Ukraine Invasion: Part 56

[MagicFox]

The (free) world has gone mad. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

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Meanwhile talks in Saudi are going “creatively”…. What the fuck does that mean??

And all whilst Russia continues to steal children according to the ISW.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/22/putin-commissioned-beautiful-portrait-trump-us-envoy-says/ Putin has gifted Trump a portrait of himself.

A must read from Rusi

Consolidating Europe’s Eastern Frontiers: the Options for Ukraine and the Continent

https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/consolidating-europes-eastern-frontiers-options-ukraine-and-continent

Just listening to an interview with Hal Brands on the Brussels Sprout podcast from January and was struck by this paragraph:

“There's also one [scenario] that turns out terribly, right? Where Trump spends all of his time obsessing about territorial expansion in the Western hemisphere. He weakens or walks away from US alliances.

He tells the Taiwanese they're on their own. He shreds the norm against using coercion to get your hands on additional territory by doing this to Greenland or Panama, and thereby makes it much, much harder for the US to object to what Russia and China are doing, and so on and so forth, right? And so this could go in one of two ways, but I think it's useful to consider both the positive and the negative.”

From Brussels Sprouts: The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World with Hal Brands, 31 Jan 2025
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-eurasian-century-hot-wars-cold-wars-and-the/id1238007695?i=1000687397487&r=1482

@MagicFox thanks for the new thread and to all posters and lurkers for the solidarity.

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Evil

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3ll5dvutkch2n

Trump says that whether Russia returns kids they abducted to Ukraine is "one of the things that we're talking about. No decision has been made."

TrumpWorld2 is one of the oddest, scariest, dangerous, parallel universes to have slipped into.

Shashank Joshi:

Absolutely incredible. The Trump admin accidentally adds the editor of the Atlantic to a Signal group. Then Pete Hegseth sends him details of the US strikes on Yemen hours ahead of time incl. "precise information about weapons packages, targets & timing"

https://x.com/shashj/status/1904205284769190355?s=46&t=ZRiOqYBPJdwGCarjKNzCeQ

It’s literally horrifying!

Archived link to the article

https://archive.ph/JEYep

Just in case we needed more evidence of how wildly corrupt and incompetent they are. I hope the UK and her allies have ceased sharing intel with these clowns.

I don't find that incredible at all; I find it all too horribly likely from this slipshod bunch of clowns now running the USA.

Agree very much but have to point out that that sort of nonsense (though perhaps not quite on that scale that we know of…) has happened on this side of the Atlantic - politicians being too bone idle or thick to not know when comms are insecure, or being too lazy to switch from personal mobile to a “harder” official one when the subject switches from discussing party conference travel arrangements to something more sensitive.

If you want to keep a secret don’t tell a politician.

That politicians in the UK may have been dangerous clowns doesn't make this US bunch any less so, though.

Looks like a journalist at the Guardian agrees:

“The incident is likely to further raise concerns over the Trump administration’s trustworthiness with intelligence shared by erstwhile allies – not least as Hegseth boasts at one stage of guaranteeing “100 percent OPSEC – operations security” while a celebrated journalist is reading his message.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/journalist-trump-yemen-war-chat

Someone has characterised it with "the second world war-era epithet “Fubar”" but I'd suggest that since it is the Trump administration under consideration, SNAFU is what we need to say. Emphasis on the "all".

In the other confused parallel universe.

The Master and Margarita has just won 7 Nikas (Russian Oscars) including best feature film. It was supposed to come out in 2021 but... war. Director Michael Lockshin (US born, Moscow educated) has been a critic of the war. Contested art and culture again. It's Bulgakov (born Kiev - delib. - 1891). Claimed by Russia as 'their' artist and looked on unfavourably by Ukrainian nationalists - see reactions to depictions in The White Guard for instance. Film criticised by some Putinists who have made threats, despite it being partly state funded.

I find Bulgakov fascinating, not only for his work itself, but how he had to FIND ways of continuing during Soviet times. The film continues into similar but modern paradoxical territory.

www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20240430-the-master-and-margarita-the-russian-box-office-hit-that-criticised-the-state

Witcoff's criticism of Starmer is being picked up a lot in Russia.

Link if you are especially keen to follow up in image. I tend not to post links that lead to Russia here as the post gets into more trouble. The site is mostly using BBC material.

Thanks for that article MagicFox - Should be required reading for all European politicians.
I hope that talk of a post ceasefire revitalised russian army - rebuilt, rearmed and able to wage war against the rest of Europe is tin foil hat territory, (and it’s certainly true that after 3 plus years of trying they’ve only managed to occupy around 20% of Ukraine) but I don’t think it’s a prospect I’d like to gamble on.

Unfortunately I have a feeling European leaders will not take the costly and unpopular measures that would deter russia and secure peace on the continent.

If Trump ever sees the whole security breach, I wonder how he’ll feel about Vance doubting his word?

I was reading the full chain this morning and it honestly reads like satire, it’s absolutely incredible!

Reads like two drunk teenagers slagging off their friends

They’re an absolute disgrace.

Russia describing yesterday’s talks as “challenging but useful”. Both sides saying the content of the talks won’t be made public (probably because they’re discussing giving away the family silver.)

Kyiv Independent Telegram Highlights

⚡️Russia, US [finished] 12-hour-long negotiations (kyivindependent.com/us-russia-talks-begin-in-saudi-arabia/) in Saudi Arabia.

