Ukraine Invasion: Part 49

[MagicFox]

Welcome to our 49th thread with the usual thanks to all regular contributors and lurkers 🇺🇦

**
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Worth listening to the latest Behind the Lines podcast episode about the role of disinformation in this election. Eye opening on just how easy disinformation is.

The hope means tens if not hundreds of billions in investment for the entire armed forces, along with a significant turnaround in how we view the people who will fill such roles.

You might as well have just told me we should nationalise all utilities to deal with the energy and water crisis. Guess what the chances of any of this happening are.

This is electioneering. Pure and simple. If this is genuinely a period of war of existential proportions, someone should probably do something about it. They all say one thing and the complete opposite happens. Not even Ukraine, the place actually being invaded, has done a full scale mobilisation and turned to a war economy footing. Why?

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️NBC: Intelligence officials say Russia, North Korea planning https://kyivindependent.com/nbc-us-concerned-russia-north-korea-planning-october-surprise-to-disrupt-elections/ to disrupt US elections.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is increasingly concerned that Russia and North Korea could be planning an "October surprise" to create turmoil and increase global tensions in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November, NBC News reported on May 24, citing senior U.S. officials.

⚡️Zelensky: Russia forming another grouping of forces https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-russia-forming-another-grouping-of-forces-near-ukraines-northern-border/ near Ukraine's northern border.
Russia is forming another grouping of troops near Ukraine's northern border amid the ongoing offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address to the world leaders on May 26.

⚡️FT: Hungary holding up https://kyivindependent.com/ft-hungary-holding-up-eus-use-of-frozen-russian-assets-to-buy-weapons-for-ukraine/ EU's use of frozen Russian assets for Ukrainian defense.

⚡️AFP: G7 ministers cite progress but no final deal on Russian assets for Ukraine. https://kyivindependent.com/g7-announces-progress-on-russian-frozen-assets-but-work-still-to-be-done/

⚡️Media: Western intelligence sees 'gloomy' outlook https://kyivindependent.com/media-western-intelligence-sees-gloomy-outlook-for-ukraine-major-losses-of-territory/ for Ukraine, 'major' losses of territory in 2024.
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper, a report seen by German MPs says Ukraine will not be able to regain the initiative this year and is likely to lose more land than it already has since January. [apparently a good, slightly right-wing, economic-focussed paper]

⚡️Musk: SpaceX spending 'significant resources combating Russian jamming' of Starlink in Ukraine.
https://kyivindependent.com/musk-spacex-spending-significant-resources-combating-russian-jamming-of-starlink-in-ukraine/

⚡️US State Department 'deeply concerned' https://kyivindependent.com/us-state-department-deeply-concerned-over-chinese-military-drills-near-taiwan/ over Chinese military drills near Taiwan.
"Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Aiming to mobilize thousands of new troops, Ukraine is digitalizing its military https://kyivindependent.com/aiming-to-mobilize-thousands-of-new-troops-ukraine-is-digitalizing-its-military/

⚡️Argentina to join coalition https://kyivindependent.com/argentina-to-join-coalition-for-the-return-of-kidnapped-ukrainian-children/ for the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children.
A Ukrainian delegation, headed by presidential adviser Daria Herasymchuk, visited Argentina as part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Bring Kids Back UA project.

⚡️At least 14 killed, 43 injured in Russian strike on Kharkiv hypermarket. https://kyivindependent.com/at-least-2-dead-in-russian-strike-on-kharkiv-hypermarket/
⚡️Update: 25 injured in second Kharkiv attack, hours after deadly strike. https://kyivindependent.com/at-least-12-injured-in-second-kharkiv-attack-hours-after-deadly-strike/

⚡️Russia attacks 10 communities in Sumy Oblast.
⚡️Russian attack on Vinnytsia injures 3.
⚡️Russian attacks against 3 Ukrainian regions kill 1, injure 19.
Russia’s recent attacks against Ukraine’s Kherson, Donetsk, and Kharkiv oblasts killed one person and wounded another 19, regional authorities reported early on May 26.

