NPR

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 10:01 am Zelenskyy has cancelled his foreign travel with the Russian advances near Kharkiv. Very concerning how Russia were able to build up troops there to get the jump on Ukraine.

It's a distraction. That terrain is basically all open and has effectively been grey zone since 2022. The Russians don't have enough troops to make any serious push towards Kharkiv and are not using heavy equipment to any real extent, it's nearly entirely dismounted infantry going forward. This is more about trying to prevent the Free Russian units from raiding into Belgorod.

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 11:49 am How do Ukraine regain the initiative here?
Russia seems to be able to absorb horrendous losses without keep and nothing seems to be giving on their side.

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 2:18 pm This isn't helping.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/ar ... dApp_Other

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 2:29 pm Russian money, Brexit supporters, I for one am shocked.

David in Gwent wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 3:05 pm I see that the Slovakian Premier, Fico, has just been the subject of an assassination attempt.

Fico didn't want to the sign the WHO pandemic treaty and has switched recently from Pro-Western values to certain sympathies with the Russians.

Sandstorm wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 3:24 pm

David in Gwent wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 3:05 pm I see that the Slovakian Premier, Fico, has just been the subject of an assassination attempt.

Fico didn't want to the sign the WHO pandemic treaty and has switched recently from Pro-Western values to certain sympathies with the Russians.

CIA?

Local media reported that the alleged shooter was taken into custody immediately after the attack, naming the suspect as Juraj Čintula, a 71-year-old man described as a “well-known writer” and a supporter of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia

Uncle fester wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 11:49 am How do Ukraine regain the initiative here?
Russia seems to be able to absorb horrendous losses without keep and nothing seems to be giving on their side.

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2024 7:17 pm ...

Russia Detains Deputy to Army Chief in Bribery Investigation

● Vadim Shamarin, deputy head of General Staff, held in custody

● Case is latest in series of investigations at Defense Ministry

By Bloomberg News
May 23, 2024 at 9:35 AM UTC

Russia detained a deputy to army chief Valery Gerasimov on corruption allegations, the latest in a series of cases against Defense Ministry officials as the war in Ukraine continues.

General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff and head of its main communications directorate, was ordered to be held in custody for two months by a military court in Moscow on a charge of receiving an especially large bribe, the state-run Tass news service reported Thursday.

The case follows the detention last week of the former head of Russia’s 58th army in Ukraine, Major General Ivan Popov, on fraud allegations. Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was held on bribery charges last month, and the head of the ministry’s personnel department was detained last week in a bribery case.

President Vladimir Putin replaced long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, an economist, in a shakeup of his security officials this month. He said Belousov’s key task is to improve the effectiveness of Russia’s defense spending on the battlefield.

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 9:58 am

Russia Detains Deputy to Army Chief in Bribery Investigation

● Vadim Shamarin, deputy head of General Staff, held in custody

● Case is latest in series of investigations at Defense Ministry

By Bloomberg News
May 23, 2024 at 9:35 AM UTC

Russia detained a deputy to army chief Valery Gerasimov on corruption allegations, the latest in a series of cases against Defense Ministry officials as the war in Ukraine continues.

General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff and head of its main communications directorate, was ordered to be held in custody for two months by a military court in Moscow on a charge of receiving an especially large bribe, the state-run Tass news service reported Thursday.

The case follows the detention last week of the former head of Russia’s 58th army in Ukraine, Major General Ivan Popov, on fraud allegations. Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was held on bribery charges last month, and the head of the ministry’s personnel department was detained last week in a bribery case.

President Vladimir Putin replaced long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, an economist, in a shakeup of his security officials this month. He said Belousov’s key task is to improve the effectiveness of Russia’s defense spending on the battlefield.

Russia's murky threat to unilaterally question the Finish maritime borders, just to withdraw it the very next day, are absolutely in line with Putin's thug mentality. It follows several agendas.

First of all, testing the resolve of the NATO alliance. With Finland as a new member, Russia has been severely put on a backfoot in this sector. No Russian ship can pass the now NATO lake - the Baltic Sea - without hundreds of NATO eyes following it.

Secondly, Russia wants to harvest the outrage. Thugs always enjoy when their perceived victims complain. We see this constantly in Russian TV, where they talk themselves into delirium of Russia being a super power. It is as juvenile as it is dumb. When you deduct all the pompous presentation, Putin and is inner circle are after all just a bunch of gopniks.

