Ukraine Invasion: Part 27

[MagicFox]

27th thread, thanks for the continued company and analysis all

Mumsnet HQ
There is a very annoying pop up saying ‘“Do you miss the refresh feature. Reply. “But when you reply and click next it doesn’t work.

I definitely miss the refresh feature!

I'll admit that an ejection mechanism would be a good idea. Hungary has disgraced itself.

Verhofstadt wants a yacht.

It is odd, as there doesn’t seem to be many up-to-date articles about Germany.

I think one reason for delay given is that the IT needing updating to adapt to US and British equipment. Somewhere I read that Ukraine is skilled at IT, so perhaps they should let Ukraine/US/British collaborate to speed it up. Winter is a long time away for a rate of 100 deaths 600 wounded Ukrainians a day.

This Spectator article was all I could find today. The others were from at the start of the invasion.

Germany’s Stinginess is Betraying Ukraine
www.spectator.co.uk/article/germany-s-stinginess-is-betraying-ukraine

And if Europe wanted an empire it would have been a German one for 100 years now and its citizens would have surrendered liberalism. The fall of the Berlin wall is further proof that empires are not wanted. Europe is too small, too crowded and too liberal to become an empire. And there are some cheese-eating surrender-monkeys that would not be able to run an army effectively.

It seems as though many in Bulgaria wouldn’t mind being Russian.

Welcome to Bulgaria, where the Ukraine war is NATO’s fault – POLITICO

www.politico.eu/article/bulgaria-ukraine-russia-war-nato-fault/
www.politico.eu/article/bulgaria-ukraine-russia-war-nato-fault/amp/

Attended another interesting Chatham House event today on the reaction to the Ukraine/Russia war in India. It was led by Dr Shruti Kapila, Associate Professor of Indian Studies and Global Political Thought at Cambridge Uni. Key takeaways below:

• Must remember that India has deep cultural and trade ties with Russia that go back decades, in fact its a very new development to see India turning towards the West more.


• Shouldn't see the abstentions in the UN as choosing to side with Russia, the decision to abstain is very significant and previously unthinkable. It is also strategic, it allows India some breathing space to decide what to do and also offers bargaining power with the USA.


• Ukraine has never supported India's interests in the UN and is particularly critical regarding issues relating to the Kashmir region. This is likely to have led to hesitancy on India's side to align with Ukraine against what is an old friend (Russia).

@Igotjelly · Today 14:34
Attended another interesting Chatham House event today on the reaction to the Ukraine/Russia war in India. It was led by Dr Shruti Kapila, Associate Professor of Indian Studies and Global Political Thought at Cambridge Uni. Key takeaways below:

Must remember that India has deep cultural and trade ties with Russia that go back decades, in fact its a very new development to see India turning towards the West more.

Shouldn't see the abstentions in the UN as choosing to side with Russia, the decision to abstain is very significant and previously unthinkable. It is also strategic, it allows India some breathing space to decide what to do and also offers bargaining power with the USA.

Ukraine has never supported India's interests in the UN and is particularly critical regarding issues relating to the Kashmir region. This is likely to have led to hesitancy on India's side to align with Ukraine against what is an old friend (Russia).

Thank you for that. It is very interesting to know this from a direct source.

Anyone got any idea what impact the two British nationals being sentenced to death will be? Don't really understand it if I'm honest (the impact that is). It says on BBC that they were actually in the Ukrainian military

No idea but suspect not very much. There are so many war crimes going on and the UK is already supporting Ukraine to the hilt, the DNR isn't going to care about offending the UK more.

To be honest I'd be surprised if they aren't used as leverage for something and eventually exchanged in a prisoner swap on the down-low.

Putin: "During the war with Sweden, Peter the Great didn't conquer anything, he took back what had always been ours, even though no one in Europe recognized it as #Russia. Now this our fate too, to take back what’s ours."

twitter.com/ostapyarysh/status/1534926057136181250?s=21&t=JqqPfknAfy76pBAOqZrYkw

🤢🤢

No but a person/people on c4 news was suggesting it’s unlikely to be carried out and is more a stunt. They didn’t really say why or what the purpose of such a stunt would be (or I missed that part).

the older one is married to a Ukrainian and been fighting for the army there for a few years.
the younger one joined the Ukrainian army a few years ago too, after previously fighting for the Kurds? in the Syria war.

both were interviewed by c4 early on in the war so are perhaps more high profile than other captured brits newly signed up to the Ukr army with this war may be?