⚡️Russian governor: Attacks on Belgorod Oblast damage https://kyivindependent.com/russian-governor-attacks-on-belgorod-oblast-damage-buildings-gas-line/ buildings, gas line.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦

• MAY 26, 2024

■ Combat engagements well above 7-day average, casualties stay above 1k ■ Sukhoi Su-25 shot down in Donetsk (3rd plane in a week) ■ Increased 🇷🇺 strikes, relatively few 🇺🇦 strikes reported ■ Poternet: +244 🇷🇺 names added as KIA

Could you link it, @Igotjelly please? :)

@ShambalaAnna no one denies the state of the UK is parlous but there's no need to relish that.

Your last paragraph is very…..interesting.

@DucklingSwimmingInstructress Where’s the relish? I don’t know about you, but I don’t care for politicians only remembering about institutions when it’s politically convenient. It’s so much worse when those things happen to be the military and NHS, since a nice sound bite will help the easily led think something is happening.

I have only heard lament after lament from family in the forces since the late-80s and it’s crushing to think how shortsighted our peers have been on this front. You cannot run a country like a business. You need to pump money in and assume you will not get any use from a lot of it. Nukes, for instance, are a massive money sink that are doing their job when they are being uselessly inert in a silo. We want soldiers who are trained and well equipped with the best we can offer them so that, should the terror of a new conflict come to light, we are prepared and can help our allies.

If I thought it would do anything, I’d write this kind of thing in a letter to my MP. I would have better luck making a TikTok dance video angrily tutting at them for all the good it would do.

There we go, spreading despair again.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gAl7BooRHNjb5mC1aMRkl?si=aiE6o_aRRzuXFkxE-uiIjA

This is the link Spotify gives me when I click share 😂 hopefully it works for you.

@ShambalaAnna so, a brief summary of your post is basically that you haven’t done anything, despite being so unhappy with it all?

Okay, fine. How can I put a positive spin on us being in this predicament? Genuine question. It’s the (soon to be ex) PM playing on national fears and making it worse by now having an ageism debate pop up. Very unhelpful.

Yes, and there you go again!

You're an intelligent person, Im sure you can ameliorate your tone and be more balanced or at least much, much less a sink, if you wanted to.

thanks @Igotjelly

One wonders which way they'll want the election to go. In 2019 they'd have wanted Corbyn to win, as he has always been more than happy to make excuses for Russia.

But Corbyn is gone now, and both potential PMs are singing from the same hymn sheet. So what do the Russians have to gain? I suppose that they might encourage support for minor parties in order to force a hung parliament, making the country more difficult to govern.

In the US it's obvious that the shaved orangutan would best serve Putin's interests.

In other news, just read this.

Meet the Peaky Blinders - Ukraine's drone squad defending Kharkiv https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp0018dzg32o

It must be terrifying to inhabit a world now more akin to Terminator because of FPV and other autonomous drone weapons.

I’m never so sure about the US. Trump is so unpredictable, he’d as likely wade in and cause uncontrolled escalation trying to be a hero.

Was that among the officers who would have to deal with a vast cohort of unwilling, unfit and uninterested adolescents against whom they had precious little in the way of sanctions when said conscripts were not fit for the job and refused even to try to pretend to do it?

(When I say "not fit": one of the major difficulties the army experienced by the end of last century was that even their willing recruits were unable to wear boots for several weeks at the beginning of training, because their feet had never had anything harder than a trainer on them and took quite a while to harden up. That's to say nothing of general unfitness as in pasty overweight and without much practical use of their legs because they never walked further than a bus stop in their lives.)

