Ukraine Invasion: Part 42

[MagicFox]

Setting this up early given the speed of current events

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His ego needs a boost

Daft shite. He's all mouth and trousers as my grandmother used to say 🙄

He'll be threatening nukes next. It's like crazy dictator bingo 😂

@stbrandonsboat i had that exact thought too.

Drama and the ZNPP is all he's got left.

I thought blue screens were what you had behind you in a movie studio when they put a fake background behind you....

Blue screen means TV screen in colloquial Russian.

It was blue screen but now green screen is more often used in filming as a backdrop to superimpose CGI visual effects.

Blue screen is also known as a Blue Screen of Death in Microsoft Windows 10 error.

In other words, no idea what Putin is on about.

That must be it

Seems like Russian consume a lot of their news on TV. We in the west tend to rely more on online media, news feeds and social media.

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1673394097552277504 Latvia have announced that they will not be issuing any type of Visa to Russians immediately due to the unrest in Russia

Is he still meeting his peeps?

Oh there's to be a second statement? What a treat for a Monday! Isn't it after midnight in Moscow already?

A second statement? Cor these dictators don't half go on 🙄 wasn't it Stalin who used to go on for hours then whoever yawned was taken out and shot?

I wonder if Proggy's headstone's been done yet.

I know. I more had visions of him asking his chronies to be on standby with blue screens behind to show them taking Kyiv or outside the whitehouse whilst its blown up.

Talking of screens, does anyone get reminded of Colonel Kurtz when seeing the footage of Prighozin?

Do we think there is going to be a 2nd statement? Reference seems to have been dropped from the major news sites with suggestion that we’ll lean more when Lukashenko addresses reporters tomorrow.

Putin is going to steal your idea. He tells so many porkies and controls the media I don't know why he doesn't just CGI a victory over Ukraine and leave it at that. Seems much cheaper and less hassle.

I can't see that there's going to be a second statement now, it's 01:20 there, so surely not...

Let's see what we wake up to, night all!

Yes! Had that exact conversation yesterday - if he ends up back in Africa he would absolutely end up as Kurtz.

Sorry - that was to Chatillon

Max Seddon: "Unconfirmed reports this morning that Prigozhin’s private jet has landed in Minsk. This same plane flew back and forth between Rostov and St Petersburg, Prigozhin’s hometown, after his mutiny ended on Saturday."

Dmitri Alperovitch: "More indications that it is back to business as usual with Wagner as if this weekend never happened

TASS: The Wagner PMC center in Novosibirsk has resumed recruiting people for the private military company. Advertising posters were again hung at the entrance to the center"

Anton Geraschenko: "Putin's address to the nation lasted 6 minutes.

He said the usual stuff about "enemies of Russia", promised that an armed rebellion would have suffered defeat, thanked Russians for their patriotism and unity, thanked Lukashenko for his "contribution" (but added that "patriotism of citizens played a decisive role".) Obviously, he spent several of the six minutes blaming the "NeoNazis in Kyiv and their Western patrons".

The one thing worthy of attention - Putin said Wagnerites are also Russian patriots, it was an attempt to use them against their comrades-in-arms without them knowing. He promised those who "stopped at the last possible line" a chance to sign a contract with Russian MoD, come home or leave for Belarus.

No staff decisions were mentioned."

Igor Sushko: "🚨 Prigozhin released an audio address to the Russian nation several hours before Putin's diatribe. This is masterful and will resonate with many people in Russia. Attack on the Kremlin regime by Prigozhin continues as he slyly calls for an uprising." twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1673509067640434689?s=46&t=ZRiOqYBPJdwGCarjKNzCeQ

Michael McFaul: "why he may soon be remember as Putin the weak" : www.journalofdemocracy.org/why-he-may-soon-be-remembered-as-putin-the-weak/

Putins address with English subs: twitter.com/sprinter99880/status/1673458570526969859?s=46&t=ZRiOqYBPJdwGCarjKNzCeQ

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-26-2023

Key Takeaways

• Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech on June 26 seeking to persuade as many Wagner fighters and leaders as possible to join the Russian military and continue fighting against Ukraine and to cause individuals most loyal to Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin to self-identify.
• The Kremlin indicated that Russia aims to retain Wagner forces to sustain its operations in Ukraine and other international engagements.
• Prigozhin attempted to downplay his armed rebellion on June 26 in his first statement since the rebellion failed, likely in an attempt to shield himself from accusations of attempting a coup against Putin.
• Prigozhin’s efforts to convince Putin of his loyalty clearly failed as Putin characterized the armed rebellion as a blackmail attempt and denounced its organizers as traitors following Prigozhin’s statement.
• The Kremlin is likely attempting to signal that Shoigu will maintain his position for now and that Putin will not give into Prigozhin’s blackmail attempt.
• The future of the Wagner Group is unclear, but it will likely not include Yevgeny Prigozhin and may not continue to exist as a distinct or unitary entity.
• Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations and advanced on at least two sectors of the front as of June 26.
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks northwest of Svatove and south of Kreminna.
• Ukrainian and Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut, and Ukrainian forces reportedly advanced as of June 26.
• Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line.
• Ukrainian and Russian forces continued to skirmish in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia oblasts administrative border area and Ukrainian forces made gains as of June 26.
• Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces continued limited ground attacks in western Zaporizhia Oblast.
• Geolocated footage confirmed that Ukrainian forces maintain positions near the Antonivsky Bridge in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast as of June 26.
• The Russian State Duma passed a law prohibiting private military companies (PMCs) from recruiting prisoners.