What NATO can do against this is fairly easy. Increase patrols in that sector. Exercises with NATO members, including deploying some short range ballistic missiles with capabilities to hit the Leningrad Region, and avoid too much talk. The Russian barking will turn down once action by the West has been presented. It is anyway almost comical that Russians think that they can threaten the Finish people. I can hear Simo Häyhä's laughing from the heavens.

Biffer wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 10:11 am

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 9:58 am

Russia Detains Deputy to Army Chief in Bribery Investigation

● Vadim Shamarin, deputy head of General Staff, held in custody

● Case is latest in series of investigations at Defense Ministry

By Bloomberg News
May 23, 2024 at 9:35 AM UTC

Russia detained a deputy to army chief Valery Gerasimov on corruption allegations, the latest in a series of cases against Defense Ministry officials as the war in Ukraine continues.

General Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff and head of its main communications directorate, was ordered to be held in custody for two months by a military court in Moscow on a charge of receiving an especially large bribe, the state-run Tass news service reported Thursday.

The case follows the detention last week of the former head of Russia’s 58th army in Ukraine, Major General Ivan Popov, on fraud allegations. Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was held on bribery charges last month, and the head of the ministry’s personnel department was detained last week in a bribery case.

President Vladimir Putin replaced long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, an economist, in a shakeup of his security officials this month. He said Belousov’s key task is to improve the effectiveness of Russia’s defense spending on the battlefield.

Is Putin constructing an 'out' here? By dumping Shoigu and rooting out some senior officers for corruption is there the opportunity to blame them for failures in the field and for false information being fed to the leadership, change the outlook, campaign halted etc?

Major-General Ivan Popov
Lieutenant-General Yuri Kuznetsov
Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov
Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin

Four high profile arrests of the Russian military respectively defense ministry, all charged with corruption and bribery.

Forget about the charges, all Russian generals and officials are guilty of that, even in large quantities. This is not the reason that those men have been detained. This is a purge and the reasons can be all attributed that those men have been a severe problem for the Putin regime.

Something is cooking (again) in Moscow. It is obvious that there is a huge powerplay ongoing. Shoigu's transfer to the security council is just another sign that there is a "modification" of the power structures in Russia ongoing.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 11:38 am From a Reuters journalist, if true could only be a sign of a tacit admission that the initial intended outcomes of the invasion cannot be realised. However, would also have to question the true motivation from the RU side for a ceasefire of course with regard to rebuilding forces for another go in due course. Also, likely to be a cynical ploy to make RU look open to "negotiation" when they rather mean requiring an effective UA surrender

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 11:38 am From a Reuters journalist, if true could only be a sign of a tacit admission that the initial intended outcomes of the invasion cannot be realised. However, would also have to question the true motivation from the RU side for a ceasefire of course with regard to rebuilding forces for another go in due course. Also, likely to be a cynical ploy to make RU look open to "negotiation" when they rather mean requiring an effective UA surrender

inactionman wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 1:01 pm

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 11:38 am From a Reuters journalist, if true could only be a sign of a tacit admission that the initial intended outcomes of the invasion cannot be realised. However, would also have to question the true motivation from the RU side for a ceasefire of course with regard to rebuilding forces for another go in due course. Also, likely to be a cynical ploy to make RU look open to "negotiation" when they rather mean requiring an effective UA surrender

I've wondered if it would be in Ukraine's interest 'do a Russia' - agree to ceasefire, wait until Russia try to regroup and then pelt them with everything.

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 2:44 pm Can't see RU offering ceasefire terms that wouldn't in some way demand that UA stay out of NATO

Hellraiser wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 11:43 am

tabascoboy wrote: ↑Fri May 24, 2024 11:38 am From a Reuters journalist, if true could only be a sign of a tacit admission that the initial intended outcomes of the invasion cannot be realised. However, would also have to question the true motivation from the RU side for a ceasefire of course with regard to rebuilding forces for another go in due course. Also, likely to be a cynical ploy to make RU look open to "negotiation" when they rather mean requiring an effective UA surrender

Any time the Russians float the prospect of negotiations it's because they are in trouble and want to freeze the conflict until they can sort themselves out and try again. Additionally any ceasefire that recognises the current battle lines by definition isn't a negotiation.

Spain will hand over a record package of military aid to Ukraine: 19 Leopard 2A4 and Patriot missiles, - El Pais

It will be announced today during the visit of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi to Spain.

The publication's sources note that it is an unprecedented figure for Spanish military aid to Ukraine or any other country - 1.129 billion euros.

Unlike previous years, most of the materials will not be taken from the arsenals of the armed forces, but will be produced specifically by Spanish industry. Ukraine is expected to receive the contents of the aid package by June 30.

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