2 May, 2022 19:15

Amount of US weaponry delivered to Ukraine revealed

The US has delivered 80% of the howitzers it promised Kiev, Washington claims

Some 80% of the M777 howitzers and half of the 155mm ammunition for them – promised to Ukraine by US President Joe Biden last month – have already been delivered, the Department of Defense said on Monday.

The US military also said it has supplied nearly all the counter-battery and anti-aircraft radars and 5,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles pledged, but no helicopters just yet.

The figures came from a background briefing at the Pentagon on Monday, where an unnamed American defense official gave reporters the official account of Washington’s military aid to Kiev.

Biden initially promised Ukraine 18 howitzers, but later added another 72, along with 140,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, ten counter-artillery radars, two air surveillance radars, 200 M113 armored personnel carriers, 100 humvees and 11 Mi-17 helicopters.

According to the Pentagon, half of the 155mm ammunition is already in Ukrainian hands, and more is headed over every day. A total of 72 howitzers have been delivered, along with “nearly all” the radars. A total of 14 cargo flights departed the US over the past 24 hours, and 11 more are expected over the next day, along with 23 flights from five other countries.

These supply flights reportedly land in Poland, from where the weapons are taken across the Ukrainian border by road and rail.

The Pentagon also revealed that the training of Ukrainian troops on the new howitzers is taking place in Germany. Florida National Guard troops based there, which had previously deployed to Ukraine for training, have taken over the howitzer drills from original Canadian instructors. More than 170 Ukrainian troops have already been trained in handling the M777s, and another 50 are completing their training, the official said.

A group of 20 Ukrainians have started a week-long training course in using the Phoenix Ghost tactical drones, the official added. However, the Mi-17 helicopters have yet to be delivered to Kiev.

Another detail disclosed by the Pentagon is that Ukraine has so far received 5,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles. The US military has been raiding its own stockpiles for both the Javelins and the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as their manufacturer, Raytheon, complained last week the components to make more were in short supply.

Since February 24, the US has pledged nearly $15 billion in military aid to Kiev, more than double Ukraine’s entire military budget for 2021. Last week, Congress approved a bill that would enable the White House to send nearly unlimited quantities and types of weapons and ammunition using a WWII-era “lend-lease” mechanism.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian armed forces have lost 1,246 artillery weapons, not counting multiple rocket launcher systems, since the start of the hostilities. Russia has also repeatedly targeted warehouses storing equipment sent from the West.

https://www.rt.com/news/554871-howitzers-ukraine-pentagon-javelins/

2 May, 2022 19:37

HomeWorld News

NBC News admits to plagiarism

The network has flagged 11 articles that contained plagiarized information

NBC News apologized to its readers on Monday for eleven articles over the past year that contained plagiarized passages. The network did not retract the stories, however, but removed the problematic paragraphs and added editors’ notes to them. The Comcast-owned network also didn't name the reporter at fault. Other outlets were not so circumspect, however.

The eleven articles “contained passages from other news organizations that were used without attribution,” NBC said in a statement. “In all cases, the passages were not central to the stories, but instead contained supplemental or background material that did not represent original reporting.”

“An editor’s note has been placed on each of the articles, and the passages that were plagiarized have been removed,” NBC added, without naming the reporter or revealing their fate with the company.

CNN’s Oliver Darcy soon did both, however. “I’m told that NBC discovered this during a routine editing process and launched a review where other instances were discovered,” he tweeted. “The reporter, Teaganne Finn, is no longer with the network.”

Finn previously worked at Bloomberg News as a breaking news reporter, and was hired by NBC to cover US politics in June 2021. Prior to her work at Bloomberg,she had interned on the investigations team of the Washington Post.

https://www.rt.com/news/554876-nbc-plagiarism-politics-reporter/

https://twitter.com/michaelmalice/status/1520442576473624578?s=20&t=O0nkhf_hZG6oVUsofTifOg

Probably true but POTUS and Q had a lot to do with it

https://twitter.com/michaelmalice/status/1519876876424126469?s=20&t=O0nkhf_hZG6oVUsofTifOg

>>16196692

And of all people he’s in the top tier that I want to see arrested in public and dragged away in chains

>>16196587

Maybe Oz now has the Trump curse, you know Oz does, and something will come out with Oz hating and condemning Trump in public

why does everyone from Ukraine look like Darth Vadir?

