1 Aug, 2023 10:27

Kiev attempts 'terror attack' on Russian civilian ships – MOD

The raid occurred as the vessels were heading for the Bosporus Strait, the Defense Ministry has said

Ukrainian maritime drones tried to attack Russian civilian vessels in the Black Sea, but were destroyed by Russia's navy escort ships, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said that “overnight, the Kiev regime tried to stage a terror attack on Russian civilian transport ships heading for the Bosporus Strait in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, which usedthree semi-submersible unmanned boats.”

Earlier in the day, defense officials said that Ukrainian drones had mounted an unsuccessful attack on two Russian patrol vessels, the Sergey Kotov and Vasily Bykov, in the same area, adding that the ships continued their operations.

The first ship had previously been attacked by two Ukrainian sea drones in the Black Sea last week but managed to successfully destroy the incoming UAVs.

The report of a Ukrainian drone attack comes after Russia withdrew last month from the UN- and Türkiye-brokered grain deal that unblocked agricultural exports via the Black Sea. Explaining the decision, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov described the agreement as a “one-sided game,” noting that none of Russia’s long-standing demands – most notably the easing of Western sanctions on the agricultural sector – had been met.

Following Moscow’s withdrawal, the Russian Defense Ministry said that any ships sailing to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea would be “considered potential carriers of military cargo.” TheDefense Ministry in Kievresponded by issuing a similar statement,warning that all vessels, including civilian ones, can be treated as potential carriers of military cargo.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580657-kiev-attack-attempt-civil-ships/

1 Aug, 2023 14:07

Kiev has secret plan if Zelensky is killed – Politico

Ukraine would likely be run by a governing council influenced by various ministers, the outlet has reported

If Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky were to be killed, he could be replaced by a select team of senior officials, with his legal successor acting as a figurehead, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources. (Exactly how it works now)

The country’s constitution clearly states that if the president is unable to fulfill his duties, it is the chairperson of the Ukrainian parliament – currently Ruslan Stefanchuk – who should take over. However, according to the report, the latter figure is not particularly popular with the Ukrainian public, with an approval rating of only around 40%.

According to Ukrainian officials and analysts interviewed by the outlet, this means that, in the event of Zelensky’s untimely demise, the country would be steered by a governing council. While Stefanchuk would be its formal head, it would also consist of other members, including Andrey Ermak, the head of the presidential office, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, and Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov, Politico said.

Valery Zaluzhny, who currently heads Ukraine’s military, is also expected to retain his post, according to the report.

Adrian Karatnycky, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, told Politico that Kiev had “a strong leadership team” and “we would see collective government.” He added that if “something terrible happened to Zelenskyy it would not be as decisive as you might think.”

However, Politico also warned that, while this outcome may have a limited impact domestically due to mixed opinions about the Ukrainian president and a strong sense of national unity, it would shock Kiev’s backers in the West, where Zelensky is widely regarded as an icon of resistance.

In May 2022, the Ukrainian president himself said that Kiev had a “Plan B” accounting for the possibility of his death, adding that the country’s cabinet had been split into two so that Ukraine would not be left defenseless should the worst come to pass.

In March 2022, Mikhail Podoliak, Zelensky’s senior adviser, said that his boss had survived more than a dozen attempts on his life, with several Western media outlets speculating in the early days of the conflict that Moscow intended to assassinate the Ukrainian president.

However, in April of the same year, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov dismissed the notion that Russia had ever had such plans.

(It’s such a “secret plan” they shout it out to the whole world! Makes on wonder if Kiev or the West plans on getting rid of Zelensky themselves. Or he will disappear one day and they’ll say Russia killed him and then they’ll hold a fake presidential funeral, and continue the war.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/580665-kiev-plan-zelensky-death/

>>19278819

Kek, so true, but absolutely cleaned out may be overestimating since Kharkiv still has the children and women child and organ trafficking. It really is a movie of boring proportions

31 Jul, 2023 14:10

Wagner Group explains halt in recruiting

The private military company has a substantial “personnel reserve” and has no need for new applicants

The Wagner Group has announced it is closing its recruitment centers “indefinitely” as it has no need for new personnel. The private military company (PMC) founded by Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin moved to Belarus in late June as part of a deal with Moscow.