Is it possible it’s a big duck you Britain I don’t care what you say/do from Russia?

Provocation to see if nato/British army will step in if our citizens are being murdered quite publicly or can Russia get away with more outrageous and indefensible shit than they’re already getting away with?

Threatening western journalists and even Killing the French journalist, stealing grain, atrocities against civilians didn’t provoke us and we’ve stood by and watched while slowly dropping weapons in so they’re going to raise the stakes repeatedly to test the boundaries and see exactly what it will take to take the war truly Europe wide if not world wide.

Some of you who know the history of this area better than I do - how big is "what has always been ours, even though no one in Europe recognize ... "?

Even I know that would definitely include the Baltic States, and presumably Poland, but where is the border of "never been ours" according to Putin? Does it include parts of Germany or is that too far?

I don't think it included parts of Germany but I may be wrong. The reference to the war with Sweden worries me, as that's how the Russian empire got Finland.

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
·
30m
⚡️Official: Zelensky to be invited to NATO summit in Madrid on June 28-29.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said that NATO is expected to make a decision on Ukraine at the summit.

What sort of decision @Ijsbear ? I've been out of the news for a day or two.

Well anyone thinking that he will stop at Ukraine needs to actually use their ears.

This doesn't exactly say 'it was NATOs fault'.

I think those saying it is are explicitly saying they don't believe Ukraine should have the right to self determination.

Again its about democracy, not NATO. And its about self determination being an existential to Moscow's desire to tell everyone what to do.

He isnt about to negotiate.

I wonder what's behind the Finnish and Swedish exit here, this is really weird: twitter.com/akihheikkinen/status/1534973064835911696?s=21&t=IW3BqM5BzqcGqavX4uAw9w

Just seen an update speculating that Finnish and Swedish heads of states were evacuated because of Russian warships approaching Aland

In haste

Key Takeaways

Russian officials are increasingly taking over governmental positions in occupied Ukrainian territory, advancing the Kremlin's likely efforts to annex occupied areas of Ukraine into Russia as an okrug (federal district).

Russian forces continued to fight for the Azot industrial zone in Severodonetsk under the cover of heavy artillery fire.

Russian forces made marginal gains north of Slovyansk but are likely to face difficulties assaulting the city itself because of the tactical challenges posed by crossing the Siverskyi Donets River.

Russian forces made incremental advances to the east of Bakhmut and will continue efforts to cut Ukrainian lines of communication to the northeast of Bakhmut.

Russian forces are likely engaged in limited fighting along occupied frontiers in northern Kharkiv Oblast.

Russian forces continue to focus on strengthening defensive lines along the Southern Axis and are intensifying ground attacks in northeastern Zaporizhia Oblast with the support of troop and equipment rotations.

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📌 Zelensky will be invited to the NATO summit in Madrid — Europa Press

(www.europapress.es/)The Spanish government intends to send an official invitation to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to attend the NATO summit in Madrid on June 29 - 30.

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🇪🇺Bloomberg: Denmark and the Netherlands oppose Ukraine's bid for EU membership

Denmark stated that Ukraine does not sufficiently meet the criteria related to the stability of institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect and protection of minorities. Kyiv needs to "fundamentally improve its legislative and institutional framework" to make progress in all these areas.
The Netherlands is convinced that Ukraine is currently "at a very early stage" of readiness to commit to EU membership and a functioning market economy.

fucks sake NL!

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📌The Russian unit refused to fight in its entirety, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Russian motorized rifle unit of the 1st Army Corps in its entirety refused to fight due to combat casualties with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.

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more later if i can

I dont know sorry

had made an info-filled post and then it didnt post last night, grrr

This might be of interest:

en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181

Reports this morning that the two brits were forced to phone family and journalists to make demands.