⚡️Russia seeks full control (kyivindependent.com/russia-seeks-full-control-of-occupied-ukrainian-regions-in-talks-with-us-media-reports/) of occupied Ukrainian regions in talks with US, media reports.
Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, Zaporizhizhia Oblast, and Kherson Oblast are partly occupied by Russia, but in two of them — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Ukraine controls the regional capitals.
A Kremlin-linked official told the Moscow Times that Vladimir Putin cannot afford to lose these territories politically, and Russia intends to solidify its grip on them at any cost.

⚡️Update: US, Ukraine conclude (kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-us-delegations-begin-new-meeting-in-riyadh-media-reports/) another round of talks in Riyadh, media reports.
Ukrainian and U.S. delegations have concluded another round of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 25, Ukrainian outlet Suspilne reported, citing undisclosed sources.
The meeting, which seemed to have lasted a little over an hour, followed 12-hour talks between the U.S. and Russia in Riyadh on March 24.

⚡️'Russia managed to influence (kyivindependent.com/freezing-of-us-military-aid-didnt-affect-situation-in-russias-kursk-oblast-zelensky-says/) some in White House through information,' Zelensky tells Time magazine.
Russian propaganda is successfully influencing the American leadership, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Time magazine published on March 24.

⚡️Trump expects to sign minerals deal (kyivindependent.com/trump-expects-to-sign-minerals-deal-with-ukraine-soon/) with Ukraine 'soon.'

⚡️Demarcation lines, ownership of Ukraine's power plant discussed (kyivindependent.com/demarcations-lines-ownership-of-ukraines-power-plant-discussed-in-saudi-arabia-during-talks-trump-says/) in Saudi Arabia, Trump says.
"Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant...because we have the expertise," Donald Trump said. [what, Ukraine didn't know how to run the power plant it'd owned since 1996?]

Who is Sergey Beseda, Russian spy handler leading talks with US? (kyivindependent.com/sergey-beseda-russias-negotiator-in-saudi-arabia-and-his-role-in-ukraines-war/)
Sergey Beseda, former head of the 5th Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was an unconventional choice to represent his country in the talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia on March 24.
Seventy-year-old General Beseda, however, has been deeply involved in Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine from the very beginning. Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov described Beseda as “a very problematic person for Ukraine.”

⚡️EU affirms Ukrainian territorial integrity, decries Russian sham referendums (kyivindependent.com/eu-decries-russian-sham-referendums-on-occupied-territories-amid-witkoff-controversy/) amid Witkoff controversy.

⚡️US senators push Trump administration to seize Russian assets (kyivindependent.com/us-senators-push-trump-administration-to-seize-russian-assets-for-ukraine-reuters-reports/) for Ukraine, Reuters reports.

⚡️Trump administration preparing to impose tariffs (kyivindependent.com/trump-administration-preparing-to-impose-tariffs-on-15-countries-including-russia/) on 15 countries, including Russia.
Those expected to be impacted by sanctions include Russia, Australia, Canada, the EU, and China, among many other expected targets, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

⚡️ Hegseth denies (kyivindependent.com/trump-officials-reportedly-leak-war-details-in-private-signal-chat-with-journalist/) leaking war plans in Signal chat while White House says messages appear 'authentic.'

⚡️3 Russian state media employees killed in occupied Luhansk Oblast (https://kyivindependent.com/3-russian-journalists-killed-in-ukraine-on-march-24/). 

⚡️62% of foreign companies from 'unfriendly' states exit Russia amid war, media reports. (https://kyivindependent.com/62-of-companies-from-unfriendly-nations-leave-russia-in-three-war-years-media-reports/)

⚡️Oil pumping station in Krasnodar Krai shut down (https://kyivindependent.com/oil-pumping-station-in-krasnodar-krai-shut-down-due-to-damage-caused-by-drones/) due to damage caused by drones.
Moscow claimed earlier that Ukrainian drones struck the Kavkazskaya oil pumping station overnight on March 19, damaging infrastructure and igniting a fire. Firefighters continued battling a fire at the oil depot for the fifth day.

⚡️ Ukraine's precision airstrike kills up to 30 Russian soldiers (kyivindependent.com/up-to-30-russian-soldiers-killed-in-ukrainian-airstrike-on-kursk-oblast-general-staff-claims/) in Kursk Oblast, military claims.

⚡️ Ryanair CEO blasts Ukraine's airports (kyivindependent.com/ryanair-ceo-blasts-ukraines-airports-over-lack-of-progress-on-flight-resumption/) over lack of cooperation on flight resumption.
Ryanair's proposals to set the stage for the resumption of commercial flights in Ukraine have been met with "radio silence" for two years, the airline's CEO, Michael O'Leary, said on March 25.

⚡️Updated: Russian missile strike on Sumy injures more than 90 (kyivindependent.com/russian-missile-strike-on-sumy/), including 23 children.

⚡️ 1 killed, 110 injured in Russian attacks (kyivindependent.com/attacks-136/) against Ukraine over past day.

A lonely Ukrainian stork is waiting for his girlfriend and thousands of people are watching live (kyivindependent.com/a-lonely-ukrainian-stork-is-waiting-for-his-girlfriend-and-1000s-of-people-are-watching-live/)
One of the more unlikely celebrities in Ukraine is a stork named Hrytsko who, on March 22, returned to his home nest in Poltava Oblast to await the arrival of his girlfriend, Odarka.

Ragnar Bjartur Gudmundsson 🇺🇦‬ ‪

⚡️ WAR IN UKRAINE & RUSSIA - MAR 25, 2025
■ More engagements but casualties & equipment losses below average
■ 550 artillery losses in the last 7 days (record)
■ Officers: +49 batch; 4.1 per day for last four batches ⬇
■ Strikes on both sides below average