Ive posted this on Mumsnet site stuff. Been thinking for a while that something needs asking, and with the warnings of increasing activity on the propaganda front, it seems time

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5082896-uk-and-mumsnet-targeted-by-disinformation-question

@@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime i can’t comment on the exact make up of the respondents. What I can say is that we might be pleasantly surprised by the attitude of some young people in regard to this. After all, here we all are discussing it, and it’s on every major news channel - but I am yet to see any young person be asked their view.

The Finnish model isn't competitive (except maybe to get into the more specialised roles), I think you're thinking of the Norwegian model.

UNITED24 Media Telegram Highlights

As Europe marks the International Day of Heroes of the Fight against Totalitarianism [yesterday] , Ukrainians in occupied regions are facing this totalitarian oppression right now. United24 Media offers a glimpse into life in Russia-occupied regions. https://t.me/United24media/22135

The breakthrough of the Russians in the Kharkiv region resulted in a military loss ratio of one Ukrainian to eight Russians, according to President Zelenskyy in an interview with Central Asian media.
▫️ "I constantly receive analytics. Two to three thousand Russian families lose their children every week." [According to official released stats, about 1200 Russian soldiers are killed or seriously wounded each day, so very roughly 8000 a week. The disparity can presumably be accounted for by Zelensky talking about fatalities and not including seriously wounded in that figure]

Romania intends to become the main producer of munitions for Abrams tanks, said Economy Minister Radu Oprea in an interview with Digi24.
"We want to turn the enterprises under the auspices of Romarm into an advanced center for the production of large-caliber ammunition, specifically 120 and 155 mm, and export them to Eastern and Central Europe. To achieve these goals, a powder factory is necessary. In March, Romania already received support from the European Commission for its construction," Oprea said

The Russians are holding 403 Ukrainian women captive, including civilians, according to the Coordinating Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
According to women released from captivity, the Russians humiliated them, kept them in inhumane conditions with insufficient food, refused medical care, and did not allow them to contact their relatives. Additionally, Russia does not grant representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross access to places of detention of prisoners of war and civilians.

12 out of 14 missiles and 31 UAVs were shot down overnight.
The enemy used:

• 2 Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" aeroballistic missiles from MiG-31K aircraft
• 12 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95 MS strategic aviation aircraft
• 31 Shahed-131/136 strike UAVs

The moment of the airstrike from inside the Kharkivʼs hypermarket https://t.me/United24media/22160

Little Mykhailo is going through the process of giving his DNA samples because his father didn’t make it home yesterday after the Russian terrorist attack on the Epicentr supermarket.
Due to the fire, experts fear they will have to sift through the ashes to identify the remains and the dead.
Ukraine needs the strengthening of its air defense systems so that children do not lose their parents in the maelstrom of Russian aggression!

Though I do think the Finnish model is mostly good (except for the discrimination against those that choose the civilian option) and would be a good model. Its a bit uneven with the refresher training though, some get called up all the time and some never do. One of my classmates had to go for refresher training earlier this year, nicely timed for half term so he didn't miss any school (he was less happy about that ) but my OH has never gone.

Having known a couple Finns since uni, I find their economics and education model to be pretty amazing. Could we at least adopt that?

I'm glad you've asked this question, but I don't think you'll get much of an answer. They seem to deal with malignant posters one by one rather than systemically, and they seem very reluctant to ban them.

On the subject of mandatory service, our experience in the US has been that you get a better, more professional force if you make volunteering more attractive and a viable career option. So that means good pay, enlistment bonuses, payment for higher education, good living conditions, etc., all of which cost a lot of money. This allows you to screen recruits for physical fitness, intelligence, and aptitude for different types of military specialties.

Agreed they're wishy washy.

I wish, wish we had some firmer leadership, both here and in the govt. Leadership sometimes means actually making a stand and saying No More, instead of just letting anything go.

(related, in terms of Mumsnet AIBU is just horrible)

Sure, so long as you don't adopt the latest economic policies the government is coming up with here, because they're pretty shit.