born in 1953, living on the street, was wounded. Kosareva, 63. With a diagnosis of shrapnel wound to the right thigh with the presence of a foreign body, the victim was hospitalized in the city hospital No. 14 - Kulemzi
13:10 In Mariupol opened school №53.
13:05 Information was received through the operational line of the JCCC of the DPR about the wounding of a civilian born in 1979 on April 16, 2022. as a result of the shelling of the VFU n.p. Alexandrovka.
The victim was taken to the Central City Hospital No. 14, where he received medical assistance.
13:04 Shelling was recorded from the side of the armed formations of Ukraine: from the direction of the settlement. Kamyshevakh along the settlement Pervomaisk with the use of a 122mm artillery gun (six shells) - the representation of the LPR in the JCCC and in the negotiation process.
13:02 Shelling from the side of the VFU in the direction of:
n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Kirovskiy district): four shells of 122mm were fired;
n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): four shells of 122mm were fired.
13:01 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: the armed forces of the Russian Federation are consistently fulfilling the plan for the liberation of the LPR and DPR.
13:00 News directly from the scene: resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the settlement Torskoye was completely suppressed, the fighting stopped, all firing points and defense lines were destroyed.
12:47 Kadyrov said that the "Banderites in Mariupol" will be finished off "already today" and Azovstal will be completely taken away.
12:46 The Russian Armed Forces are consistently implementing the plan for the liberation of the LPR and DPR - Shoigu.
12:20 Information was received through the operational line of the DPR JCCC about the wounding of a civilian born in 1979 on April 16, 2022. as a result of the shelling of the VFU n.p. Alexandrovka. The victim was taken to the Central City Hospital No. 14, where he received medical assistance.
12:11 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Dry Balka - n.p. Gorlovka (village Glubokaya): two shells of 122mm were fired.
11:54 DPR artillery strikes at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The video filmed this night was published by the First Deputy Minister of Information of the Republic Daniil @neoficialniybezsonov Bezsonov.
11:40 Pushilin: The information that there are supposedly civilians on the territory of the Azovstal plant, where the remnants of the Ukrainian group in Mariupol are blocked, has not been confirmed.
He stressed that there are about 400 mercenaries from different countries at Azovstal, and the Ukrainian side will continue to come up with pretexts to create “all kinds of new corridors” for them, although they were given such an opportunity the day before.
“If we pay attention, yesterday Viktor Medvedchuk, I am sure, was forced to pronounce a certain text, which also pointed to the civilian population, which is located directly at Azovstal. I think this is not the last such step on the part of the Ukrainian regime, which will put pressure on the emotional component,” he said.
11:35 Shelling from the side of the VFU in the direction of:
Krasnogorovka - n.p. Donetsk (Petrovsky district): four shells of 122mm caliber were fired;
n.p. Avdievka - n.p. Yasinovataya: four missiles were fired from the BM-21 Grad.
11:33 Residents of Mariupol tell how the nationalists constantly mocked the Russians: “The Azov people showed themselves very brazenly both at checkpoints and drove around the city, they behaved very impudently”; “It got to the point of insanity ... it happened that they asked you to smoke in Russian, you answer in Russian - it means you are Russian, and it even came to a showdown”;
“The most important thing is that our children will study in Russian. It was terrible, just a nightmare. It’s a pity for the children, the Russian-speaking population was tortured.”
11:20 “I have no illusions about the corridor announced by the Russian Defense Ministry. I don't think the nationalists will leave Azovstal. They have a command not to give up, so they are not expected in Kyiv, if they enter our territory, they will be judged,” Denis Pushilin.
11:18 Troops of the DPR, with fire support from the RF Armed Forces, liberated 163 settlements, including Novoandreevka, Stepnoe (Volnovakhsky district) and Kropivnitskoe. The cleansing of Mariupol is being completed.
11:10 Information about civilians in Azovstal is not true - Denis Pushilin.
11:07 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Novomikhailovka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): four shells of 122mm caliber were fired.
11:06 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation again offered the Ukrainian military in Azovstal to lay down their arms and surrender from 12:00 Moscow time. According to the plans of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, a silence regime should be introduced from 13:30. From 14:00 to 16:00, without exception, the defenders of Azovstal will have to leave without weapons and ammunition.
10:13 Special groups began to storm the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, said Eduard Basurin, a representative of the People's Militia of the DPR.
10:07 During the clashes with units of the defense department of the LPR, over the past day, Ukrainian punishers suffered losses in manpower and military equipment, namely:
28 personnel;
2 tanks;
2 infantry fighting vehicles;
1 armored personnel carrier;
3 vehicles.
09:57 As a result of the shelling of the VFU in the Donetsk People's Republic, 66 transformer substations and 5,552 household subscribers are de-energized - the Ministry of Coal and Energy of the DPR.
09:35 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Ozeryanovka - n.p. Gorlovka (settlement of Izotov sh-ty): eight shells of 12 mm caliber were fired.
09:32 Armed formations of Ukraine are shelling the Gorlovsky villages of Zaitsevo and Michurin. Explosions of shells are heard in the villages. All residents urgently go to shelters - Prikhodko.
09:31 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Codema - n.p. Zaitsevo (southern): 10 shells fired caliber 122mm.
09:29 The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened a case against the Ukrainian battalion commander involved in the shelling of Donbass.
08:41 Shelling was recorded from the side of the VFU in the direction: n.p. Marinka - Donetsk (Petrovsky district): four shells of 122mm caliber were fired.
08:27 Correspondent showed weapons and equipment abandoned by Ukrainian nationalists near the Ilyich plant in Mariupol. During the retreat, the Azov fighters left behind combat vehicles, anti-tank complexes, heavy machine guns, as well as communications equipment and night vision devices.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:59 Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko, said that "up to 2,000 people, mostly women and children, are in shelter on the territory of Azovstal, almost two months without sun, without normal drinking water, food and fresh air." 23:55 Arestovich is convinced that "by the balance of forces, by the knee-high equipment and by the advancement, it is clear that the Russian operation in the Donbas will not be successful."
23:53 British intelligence said that Russia's failure to quell the resistance in Mariupol and their indiscriminate attacks, which harmed the local civilian population, indicate that they still cannot achieve their goals as quickly as they would like.
23:51 Biden on Kiev visit: "I don't know. I've been to Ukraine many times, but haven't been there lately."
23:48 The Pentagon said it is monitoring the nuclear threat from Russia and so far sees no reason to change the readiness status of US nuclear forces.
23:46 The EU plans to strengthen the sanctions regime against Russia in the coming days, Clement Bon, Secretary of State at the French Foreign Ministry, said following video talks between NATO leaders. He clarified that the new sanctions will affect energy resources.
23:44 Arestovich said that the group of troops that "slipped through" Kremennaya and announced that the city had been taken had been liquidated.
23:42 British intelligence reports that Russian shelling in Donbas continues to intensify. At the same time, weather conditions and logistical problems prevent the RF Armed Forces from achieving significant progress.
23:39 The Pentagon confirmed that Ukraine received the opportunity from other countries to increase its air fleet. This was announced by the speaker of the US Department of Defense John Kirby. He emphasized that Ukraine did not receive this assistance from the United States: “I would simply say, without going into what other countries provide, that they received additional platforms and parts in order to be able to increase the size of their fleet, the size of their aircraft fleet. I think I would stop there."
23:36 Apple has removed TikTok from the App Store for Russian users.
23:32 France is ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine only after the war, a senior representative of the French president told Bloomberg. According to him, the guarantees will include the supply of military equipment, which "should be powerful enough to prevent a new war."
Macron's spokesman also suggested that the guarantees would allow each country to decide individually how to help Ukraine if necessary, unlike NATO's automatic response system.
23:15 In the Donetsk and Lugansk directions, the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully repelled ten attacks of the enemy. 12 tanks, one artillery system, 28 armored units and two vehicles were destroyed.
Air defense units in the skies of the Ukrainian Donbas shot down one Su-34 enemy aircraft, one Ka-52 helicopter, four unmanned aerial vehicles and one cruise missile.
23:13 Zelensky said that the situation in Mariupol remains unchanged - "as tough as possible."
“Unfortunately, we do not hear a response from Russia to an exchange offer that could allow the rescue of civilians and the defenders of Mariupol. And this silence should be paid attention to by everyone who has been or may be associated with Russia. When your fate is decided, in Moscow They will remain silent. This is indicative. And this is the best argument not to get involved with the Russian Federation," the President said.
Also, according to him, in the south of Ukraine, the invaders are trying to "demonstrate at least something that can be presented in Russia as the readiness of Ukrainians to cooperate with Russian structures." "It looks pitiful. After 55 days of war, the occupiers managed to drag over to their side only some marginals," the head of state added.
22:40 As a result of the shelling of Kharkiv by the Russians on April 19, four people were killed, 14 more civilians were injured, the regional prosecutor's office reported. The shelling from multiple launch rocket systems occurred at approximately 13:20. The metropolitan area of the city suffered, more than ten residential buildings, garages and a supermarket were damaged.
22:31 Zelensky: “The way our Armed Forces are holding strong, how boldly our entire people are defending themselves, demonstrates that, nevertheless, in global ratings, the Ukrainian army deserves to be higher than the Russian one for a long time. If we had access to all the weapons in which we need, which our partners have and which is comparable to the weapons used by Russia, we would have already ended this war. We would have returned peace and liberated our territory. Because the advantage of the Ukrainian military in tactics and wisdom is quite obvious."
22:27 The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom have announced that they will send more artillery weapons to Ukraine.
22:15 Over the past two weeks, the dynamics of relations between European countries and the United States to the forms and methods of supplying military equipment has changed dramatically. More about this - in the material the West is actively arming Ukraine .
22:13 Western leaders agreed on the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, the Italian government said following a video call between EU and US leaders.
22:08 The war in Ukraine may become less intense, but it will drag on for a long period, says UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. According to him, it is precisely such wars that are "the most difficult in terms of humanitarian consequences."
"Very often the public and the media forget about them, which makes it difficult to mobilize resources for mitigation," Grandi explained.
22:04 Poland is ready to accept 10,000 wounded Ukrainian soldiers, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during his visit to Lviv. He said that now several dozen Ukrainian soldiers are being treated in Polish hospitals.
22:02 The Czech Republic agreed to repair Ukrainian tanks and armored personnel carriers damaged during the hostilities, the country's Ministry of Defense said.
22:00 The United States will send more artillery to Ukraine, Biden said following talks with allied leaders.
21:57 Putin treats the population of the occupied Ukrainian cities in the same way as with the Chechens during the war of conquest - he mocks civilians in filtration camps, the US Embassy in Ukraine said.
21:42 Prime Minister Shmygal, the heads of the Ministry of Finance and the NBU are flying to the United States on Thursday, April 21. They will meet with the heads of the World Bank and the IMF to discuss financial assistance to Ukraine, CNN reports.
21:31 The occupied Rozovka of the Zaporizhia region allegedly held a "people's gathering", which decided to join the "DPR". The Zaporizhia OVA reminded that Rozivka has been under occupation since March 2. Local residents were deceived into a culture building and voiced the so-called "memorandum" for holding an "election" of a new "mayor", and then for applying to the "DPR" for accession until Zaporozhye was captured. Frightened people at gunpoint were forced to vote.
21:27 Johnson, following the talks between NATO leaders, said that a diplomatic settlement of the situation in Ukraine is unlikely, and the long-term goal of the alliance should be to strengthen and strengthen Ukraine to such a level that Russia will never dare to invade again.
