This might be a little tougher than Putin thought...
- Thread starter Nole Lou
- Start date
Slovakia halts military aid to Ukraine
Slovakia’s new populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has said his three-party coalition government was ending military aid to its eastern neighbour Ukraine, fulfilling one of his central campaign pledges.
Fico told MPs on Thursday before heading to a summit of EU leaders in Brussels that Slovakia would “no longer supply weapons to Ukraine”, but would continue to send humanitarian aid to its war-torn neighbour.
“I will support zero military aid to Ukraine … An immediate halt to military operations is the best solution we have for Ukraine. The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker,” the new prime minister added.
He also said he would “not vote for any sanctions against Russia unless we see analyses of their impact on Slovakia. If there are to be such sanctions that will harm us, like most sanctions have, I can see no reason to support them.”
The country had previously been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia’s invasion February last year, donating ammunition and weaponry its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, and opening its borders for refugees fleeing the war.
The previous caretaker government suspended military aid earlier this month after Fico’s Smer-SD party won a 30 September election on a pledge to halt further supplies, oppose sanctions on Moscow and block Ukraine’s potential Nato membership.
Fico, who was forced to resign in 2018 amid huge popular protests after the murder of an investigative journalist and his fiancee, was formally sworn in on Wednesday as Slovakia’s prime minister, his fourth stint in the office.
Analysts expect the country to move closer to the nationalist policies of Hungary, whose illiberal leader, Viktor Orbán, Fico has said he admires – although many question how far he will follow through on his campaign rhetoric.
Smer finished first in last month’s ballot with 23% of the vote and formed a coalition with Hlas, a more moderate breakaway party led by Fico’s former deputy Peter Pellegrini, and the ultra-nationalist, pro-Russian Slovak National party (SNS).
Russia-Ukraine war live: Slovakia halts military aid to Ukraine; North Korea becoming ‘significant’ arms supplier to Moscow
New Slovakian prime minister says it will no longer supply weapons to Ukraine as UK says North Korea set to become one of Russia’s most important foreign arms suppliers
Ukraine war: Russia goes back to prisons to feed its war machine
The Russian defence ministry has been recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, apparently taking over from the Wagner mercenary group which was the first to adopt the practice last year.Such army units are commonly known as Storm-Z, the letter Z being one of the symbols of Vladimir Putin's so-called "special military operation" against Ukraine. It is also the first letter of the Russian word "zek", or "inmate".
The name Storm-Z is unofficial and can be applied to a range of Russian army units active in different parts of Ukraine.
Similarly to Wagner's prisoner units, Storm-Z detachments are reportedly often treated as an expendable force thrown into battle - with little consideration for the lives of their servicemen.
There are also indications that members of other army units can be sent to Storm-Z detachments as punishment for violations such as insubordination or drunkenness.
Ukraine war: Russia goes back to prisons to feed its war machine
Russia's defence ministry has taken over from Wagner in recruiting inmates to fight in Ukraine.
www.bbc.com
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"KYIV, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine has suspended the use of its new Black Sea grain export corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines, the Kyiv-based Barva Invest consultancy and a British security firm said on Thursday.
Ukraine has been using the shipping corridor to try to revive its seaborne exports without Russia's blessing, defying threats from Moscow which quit a U.N.-brokered deal in July that had allowed some food exports to flow despite the war.
"We would like to inform you of a temporary suspension of vessel traffic to and from (the ports). The current ban is in force on Oct. 26, but it is possible that it will be extended," the consultancy said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukrainian officials declined to comment on the matter.
Chicago wheat futures , a global price benchmark, turned higher on the news to recover from an earlier two-week low. They later traded up about 1%." (More)
https://www.reuters.com/markets/com...idor-due-threat-russian-warplanes-2023-10-26/
More on the Luhansk attack yesterday. Judging by the nearby collateral damage, those shot down ATACMS caused quite the blast
"Yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense reported shooting down 2 missiles #ATACMS . "Cheka-OGPU" described as follows: "the interception of 2 ATACMS missiles fired directly at the air defense position of the Russian Armed Forces In area #Luhansk the price must be paid = 3 S-400 systems placed there.”
"Yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense reported shooting down 2 missiles #ATACMS . "Cheka-OGPU" described as follows: "the interception of 2 ATACMS missiles fired directly at the air defense position of the Russian Armed Forces In area #Luhansk the price must be paid = 3 S-400 systems placed there.”
?Denmark has allocated a military aid package to Ukraine totaling over half a billion dollars, including tanks, ammunition, and drones, according to the Danish Ministry of Defense.
Denmark has provided a military donation of 3.7 billion Danish kroner (522,082,580 dollars) to Ukraine. The aid package includes tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery ammunition, drones, and small arms.
This includes BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and T-72 tanks, as well as armored engineering and recovery vehicles, which Denmark is funding in cooperation with Germany. These types of equipment and ammunition are in demand in Ukraine and are crucial for preserving Ukraine's ground combat capabilities.