Breaching the 2014 lines significant and embarrassing for Putin...

Kyiv Independent Telegram

The Russian independent news outlet Verstka wrote on June 26 that a military camp for 8,000 fighters is being built near Asipovichy in Mogilev Oblast, roughly 200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, with more camps to come. https://kyivindependent.com/media-wagner-camps-being-built-in-belarus/

⚡️Zelensky says today is a 'happy day' as Ukrainian soldiers make advances all along front lines. kyivindependent.com/zelensky-today-our-soldiers-made-progress-in-all-directions-this-is-a-happy-day/

⚡️Military reports advances of 1.5 km in Melitopol direction.
https://kyivindependent.com/military-reports-advances-of-1-5-km-in-melitopol-direction/

⚡️Reuters: US prepares $500 million in military aid for Ukraine.

⚡️Bulgarian government approves military aid package for Ukraine. https://kyivindependent.com/bulgaria-approves-military-aid-package-for-ukraine/ While the contents of the package remain classified, Sofia said it will be "comparable in value to the previous package approved by the interim government on Dec. 22, 2022."

⚡️EU to increase European Peace Facility by $3.8 billion https://kyivindependent.com/eu-to-increase-european-peace-fund-by/ The facility is used to provide military aid to Ukraine and other partners of the EU.

⚡️Ukraine awards $3 million in funding to tech developers working to counter Russian drone attacks. https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-government-funds/

⚡️White House: No nuclear threat from Russia following weekend of turmoil. https://kyivindependent.com/white-house-no-indication/

⚡️Prigozhin claims Wagner planned to peacefully transfer its military equipment to Defense Ministry. https://kyivindependent.com/prigozhin-rebellion-was-to-protest-destruction-of-wagner-not-topple-government/

⚡️Biden: Western allies not involved in Wagner rebellion.https://kyivindependent.com/biden-western-allies-not-involved-in-wagner-rebellion/

⚡️White House says sanctions against Wagner Group to continue. kyivindependent.com/us-will-continue-its-sanctions-against-wagner-group/

⚡️CNN: US gathered detailed intelligence on Prigozhin's insurrection plans but kept it secret https://kyivindependent.com/cnn-us-gathered-detailed-intelligence-on-prigozhins-insurrection-plans-but-kept-it-secret/ The secrecy level was so high that even within the country, only top administration officials and several high-profile Congress members were briefed on the findings. [good thing Trump wasn't in power isn't it]

⚡️Media: Russian security services threatened families of Wagner leaders. https://kyivindependent.com/media-russian-security-services-threatened-families-of-wagner-leaders/

Media: Wagner recruiting centers reopen in Russia. https://kyivindependent.com/wagner-recuriting-centers-reopen-in-russia/
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Wagner recruitment offices resumed their work in Novosibirsk and Tyumen.

⚡️Prigozhin claims that only 1-2% of Wagner mercenaries agreed to join regular army. https://kyivindependent.com/prigozhin-rebellion-was-to-protest-destruction-of-wagner-not-topple-government/

⚡️Putin says Wagner mercenaries can either work for Russian army or go to Belarus https://kyivindependent.com/putin-clams-rebellions-organizers-but-praises-most-wagner-mercenaries/

⚡️Media: Prigozhin's plane flew from Rostov to St. Petersburg after rebellion. https://kyivindependent.com/media-prigozhins-plane-flew-from-rostov-to-st-petersburg-after-rebellion/

⚡️Prigozhin claims Russian army killed 30 Wagner mercenaries on June 23.

⚡️Serbian president praises Putin after Wagner rebellion. https://kyivindependent.com/serbian-president-praises-putin/

⚡️Zelensky visits troops in Donetsk Oblast, hands out military awards. https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-visits-troops-at-front/

June 26 is Crimean Tatar Flag Day — the flag of the Crimean Tatar people. The Tatars are the indigenous people of Ukraine's Crimea, and an integral part of Ukrainian culture. https://kyivindependent.com/who-does-crimea-really-belong-to/

⚡️Zelensky sets 1-month deadline for putting bomb shelters in order.

Russian occupation authorities demolish over 300 buildings in Mariupol since May 2022. https://kyivindependent.com/russian-occupation-authorities-300-budinkiv-zniesli-povnistiu-vzhie-pislia-okupatsiyi/

This week's episode of "This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to a massive Russian scheme to kidnap tens of thousands of Ukrainian children, place them in re-education camps, and give them up for adoption to Russian families.
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If I was a Russian man under sixty five I would be leaving Russia. Russia can not continue the war without Wagner and a full mobilisation might be necessary if Putin survives - which is debatable.