2 May, 2022 21:23

Ukraine claims Hungary wants its territory

A top Kiev official claims Hungary was informed of the Russian attack in advance and wants to take Ukrainian territory

Budapest was informed of the Russian attack in advance and hoped to seize a part of Ukraine’s territory for itself, a top official of the government in Kiev claimed on Monday, adding there will be “consequences” for Hungary. This statement comes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was added to the database listing enemies of the Ukrainian state.

Hungary “openly talks about its cooperation with Russia. More than that, it was given early warning by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that our country would be attacked,” Alexey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), said during a media appearance on Monday. He was answering if Hungary could block Ukraine’s admission to NATO.

Hungary “thought it could take part of the territory,” Danilov added. “This will never happen. Victory will definitely be ours. And about Hungary, which behaved this way, we will see what the consequences will be for this country.”

This was presumably a reference to Transcarpathia – a region in western Ukraine with some 150,000 ethnic Hungarian inhabitants – that had been a matter of dispute between Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Soviet Union over the course of the 20th century.

Earlier on Monday, it emerged that Hungary’s recently re-elected PM was added to Mirotvorets, (‘Peacemaker’) the notorious online database maintained to blacklist people considered enemies of Ukraine, some of whom have been murdered after being listed there. The website labels Orban “an accomplice of Russian war criminals” and an “anti-Ukrainian propagandist.”

Though Hungary is a member of both the EU and NATO, Orban has refused to send weapons to Ukraine or allow the transit of such shipments through his country’s territory. Budapest has also opposed an oil and gas embargo against Moscow.

On Monday, the German outlet ZDF reported that Hungary had “moved away” from its veto on the matter, and that EU oil sanctions against Russia were forthcoming. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs denied the reporting, however, saying that Budapest’s stance on oil and gas sanctions “remains unchanged: We do not support them.”

In addition to making allegations and apparent threats against Hungary, Danilov also said that Kiev has no plans for another round of mobilization, and that Ukraine does not intend to sign any kind of peace treaty with Moscow, but will only accept a Russian surrender.

So does Zelensky get prosecuted for calling out hits in world leaders? When is this acceptable? Oh yeah bidan and Graham did it too

https://www.rt.com/russia/554878-ukraine-hungary-danilov-warning/

2 May, 2022 21:30

UK to announce new Ukraine aid package

The prime minister is set to announce an additional $376 million in aid during an address to Ukrainian lawmakers

BoJos just pissed RT called him crazy. Its a self fulfilling prophecy

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a new multi-million-pound military aid package to Ukraine as the country continues to battle Russian forces, Downing Street said late Sunday.

Johnson is set to become the first world leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the launch of Russia’s military attack in February. In a speech which he will deliver via live videolink on Tuesday, the prime minister will stress that the UK is “proud to be among Ukraine’s friends.”

According to a press release from the prime minister’s office, Johnson will provide details on the aid package, worth £300 million (almost $376 million), “to support Ukraine’s ongoing defence against Russia’s illegal invasion.”

The package includes electronic warfare equipment, a counter battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment, and thousands of night vision devices, the prime minister’s office said.

The UK will also fulfill a request from the Ukrainian government by sending “more than a dozen” specialized Toyota Land Cruisers “to help protect civilian officials in Eastern Ukraine and evacuate civilians from frontline areas,” as well as heavy lift UAV systems to provide logistical support to isolated forces.

Johnson is expected to call the current conflict “an epic chapter” in Ukraine’s history which will be “remembered and recounted for generations to come.”

“Your children and grandchildren will say that Ukrainians taught the world that the brute force of an aggressor counts for nothing against the moral force of a people determined to be free,” he will say, according to excerpts of the speech released by Downing Street.

Last week, UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace told MPs that UK military aid to Ukraine was likely to rise to £500 million, having already surpassed the £200-million mark.

He also revealed that “the race is on to equip Ukraine with the same long-range capability that Russia has so they are not outranged and indeed pinned down.”

That statement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Western countries had finally begun to provide Kiev with the weapons it had requested.

Britain is one of the biggest European suppliers of weapons to Ukraine. According to Defence Ministry figures, London has already sent more than 5,000 anti-tank missiles, 1,360 anti-structure munitions, five air-defense systems with more than 100 missiles, and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives.