“Due to the presence of a large personnel reserve, the Wagner Group PMC has no urgent need to hire new recruits,” the company said on its Telegram channel. The group will continue its operations in Africa, as well as its training program for the Belarusian military, Prigozhin said.

The PMC is also setting “new goals,” the group’s founder revealed, adding that most of its fighters are currently “on vacation” following a “lengthy period of hard work.” Prigozhin noted that neither he nor the group’s commanders prevented its personnel from joining the Russian military or the nation’s other security services. “Yet, very few [fighters] agreed to leave the Wagner Group,” he said, adding that most of its personnel members are now seeking to return to active duty.

“We have no personnel shortage as of now and are not planning any new recruitment campaigns,” Prigozhin declared, calling on potential applicants to still “keep in touch” in case a “new or additional group” is established.

In late June, Prigozhin vowed to retaliate and declared a ‘march for justice’ in Moscow after accusing the Russian Defense Ministry of allegedly staging a fatal missile strike on a Wagner camp. He abandoned his plans in exchange for a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Under the terms of the deal, Wagner troops were given the option of either returning to civilian life, signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, or moving to Belarus. Lukashenko also offered to host Prigozhin himself.

The arrival of Wagner fighters in Belarus sparked concern in Warsaw, and Polish President Andrzej Duda claimed in late June that “the Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus could be a potential threat to Poland.” Polish officials then repeatedly said that Warsaw would “closely monitor” the group’s activities in the neighboring country.

Poland also vowed to double the size of its military after the Russian PMC arrived in Belarus. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed the group was planning a “hybrid attack” on Polish territory, adding that 100 Wagner fighters had allegedly been deployed on the Belarusian side of the border.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580617-wagner-group-stop-recruiting/

31 Jul, 2023 08:11

Several dead in Ukrainian attack on Donbass – authorities

The shelling also set fire to a bus and cars in Donetsk, local officials have said

At least three people have been killed and ten others injured in a Ukrainian attack on the city of Donetsk, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said on Monday, adding that another civilian died in a nearby town.

The statement of the JCCC, which tracks Kiev’s recurring shelling of Donbass, came after Denis Pushilin, the acting head of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said that a total of two districts in the city center came under bombardment, which claimed several lives and destroyed a bus. He added that those who were hurt are being taken care of.

The DPR head also said that Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack that damaged a water treatment plant in the town of Yasinovataya in Donetsk Region.

According to the JCCC, Ukrainian forces also shelled the town of Gorlovka, north of Donetsk, killing another civilian.

Donetsk Mayor Aleksey Kulemzin said the attack on the Voroshilovsky district in the city center also set fire to two cars, adding that shells were falling near the marriage registration hall. Later, he said that the shelling also damaged several buildings and cut a power supply line.

He uploaded photos from the scene showing the charred remains of several vehicles, with firefighters working to put out fires, and buildings with smashed windows.

Earlier in the day, the JCCC registered at least half a dozen artillery and missile attacks launched in the direction of the city, most of which used heavy 155m and 152m shells.

According to Kulemzin, this came after Ukraine fired 72 artillery rounds between Sunday evening and Monday morning, targeting both Donetsk and nearby areas. He said that these attacks killed one 31-year-old man and injured another person, while damaging several residential buildings.

Donetsk and other Donbass cities have been under constant Ukrainian attacks which have claimed numerous civilian lives since 2014, when the region broke away from Kiev after a Western-backed coup in the Ukrainian capital.

In early March, the JCCC estimated that Ukrainian attackskilled a total of 4,453 civiliansin Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republicsince February 2022, when the conflict between Moscow and Kiev erupted. Officials also estimated that more than 900 people were killed in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic within the same period of time.

https://www.rt.com/russia/580589-one-dead-ukrainian-attack-donetsk/