31 Aug, 2023 21:24 =

=Suspected drone ‘neutralized’ near Russian airport – governor==

Another unidentified object has been detected in the area days after a drone raid on Pskov airport

The Russian military has spotted a suspected hostile drone in the Russian city of Pskov, near the airport that was attacked by multiple Ukrainian drones earlier this week, regional Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said early Friday morning.

An airspace control post in the area of Kresty, near Pskov airport, “detected a single unidentified object in the sky,” he confirmed on Telegram around midnight local time.

The official shared a brief video of what he called the “measures undertaken to neutralize” the object, which appears to show anti-air gunfire lighting up the night sky.

There was no damage or injuries on the ground as a result of the incident, Vedernikov said. The Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the alleged new attack.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the Russian city of Pskov, near the territories of NATO members Estonia and Latvia, came under attack by a swarm of drones. Local authorities and emergency services said that several Il-76 transport planes were damaged in the attack, but the military has yet to confirm these reports. The airport briefly canceled all flights to assess potential damage to the runway, but fully resumed operations on Thursday.

Meanwhile, after Kiev will not admit their counteroffensive has failed miserably, they revert back their tried and true method of terrorism against civilians and civilian structures, that Nina Jankowicz taught them

https://www.rt.com/russia/582183-pskov-airport-object-neutralized/

31 Aug, 2023 17:53

Ukraine threatens long-range strikes into Russia

Kiev claims to have weapons that can hit targets 700km away

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Thursday that the country has produced long-range weapons domestically, while his top security official claimed that a new missile program is in place.

“Successful use of our long-range weapons: the target was hit 700 kilometers away!” Zelensky posted in a Telegram message, referring to an exercise by the Ministry of Strategic Industries. Zelensky did not specify what kind of weapon was used, or what the target may have been.

Shortly afterwards, National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Aleksey Danilov posted a 20-second video on X, formerly Twitter, showing what looked like a missile being launched into the night.

“The missile program of the President of Ukraine in action. The tests are successful, the implementation is effective,” Danilov said. “Sevastopol is waiting, Kamchatka is waiting, Kronstadt is waiting…”

While it sounds like a threat against Russian naval bases or even a peninsula in the Far East, it appears to be a misquoted lyric from a popular song by Lyube, said to be the favorite band of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Several Ukrainian media outlets linked Danilov’s post about the “missile program” with Zelensky’s claim about a long-range weapon, though there is no evidence to suggest a connection.

The “700 kilometers” may be a reference to Pskov, a city in northwestern Russia which is precisely that far from Ukraine’s borders, but just 30km away from NATO member Estonia. Several military transport planes were damaged at Pskov airport early on Wednesday, in what local authorities described as an attack by more than ten drones. There has been no official confirmation from either side as to what kind of UAVs may have been used in the attack, or where they came from.

Zelensky, Danilov and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly insisted that they use only domestically produced weapons against Russian territory, since the US and its allies have ostensibly forbidden them to use Western-provided missiles and drones for this purpose. (Zelensky begged all arms companies and the MIC to send all their experimental weapons for Kiev to test them and use them to see if they were effective. That’s probably where they are getting them.)

Earlier this week, however, The Economist revealed that Ukrainian drone operators greatly rely on Western intelligence and satellite data to avoid Russian air defenses.

Ukraine first targeted Moscow with drones in May, and began launching more frequent attacks in July, as its much-heralded counteroffensive in the south became bogged down in Russian fortifications.

The attacks have caused only minor property damage so far and the Kremlin has described them as “acts of desperation,” meant to cover for Kiev’s failures on the battlefield. According to US officials, the attacks are intended “to bolster the morale of Ukraine’s population and troops,” and show that Kiev “can strike back.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/582170-ukraine-long-range-claim/

31 Aug, 2023 21:03

Member state blocks EU military aid to Ukraine – Borrell

Hungary is holding up "European Peace Facility" funds earmarked for Kiev

The EU has been unable to release €500 million in ‘European Peace Facility’ funding for Ukraine, due to opposition from one of the members, the bloc’s foreign policy commissioner Josep Borrell told reporters on Thursday. The country was later identified as Hungary.

“I have to regret that the 8th tranche of the European Peace Facility (EPF) is still blocked,” Borrell said after an EU ministerial meeting in Toledo, Spain. “I hope we will be able to unblock [it] in the next [few] weeks. But this is a problem that is still pending to be solved.”