The UK has also committed nearly £400 million of aid for economic and humanitarian support, which includes a £220 million package for aid agencies on the ground, according to the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against “pumping up” Ukraine with weapons, arguing that it will only prolong the conflict. Moscow has also made it clear that it considers any foreign weapons on Ukrainian territory as a legitimate target.

BoJo is the new angrier Tony Blair!

https://www.rt.com/russia/554865-ukraine-uk-aid-military/

2 May, 2022 21:58

Italian companies should be allowed to buy gas in rubles – ‘green’ minister

Ecology Minister Roberto Cingolani’s comments come as 10 EU countries are reportedly prepared to buy gas in Russian currency

Italian Minister of Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani told Politico on Monday that Italian companies should “go ahead and pay in rubles” for Russian gas, as Moscow has demanded. Although his ministry later said that it does not back such a move, 10 EU nations are reportedly planning to do the same.

“I think it would be good for a few months, at least, to allow companies to go ahead and pay in rubles, while we understand the legal framework and implications,” Cingolani said, adding that he wants “a speedy and very clear pronouncement from the European Commission” on whether such an arrangement would breach EU sanctions.

Shortly afterwards, Cingolani’s ministry issued a statement saying that the minister “has never been open to a payment in rubles.”

However, Italy depends on Russia for around 40% of its gas imports, and Cingolani said that while oil and gas companies “cannot risk” paying and breaking sanctions, they also “cannot risk … not paying” until recently-signed gas contracts with African countries come into effect.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded in March that “unfriendly” countries – those that back sanctions imposed in the wake of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine – would have to pay for gas in Russia’s national currency. Poland and Bulgaria have already been cut off after they refused this demand.

However, Hungary has opened a euro account with Russia’s Gazprombank for purchasing Russian gas. These euro payments are then converted into rubles by the bank, and transferred to gas suppliers in Russia, fulfilling the contract. Hungarian government official Gergely Gulyas told the public radio on Sunday that nine other EU countries were preparing the same payment scheme and not announcing it publicly.

A report by Bloomberg last week claimed that four EU states have already paid for gas by this mechanism.

It is unclear whether this setup breaches EU sanctions on Russia, as European buyers are technically not sending rubles to Russia. Cingolani said that EU companies could regard the transfer of euros to Gazprombank as the “final transaction,” while Russian suppliers would consider the deal done upon receipt of rubles.

“In this process there are gray areas, which could constitute a breach of sanctions. However you do it, there is a problem,” he stated.

EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told Politico that the commission would “issue more detailed guidance on what companies can and cannot do within our sanctions framework” soon.

https://www.rt.com/news/554879-italy-russia-gas-rubles/

2 May, 2022 21:28

Mental health and prayer apps have ‘worst’ privacy – survey

Despite their sensitive content, therapy apps have some of the worst privacy protections, an investigation finds

Despite their warm fuzzy packaging and seemingly altruistic intentions, mental health and prayer apps are “worse than any other product” when it comes to user privacy and security, an analysis by browser firm Mozilla revealed on Monday.

“The vast majority ofmental health and prayer apps are exceptionally creepy,” Mozilla’s Jen Caltrider, the primary creator of the firm’s “Privacy not Included” guide, which evaluated 32 such apps on their respect for users’ personal data, told the Verge on Monday. Caltrider noted that the apps one might think would recognize the sensitive nature of their data instead “track, share, and capitalize on users’ most intimate personal thoughts and feelings, like moods, mental state, and biometric data.”

Apps slurping up biometric data and other seemingly private information are nothing new, but given the assumption of privacy that comes with the real-life relationship between a therapist and patient, or a believer and religious institution, one might hope that app developers would at least attempt to replicate such safe spaces when taking the whole process online.

However, the Privacy not Included guide found that out of 32 such apps, fully 29 received a privacy warning label, noting that they either stored large amounts of personal data under vague privacy policies or otherwise maintained poor security practices, such as weak passwords. One popular app, Talkspace, stashes entire chat transcripts between user and therapist. Another, an AI therapy chatbot called Woebot, actually collects information about users from third parties, then shares it for advertising purposes, all while pretending to be their silicon shoulder to cry on.