21:09 The Russian authorities continue to remain silent about the number of crew and the victims of the cruiser Moskva that sank in the Black Sea . The Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country previously said that the crew "was evacuated in full force", but in the Russian media there is more and more information about the dead and missing sailors of Moscow . About what is known at the moment - in the article What happened to the crew of Moscow .
20:51 Russia has deployed up to 20,000 mercenaries from Syria, Libya and other countries to the Donbass, writes The Guardian, citing an unnamed European official. According to him, between 10,000 and 20,000 mercenaries are fighting in eastern Ukraine, but it is difficult to understand how many of them come from which countries.
Any from Ethiopia yet?
The official said that "these guys are mainly used as a mass against the Ukrainian resistance", they work as infantry without heavy equipment or vehicles.
Cannon fodder.
A Guardian source notes that in the second phase of the war in Ukraine, Moscow has four goals: to seize the Donbass, secure a land bridge to Crimea, seize the Kherson region to provide water supply to Crimea, and win additional territories that can be used to raise the stakes in negotiations with Ukraine.
20:45 Reuters writes that seven more American aircraft with military assistance for Ukraine will depart for Europe in the next 24 hours. Over the past three days, the first five planes have arrived.
20:26 Scholz, after negotiations with the leaders of NATO countries, said that the embargo on Russian gas supplies for many countries is insurmountable, and for Germany this would be a serious challenge.
He also said that Germany and Ukraine are studying the list of weapons that can be supplied to Kiev, and after the approval of the delivery, they will be immediately paid by Berlin. However, the possibilities of the Bundeswehr in the supply of weapons to Ukraine are practically exhausted, further deliveries will be provided by the German military-industrial complex.
20:03 The Pentagon believes that a full-scale Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has not yet begun. The "limited offensive operations" undertaken by Russia southwest of Donetsk and south of Izyum are "a prelude to larger offensive operations," according to CNN, citing a US Department of Defense official.
According to the Pentagon, over the past 24 hours, Russia has introduced two more battalion tactical groups into Ukraine, bringing the total number of BTGs to 78 (about 55,000 troops).
Professionals or conscripts?
19:59 A new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine could last several months, British intelligence warned Johnson. The prime minister, in turn, told the government that the situation in Ukraine is "dangerous", writes The Independent.
19:54 The governor of the Donetsk region Pavel Kirilenko announced the strike on Kramatorsk: infrastructure facilities were destroyed, there are dead and three wounded.
19:50 "The head of the government of the LPR" Sergey Kozlov said that the commander of the 11th battalion of the "LPR Army" Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kishchik, better known as "Misha Chechen", was killed in the battle near Kremennaya.
The media reminds that "Misha Chechen" gained popularity in 2014, when he headed one of the Cossack battalions that fought on the side of the "LNR". His unit was repeatedly accused of looting and organizing smuggling.
19:31 Finland closed traffic through the temporary border checkpoint in Parikkala-Syvaoru and froze all plans for its development. This crossing served transport transportation from the Russian Federation, mainly timber, Yle reports.
19:20 The Azovstal plant has been bombed and destroyed almost completely, there are "a lot of people" under the rubble, said Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment. According to him, the Russians are dropping super-powerful bombs on the plant.
"We will fight, we will use every cartridge left with us, but we call on the Motherland to save the civilians, the wounded and take away the bodies," he added.
19:16 The Russian troops fired at Bashtanka of the Nikolaev area in the afternoon on April 19, victims are not present, the head of OVA Vitaly Kim reported.
19:11 Canada has imposed sanctions against 14 Russians, including Nabiullina, Aven, Fridman, Putin's daughters and Lavrov's wife.
19:08 Finnish President Sauli Niinostiio approved the decision to send additional military aid to Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the country does not disclose details about the content of assistance, methods of delivery and timing for security reasons.
18:59 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the leadership of the RF Armed Forces proposes to sign short-term contracts for a period of three months and has simplified the procedure for selecting candidates. However, those wishing to fight did not increase too much.
Thus, since the beginning of the year, only 130 military servicemen under the contract have been selected to serve in 42 units of the Southern Military District, of which 22 have refused to participate in the so-called "special operation" in Ukraine.
Units directly involved in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine experience a special need for manning. In the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 14th army corps of the coastal troops of the northern fleet, the personnel of two battalion tactical groups were destroyed. In addition, three companies of the 51st Airborne Regiment and a company of the 137th Airborne Regiment, which are part of the 106th Airborne Division, were destroyed.
18:50 The Armed Forces of Ukraine regained control over Maryinka, Donetsk region , as a result of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian troops, the enemy suffered losses and retreated, the General Staff said.
18:46 The Russian invaders are preparing "referenda" not only in the Kherson region, but also in the Mykolaiv region, according to Ukrainian intelligence. So, at the printing house in Novaya Kakhovka, Russians print ballots, letterheads, brochures, posters and booklets to vote for the creation of KhNR. Local residents are convinced that there will be no real voting - except for demonstration sites for the "picture".
In the city of Snigirevka, Mykolaiv region, a "referendum" is being prepared to elect a mayor and administratively join the occupied Crimea. The event is being organized by pro-Russian head of the local council Tatyana Mezina and former head Alexander Larchenko.
In the occupied Snegurovka, Zaporozhye region, a census of the population of people of retirement age has begun. The Russians intend to appoint their administration by September 1, open branches of the Russian Post, introduce rubles and start issuing Russian passports, including foreign ones.
18:33 Journalist Roman Tsymbalyuk reports that the command of the 144th motorized rifle division from Smolensk is secretly taking their families out of the Bryansk region (borders on the Chernihiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine) deep into the Russian Federation. According to him, in order to prevent panic among the local population, information about the need to evacuate families is carefully hidden.
18:18 The UN Secretary General proposes to declare a four-day humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine on the occasion of Easter from April 21. Guterres said the UN is ready to send humanitarian convoys to Mariupol, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk if the ceasefire is respected.
18:16 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense warned that the Russians were mining the area in all the territories they had occupied. So, on the night of April 18, along the Kherson-Snegirevka highway (the section between Pridneprovsky and Aleksandrovka), they heavily mined the fields, planting and dirt roads. In the Kharkiv region, on the territory of the Veliko Burluksky district, passage is possible only on the territory of Russia. All secondary roads (including unpaved ones) are completely mined.
18:10 Kadyrov announced the dispatch of another batch of "volunteers" from Grozny to Donbass.
18:07 In Irpin, a KAMAZ truck was blown up by a mine, the driver died, said the mayor of Irpin, Alexander Markushin.
18:03 Analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War are convinced that the offensive operation of the Russian Federation in the Donbas will not lead to a serious strategic victory for Russia. In particular, a sudden and intensified Russian offensive is unlikely, and tactical losses and defeats of Ukrainian forces will not mean the end of the war.
Experts note that the occupiers have already begun the planned battle for Donbass, in particular during the offensive on Popasnaya, Rubizhne and Marinka. Also, the Russian army can take the tactic of depleting the forces of Ukrainians due to its quantitative superiority and accumulated firepower. But Russia's shortage of combat-ready units in full force, unresolved logistics problems and low morale of soldiers will prevent successful operations on the battlefield.
17:45 Romania will send a batch of lethal weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the reserves of the country's Ministry of Defense. According to the publication Romania Libera, for this it was necessary to amend the legislation, and now Bucharest can supply weapons not only to NATO members, but also to "potential allies of the alliance."
17:34 Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko, denied Taruta's information that the Russians dropped a powerful bomb on a hospital in the Azovstal area, where people were hiding: "Yes, Mariupol, in particular the Azovstal zone, is under heavy bombardment of super-heavy bombs. But in the zone around Azovstal no one has been hiding for a long time, especially in the previously destroyed hospital building."
17:28 In Ukraine, on Easter, law enforcement officers will strengthen the protection of churches. Before the start of the service, the church will be checked by explosives, said First Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Yenin.
17:07 The invaders are trying to cordon off the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Izyum and Volnovakha, Arestovich said. According to him, the enemy is now probing for weaknesses in the Ukrainian defense, and then will concentrate efforts there. They already tried to do it at night, but they did not succeed.
The adviser to the head of the Presidential Office also believes that Moscow wants to "sell" access to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to its people as a victory, but they will fail.
17:04 The International Monetary Fund stops making forecasts for Ukraine , except for real GDP.
16:51 Taruta said that the Russians dropped a powerful bomb on a hospital in the Azovstal area: "According to my information, there are about 300 people under the rubble, including children. In the surviving part of the hospital there were wounded defenders and Mariupol residents with children were hiding."
16:48 Internally displaced persons can now apply for the appropriate status in Dії and in the same place, under the єPіdtrimka program, they can apply for assistance - monthly you can get 2,000 hryvnias for yourself and 3,000 hryvnias for each child. Money can be spent on anything or withdraw cash.
16:42 The Russians realized that they had already lost the battle for Kharkov. It will be extremely difficult for them to attack the positions held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv OVA, is convinced.
"The enemy has only one direction left - through Kupyansk, through Izyum, in order to redirect their troops to the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, to increase their military presence in that direction," Sinegubov noted and added that the Ukrainian defenders also hold their positions there and the enemy is losing daily a large number of manpower, aircraft and armored vehicles.
16:38 In the Zaporozhye region, battles near Pology have intensified - there is a mass offensive of Russian troops, said the head of the OVA Alexander Starukh. He added that "the Armed Forces of Ukraine hold the line of contact, but the offensive is massive."
16:36 According to IMF forecasts, the fall of the Ukrainian economy in 2022 will be 35%, Russia - 8.5%.
16:32 Russia is preparing mass provocations in the Kherson region and plans to blame the Armed Forces of Ukraine for them, said Natalya Gumenyuk, head of the joint coordination press center of the security and defense forces of southern Ukraine.
According to her, mass provocations will be timed to coincide with the pseudo-referendum that the invaders want to hold in the Kherson region. "They are rolling out their equipment in order to arrange it for inflicting fire, in which they will later blame the Armed Forces of Ukraine," she stressed.
16:29 Kuleba told France24 TV channel that the end of the war with Russia will be decided on the battlefield: "The end of this war will be decided on the battlefield, not at the negotiating table."
16:17 The Netherlands intends to supply armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, Minister of Defense Kaisa Ollongren said: "The war in Ukraine is entering a new phase. We will continue to support Ukraine. That is why the Netherlands, in cooperation with other countries, will supply heavier military equipment there, starting with armored personnel carriers" .
15:54 In Kharkov, as a result of shelling on April 19, three people were killed, 16 more were injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. According to him, the Russians are shelling Kharkov from MLRS, which are located at a distance of 35-40 km from the city. The intensity of shelling increased.
15:47 The UK Revenue Service revokes the status of the Moscow Exchange as a recognized stock exchange.
15:33 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit Kiev in the coming days to meet with Zelensky. The specific date of the visit and other details are not disclosed for security reasons, writes CNN.
15:28 Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko urged Ukrainians to stay at home on Easter and join worship services online. The services will also be broadcast on the national telethon.
15:26 Starlink started work on opening a representative office in Ukraine. According to Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, he has already instructed the relevant authorities to speed up the necessary procedures for certification, measurements and provision of frequencies.
15:22 The head of the Luhansk regional military administration, Sergei Gaidai, said that 350 thousand people lived in the territory of the region controlled by Ukraine, of which about 70 thousand remain today. People left either on their own or with the help of volunteers and charities. The authorities were able to organize the evacuation of about 40,000 people.
He also said that it was impossible to calculate the number of civilian dead, but the losses were "very high." Due to the massive shelling of cities, rescue services cannot even pick up bodies from the streets.
