Ukraine Invasion: Part 28

[MagicFox]

Thread 28 begins, thanks all for the company and resources

“We condemn the irresponsible course of the North Atlantic Alliance that is ruining the European architecture, or what’s left of it,”

and there I was thinking that what was ruining the European (or at least Ukrainian) architecture was the vandals who keep shelling it.

I have come to think of Russian pronouncements as literally valueless and not worth reading.

BBC News:

"Russia's President Putin has given his reaction to the news that Finland and Sweden are to be officially invited to join Nato.
He has consistently opposed the expansion of the 30-member military alliance.
Putin says he does not rule out fresh tensions with the two Nordic nations, according to quotes carried by Russian news agencies.
He adds that Moscow will respond in kind if Nato infrastructure is deployed to Finland and Sweden.
As for the fighting in Ukraine itself, Putin is quoted saying his ultimate goal is to "liberate" the entire eastern Donbas region.
Commenting on Monday's missile strike on a shopping centre in Kremenchuk, Putin says that Russia does not hit civilian targets."

Absolutely this.

I tend to just inwardly roll my eyeballs and go whatever.

This is good to see if it really is backed up and not just words.
New UK package offers a lifeline to Ukrainian researchers and entrepreneurs - GOV.UK

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-package-offers-a-lifeline-to-ukrainian-researchers-and-entrepreneurs

Im in favour of a -carefully reckoned- increase of action too. Blockades, in particular.

Key Takeaways

Ukrainian sources reported that Russian authorities may be preparing to annex areas of southern Ukraine as the “Tavriia Gubernia” and that Russian authorities are setting conditions for annexation through preparing referenda in occupied areas.

Russian forces may be planning a false flag provocation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Russian forces continued offensive operations in and around Lysychansk.

Russian forces made marginal gains east of Bakhmut along the E40 highway and may seek to prepare for a direct offensive on Bakhmut.

Russian forces continued offensive operations to advance on Slovyansk from the northwest near the Kharkiv-Donetsk Oblast border.

Russian forces are continuing to engage in offensive operations north of Kharkiv City, indicating that the Kremlin has territorial ambitions beyond the Donbas that will continue to attrit manpower and equipment, potentially at the cost of offensive power on more critical axes of advance.

Russian forces continued to reinforce their defensive presence along the Southern Axis.

Expansion on the nuclear facility:

Ukrainian sources warned on June 29 that Russian forces may be planning a false flag provocation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to accuse Ukrainian authorities of mishandling nuclear facilities.[6] Ukrainian nuclear operating enterprise Energoatom stated that Russian occupation authorities are planning to throw unsafe objects into the cooling system at the NPP in order to compromise the plant’s cooling mechanisms.[7] Mayor of Enerhodar Dmytro Orlov added that Russian troops have been kidnapping and torturing employees of the NPP to coerce confessions that employees dropped weapons into the cooling systems to sabotage the plant and blame Ukrainian authorities for paying inadequate attention to the management of the NPP.[8] Russian troops have previously demonstrated irresponsible and dangerous behavior in and around nuclear power plants, firing on nuclear facilities at the Zaporizhzhia NPP in early March and digging into radioactive soil in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.[9]

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The Kyiv Independent, [29/06/2022 23:47]
⚡️Ukraine receives $1.3 billion grant from US.
The grant is part of a $ 7.5 billion budget funding package, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said on June 29.

⚡️Zelensky signs decree to introduce register of oligarchs.

The Kyiv Independent, [29/06/2022 23:48]
⚡️Reuters: EU in talks on exempting Russian exclave from sanctions.
According to Reuters' undisclosed sources, European officials, with the backing of Germany, are in talks about exempting Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, from the sanctions against Russia, paving the way for a deal in early July.
Lithuania has partially banned the transit of goods from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad Oblast due to the sanctions since June 17. [I wonder why they are talking about exemptions. I don't think they should. It's bowing to the Kremlin again]

⚡️Reuters: UK to provide another $1.2 billion of military support to Ukraine.

⚡️Institute for the Study of War: Russia still has territorial ambitions beyond Donbas.

⚡️Amnesty International concludes Mariupol theater attack was a 'clear war crime.'
[no shit sherlock]

⚡️Ukraine's military reportedly destroys Russian Pantsir missile system on Snake Island.

Ukrainian scientists have developed "Hydrobandage" to heal burns from phosphorus shells

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Ukr Now

💡 Ukrainian scientists have developed "Hydrobandage" to heal burns from phosphorus shells. Russia uses banned phosphorus shells, the wounds of which are very deep and do not heal. The drug is based on silver nanoparticles, which disinfect and promotes the healing of wounds, burns, and ulcers.

"Hydrobandage" is developed in two forms:

1. as a dressing,
2. as a liquid (spray) for disinfection.

Now the scientists are ready to transfer their technology to manufacturers for free to set up production. At the same time, they will undertake the electron-beam processing, which requires expensive equipment and infrastructure, appropriate permits, and experience.

Ukraine NOW [English], [30/06/2022 04:15]

🛫 The Czech Republic plans to transfer to Ukraine two Bivoj unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured by the Czech company, – Ceskenoviny
UAVs "Bivoy" are designed for reconnaissance.