Mozillla researcher Misha Rykov referred to the apps his team analyzed as “data-sucking machines with a mental health app veneer,” or “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” But with real-life therapy increasingly expensive and the process of finding a therapist who 'matches' a patient hit or miss, the lure of a friendly voice just a click away is difficult to resist for some. But given the apps’ apparent core purpose of data mining and selling users’ deepest darkest secrets, it might be a better idea to hold one’s tongue until one can meet up with a qualified therapist or at least a trusted friend – ideally in real life.

https://www.rt.com/news/554880-therapy-religion-apps-privacy-fail/

2 May, 2022 19:29

Burned alive: How the 2014 Odessa massacre became a turning point for Ukraine

Clashes between opposing activists turned into mass murder. The perpetrators have never been punished

(I can’t post the full article on this genocide)

Death by fire

…That’s why a sizable number of the protesters who ended up at Kulikovo knew an attack was coming. Someone suggested taking cover in the massive Trade Unions building on the square, and people began to move their belongings from the camp into the building. They set up an improvised first aid station there, brought in supplies and built a small barricade in front of the building. They also had a couple of hunting rifles and a few Molotov cocktails. Davidchenko then left the square. Aleksey Albu, a low-level local politician, stayed in the building. At the time, he was not the kind who would be eager to participate in any fighting. In fact, he had learned about the clashes from the news.

The Trade Unions House had around 300 people inside that evening.

At 7:20 pm, the angry Euromaidan crowd entered the square. They moved through the abandoned camp and started throwing Molotov cocktails at the barricade in front of the Trade Unions building. Those inside responded by lobbing a few Molotov cocktails back at the attackers from the roof. It was then that a reporter who was filming everything said, “Now, they’ll definitely kill them.”

The attackers kept throwing rocks and improvised bombs at the barricade, which mostly consisted of wooden furniture and crates, and finally set it on fire. The protesters behind it retreated into the hall of the building. Later, many reports exaggerated the scope of the resistance put up by those in the Trade Unions building…

The barricade was in flames and the attackers had set fire to the tents on the square. The whole square was full of smoke and flames. The attackers continued to hurl cocktail bombs filled with a home-made napalm mixture consisting of gasoline, acetone, and Styrofoam at the building. The holed-up protesters called the fire brigade, but no one came. The few policemen on the scene did nothing to interfere and just watched as the events unfolded.

The attackers made sure the fire didn’t die out, throwing more and more cocktail bombs into it. They even tossed in a burning car tire, while firing at the windows with anti-riot guns.

Then tragedy struck.

Independent expert Vladislav Balisnsky explained that the fire raging at the building’s entrance ignited the paint and varnish on the hall’s walls and ceiling. The burning entrance door collapsed, and the window panes were broken one by one by gunfire, creating a powerful draft.. The resulting chimney effect turned the central staircase into a huge incinerator, with temperatures at the center rising to 600–700 degrees Celsius. The fire spread nearly instantly and everything that could burn was consumed in the fire. The people in the vicinity were essentially burnt alive…

A total of 48 people died: two Maidan activists and 46 Kulikovo Field Anti-Maidan protesters – two on Grecheskaya Street, and 42 at Kulikovo Field Square. Eight people jumped from the building to their deaths, while others suffocated or died from burns. All were citizens of Ukraine. A total of 247 people requested medical help following the incident, of whom 27 had been wounded by gunfire…

Ashes

In the following years, not a single person responsible for the killings in Odessa was punished in any way. Many of the murderers acted openly, wearing no masks or disguises, and were very straightforward about their intentions….

From the very beginning, the authorities in Odessa seemed to deliberately obstruct the investigation. No attempt was made to preserve the crime scene….UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns acknowledged that the bulk of the evidence relating to the May 2 events was destroyed immediately after the crime….

Alexander Topilov, an Odessa musician and Euromaidan supporter, wrote a few days after the tragic events:

“…there were boys born in 1994. There were young girls, university professors, mechanics. I don’t know. Not all were quick enough to jump. Not all survived the landing. It’s not a victory, like hell it is! Don’t cheer us. I saw some exalted comments. Who the fck wants a victory like that? And who can even call it a victory? That’s a fcking fiasco. It’s civil war. Odessa residents at each other’s throats. Who’s the winner here? I don’t need victories like that, the f*ck I do. Some people are like animals and some beasts are humane, that’s what I’m talking about. The line between ‘us’ and ‘them’. I lost mine on May 2. I don’t know where to draw it. I see people. And I see animals. Animals on my side, people against me….

That desperate cry fell on deaf ears…

https://www.rt.com/russia/554860-burned-alive-2014-odessa/