15:17 Vereshchuk announced the fifth exchange of prisoners - 60 servicemen, of which ten officers, are returning home. 16 civilians were also released.
14:56 In Ukraine, 17 shopping centers have already suffered because of the war, the total area of destroyed retail space is 846 thousand square meters. m. According to the Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers, almost 250 million dollars will be needed to restore them.
14:39 A presidential bill on extending martial law in Ukraine has been submitted to the Rada. The current martial law will expire on April 25.
14:30 Podolyak said that Russia is seriously betting on the second phase of the war, so it is difficult to say when the next negotiations will be possible. According to him, the outcome of the battle for Donbass will directly affect Moscow's position in the negotiations. After another defeat, they will have to sign a peace treaty on Kyiv's terms.
14:23 Ukraine deserves to be granted the status of an EU candidate without delay, said Latvian President Egils Levits.
14:21 Lithuania has banned the public demonstration of the St. George ribbon and signs Z and V - the relevant amendments to the laws were adopted by the parliament. Now, for the demonstration of prohibited symbols, a fine of 300 to 700 euros will be imposed, and in case of repeated violation - from 500 to 900 euros.
14:15 Shoigu showed up after a long silence: according to the Russian media, today he said that the RF Armed Forces "consistently implement the plan for the liberation of the LPR and DPR." He also believes that the United States intends to fight "to the last Ukrainian" and is doing everything to delay the "special operation of the RF Armed Forces."
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry also promised that the Russian Armed Forces "will introduce new methods of conducting combat operations in order to better adapt to modern conditions of military confrontation."
14:06 New "directors" are being appointed in Energodar, occupied by Russians, the Zaporizhzhya OVA reported. Thus, the occupying "authorities" headed by collaborator Andrei Shevchik introduced the staff of the Energodar Gymnasium No. 2 to the new "director" Vadim Karetnikov, who had previously worked as an electrician at a nuclear power plant and had nothing to do with education.
14:03 Russian ships in the Black Sea continue remote maneuvering. They maintain the threat of missile strikes and are planning a landing operation in the future, OK Pivden reported.
14:01 In Ukraine, 919 settlements have already been occupied, said the deputy head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko. According to him, there are more than 11,000 settlements in Sumy, Chernihiv, Kiev, Nikolaev, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Zaporozhye regions, of which 3,000 have been occupied.
13:57 Minister of Education and Science Sergei Shkarlet generally supports the initiative to cancel the study of the Russian language in schools from September 1, but added that "this should be at the choice of the school, the teachers' council."
13:53 One of the largest coal mining companies in Indonesia, Adaro Energy, has shipped 300 thousand tons of coal to counterparties in Europe who are looking for a replacement for Russian raw materials.
13:47 In the Kiev region, as a result of Russian aggression, more than 1,000 civilians were killed , the vast majority of people were shot dead, the bodies continue to be found, said Andriy Nebitov, head of the Kiev region police. According to him, more than 420 bodies of the dead have already been found in Bucha alone.
13:35 Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki opened a container town in Lviv for 300-350 people for Ukrainian immigrants. He said that "our envoys are going to the cities around Kyiv and will build the same towns."
13:22 The World Health Organization has confirmed 147 attacks by the Russian military on healthcare facilities in Ukraine, including 73 people killed and 53 injured.
13:14 The EU intends to cover most of the costs of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The European Commission has already notified diplomats about the work on a tool that will focus on the long-term needs of Ukraine. A solidarity trust fund will be created - modeled on the European COVID fund - that will finance investments and reforms in agreement with the Ukrainian government, writes Bloomberg.
13:00 Hungary will not support sanctions against Russian oil and gas, said Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó.
12:55 It will take about a billion dollars to restore Irpen, Mayor Alexander Markushin said. According to him, 850 million of this amount will go to restore the destroyed or damaged housing stock of the city, another 150 million - to restore infrastructure.
12:48 In the center of Kiev, on Hospitalnaya Street, among the stacked dry branches, they found a banner and an object similar to a grenade, the National Police reported.
12:45 France intends to convince EU partners to impose an embargo on Russian oil supplies, Finance Minister Bruno Le Mer said: "We are trying to convince European partners to stop Russian oil supplies. Because the cessation of oil supplies will hit the financing of the war in Ukraine." He added that this is the task of the coming weeks.
12:43 Kadyrov said that the militants "already today" will completely take Azovstal.
12:40 Arestovich is convinced that Russia will continue to launch missile strikes on Ukraine until the last day of the war - at least another month: "There are still a lot of missiles, they mainly hit air-launched missiles, which, in particular, Ukraine transferred according to the results of the Budapest memorandum. This is a big irony, they still have hundreds of such missiles, and given that there are usually 5-10 missiles in a missile salvo, you can count how many missile salvos they have left."
At the same time, the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office added that Russia would leave part of the missiles for "a terrible war with NATO."
12:31 Denmark plans to temporarily increase gas production at its fields in the North Sea in order to refuse supplies from Russia. According to Prime Minister Matte Frederiksen, it is planned to increase production by 25%.
12:25 The Russian army was planning a military invasion of Belarus, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. Documents obtained by Ukrainian intelligence indicate that the Russian 1st Tank Army is preparing to invade and seize the territory of Belarus.
The plan to invade and suppress popular protests was developed after the fraud of the presidential elections in Belarus. The occupation of Belarus was planned under the pretext of preventing Russia from being drawn "in the European continental region into a regional or large-scale war with NATO member countries in the West."
One of the proofs of the preparation of the Russian Federation for military aggression against Belarus is "The legend of the plan to regroup formations and military units of the 1st Tank Army in the area of the mission."
12:17 Lavrov announced the start of the "next phase of the special operation" in Ukraine.
12:14 The battle for Donbass began on April 17, but it is proceeding very carefully , Arestovich said. He is convinced that "this unfortunate offensive" will fail by 99%, because the forces that the Russians have accumulated are not enough.
12:03 The State Bureau of Investigation has documented the crimes of the Russian military in Irpen, now a group of investigators will continue to work in the Sumy region. In the Kiev region, among other things, law enforcement officers discovered 13 burial places of citizens.
12:00 Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed an elite motorized rifle unit of the Russian armed forces from Tomsk, the command of the air assault troops reported. It was the units of this military unit that regularly participated in international exercises, where they won prizes.
11:57 The Russians are digging trenches near the resort of Kirillovka, where they entered a few weeks ago, and Grads were installed at the recreation centers, the Zaporozhye OVA reported. Also, local residents report that the occupying troops are located in the villages of Lyubimovka and Zelenaya Roshcha, Vasilyevsky district.
11:54 Lavrov, commenting on the possibility of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, said that "at this stage we are considering the option of conventional weapons."
He also noted that Moscow is not going to change the regime in Ukraine - "the people should have freedom of choice."
11:43 In connection with the beginning of the offensive in the East, there is a tendency to rotate the Russian military to mercenaries from the "DPR". As Andryushchenko said, this is probably due to an attempt to strengthen positions in terms of the offensive. According to him, in connection with this, a new wave of looting by the Russian military emerged in Mariupol. They massively open the surviving apartments and take out property - mainly household appliances.
11:40 Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko, said that all publics (chat groups, telegram channels, FB groups) in Mariupol about searching for relatives, establishing damage, etc. are under the administration of "DPR volunteers", in fact - under the control of Russian agents of the FSB.
Such services do not work either for search or for help. Their goal is the same - the collection and analysis of personal data for subsequent filtering within the city, attempts to attract cooperation and organization of effective information and psychological operations.
11:34 Kiva said he was asking for political asylum in Russia.
11:31 In the center of Mukachevo, a Soviet monument was dismantled - an obelisk of glory in honor of the soldiers who died in World War II.
11:24 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that the SBU is preparing a "monstrous provocation" in the Odessa region: employees dressed in Russian uniforms will allegedly arrange a "demonstrative execution" of local residents.
11:22 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation again "offered" the Ukrainian defenders from Azovstal to lay down their arms today at noon and promised to open a corridor to leave the plant without weapons and ammunition.
11:19 Training of the Ukrainian military to use American howitzers will not take much time and will begin in the coming days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. According to him, there are already instructors in Europe who will train Ukrainians.
11:17 White House Speaker Jen Psaki commented on the Kremlin's threats regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine: "I am not going to speculate on empty threats or threats from President Putin or the Russian leadership. What we have done is exactly what the president promised with from the very beginning, namely, if they invade, we will provide significant security assistance, economic assistance and support to the Ukrainian people. And we are going to continue to do just that."
11:15 New Zealand imposes sanctions against 18 Russian financial institutions, including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the National Welfare Fund, as well as a number of other major financial institutions in the country, which own approximately 80% of the country's total banking assets, said Foreign Minister Nanaya Mahuta.
11:03 The most affected and vulnerable Ukrainians, in addition to payments from the state, will be able to receive assistance from international humanitarian organizations of the UN and UNICEF. Prime Minister Shmyhal said that the Cabinet of Ministers had already adopted a relevant resolution, and soon assistance could be issued through the Diya portal.
10:59 British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons announced the beginning of the battle for Donbass: "The battle for Donbass has begun. Ukraine is not fighting to take territory from Russia. Ukraine is fighting for the right to live peacefully on its own territory. Ukraine is fighting for the right to live" .
10:56 On April 18, the invaders hit Ochakov with prohibited cluster shells, Anna Zamazeeva, head of the Nikolaev Regional Council for Humanitarian Affairs, said. She also added that from yesterday evening and at night most of the districts of Nikolaev were chaotically shelled. There is destruction of civilian facilities, residential buildings, civil infrastructure of the city.
10:54 State Special Communications Service assured that all Ukrainians will be able to use the Starlink Internet from Elon Musk, but first certain work needs to be done.
The department explained that the massive use of Starlink satellite Internet may partly affect the operation of the radio relay equipment of the Ukrainian military. This problem is temporary and is associated with the novelty of technology from SpaceX, in order to remove the restrictions, it is necessary to carry out calculations and a number of studies. After confirming the safety of using Starlink terminals, they can be allowed for mass use.
10:48 In the Donetsk region, the police documented 21 enemy attacks on 17 settlements per day. As a result of the strikes, five civilians were killed and six more were injured, including one child.
10:43 The occupiers used chemical weapons in the Izyum direction, said Yury Korsunov, a fighter of the Kharkiv Troops. The same information was confirmed by the local deputy Nikita Karakay. There was no official statement from the authorities.
According to preliminary data, charges with the substance were fired from the Grad MLRS. Some fighters had characteristic symptoms of poisoning: redness of the eyes, nausea, vomiting, respiratory failure, loss of consciousness. Blood samples were taken from the victims, clothes were sent for examination.
10:37 Russians fired at Nikolaev at night from artillery, the fire in a house and a storage room of shop on Kherson highway started. A residential building in the village of Chernomorka and an outbuilding in the village of Lukashevka also burned, the State Emergency Service reported.
10:32 Almost the entire Lugansk region (at least 215 settlements) was left without electricity - the Russians damaged the high-voltage line, Gaidai said.
10:25 Since April 1, more than 400 people have contacted a special telephone line for psychological assistance, most of the calls are from residents of Bucha, Irpen, Gostomel, Kiev region. As Ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova said, people seek help mainly in connection with rape, torture and abuse both against themselves and against relatives, including children.
10:23 The Armed Forces of Ukraine twice stopped the invaders' attempts to go on the offensive near Avdiivka. At the same time, the invaders continue constant shelling in the Maryinskaya and Toretskaya communities, said the head of the Donetsk OVA Pavel Kirilenko.
