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MOSCOW/KYIV, May 30 (Reuters) - Ukrainian drones struck Moscow on Tuesday, Russia said in what one politician called the worst such attack since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours.

Since Russia sent troops into its neighbour in February last year, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Moscow has reported some attacks on its territory and said one was an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin.

 
What we know about the attacks on Moscow is they're in civilian areas, aka war crimes. There's no military there.
 
TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking to secure supplies of TNT in Japan for 155mm artillery shells, as Washington rushes weapons and ammunition to Ukraine for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

For war-renouncing Japan, any procurement would test its willingness to court controversy to help Kyiv because export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, such as the howitzer shells that Ukraine fires daily at Russian units occupying its southeastern regions.

 

Struggle in the Black Sea: The Russian Navy’s Frailty in the Russo-Ukrainian War​

Until the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Russian Navy seemed to be on the verge of a new chapter, emerging from a period of deprivation after the collapse of the Soviet Union and benefitting from the strong political support of President Vladimir Putin. Reforms and modernization initiated after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War have had time to take effect, shipyards are producing new surface combatants and submarines, and Russian naval strike capabilities have been enhanced in recent years by long-range Kalibr and Zircon cruise missiles.

Renewed investment in the navy is not surprising. Russia’s 2015 maritime doctrine singles out the expansion of NATO’s “military infrastructure to Russia’s borders” as “unacceptable” and sketches the need to protect Russia from seaborne threats and block “foreign naval activities in designated areas and zones,” such as the Arctic, with high economic and security potential. Even before publication of the doctrine, Russia’s 2014 intervention in Syria seemed to indicate an expansion of naval expeditionary capacity and interest in foreign naval bases: developments that could support an increasingly active navy as Russia continues to produce new ships and weapon systems.

More here:

 

Remaining Western firms face tricky Russian exits​

June 1, 20232:16 AM EDT

June 1 (Reuters) - After months of negotiations, Finland's Nokian Tyres (TYRES.HE) was on the cusp late last year of finalising a 400-million-euro ($440.32 million) sale of its Russian business. Then Moscow changed the rules again.

The government in December demanded that companies leaving Russia sell their operations for at least half price and claimed 10% of the sale for the federal budget, termed an "exit tax" by the U.S. Treasury.

More:

 
TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking to secure supplies of TNT in Japan for 155mm artillery shells, as Washington rushes weapons and ammunition to Ukraine for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

For war-renouncing Japan, any procurement would test its willingness to court controversy to help Kyiv because export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, such as the howitzer shells that Ukraine fires daily at Russian units occupying its southeastern regions.

Hmmm, sure sounds of desperation....
 

The crime wave in the English countryside fuelling the Russian black market​

One Sunday afternoon in May, Robert Redman got a call from a friend who owns the farm next door to his. A drone had been hovering above his yard before taking off over the fields towards Redman’s land. “Get out there and have a look,” he urged Redman. “I don’t know what it’s doing.”

Redman, who owns an agricultural contracting business in Oxfordshire, assumed it must be kids messing about and put it to the back of his mind. Two weeks later, he woke up to find thieves had broken into his yard in the dead of night and stolen £70,000-worth of technical equipment from his fleet of tractors. It was only then that he realised the drone was on a surveillance mission, sent by an organised crime gang who were “scoping the place out”.

More:

 

The crime wave in the English countryside fuelling the Russian black market​

One Sunday afternoon in May, Robert Redman got a call from a friend who owns the farm next door to his. A drone had been hovering above his yard before taking off over the fields towards Redman’s land. “Get out there and have a look,” he urged Redman. “I don’t know what it’s doing.”

Redman, who owns an agricultural contracting business in Oxfordshire, assumed it must be kids messing about and put it to the back of his mind. Two weeks later, he woke up to find thieves had broken into his yard in the dead of night and stolen £70,000-worth of technical equipment from his fleet of tractors. It was only then that he realised the drone was on a surveillance mission, sent by an organised crime gang who were “scoping the place out”.

More:

How does the Russian black market fit in this story?

When they reach Russia, the parts are sold for “agricultural or construction purposes,” says Supt. Huddleston. Russia has “massive swathes of arable land”, but farmers can’t currently buy any equipment. “One of the manufacturers had a full order book this year that was worth tens of millions. If you multiply that by all the manufacturers, that is a massive amount of the market that is going to force second-hand prices up. It creates an ideal opportunity for criminals to monopolise on trying to sell stolen machinery over there.”

Sure sounds like British propaganda to me!
 

Donor Nations Providing Security Assistance, Training for Ukraine​

June 14, 2023

Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visited Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, a U.S. Army installation in Wiesbaden, Germany.

He met with U.S. and multinational troops there, including Ukrainian soldiers, thanking them for their support for Ukraine.