[ the pictures of the destroyed shopping centre are appalling]

Belgium will not issue tourist visas to Russian citizens from July 1 — VFS Global

🛢The U.S. calls South Korea to support Russian oil price cap

📊 89% of Ukrainians consider territorial concessions for the sake of peace unacceptable - the poll.

Thank you Ijsbear. It seems bleak news overall, but it is very good to hear about UKraine having developed hydrobandages for phosphorus burns.

Do you know if the Ukraine army uses phosphorous too? I saw that during an intercepted call (Wartranslated) a Russian soldier mentioned phosphorous as part of the awful conditions he was dealing with when talking to his mother.
I wasn’t sure if that was because there is fall out from Russian use; or if Ukraine uses it too?

Technically ordnance containing Phosphorous on the battlefield is not illegal in terms of Laws of Armed conflict etc, but (supposedly) the use is restricted to certain functions such as target marking.....

BBC News:

"UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says Vladimir Putin's "rhetoric" should be "ignored" after the Russian president issued a fresh threat to Nato.
Putin says Moscow will respond "in kind" if Nato deploys military infrastructure in Finland and Sweden after they join the alliance.
Speaking from the Nato summit in Madrid, Truss says: "We've heard this rhetoric from Putin about all kinds of plans in the past.
"So, he said that it was a red line for him that Finland and Sweden would join Nato, he said it was a red line if western nations supplied weapons to Ukraine...
"We have to ignore the rhetoric and instead do all we can to continue to support Ukraine with the weapons they need to win this appalling war."
We'll be bringing you all the latest from the last day of the Nato summit as it happens."

I know that it's kind of true, but I don't really feel that we should be ignoring these threats as such. Her comments always seem pretty flippant. She irritates me quite a bit.

In Wartranslated phosphorous was mentioned in an intersected call 22nd June, the one titled “We have a loaded machine gun, I’ll go out on the road and start loading bullets if you try to get out”

wartranslated.com/intercepted-call-we-have-a-loaded-machine-gun-ill-go-out-on-the-road-and-start-pouring-bullets-if-you-try-to-get-out/

It is in the last section of the call just before it breaks off.

R1): The battalion is slowly crumbling, who wants leaves. The kombat battalion commander said we only have one road out – “We have a loaded machine gun, I’ll go out on the road and start pouring bullets if you try to get out”. Fck, clusters are flying, fck. Ah no! It’s phosphorus, imagine! Do you know what phosphorus means? It means bad!

@katem98 · Today 09:10

re Liz Truss’s remarks about Putin’s threats

I know that it's kind of true, but I don't really feel that we should be ignoring these threats as such. Her comments always seem pretty flippant. She irritates me quite a bit.

I agree with you. Something off-key comes across even if her heart is on Ukraine’s side.

it was also annoying on Today radio 4 when she refused to address the point that the size of the actual army has been reduced. All she would mention was the increases in spending on other aspects of defence.

@notimagain magain · Today 09:06

Thank you for the information about phosphorous.

it does sound like something made by the devil to help make the fires of hell even more unbearable.

One for those who wore green but it's perhaps worth bearing in mind some small arms ammunition carries (or at least used to) a small pyrotechnic charge..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer_ammunition

Annoyingly I can't listen in to this tonight but if anybody on the thread fancies it it looks good: www.aies.at/kalender/2022-06-30/the-power-of-europe-why-the-future-can-only-be-realized-together

Russian forces withdraw from Snake Island as a 'gesture of goodwill' - what a load of old bollocks. Apparently its to allow Ukrainian agricultural products to be shipped safely.

What they mean is they got their asses handed to them and are running away with their tails between their legs.

Oh dear, just browsing on Instagram and saw a post from @simplepolitics about the £1bn military aid being sent - the comments are getting increasingly less supportive. Not sure if anyone here is active on Instagram.

I think they don't see the bigger picture, they must think what's happening in ukraine isn't going to effect them, they think that we're just helping out. They don't see the wider threat.

Reports that Russian forces are evacuating Snake Island. They have apparently been hit over 50 times this last week.

(who'd a thunk it?)

I'm not sure that's entirely true. Yes there will be plenty of ignorance but amongst that there are people genuinely suffering in our country. People that can't afford to fill their cars or feed their children. People's capacity for sympathy will be increasingly reduced as the cost of living crisis bites. I'm fortunate, as i'm sure many are, that we're able to think about the bigger picture but for many its a case of just barely getting by.

Just read the most jaw dropping article on sky from Bernie Ecclestone. Please do shut up can’t believe what I read to be honest.

news.sky.com/story/bernie-ecclestone-says-he-would-take-a-bullet-for-first-class-vladimir-putin-as-he-defends-war-in-ukraine-12642942

Yes that's fair Jelly. I suppose I'm speaking from a different place of panic and need to be mindful of that.

Wtf re Ecclestone!

💡General Staff: Belarus is studying how to conduct covert mobilization

The military commissariats of the Brest and Gomel regions of Belarus are studying the possibility of conducting covert mobilization of the population.

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it's odd that the Russians didn't see the attacks on Snake Island coming. They know well enough that the West is supplying arms. Poor judgement or something else?

I'd be happy for Ecclestone to take the bullet if that's how he thinks