10:16 The activity of the Russian forces in the Donbas indicates an attempt to create conditions for more aggressive, more open and large-scale ground maneuvers, the Pentagon said. At the same time, Washington does not see the Russian offensive in the Donbass, however, hostilities are underway and the transfer of additional forces, auxiliary means and means of command and control to the region continues.
Russia is stepping up shelling and airstrikes in the Donbass and in the south, the battles for Mariupol continue, but "the city has not fallen to the Russians," the US Department of Defense added.
The Pentagon also said that after the latest Russian strikes on Lvov and Kiev, "there is now no reason to believe that Western military aid was attacked or destroyed," as previously reported by Moscow.
10:07 Monobank announced that it would not close accounts for clients who left for Crimea and ORDLO before February 24 - this decision caused criticism among the bank's clients, so the management decided to cancel it. However, for users from Russia and Belarus, accounts will be closed.
10:05 The representative of the "People's Militia of the DPR" Eduard Basurin called the information about the presence of civilians at Azovstal fake and said that "special groups" had begun to storm the territory of the plant.
09:47 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of April 19:
personnel - about 20,800 people liquidated,
tanks - 802,
armored combat vehicles - 2063,
artillery systems - 386,
MLRS - 132,
air defense systems - 67,
aircraft - 169,
helicopters - 150,
automotive technology - 1495,
ships/boats - 8,
tanks with fuel and lubricants - 76,
UAV operational-tactical level - 158,
special equipment - 27,
launchers OTRK / TRK - 4.
09:44 Vereshchuk said that today there will be no official humanitarian corridors for evacuation again.
09:42 Gaidai said that at night the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled the offensive in Rubizhne and Popasna: "The enemy has dozens of losses, our soldiers shot down an Orlan-10 drone and heavy equipment."
09:38 The head of the Luhansk OVA, Serhiy Gaidai, again urged residents of the region to evacuate while there was such an opportunity: “Thousands of residents of Kremennaya did not have time and are now held hostage by the Russians ... Therefore, save your lives so as not to become cheap labor or mobilized into the occupation troops. Those who disagree, the Russians kill on the spot."
Gaidai said that on April 19, the Russians refused the regime of silence, but the local authorities would still organize the evacuation. As every day, attempts will be organized to save people from Rubizhne, Severodonetsk, Lisichansk, Popasnaya and Gornaya communities.
09:32 The State Border Service has extended the possibility of crossing the state border with internal passports. This applies to all citizens, regardless of the areas from which they leave, the State Border Guard Service reported.
09:11 Arestovich believes that Russia does not see Kharkov as the goal of its offensive, and the enemy is shelling the city and its environs to prevent the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “They are working very hard in Kharkov, in the vicinity of Kharkov. No, they do not see him as a goal. They are afraid that we are advancing. They are working on the supposed places of our reserves, our troops, because there is movement from Kharkov and Nikolaev. Therefore, they are trying to prevent this."
09:07 Trump called on Ukraine and Russia to negotiate: "It makes no sense that Russia and Ukraine do not sit down and work out some kind of agreement. If they do not do this soon, there will be nothing left but death, destruction and slaughter" .
08:58 In Mariupol, the invaders strike not only with super-powerful bombs at Azovstal, but from artillery and tanks continue to chaotically hit the residential sector of the Left Bank district along the line from Meotida Boulevard, adviser to the mayor of the city Petr Andryushchenko reports.
At the same time, yesterday, the occupiers opened access to civilians in this zone so that they could take things from their homes. Given the mandatory white ribbons that Russians identify themselves with, the occupiers continue to use civilians as "bait" for Ukrainian snipers, the adviser added.
08:44 Analysts from the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) have calculated that there is not a single brigade of Russian marines left that would not suffer losses in Ukraine: “Their losses are noticeable in the light of rumors about a possible further attack on Moldova. lost in many ways, there is nothing to attack Moldova, Poland or the Baltic countries."
Experts also focus on the fact that the marines are one of the most combat-ready and trained units of the Russian army.
08:42 Almost one and a half million internally displaced persons have officially registered in Ukraine, Marina Lazebna, head of the Ministry of Social Affairs, said. Payments for them began on April 8, and 250,000 Ukrainians have already received the money.
08:36 At night, the Russians massively fired at the settlements of the Krivoy Rog region from multiple rocket launchers and cannon artillery: Zelenodolsk, Maryanskoe, Velikaya Kostromka, etc. There is destruction of private houses and the multi-apartment sector, there are no casualties, said the head of the military administration of Krivoy Rog Alexander Vilkul.
08:33 The occupiers fired at the Dnipropetrovsk region from Gradov, the Zelenodolsk community fell under the gun, said the head of the OVA Valentin Reznichenko. According to him, there is destruction of houses, people were not injured.
08:30 The plane, which was taken to Moscow by the expelled Russian diplomats from Spain, and then from Greece, was forced to fly around 15 thousand kilometers due to a ban on flights over the EU countries, writes UP.
08:28 Russian warships in the Black Sea operational zone moved almost 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian coast, OK Pivden reported.
08:26 Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that during the Russian invasion in Ukraine, 30% of the infrastructure worth $100 billion was destroyed or damaged.
08:11 The Russian occupiers are not going to stop their attack on Ukraine, and a ceasefire should not be expected in the coming weeks, Martin Griffiths, UN Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, believes.
08:00 The United States has extended by six weeks the deadline for applying for participation in the program, according to which Ukrainians without visas and documents can temporarily stay in the country. Ukrainians who have been in the country since April 11 can apply for temporary protected status (TPS). About 60,000 Ukrainians will be able to apply starting April 19.
07:37 According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the losses of the 126th coastal defense brigade of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation are up to 75%. The 810th Separate Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet lost 158 servicemen killed, about 500 wounded, and 70 people are missing. A significant part of the servicemen of these brigades wrote reports refusing to participate in the so-called "special operation."
07:35 Russian troops are trying to continue offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to establish full control over the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as to hold the land corridor with Crimea, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The main efforts of the enemy are focused on breaking through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, as well as establishing full control over Mariupol.
In the Yuzhnobuzh direction, the main efforts of the Russian troops are concentrated on reaching the administrative limits of the Kherson region. The enemy is trying to conduct offensive operations in the area of the settlement of Aleksandrovka, does not stop shelling civilian objects in Nikolaev.
07:30 The governor of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, Gladkov, again stated that allegedly there was shelling from Ukraine, the village of Golovchino, Graivoronsky district, was injured, and a woman was injured.
07:18 The Ministry of Defense of Japan will provide Ukraine with nuclear, biological and chemical protection kits (NBC), as well as drones.
07:01 Japan's new package of sanctions against Russia came into force. The restrictions include a ban on the import of 38 types of goods, including beer and vodka, engine parts for ships, aircraft, cars and motorcycles, veneer, pine wood and wood chips. Their total value when imported into Japan was 15 billion yen ($118 million).
Also, the country's Finance Minister Shun'ichi Suzuki said that Tokyo would put pressure on the G20 countries that did not support sanctions against Russia in order to eliminate loopholes for bypassing them.
06:28 Anonymous hackers said they hacked into the database of the Russian bank PSKB (Petersburg Social Commercial Bank) and intend to "leak" 800 GB of confidential data. The media note that the clients of this bank are Russian oligarchs.
06:24 In the Kiev region, traffic on the main bridges is planned to be restored by the end of April, said the head of the region, Alexander Pavlyuk.
04:16 Macron said he intends to discuss with Biden and the leaders of several other Western countries on April 19 a new package of sanctions against Russia, including an embargo on gas and oil.
03:42 The US State Department is considering declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, spokesman Ned Price said. The process could take several weeks, he said.
Washington recognizes countries that have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism as state sponsors of terrorism. Today there are officially four such states: Cuba, Iran, Syria and North Korea.
03:13 Macron told the France 5 channel that France does not depend on the supply of Russian fuel and fully supports the initiative of the embargo on gas and oil. He also denied the information that it was on his initiative that the issues of the embargo were postponed. Macron assures that in Europe this topic is blocked by a completely different country.
01:54 As of Monday evening, April 18, 16 countries have returned their embassies to Kiev, the Foreign Ministry said.
00:51 In Ukraine, over 30% of agricultural fields will not be used for sowing grain because of the war, the UN reported.
00:40 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov said that the exchange of Medvedchuk is possible only through the mediation of a third party. According to him, Ukraine is aware that it is dealing with Russia, which does not comply with any agreements. To prepare and carry out such an exchange, there must be intermediaries, because there is no trust in the invaders.
An icon of America’s post-Vietnam sea power, the USS Nimitz will soon leave active U.S. Navy service.
The United States Navy will retire the USS Nimitz, a supercarrier and the lead ship of her class. The information came to light via a report from Jane’s.
U.S. Navy officials explained that "USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is planned to be removed from the battle force in fiscal year (FY) 2025, when the ship's Terminal Off-load Program begins, with inactivation scheduled to begin in 2027."
Initially, the U.S. Navy had considered extending the carrier’s service life to maintain the Navy’s carrier fleet numbers as the service brings the new Gerald R. Ford-class carriers into service. However, America’s sailing service backtracked when the costs of extending the USS Nimitz’s service life became clear.
The carrier has been in service since the mid-1970s and, upon decommissioning, will be one of the oldest carriers in U.S. Navy service.
"Upon decommissioning, Nimitz will have served its country for 50 years spanning from Operation ’Earnest Will' in the Arabian Gulf to its 11-month deployment in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East regions in 2020—2021," U.S. Navy officials explained.
"As the navy continues to accept Gerald R Ford-class carriers, we will remain a ready, agile force to compete and win around the world at any time."
The brand-new Ford-class supercarriers, the Nimitz-class’ successor, are slowly coming online. The class’ lead ship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, completed explosive stress-testing late last year and recently took ammunition aboard for the first time.
Compared to the older Nimitz-class ships, the Ford-class ships offer several operational advantages. Outfitted with a pair of newer, higher-output reactors, the carriers generate more electricity than the Nimitz-class is capable of.
And the Fords need more electricity—their electromagnetic aircraft launch system, though offering the ships a higher sortie rate, consumes a greater amount of electricity than the Nimitz-class steam-powered catapults.
Extra electricity generation will also allow the Ford-class to incorporate some of the U.S. Navy’s most cutting-edge weapon systems in the future—first and foremost, laser weapon systems. Though laser weapon technology is highly energy-intensive, nuclear reactors give lasers a virtually infinite magazine depth and a very low cost per shot. And though initially designed as a defensive weapon, lasers could, in theory, be employed on carriers as an offensive weapon.
The Navy anticipates the USS Gerald R. Ford’s first operational deployment in late 2022, with the second of the class, the USS John F. Kennedy, having already been launched.
#1
...The cost of refitting Nimitz one last time wasn't quite so much the issue as the amount of time and resources it would have taken to only get, for all intents and purposes, one more deployment out of her. The USN doesn't have anywhere near the yard space or resources to throw her in a drydock for at least 18 months, when they can't find space and materials for other, newer ships. They got burned badly on this idea with Enterprise (CVN65) and had the good sense not to do it again.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/20/2022 8:29
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#2
Hey, they don't last forever.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/20/2022 9:39
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#3
More welfare == fewer carriers and carrier air wings
⚡️UK Defense Ministry update: Despite increased shelling and attacks, Russia is struggling to make significant progress as its advances are stifled by environmental, logistical and technical challenges, combined with the resilience of the highly-motivated Ukrainian armed forces.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2022
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#1
A critical shortage of trained infantry to open a breakthrough?