"I met with my Ukrainian counterpart on Tuesday in Kyiv and received updated information, partly on the situation in Ukraine, and partly on Ukraine's needs in countering the Russian invasion. Based on ongoing negotiations with the Ukrainians, Denmark has put together the thirteenth and comprehensive aid package," stated Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen.
What Denmark has additionally provided to Ukraine
To meet Ukraine's additional requirements for 155mm artillery ammunition, Denmark also offers to transfer a larger quantity of metal charges and electroshock batons from its own Ministry of Defense supplies.
"According to the assessment of the Defense Command, this donation will not have immediate consequences for the organization of the Armed Forces," added the Danish Ministry of Defense."
We have probably all wondered if a drone machine gun was practical.
Dammit, now PETA gonna be all up in Ukraine's face over the war.
"Russian channels publish this video of the consequences of an attack by a Ukrainian drone against an occupying truck in the area of #Soledar ."
There's 435 of them, is it really up to one to get something passed?
Russia Executing Retreating Soldiers
He said that the Russian military "appears to be using what we would call 'human wave' tactics, just throwing masses of these poorly trained soldiers right into the fight."
What a mess.
He said that the Russian military "appears to be using what we would call 'human wave' tactics, just throwing masses of these poorly trained soldiers right into the fight."
What a mess.
Does our "dead orcs tally" get to count the dead even if they're offed by their own military?
I say yes.
I keep thinking at some point some other actors are going to make a move on Russian territory. Someone like the Chechens.
It certainly is when that "1" is who gets to decide what is brought to the floor for a vote.
This video was filmed 12 years ago.
Imagine clearing trenches with waves of these things...
Are you really that stupid or is this just some kind of act?
Great story but is there any truth to it?
"Yesterday in the afternoon, the health status of Russian President Vladimir Putin began to deteriorate sharply. At about 20.00 Moscow time, the attendants called an additional brigade of doctors who, upon arrival, after fifteen minutes, began to resuscitate the president. By that time, Putin’s condition was critical. At 20.42 Moscow time, doctors stopped resuscitation and stated the death of the president. They notified the federal protective service officers. By personal order of Dmitry Kochnev, the room in the president’s residence in Valdai, which was converted to an intensive care unit and where Putin died, was blocked. The doctors remained locked with the corpse of the president. Security officers ordered the doctors to calm down, not to make noise and wait. Dmitry Kochnev follows the instructions of the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Nikolai #Patrushev. Also, by order of Kochnev, the protection of the president’s double was strengthened. Now, the issue is being resolved, including the future fate of doctors. Negotiations on the creation of a coalition from representatives of the near-Putin elites under the leadership of Nikolai Patrushev were almost completed to preserve the current regime and use Putin's double instead of the president. But!!! If they could use the understudy under the living Putin without any problems (in extreme cases, it was possible to present the real Putin), then after Putin's death, any attempt to use the double is a coup d'etat! Shortly before the president’s death, when it was already clear that he was dying, the option was considered to immerse Putin in a medical coma, thus preserving the “fresh corpse”, so that, after choosing a successor and a smooth transfer of power, they can present the public “freshly deceased”. However, this option, by virtue of Putin's death, is already out of the table. How his people will act is being decided. We will inform you as the information arrives."
"Yesterday in the afternoon, the health status of Russian President Vladimir Putin began to deteriorate sharply. At about 20.00 Moscow time, the attendants called an additional brigade of doctors who, upon arrival, after fifteen minutes, began to resuscitate the president. By that time, Putin’s condition was critical. At 20.42 Moscow time, doctors stopped resuscitation and stated the death of the president. They notified the federal protective service officers. By personal order of Dmitry Kochnev, the room in the president’s residence in Valdai, which was converted to an intensive care unit and where Putin died, was blocked. The doctors remained locked with the corpse of the president. Security officers ordered the doctors to calm down, not to make noise and wait. Dmitry Kochnev follows the instructions of the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Nikolai #Patrushev. Also, by order of Kochnev, the protection of the president’s double was strengthened. Now, the issue is being resolved, including the future fate of doctors. Negotiations on the creation of a coalition from representatives of the near-Putin elites under the leadership of Nikolai Patrushev were almost completed to preserve the current regime and use Putin's double instead of the president. But!!! If they could use the understudy under the living Putin without any problems (in extreme cases, it was possible to present the real Putin), then after Putin's death, any attempt to use the double is a coup d'etat! Shortly before the president’s death, when it was already clear that he was dying, the option was considered to immerse Putin in a medical coma, thus preserving the “fresh corpse”, so that, after choosing a successor and a smooth transfer of power, they can present the public “freshly deceased”. However, this option, by virtue of Putin's death, is already out of the table. How his people will act is being decided. We will inform you as the information arrives."