More:

 
 
From the link:

Ahigh-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander has told Newsweek that Israel is concerned over the risks of weapons provided by the United States and other Western nations to Ukraine ending up in the hands of Israel's foes in the Middle East, including Iran.

With experts too backing these worries, the situation could mark yet another chapter in a long legacy of U.S. arms shipments being diverted, empowering adversaries of both Israel and the U.S. in another restive region, while the focus of Western governments is on the volatile conflict playing out in Eastern Europe.

 

McCaul, Risch, Kaptur, Whitehouse Reintroduce Legislation to Repurpose Sovereign Russian Assets for Ukraine​


Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), along with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act. This legislation will provide additional assistance to Ukraine using assets confiscated from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and other sovereign assets of the Russian Federation.

More:

 

Putin Ally Says Nuclear Weapons 'Must' Be Used to Strike NATO Countries​

Akey ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the use of nuclear weapons against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

NATO has been a key ally to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, which Putin launched last February. The military alliance between the United States, Europe and Canada has condemned the invasion as lacking justification and a violation of international norms, providing Kyiv with billions of dollars of military aid attributed with turning the tide of the war in favor of the Ukrainians. But this military aid has long sparked condemnation from Moscow, which equates this support to participation in the war and has frequently warned about consequences for the West as it sends Ukraine more powerful weaponry.

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Putin Ally Says Nuclear Weapons 'Must' Be Used to Strike NATO Countries​

Akey ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the use of nuclear weapons against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

NATO has been a key ally to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, which Putin launched last February. The military alliance between the United States, Europe and Canada has condemned the invasion as lacking justification and a violation of international norms, providing Kyiv with billions of dollars of military aid attributed with turning the tide of the war in favor of the Ukrainians. But this military aid has long sparked condemnation from Moscow, which equates this support to participation in the war and has frequently warned about consequences for the West as it sends Ukraine more powerful weaponry.

More:

Fake news I'm sure...

The west keeps pushing nucular nonsense... they'll be the ones pushing that button
 

Ukraine targets initial $40 billion for 'Green Marshall Plan'​

June 19, 202310:58 AM EDT

LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine is seeking up to $40 billion to fund the first part of a "Green Marshall Plan" to rebuild its economy, including developing a coal-free steel industry, a senior Ukrainian official said ahead of an international summit.

Politicians and financiers will discuss short-term funding issues as well as look at long-term reconstruction efforts at the two-day meeting, starting in London on Wednesday and co-hosted by Ukraine and Britain.

More:

 
From the link:

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the Kremlin's justifications for its invasion of Ukraine are based on lies, in another extraordinary attack on the country's military and political leadership.

Prigozhin, a key ally of Putin, in a video posted Friday, contradicted the public explanations for the war, including the central claim made by Putin that the 2022 invasion was necessary to prevent an attack from Ukraine.

 
From the link:

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the Kremlin's justifications for its invasion of Ukraine are based on lies, in another extraordinary attack on the country's military and political leadership.

Prigozhin, a key ally of Putin, in a video posted Friday, contradicted the public explanations for the war, including the central claim made by Putin that the 2022 invasion was necessary to prevent an attack from Ukraine.

This guy must have some pretty important friends.
 
June 24 (Reuters) - Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday he had taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership, in what the authorities said was an armed mutiny.

Following are some facts about the businessman and founder of the Wagner Group.

 
Wagner has maybe 100000? This guy is nuts. Off to Siberia.
 
Some good stuff (imo) in this 14-minute vid.

Russia Coup Explained: Putin Live Speech Details​

Jun 24, 2023



The Russian coup was attempted on Friday as Yevgeny Prigozhin marched his PMC Wagner troops into Russia unimpeded at Rostov On Don. The Russia FSB has brought charges against Prigozhin for his attempted coup. Vladimir Putin made a live speech about the coup and its leaders. He called this a "stab in the back" to Russia.

I explain the situation that led up to the attempted coup by Prigozhin and his history and friendship with Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin was know as Putin's Chef.
 
Putin waited too long to go after this guy. If Ukraine NATO/US can't get something done with this distraction going on they never will. Light in the loafers Lindsey must be having wet dreams over dropping a bomb now.
 

Wagner Group rebellion LIVE: Russian helicopters ‘open fire’ on mercenary troops on way to Moscow as Putin vows to crush ‘mutiny’​

44m ago

LIVE – Updated at 16:27

Russian army helicopters opened fire on a Wagner mercenary military convoy on a highway in Russia amid the rebellion ordered by its leader, news agency Reuters has reported.

The leader of the Wagner private military group in Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has called for an armed rebellion against the military leadership in Russia.

More here (good pics):

 
Prigozhin has been butting heads/antagonistic with Russian military command for months. Putin was a fool for supporting this guy from the get go.
 
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