[THEDAILYBEAST] Russian forces are holding approximately 27,000 Ukrainians in “filtration camps” near the besieged city of Mariupol, according to local authorities.
The filtration camps along the Mangush-Nikolske-Yalta line are aimed at preparing the Ukrainians for deportation to Russia, according to Petro Andriuschenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.
The report coincides with alerts from the Mariupol City Council and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine that have warned that Russians are using screening camps in the Donetsk region from Bezimenne to Dokuchaevsk, forcing civilians there en masse and taking away their documents.
The Russian Federal Security Service, or FSB, has been working to ferret out the Ukrainians’ allegiances in the filtration camps, such as whether they’ve worked with law enforcement or with the Joint Forces Operations, the directorate said. Some reports show the Russians have been downloading data from the Ukrainians’ phones and taking their fingerprints at the filtration camps before shipping them off to Russia.
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#1
Kinda fits with the "semi-referendum" the Rus are putting on that was mentioned in another article.
[SHAFAQ] The Internal Security Forces (Asayish) said it managed to apprehend Arab nationals with links to the terrorist organization of ISIS in Raperin earlier today, Tuesday.
The Asayish directorate of the Independent county said that it arrested four Syrian nationals with forged IDs.
"The arrestees were referred to the investigation magistrate in accordance with Article 298 and 289, and Article 4/Terrorism," the statement said.
Russian forces attacked on many parts of the Donbas front but the only significant advance was taking the city of Kreminna (2020 population 18k). This was about a 4 km advance. It is another 50 km to the major city of Slovyansk.
Russia is still bringing in more troops and equipment and increasing bombardment.
Mariupol not completely taken yet.
Ukraine is apparently defending the entire front and has repelled many Russian attacks.
Militaryland.com more at link
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
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⚡️Zelensky: 'If we had access to all the weapons we need, which our partners have, we would have already ended this war.'
Zelensky renewed calls for weapons to Ukraine, saying “it is unfair that Ukraine is still forced to ask for what its partners have been storing for years.”
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
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#1
I'm curious what he means by Partners.
Is there some Right of Access to the inventories of these Partners?
#2
It seems that he has many partners in our media, government and industry who would like to give him exactly what he wants. The end result would be bigger craters and more wounded and dead civilians.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/20/2022 16:35
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:10 The RF Armed Forces, from 14:00 (Moscow time) on April 19, 2022, opened a gum corridor from the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol to withdraw Ukrainian military personnel and militants of national formations who were ready to voluntarily lay down their arms, as well as to evacuate civilians who, according to statements Ukrainian side, allegedly they are there. As of April 19, 2022, at 22:00 (Moscow time), no one used the specified corridor. 22:23 1260 military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine became the targets of the Russian missile forces and artillery over the past night.
21:46 Russian air defense systems have just shot down Tochka-U over Izyum. Her cluster munitions went off over the city.
21:09 To Energodar arrived a humanitarian convoy with vital and essential medicines from the Russian Federation and unloaded at the Medical Unit!
20:47 The request of residents of the Rozovsky district of the Zaporozhye region for temporary accession to the DPR will not go unnoticed by the DPR authorities - Pushilin.
20:40 Russian air defense over Chernobaevka, Zalizny and Pokrovsky shot down three Ukrainian UAVs. During the day, the missile forces hit two command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an ammunition depot, an artillery battery, as well as a cluster of Ukrainian military equipment.
20:38 Russian Aerospace Forces hit 31 Ukrainian military facilities. Among them were destroyed: in the areas of Razdolny and Novogrodovka - two command posts and 28 places of accumulation of manpower and Ukrainian military equipment, as well as an ammunition depot for MLRS in the Privolye region.
18:14 “The city is safe. Residents feel they are being protected by Russian troops.” — Correspondent Khaled al-Jabburi from liberated Berdyansk, where the Russian military provides humanitarian aid to local residents: “Many people come here from neighboring Ukrainian cities in search of safety and fleeing Nazi violence.”
15:54 The Russian Guard, together with the special forces of the Ministry of State Security of the DPR, is carrying out filtration measures to search for and detain members of the “sleeping” cells of Ukrainian nationalists in the resort village of Kirillovka, Zaporozhye region.
15:26 Zelensky introduced a bill to extend martial law in Ukraine.
15:03 A monument in memory of Soviet soldiers was demolished in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine. It was dismantled under the so-called law "on the dismantling of historical monuments and monumental art." Not so long ago, a monument was removed in Mukachevo in honor of the liberation of the city by the Red Army and a monument to Alexander Pushkin.
14:32 Humanitarian aid has been delivered to Kherson. Residents of the Korabelny microdistrict received food packages from the Russian military.
Citizens were given cereals, canned fish and beef, sunflower oil and sugar.
In total, since March 2, Russia has sent more than 12.9 thousand tons of essential items, food and medicine to Ukraine.
13:47 The situation in the north-east of Kharkiv as of April 19, 2022:
The Armed Forces of Ukraine forcibly completed the evacuation of civilians from Severnaya Saltovka, creating fortified areas in the MZhK "Internationalist" (50.040664, 36.343340) and residential buildings (50.037482520998275, 36.35333240368189). Those who did not have time to evacuate were sent to the basements.
Positions of the RF Armed Forces are equipped in the cottage village in Tsirkuny-1. The Ukrainian side warned local residents that civilians should sit in bomb shelters for two weeks.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine abandoned the DRG and mined the forest belt along the Tsirkuny-Kutuzovka road.
In the near future, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning to launch a counteroffensive. They plan to pass off the facts of attacks on their positions in Northern Saltovka as deliberate shelling of the civilian population, which is no longer there. They want to level the positions of the RF Armed Forces in Tsirkuny along with the village itself.
13:38 The Rozovsky district of Zaporozhye organized and held a meeting on its own, which was attended by authorized people by local residents to make decisions. Those present at the meeting unanimously voted for joining the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:15 With the assistance of the military-civilian administration of Melitopol, a resident of the city was able to get your parcel at the New Post office. The package contains seeds.
12:43 Melitopol communal pharmacies are expected to receive a batch of medicines. Medicines will go on sale at the end of this week. Also, medical preparations of the humanitarian party were brought to the city. They will provide Melitopol hospitals.
12:24 Last night, we managed to observe an artillery raid on the Armed Forces of Ukraine south of Izyum. The Ukrainians rolled out 2 tanks, brought personnel on "loaves", who began to reload weapons into the building.
A total of 152 flew exactly to this warehouse, part of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fled, part remained there forever. After that, the tank of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was hit, the crew jumped out of the second tank without waiting for the defeat and fled to the forest plantation.
The night battle ended with a package of phosphorus ammunition thrown by the Ukrainians at Izyum. As always, an impressive sight, though the meaning of such shooting is incomprehensible.
12:18 The educational process will soon resume in Berdyansk. The Ukrainian authorities, using threats and intimidation, are trying to prevent the opening of schools and universities.
And about. Mayor of Berdyansk Alexander Saulenko decided to hold a meeting with teachers to explain that Russia has entered forever and that nothing threatens them anymore, and the children need to go to school as soon as possible.
12:11 In Ukraine, the next phase of the special operation begins - Lavrov.
12:10 Another Ukrainian "call center" was discovered, from which scammers "bred" Russians. This time the working point was covered in Berdyansk. The swastika above the entrance is part of the working interior.
12:08 In Ukraine, the next phase of the special operation begins - Lavrov.
11:29 Russia will do everything so that Nazism can never again raise its head, not only in the Russian Federation, but anywhere in the world, said Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia.
11:25 Servicemen of the Russian Guard discovered a warehouse of artillery ammunition near Kherson - the press service of the department.
11:09 Aviation of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed two warehouses for storing warheads of tactical missiles "Tochka-U" in the areas of the settlements of Chervonaya Polyana and Balakleya - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
11:03 In Kherson raised Banner of Victory. The red flag was raised by the National Guard over the Alley of Glory. Izvestia correspondent Ivan Litomin shared the footage.
11:00 Humanitarian aid from Russia received by residents of even the most remote areas of Kherson.
10:40 The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has planned the rotation of personnel in the units at the forefront in the Nikolaev-Kherson and Krivoy Rog directions. The replacement will be carried out at night gradually due to the lack of a sufficient number of people.
10:30 The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the number of military facilities destroyed since the start of the special military operation:
▪️140 aircraft,
▪️487 unmanned aerial vehicles,
▪️252 anti-aircraft missile systems,
▪️2353 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,
▪️256 multiple rocket launchers,
▪️1014 field artillery pieces and mortars,
▪️2208 units of special military vehicles. 09:22 Footage of the consequences of the shelling by the Ukrainian military of the village of Pologi in the Zaporozhye region, residential buildings and plots of local residents were affected by the attacks, there are victims.
09:17 Arms of the West, which will be in Ukraine, will be a legitimate target for the Russian military - Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Pyotr Ilyichev.
08:40 After the discovery of a cache with weapons and explosives at the Kherson military plant, the Russian security forces carry out raids in the city and in the region to identify sabotage groups left by the SBU when fleeing the city, a source in law enforcement agencies said. Earlier, Russian security forces discovered in Kherson operational documents of the SBU marked “top secret”, from which it follows that before retreating from Kherson, SBU officers recruited members of the local territorial defense for sabotage.
08:00 Ukrainian Armed Forces once again fired at the private sector of the Belgorod region at night. According to regional authorities, a resident was wounded and received medical assistance. There are destruction.
07:50 One of the night attacks on Nikolaev fell on the KIA auto center on Kosmonavtov Street. The premises were re-equipped for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense units.
[An Nahar] U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers, a practice dating back to the heady days of human sacrifice to Baal Moloch... Dorothy Shea has accused Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... of seeking to "drive a wedge" between the Lebanese people and the United States, in a speech commemorating the victims of the April 1983 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
"Today is a solemn anniversary for us, as we remember the terrible attack that took 52 lives on April 18th, 1983. And in September of the following year — just over there — we lost 23 more lives," Shea said in a speech.
"These attacks were not against the United States alone; victims included Americans, locally employed Lebanese staff, as well as Lebanese Internal Security Forces officials. For this reason, today we stand united — as we have for every year since 1983 -- honoring those who bit the dust, both Americans and Lebanese, and in renewing our commitment to peace and security in Lebanon," she added.
She also emphasized that the United States has "maintained its resolve to pursue justice for the victims."
"We are pushing back against the negative influences of terrorist organizations like Hizbullah, which continues to seek to drive a wedge between us. But we are not daunted. We will continue to promote the bonds between our countries and peoples, particularly in these difficult times, as we try to help the Lebanese people emerge from the current economic crisis so that they can enjoy a brighter future," the ambassador went on to say.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2022
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HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has on Tuesday continued to raise separatist flags on government facilities in Aden city, in defiance of the Saudi occupation forces.Local sources reported that the leaders of the STC in Aden completed raising a separatist South Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... i flag at the intersections and roundabouts of Aden, after obliging the residents to raise it on the roofs of their own houses in most of the city’s districts, especially those located on the main streets.
The sources said the campaign of raising separatist flags reached the road leading to the Ma’ashiq Palace, where the Riyadh-backed Presidential Council and the government loyal to the coalition reside.
The campaign organisers confirmed their intention to raise the flag over the Ma’ashiq Palace itself, in clear defiance of Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century... and as the latest showcase of a growing rift between the plans of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[SHAFAQ] Military reinforcements were brought to Sinjar district, following festivities that erupted between the army and forces loyal to the Kurdistan Workers party, YBS, a source reported.
The source told Shafaq News agency that the west Nineveh command sent military reinforcement to Sinjar.
