The tanks have apparently already GONE to Ukraine. They also have offered to repair tanks outside Ukraine etc which is a big thing.
Re jets: the whole point was to give them ones they could fly and don't need training for.
Some interesting updates
On Kherson:
Zarina Zabrisky @ZarinaZabrisky
#Kherson. Ukrainian Army liberated three settlements. - the head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration Alexander Vilkul. UA is already on the outskirts of Kherson. Within a radius of 20 km, heavy fighting for the city. - Kherson regional council deputy Sergei Khlan.
Tim White @TWMCLtd
#Ukraine has recaptured some villages in #Kherson region. It's still not clear if Presidential spokesman Arestovich was serious about Russia preparing to hand over the city itself.
Meanwhile a Kherson councillor, Serhiy Maksymenko has been abducted by Russian soldiers.
Arestovich is a Ukrainian Presidential spokesman as its not entirely clear from that tweet. I don't know what to make of this at all.
The Ukrainians apparently are still worried about activity at the airport in Transnistria in Moldova and an apparent threat from Odesa from the opposite direction to Kherson, so it doesn't necessary tie up well.
On Wheat:
Zarina Zabrisky @zarinazabrisky
#Zaporizhzhya region. Russian soldiers steal agricultural machinery and materials for sowing. -the head of the regional military administration.
Samuel Ramani @SamRamani2
Russia is actively disrupting agricultural harvests in Melitopol by seizing equipment and mining fields
This conduct risks creating man-made famines in the Global South
Beyond creating food insecurity in eastern Ukraine, these tactics could be aimed at bolstering wheat prices and providing hard currency for the Russian economy. Medvedev said Russia won't sell wheat to the West, so this is coming straight out of the coffers of the Global South.
Multiple sources seem to be saying this is now official policy of Russia...
On war crimes:
Zarina Zabrisky @zarinazabrisky
#RussianWarCrimesInUkraine Around 5,000 Russian war crimes under investigation in Ukraine. “Even in such a cruel situation, war crimes are first on the spectrum, followed by crimes against humanity and genocide.”- Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova
Lots of talk that there will be a lot more that comes out today. Seems to be a number of journalists going to Borodyanka (the place said to be worse than Bucha) today.
On EU:
Samuel Ramani @SamRamani2
BREAKING: The EU says it should explore avenues to grant asylum to defecting Russian soldiers
Lots of people have suggested this previously. I am not entirely sure how this is feasible after whats been reported in the media this week.
On things going on in Russia:
Tim White @TWMCLtd
Wow. Just read that #Russia's doctors, medics, even hospital janitors are being forced to donate to country's war chest.
Remarkably #Putin's quietly signed a new law to deduct cash from salaries of all employees of the Federal Medical & Biological Agency
thebell.io/rossiyskim-medikam-predlozhili-podderzhat-dengami-zhiteley-dnr-i-lnr
Translation via google:
Russian medics offered to support victims with money on the territory of the "special operation"
Medical workers from the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) were asked to allocate several thousand rubles from their salaries as a donation to help the victims on the territory of the "special operation". This was reported to The Bell by four FMBA doctors from different regions of Russia, who asked for anonymity. Three of them said that the management insisted on signing applications to deduct funds from salaries.
and
Heads of departments asked to sign applications for "deduction from the salary of donations" in a mandatory manner - there was no talk of voluntary fundraising, according to four health workers from the FMBA, who spoke with The Bell. "The department heads explained to us that they had to provide 100% coverage: from the janitors to all the department heads," one of the medics told The Bell. Those who did not agree to donate money were sent "for a personal interview with the chief physician," said another employee of one of the FMBA agencies. "Either a signature or goodbye. Of course, everyone signed. Now the work is not scattered, "he said.
Tim White @TWMCLtd
Not #Ukraine, but interesting #Russia news.
Some may remember huge protests every week in the very far east of #Russia over rigged local elections. Covid stopped the protests.
Well now the guy stopped from becoming governor of Primorsky Krai, Andrey Ishchenko, has been arrested
^Ishchenko beat Govt candidate Tarasenko in election to be governor of Primorsky, yet somehow lost by 1.5%, it led to huge protests.
The election was re-held but he was barred from running. Now he's in jail for "fraud"^
More protests in the far east?
Kamil Galeev was hinting at something to do with problems with the far east but so far hasn't elaborated too much. He had said that sanctions would put pressure on the governors though... Interesting to see this.
On wider impact outside Europe:
Samuel Ramani @SamRamani2
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on a possible rapprochement with Greece:
"We can say that the channels of dialogue with Greece are more open today than ever before"
Tim White @TWMCLtd
Not sure if this is significant or not, but #India has been tacitly supporting #Russia despite the illegal war.
But now the nation's airline has cancelled flights on the Delhi-Moscow route.