Earlier today, festivities reportedly flared between a force from the Iraqi army and paramilitary groups loyal to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the governorate of Nineveh.
A source told Shafaq News Agency that an army force stationed in al-Qahtaniyah sub-district exchanged fire with members of the Yazid Khana group.
Yazid Khana forces of Evil were deployed in the Khansur complex and blocked all the roads leading to it, except for the main road.
Yesterday, Yazid Khana fighters withdrew from a military site in the district of Sinjar after fire exchange with the Iraqi army.
According to a source, the festivities erupted when the PKK-aligned paramilitary group refused to evacuate a military site in the Dukuri complex, north of Sinjar.
"A civilian, two Yazid Khana fighters, and an Iraqi soldier were maimed in the confrontations," the source said.
[CNN ...formerly the Cable News Network, now who know what it might stand for... At least six people have been killed and 11 others injured after multiple explosions rocked a high school and educational center in western Kabul on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear how many of the dead were students, but seven injured children were taken to a hospital run by the NGO Emergency, the organization said on Twitter.
"Security forces are at the scene and investigations underway," Kabul police chief front man Khalid Zadran said in a tweet, also giving the corpse count.
He added that the Abdul Rahim Shaheed High School was hit with three explosions. The other facility attacked was the Mumtaz Educational Centre.
A spokesperson for the Muhammad Ali Jinnah Hospital in Kabul earlier gave CNN a higher number for those injured.
The blasts occurred in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of the Afghan capital, home to a large Shia Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... community, a minority group previously targeted by hard boys.
There has been no official claim of responsibility for the apparent attack and it is possible the corpse count could rise
At least six people were killed and 24 maimed on Tuesday by two kabooms that struck a boys' school in a Shia Hazara ...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets... neighbourhood of the Afghan capital, police and hospital staff said.
The number of attacks in the country has significantly declined since the Taliban ...Arabic for students... ousted the US-backed Afghan government in August, but the jihadist Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group has claimed several attacks since then.
"We were leaving school and had just stepped out from the rear gate when the earth-shattering kaboom occurred," Ali Jan, a student who was maimed in the first blast, told AFP at a hospital.
The second blast took place as rescuers arrived to ferry victims from the first explosion to hospitals.
"When I heard of the blast I called one of my friends who studies at that school," said maimed shopkeeper Murtaza.
"His phone was switched off. Then I went to the site... and that's when I was hit in the second blast."
Kabul police front man Khalid Zadran told AFP that the attack outside the Abdul Rahim Shahid school was caused by improvised bombs, killing six people.
"These are preliminary figures. We are at the site and waiting for more details," he said.
Two hospitals confirmed they were treating a total of 24 people maimed in the blasts.
Zadran said a third blast had occurred at an English language centre in the same area, but did not specify whether it was caused by an explosive. Zadran had earlier tweeted that three blasts had rocked the school.
Outside the hospital, Taliban fighters beat back relatives of victims who had gathered, an AFP correspondent reported.
BACK-TO-BACK BLASTS
The Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood is mainly home to the Hazara community and has been previously targeted by the jihadist Islamic State group -- a rival of the Taliban, also a hardline Sunni Islamist movement.
The Hazara community, which makes up between 10 and 20 percent of the country's 38 million people, has long been the target of mass-casualty attacks, some blamed on the Taliban during their 20-year insurgency.
Since seizing power the Taliban have regularly carried out raids on suspected IS hideouts, mainly in the eastern Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. province.
Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated IS, but analysts say the jihadist group is a key security challenge.
IS has claimed some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan in recent years.
In May last year at least 85 people -- mainly girl students -- were killed and about 300 maimed when three bombs went kaboom! near their school in Dasht-e-Barchi.
No group grabbed credit, but in October 2020 IS claimed a suicide kaboom on an educational centre in the same area that killed 24, including students.
In May 2020, the group was blamed for a bloody gun attack on a maternity ward of a hospital in the neighbourhood that killed 25 people, including new mothers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2022
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#1
Oh UGH...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/20/2022 7:54
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#2
We call it "Playing BasketBall in a Mine Field"
"Look what I got out of my nose!" We expected no less. And certainly not any more.
The mission of Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar has likely been shelved indefinitely and perhaps permanently, a senior legal source said.
The mission might be resumed during the next presidential tenure, the source added, in remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper published Tuesday.
"Finance Minister Youssef Khalil’s refusal to sign the decree forming the general commission of the Court of Cassation openly means that Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri ...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... and Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... are insisting on preventing Bitar from continuing his mission," the source added.
The August 4, 2020 monster explosion at Beirut’s port killed around 231 people, maimed around 7,000 and devastated entire neighborhoods of the capital.
Two incumbent MPs and ex-ministers belonging to Berri’s Amal Movement have refused to appear before Bitar for questioning.
The judge has also summoned former premier Hassan Diab, ex-ministers Youssef Fenianos and Nouhad al-Mashnouq and the heads of General Security and State Security.
⚡️ Russians prepare to hold 'pseudo-referendum' in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry warns that Russia is preparing “referendums” in occupied parts of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts to proclaim “republics” similar to what happened in Russian-occupied Donbas in 2014.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
What if they gave a "pseudoreferendum and nobody came?... Oh. I guess it wouldn't matter, would it?
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Whatif they gave a "pseudoreferendum and nobody came?... Oh. I guess it wouldn't matter, would it?
...Even if nobody showed up, it would still be reported as 105% turnout and a 99.9% 'We LOVE Vlad!!' result.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/20/2022 12:01
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[NewRepublic] In one way or another, the scholars and journalists in The New Republic’s special May issue all examine the state of democracy here or abroad. It is their work to diagnose and prognosticate, to analyze and warn. And to them, the situation is plain: Our system of government is crumbling. Around the world, autocracy looms. The tasks ahead could not be more urgent. But what of the people who are not necessarily glued to the news, whose jobs do not require them to track, in detail, every grotesque new contrivance of the Republican Party, every vain counter by the Democrats? How worried are they?
Interestingly, the Republican rank and file is split about what January 6, 2021, represents. Although most Republicans in our poll described the events of that day as patriotic, a hefty minority said what happened was an insurrection—a dissensus, it should be underscored, that isn’t reflected among Republican Party leadership, which has been overwhelmingly reluctant to condemn the incident. "I don’t know whether we should take a lot of comfort in knowing there are still 43 percent of Republicans who think that was wrong," Molyneux reflected, "or despair that it's only 43 percent." Poll results at the bottom of the link.
#2
A carefully orchestrated channeling of Trump supporters into arrest and detention zones. Note the continued attempt to hold Donald Trump responsible for the violence. Nothing in Washington D.C. is ever totally as it seems.
#3
How many "Republicans" compare 6Jan with the burning cities full of 'mostly peaceful' Antifa/BLM and think: "It was stupid, childish and unlawful but...".
[IsraelTimes] Tor Wennesland updates members on Temple Mount tensions during closed-door emergency meet; despite Palestinian pressure, council refrains from issuing public statement
#5
Currently in Newport News, Virginia, where it is undergoing a refueling and complex overhaul, a one-time process to replace the ship's nuclear fuel and refit the ship for future operations. So liberty for the crew allows easy contact with all sorts of vendors. Retail Services PO's Mika'il and Natasha might have had some special connection to a cultural source?
[PopSci] The 2020 incident occurred in an F-22 and involved software called Auto GCAS. Plus, what to know about two additional incidents in the same aircraft type.
In June of 2020, a pilot flying an F-22 in Alaska reportedly became disoriented, and the aircraft likely would have crashed were it not for the intervention of a software system on the fighter jet. The F-22 in question had departed Joint Base Elmendorf—Richardson in Anchorage, and was operating in "Instrument Meteorological Conditions" or IMC, which is when weather and visibility require the pilot to fly using their instruments. The incident, according to a short summary of the event provided to Popular Science by the Air Force Safety Center, occurred due to the pilot’s "spatial disorientation."
The pilot of the stealth fighter jet "was focused on their situation display and over-banked the aircraft to 135 degrees angle of bank and began to accelerate rapidly as the nose continued to fall," the Air Force Safety Center reported.
Continued on Page 49
[MAIL] Hot-headed Bill O’Reilly threatened an airline worker who was trying to help when the former Fox News host's flight was delayed for hours.
'You're going to lose your job.' the 72-year-old told the JetBlue worker at New York's JFK airport in video exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.
O'Reilly, who has a history of easily losing his temper, was on his way to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean on the morning of Sunday, April 3.
Dressed in a light jacket, rumpled pants and bright white sneakers, the 6ft. 4in. conservative commentator towers over the airline worker in the video snapped by a fellow passenger.
'What you're gonna do...it's three hours late,' he says. He can then be heard saying: 'No, no, no, You're gonna find out,' jabbing his finger aggressively at the airline employee.
When the employee says something, O'Reilly responds:'You f***ing scumbag. Don't talk to me like that.'
#3
I've always disliked O'Really, he's never been a real conservative and he always felt the same way the other so called reporters are. Too bad the airline worker didn't call security so he could have a hickory shampoo.
*whack*
"Do you know who I am?"
*whack whack whack* "Hell yeah, why do you think I'm hitting you?"
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/20/2022 16:41
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#6
The idea that you could argue with a gate agent and get the “scumbag” to substantially reduce a flight delay has never occurred to a sucker like me. I would have just read a book and ate a hotdog not realizing that there was a potential avenue of expressing the logistics, maintenance and staffing of a large aircraft that I would later board.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/20/2022 16:45
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#7
Like to think I know places, but had to look up this destination. Pretty nifty. Worth yelling down on someone who couldn't afford one night there, nevermind travel expenses, I'm sure.
Hello Jet-Blue flight desk workers
Like to thank you for your time
Work a 40 hour week for a living,
Hearing rich talk coconut and lime.
#9
Book: Killing O'Reilly. Miss Comer
Recites the executive summary:
"I did it myself!
Here I sit on the shelf,
Just a cluster of bluster and flummery."
[IsraelTimes] Organizers say some 20,000 marching to dismantled Homesh outpost, including right-wing politicians Smotrich and Ben Gvir, after IDF reaches deal on securing shortened event
Several thousand right-wing Israelis on Tuesday marched in the northern West Bank to the dismantled Homesh settlement, as Paleostinians opposed to the rally clashed with Israeli forces in an adjacent village.
Several opposition politicians participated, notably including former coalition whip Idit Silman, who quit the government two weeks ago, and who some in the coalition were still hoping could be persuaded to return.
Continued on Page 49
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] 1. Mariupol.
The assault on Azovstal continues. The last center of organized resistance. The additional cleansing of the Primorsky district is also continuing.
2. Ugledar direction.
No major changes. The enemy is holding Maryinka, Ugledar, Velikaya Novoselka.
3. Zaporozhye direction. Small advance east of Gulyaipole. Front Kamenskoye-Orekhov-Gulyaipole without changes.
4. Nikolaev direction.
Serious attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city area. There are heavy losses of the enemy. There is no active attack on Nikolaev yet.
5. Odessa.
No significant changes. The enemy does not exclude the possibility of landing operations, but he is transferring some of his forces to the Nikolaev direction.
6. Avdievka.
No significant changes. Fighting in the area of Novobakhmutovka and Troitsky. Activation is expected in the coming days.
7.LNR.
Confirmed the capture of Kremennaya and advance in Popasna. There are also fighting in the south of Rubizhne and on the outskirts of Severodonetsk.
8. Izyum.
The troops are advancing towards Slavyansk and Kramatorsk from the north and northwest. The enemy suffers heavy losses and slowly withdraws. Fighting is noted north of Krasny Liman and Yampol. There are also heavy battles in the Barvenkovsky direction.
9. Kharkov.
The enemy is trying to strain the flanks of the Izyum grouping of the RF Armed Forces west of Kharkov in order to force the Russian command to withdraw part of its forces from the directions of the main strikes. There is also fighting north of Kharkov.
10. Regarding the issues of the 2nd phase of the operation, today Foreign Minister Lavrov confirmed that Russia is starting the 2nd phase of the operation, which will be related to the liberation of the remaining territories of Donbass occupied by Ukraine.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Unidentified button men believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda have on Monday detonated a bomb near a military point in Mudiyah district of Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... province, southern Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... .Local sources said that the targeted military point belongs to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) militia, without giving details about the attack.
Other sources reported that the earth-shattering kaboom resulted from an attack that targeted a house of one of citizens with a hand grenade.
Al-Qaeda operatives are deployed extensively in a number of Abyan districts, mostly in Mudiyah, Lawdar, al-Khadira, and al-Mahfad, as well as large areas in Shabwah province.
Over the past weeks, al-Qaeda elements set up positions in al-Maja’lah area, east of Mudiyah in Abyan province.
[IsraelTimes] Police say detainees include those who threw rocks at buses, assaulted Orthodox Jews going to pray at Western Wall
Police on Tuesday announced the detention of 20 suspects will be extended after they were arrested during recent riots in Jerusalem’s Old City amid heightened tensions surrounding the Temple Mount.
According to police, the detainees are suspected of rioting, assault and hurling rocks and fireworks toward Israeli citizens and security forces.
Among those being held are Paleostinians who on Sunday threw rocks at buses just outside the Old City en route to the Western Wall, leaving several passengers lightly maimed. Police allege one of the suspects used his car to force the buses to slow down, making it easier to pelt the buses with stones.
Police say some of the other suspects were detained for throwing rocks and firecrackers at police from Old City rooftops, and for assaulting Orthodox Jews headed to pray at the Western Wall.
"The Israel Police will continue to act firmly against lawbreakers and rioters," a police statement said, adding Sherlocks were working to track down additional suspects.
The statement said the extension of the suspects’ remand was approved by a court on Monday, but did not specify for how long.
Many Jews head to the Western Wall and the Old City during the week of Passover, which began Friday night. Non-Moslems can only visit the Temple Mount during certain hours and are barred from praying at the site, which is the holiest in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam.
Passover this year intersects with the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, which tends to see increased tensions around the Old City. Sunday was also Easter, with Christian pilgrims visiting the Old City.
Sunday’s violence came after festivities Friday morning saw almost 500 rioters arrested and more than 150 people injured in violence in and around the Temple Mount, after Paleostinians threw rocks and clashed with Israeli police, who entered the mosque to confront them.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
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04/20/2022
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... took part in behind-the-scenes political contacts over the past few hours in a bid to contain the repercussions of President Michel Aoun ...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... ’s remarks from Bkirki, in which he accused the Shiite Duo of obstructing the probe into the Beirut port blast, a media report said.
Aoun’s remarks came after Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, who is close to Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri ...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians... , refused to sign the appointments of the heads of the Court of Cassation, which is looking into recusal lawsuits against the judge leading the investigations into the port blast case, Tarek Bitar.
Quoting Ain el-Tineh visitors, ad-Diyar newspaper said Berri was dismayed by Aoun’s remarks but chose to remain silent.
Sources close to Aoun meanwhile said that the president is not seeking an escalation and that his remarks were merely "a description of facts."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2022
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The administrator of Kanaan sub-district in Diyala, Mahdi AbdulKareem al-Shammari, reported that the Iraqi army repelled an ISIS attack on Tuesday.
Al-Shammari told Shafaq News agency that an army force thwarted an ISIS attack on the sub-district, noting that military reinforcements arrived at the site of the incident, forcing the perpetrators to flee.
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Mohammed Ali al-Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... , member of the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a, has announced the unveiling of a new armoured vehicle that has just been joined to the country’s military industry.
Mohammed al- Houthi posted a video on his Twitter account showing himself driving the vehicle.
"Look at the Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... i armoured vehicles," al-Houthi tweeted.
According to the Yemeni Ministry of Defence in Sana’a, the vehicles were entirely produced by the country’s domestic interview.
Sure they were.
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04/20/2022
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[SHAFAQ] The Ottoman Turkish army deployed in five points north of Duhok, in the Kurdistan Region.
The source told Shafaq News agency that this step was taken as part of the Ottoman Turkish military operations launched two days ago.
In a new offensive launched yesterday, Ottoman Turkish military forces struck a dozen suspected targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Ottoman Turkish Defense Ministry said.
The air and ground offensive, codenamed Operation Claw Lock, began in Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan in Kurdistan in the early hours of Monday.
Sharing images from the operation, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ottoman Turkish jets have struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots, and the military headquarters of the PKK.
The separatist group uses its bases in northern Iraq to stage attacks on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... . It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey as well as the United States and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... .
[An Nahar] Moscow said Tuesday that Russian forces had opened a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian troops who agreed to lay down their arms to leave the embattled city of Mariupol.
Some of the heaviest fighting of the Russian military campaign has focused around the strategic Sea of Azov port city.The Russian armed forces opened a humanitarian corridor for the withdrawal of Ukrainian military personnel who voluntarily laid down their arms and turbans of nationalist formations," the defense ministry said, adding the safe corridor was opened at 2:00 pm (1100 GMT).
To that end, Russian forces and troops of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic "halted any military activity" around the Azovstal steelworks plant, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Centre, said in a statement.
The ministry said the decision was made taking into account the "catastrophic situation" at the plant and "purely humanitarian principles".
Humanitarian convoys have been deployed in "three directions" that include buses, cars and ambulances to transport and treat people.
Temporary accommodation and first aid facilities have also been set up, the ministry said.
Moscow urged Kyiv authorities to put pressure on the military "to stop the senseless resistance".
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Vladislav Avayev, 51, was found dead along with his 'pregnant' wife Yelena, 47, and their younger daughter Maria, 13 in their 14th-floor Moscow apartment Ooh! Ooh! I seen dis movie!
The bodies were found by the couple's distraught beautiful adult daughter Anastasia The butler's tied up and shoved in the closet.
All three victims had gunshot wounds, according to police in Moscow Which is normal if you’ve been shot.
Anastasia (she's the love interest) had gone to the apartment when she failed to contact her family [Ring! Ring!] Ring! We're sorry, the number you have called in no longer in service!
It was reported that the shootings were carried out 'with Avayev's pistol' Da killer had wiped it clean. There were no prints on it. The doors were locked. $30 million from the Gazprom accounts was missing. Vladislav's mistress had recently bought a new yacht, but she was dancing with Minister of Defense Shoigu at the Kremlin when it happened, so it was prob'ly the butler what dunnit.
Investigators said they are keeping an open mind on the 14th floor massacre Dat's a good idea, if allowed.
[Axios] Warner Bros. Discovery has suspended all external marketing spend for CNN+ and has laid off CNN's longtime chief financial officer as it weighs what to do with the subscription streaming service moving forward, five sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: Inside CNN, executives think the launch has been successful. Discovery executives disagree.
CNN+ has roughly 150,000 subscribers so far.
Warner Bros. Discovery wants to eventually build one giant service around HBO Max.
New leadership has replaced CNN CFO Brad Ferrer with Neil Chugani, Discovery's current CFO for streaming and international, as part of a broader finance team restructuring.
Other high-level positions at WarnerMedia across different business functions are likely to be eliminated to cut costs and streamline leadership in coming weeks.
What to watch: Sources say a plan is being considered to replace Chris Cuomo's 9:00pm EST primetime slot with a live newscast, instead of personality-driven perspective programming.
#2
Can't wait to see what lib outfit picks up Chritthy's contract in the classic lib insider soft-landing maneuver.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 7:43
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#3
...I sincerely hope that this is the first of many occasions in the near future where CNN - not only Plus, but Headline and Regular - is introduced to reality.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/20/2022 8:18
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#4
well if CNN + doesn't work, maybe CNN Max will work
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
04/20/2022 8:34
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#5
I guess even Liberals viewers won't put up with being FLIMFLAMMED, Told Lies and FAKE NEWS & COMMENT. CNN+ is no different
#6
All this subscription stuff is tanking. NetFlix lost 20% of its stock value yesterday on bad performance and worse forward guidance and the market shrugged it off. The left's conscious decision to precipitate the current economic malaise via COVID is a miscalculation. Once people start shopping for value, they apply that ideation to stuff besides consumer goods. You know, like what media they consume, what politicians they vote for.
Stuff like that. Interesting times ahead.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2022 8:42
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#7
We just got hit with a $1.00 Netflix increase and will likely drop them in June/July after we have viewed the shows we wanted.
Why Netflix?
ONLY because they have a few streams we can't get via CINEMA-HD.
(the Japanese/ Korean/Taiwan movies and TV dramas)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Chervonec] The groupings of troops from Donbass and Russia began to move in the aura of the Donbas pocket from the Kharkiv and Zaporozhye directions. Each covered at least ten kilometers in the first day. In my opinion, this is the most difficult section of the path, the troops, along with the movement, are pushing the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Nazis from their settled and fortified positions.
If we talk about the formation of a large Donetsk cauldron, then a little more than a hundred kilometers remain between the above groups. If they manage to close together, this will mean one thing for the most combat-ready part of the all-Ukrainian forces - a cauldron, or the end, which in this case is identical.
Further, according to the classics, the dismemberment of the Donetsk boiler into separate sections will go (let Peskovsky, Avdievsk, Kramatorsk, and so on). For what? Yes, so as not to allow the enemy to maneuver inside a large cauldron, to strengthen certain sectors of the defense by transferring forces and weapons, and so on.
But, in fact, the Donetsk part of the coverage of this boiler is almost not moving forward. The main thing for our forces assembled here is to prevent the enemy from breaking through into the city of Donetsk itself. Indeed, they can line up like a “pig” to go for a ram. And here everything will depend on the quality of the lead: whether the intelligence will be able to report on time, whether the artillerymen, rocket launchers, missilemen and pilots will be able to inflict damage on the grouping enemy in time - well.
Tthe “Azovites” are cunning, playing for time, provoking pity, calling for political expediency. The center, it must be said, is ready to respond to such initiatives, supported by groans from the West. Today, the Nazis were even given the opportunity to take a break from shelling for a couple of hours, bring ammunition to strongholds, hold meetings, and develop new solutions for further defense.
No, civilians, one hundred and twenty people, still came out, but not from the basements of Azovstal, but from workers' residential buildings located next to the territory of the plant. Interestingly, while blocking the industrial zone, according to statements, we did not clear all the houses around? If they cleaned up, why didn’t they take people out of them earlier? This is purely a question.
So, our enemy is a serious one, knows how to fight, does not want to surrender, the theater of operations is complex, crossed, but ... Our “iron helmets” (reservists) are already becoming dogs of war, not to mention those people who managed in equal numbers in just a month to take possession of a huge city (600,000 inhabitants, for comparison, Grozny 300,000).
I would like, of course, that all this ends in Donbass as soon as possible, and then we can move on, but it is immoral to rush our guys. They are already doing more than anyone else could do.
#1
Americans will not defend NATO.
And NATO cowards will not lift one finger for the Ukrainians
China and Russia India will create a new economic block
Europe will be forced to abandon the AUKUS in favor of economic and political independence from the USA. Cultural identity will be the call.
Mariupol will be rebuilt by Chinese and Russians companies, and will be the largest hub on the new Silk Road, serving an independent federation of European States. Ukraine will be no more and will be part of the Russian federation territory.
Same as the territory of Yemen the Houthi governance and the Chinese are in consultation, to develop ports and infrastructure.
So basically it’s a done deal and there’s nothing that the aukus can’t do.as President Putin put very clear…
Sarmat missile will make Russia foes 'think twice': Putin http://toi.in/psSPmY86/a24gk
#5
Mariupol will be rebuilt by Chinese and Russians companies, and will be the largest hub on the new Silk Road,
While you weren't looking, Ukraine's export economy has been almost completely destroyed.
Ukraine is now landlocked. They have lost all their non-EU markets and cannot replace them with European markets. (Try exporting agricultural goods to the EU when those goods compete with EU farmers' products. Good luck with that.)
while not a brutal as the Shanghai lockdown, many other Chinese cities are in lockdowns of various sorts
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
04/20/2022 13:24
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#2
UK retailers warned today that will cause months-long delays and drive up costs
Hold on there, Chuck. Supposed to say "Russian War" not "Government Covid Protocols".
Please report to Trafalgar Square, cue 18, April 21st between 13:00 and 14:00 for Long Covid Testing. Failure to be tested within your appointment, for whatever reason, will result in a Hate Flag. Your rescheduling will be e-mailed to you, requiring a self picture re-sent with a recognizable background, such as an address or point of interest. As a reminder, two Hate Flags within 7 days will result in a 4 week quarantine and wellness investigation. Your cooperation is the base of freedom.
[An Nahar] Russia's defense minister on Tuesday said Moscow was seeking to "liberate" east Ukraine, but accused the West of dragging out the military operation by supplying Kyiv with arms.
"We are gradually implementing our plan to liberate the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics," Sergei Shoigu said in reference to eastern Ukraine's two rebel regions, which Moscow has recognized as independent states.
"We are taking measures to restore peaceful life," he said in a televised meeting with Russian military commanders. "By deporting and killing Ukrainians"
Shoigu's comments came after Kyiv accused Russia of unleashing a major new offensive in eastern Ukraine, marking the second stage of Moscow's nearly two-month military operation in the former Soviet state.
But Shoigu laid the blame for the bloodshed on Washington and its Western allies.
"The United States and Western states under its control are doing everything to drag out the military operation for as long as possible," he said.
"The growing volume of foreign weapons supplies graphically demonstrate their intention to provoke the Kyiv regime to fight to the last Ukrainian."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
He also told Obama he used to be a Beetle and invented popcorn.
#2
Of course he is! He's having a great first term. Why would he want to think of himself as a lame duck? Everybody loves him! He must complete his legacy!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/20/2022 8:18
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#3
And don't forget - Biden also affirmed that Vice President Harris would be his running mate.
Slam dunk in 2024!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/20/2022 8:21
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Posted by: Frank G ||
04/20/2022 9:43
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#6
Urinary incontinence, or unintentional urination, is common in people who have dementia. It can range from mild leaking to unintentional urination. Less commonly, it also refers to unintentional bowel movements, or fecal incontinence. This includes the occasional leakage of stool before a bowel movement or a total loss of bowel control.
#10
The day the Biden Crime Family loses the influence and Presidential Pardon authority, they will be submerged in criminal proceedings and lawsuits. The unspoken and greater tragedy is the vast web of those who looked on and did nothing out of fear and careerism. The ranks of the SES minions who turned their heads and ignored duty are spread across much of the federal bureaucracy. Their passive reaction to the widespread fraud, deception, malfeasance and outright criminal behavior is so obvious, it has seriously damaged public confidence in government.
The number of Ukrainians trying to illegally enter the U.S. soared in March compared to previous times
Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine has forced more than 10 million to flee their homes
Roughly 88,000 migrants from outside the Northern Triangle of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were encountered by officials last month
A total 249,198 people were detained trying to come into the U.S. by land, air or sea in March
A growing chorus of Democrats are working to stop Biden from ending COVID-era expulsion policy Title 42
The Michigan Democrat Sen. Gary Peters told The Hill that he has privately raised concerns with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other administration officials about the May 23 expiry
Peters chairs both the Homeland Security committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
He said he wants to give Biden time to detail a plan for handling the likely onslaught of migrants
If they do not have a plan, he said the Biden administration should 'revisit' ending the policy
Migrant crossings at the Mexican border surged to the highest number in over two decades last month
#1
Given Cuba's Communist Gov. is FAR FROM friends with the USA. Seeing 32,000+ attempting to enter the USA (Note: No telling how many avoided ICE) and given the typical excessive travel controls imposed by this and any other Communist country.
For some reason I get imagines of "Invasion USA" and Chuck Norris?
Could Cuba and the CCP be setting up a subversive element 5th column force in the USA?
[IsraelTimes] Defense minister says benefits for Paleostinians could be rolled back if Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, harms stability; Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... terror groups holding ’urgent’ meeting after overnight Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on Strip
Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Paleostinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that steps Israel has taken to boost its economy are being threatened by terror groups ramping up incitement and launching rockets attacks.
There have been violent mostly peacefulfestivities between Paleostinians and police in recent days at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has accused terror groups of inciting the festivities over what it says are false claims that the long-standing policy of not allowing Jews to pray in the area has been changed.
"As I have also told leaders from countries in the region, we are maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, and we will not allow faceless myrmidons or provocateurs to harm the holy places," Gantz said during a tour of a Border Police base in the West Bank.
Many Jews head to the Western Wall and the Old City during the current weeklong Passover holiday. Non-Moslems can only visit the Temple Mount during certain hours and are officially barred from praying at the site, which is considered the holiest in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam. However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... recent reports have shown that police sometimes turn a blind eye to such prayers taking place.
In a statement released by his office, Gantz mentioned a rocket attack from Gaza on southern Israel on Monday evening. "Yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces struck Gaza following [rocket] fire into Israeli territory, for which Hamas leaders are responsible," he said.
"The IDF is ready with a wide range of means and targets, to ensure that peace and stability will continue," Gantz warned.
"If the incitement and [rocket] fire continue, the terror organizations will be severely harmed, as will the residents of Gaza, who are currently benefiting from the moves we have taken to develop the economy," Gantz added.
Israel recently okayed increasing the number of Paleostinians who can enter Israel for work to the highest quota since a blockade was imposed on the coastal enclave more than 15 years ago.
"These are moves we are planning to expand if stability is maintained, or we can roll them back, if the leaders of Hamas choose to hurt them," Gantz added.
[IsraelTimes] Following an urgent meeting this evening, various Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip agree to raise their alert level, sources tell Al Jazeera, amid fears that renewed rocket fire could quickly escalate into all-out war.
The network says the alert level will be raised for the next two days.
There is no immediate statement from Hamas on the matter.
In Israel, the Kan broadcaster reports that defense officials fear rocket fire out of Gaza may continue, and have put air defense units on high alert.
[IsraelTimes] 14 accused are suspected of transporting, housing or financially helping some of the perpetrators in the Islamic State ..formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... killing spree that claimed 130 lives
Belgium on Tuesday opened the trial of 14 people alleged to have assisted jihadists who carried out deadly bomb and gun attacks in Gay Paree in 2015.
Proceedings began under high security in NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... ’s former headquarters and are expected to last until May 20, with a verdict likely to take several more weeks.
The hearings were happening in parallel with a trial in Gay Paree of 20 suspects charged in La Belle France in connection with the same killing spree. That trial opened in September and is expected to run until the end of June.
The November 2015 Gay Paree attacks saw 130 people killed, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.
Assailants set off suicide belts outside the Stade de La Belle France stadium, as a group of button men in a car cut down people outside restaurants and bars. Three jihadists then killed 90 people attending a performance at Gay Paree’ popular Bataclan music venue.
Part of the attack was planned in Belgium, according to prosecutors.
The 14 accused in the Belgian trial — 13 men and one woman — are suspected of transporting, housing or financially helping some of the perpetrators of the Gay Paree attacks.
Charges include driving an alleged attacker to the airport for a trip to Syria.
Two of the suspects, both Belgians, are being tried in absentia. They are believed to have died in Syria.
Some of the suspects are close to Salah Abdeslam, a 32-year-old French national who is the only surviving suspected assailant after failing to set off his bomb belt. Abdeslam is on trial in Gay Paree.
Prosecutors allege they had knowledge of the jihadist group’s intentions, and those that helped Abdeslam — who was living in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek — in the four months following the attacks that he was a runaway.
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⚡️Azov says Azovstal plant bombed, almost completely destroyed.
Mariupol City Council said more than 1,000 civilians are hiding in underground shelters of the city’s main metallurgical plant, where the last defenders are holding out against Russian forces.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
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⚡️Netherlands to send heavy weapons, including armored vehicles, to Ukraine.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on April 19 that he had called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and announced the arms supplies “as Russia begins a renewed offensive.”
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
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#1
How does one keep an EU response separate from a NATO response? Or is this about establishing a No-Drive Zone and when a Nederlander truck gets zapped, they cry, "Uh Oh Better Get NATO!"
"We need something to take peoples' mind off of two years of house arrest and asset loot."
"How about a multinational polyalliance armored vehicular combat?"
[IsraelTimes] During media tour in Gazoo, terror group claims it has defensive and offensive tunnel systems, with the latter to be used for taking soldiers captive and repelling ground offensives
In a "tunnel city" under the sandy soils of southern Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , Paleostinian murderous Moslems are preparing for the next conflict with Israel, as tensions in Jerusalem threaten to escalate. The underground passageways leave no trace on the surface. But in a wooded area near Khan Younis, seven masked men in military fatigues carried a collection of machine guns and grenade launchers into a tunnel entrance discreetly tucked into the foot of a small hill. The tree branches covering the hole reveal a narrow passageway walled and topped with concrete blocks. Complete with electric lights, a ventilation system and telecoms cables, the tunnels also have small rooms for storing weapons and ammunition.
Continued on Page 49
#3
Russia and Israel have been sharing knowledge about the most efficient ways to kill fascists who hide in tunnels: Russians will kill the Azov fascists in Mariupol and the IDF will kill the Islamic-fascists in Gaza.
⚡️Lithuania bans public display of Russian 'Z' symbol.
The Lithuanian Parliament also voted to ban the black and orange ribbon of St. George and other symbols expressing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 19, 2022
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2022
00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
E-Mail||
[11136 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
I wonder if they are having a serious issue, want a united front, or are signalling they are Team Elenski.
#2
The Russians planted a lot of their colonists in the Baltics, so if necessary they can pull the Sudetenland ploy -- like Putin is doing -- and invade.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/20/2022 22:43
Comments ||
Top||
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.
[Military] The Army has found its replacements for the M4 rifle and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, handing out a contract to put new guns in the hands of tens of thousands of soldiers.
[Gateway] A federal prosecutor who urged the jury to convict four men accused in Governor .jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...
An icon of America’s post-Vietnam sea power, the USS Nimitz will soon leave active U.S. Navy service.
...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers, a practice dating back to the heady days of human sacrifice to Baal Moloch...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Fifteen of the nineteen WTC hijackers were Saudis, and most major jihadi commanders were Saudis, to include Osama bin Laden. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman quietly folded that tent in 2016, doing terrible things to the guys running it, and has since been dragging the kingdom into the current century...
...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets...
...Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, head of the Amal Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, a not very subtle sock puppet of the Medes and Persians...
[PopSci] The 2020 incident occurred in an 
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Unidentified 
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] 
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] 
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] 
...
[IsraelTimes] 14 accused are suspected of transporting, housing or financially helping some of the perpetrators in the 