Budapest has been blocking the EPF funds for months,objecting that Kiev has designated a major Hungarian bank as a ‘war sponsor’*. The bloc has used the EPF, established in March 2021, as a way to fund weapons and ammunition deliveries to Ukraine outside of normal budgetary procedures.

Following the meeting of EU defense ministers on Wednesday, Borrell spoke of the need to train more Ukrainian troops faster, noting that almost 40,000 conscripts will have undergone training at various EU sites this year, including at the Spanish military academy in Toledo itself.

Thursday’s meeting involved foreign ministers, and included a briefing by Ukrainian FM Dmitry Kuleba. At the press conference, Borrell spoke of the need for the EU to support Ukraine “today, tomorrow and always” in a manner that is “predictable and sustainable,” but mainly financial.

The Spanish politician again mentioned that he had proposed to the European Commission to create a new Ukraine Assistance Fund, spanning the period from 2024 to 2027, and expressed hope the body would “reach an agreement by the end of the year.” Borrell envisioned the fund to amount to about €5 billion annually, for a total commitment of €20 billion over the next four years.

While Borrell spoke as if Brussels could afford to leverage its entire economic, political, and military might in the service of Ukraine, Hungary has been skeptical of the bloc’s policies.

Speaking at a forum in Slovenia earlier this week, Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto described the EU as being in a “very bad shape” due to the Ukraine conflict, “worse than at any time in the past, in terms of security, economy and energy supply.” The bloc’s commitment to arming Ukraine has made it unable to broker a peace, while the EU’s energy, security, and economic prosperity have been dealt serious blows by the embargo against Russia, according to Szijjarto.

(*The EU is using Kiev as the attack dog on Hungary, the EU could have gotten Hungary to release those funds more than 6 months ago, if they demanded Kiev retract the accusation of Hungary Bank being a “war sponsor”. But they won’t because EU is using Kiev in every way, they can’t conduct themselves. The EU wants to replace the leaders or destroy Hungary and get rid of any conservative leader in the EU, which EU has “very few”, but they won’t. They use this non- EU countries that are begging to get into the EU to attack Russia, to do things they can’t do according to their charter.)

https://www.rt.com/news/582180-hungary-eu-ukraine-aid/

31 Aug, 2023 15:13

Russian ally responds to demands for expulsion of Wagner troops

Neighboring countries are fomenting hysteria about the private military company’s presence in Belarus, says Alexander Lukashenko

NATO countries have no right to demand the expulsion of Wagner Group soldiers from Belarus while they host sizable contingents of foreign troops themselves, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of the nation’s Security Council, the Belarusian leader delivered a stern response to neighboring Poland and the Baltic states, which had urged Minsk to remove the “extremely dangerous” Wagner fighters from the country earlier this week.

Lukashenko pointed out that NATO countries are constantly increasing their military presence on the Belarusian border, while accusing Minsk of “mythical aggressive intentions that have never existed.”

According to Lukashenko, Poland and the Baltic countries are stoking hysteria about the Wagner private military company, which moved to Belarus after a short-lived mutiny in Russia in late June. It was part of a deal between Moscow and the group’s chief Evgeny Prigozhin, who recently died in a plane crash.

The response to [these complaints about Wagner] is simple: Neither Poland, nor Lithuania, nor any other Baltic country should host a single foreign soldier. Then, they can raise objections to the presence of military personnel from other countries here. In the meantime, these are unreasonable and stupid demands.

Lukashenko also blasted Poland’s decision to no longer abide by the Cold War-era Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which sets limits on several categories of military equipment that can be stationed on the continent.

“This is a dangerous step… How should we react to all this? Not to mention the preparation of Belarusian fugitives on their territory to stage a military coup in Belarus,” he added.

In June, Lukashenko accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of training armed “extremist” groups to infiltrate Belarus.

Speaking on Thursday, the Belarusian leader said Minsk was ready to restore relations with its neighbors, while inviting Polish delegates to monitor the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military exercises that will be held on the country’s western border in early September.

Lukashenko’s comments come after Poland and the Baltic states warned that they may close all border crossings with Belarus in the event of a “critical incident” after repeatedly accusing the neighboring country of facilitating illegal migration in the EU. In the past, Belarus’ neighbors have also repeatedly claimed that Wagner operatives were attempting to infiltrate Poland.

https://www.rt.com/russia/582155-belarus-wagner-nato-lukashenko/

31 Aug, 2023 13:52

Lithuania summons Vatican envoy

Vilnius wants to have a “conversation” about Pope Francis’ praise of Russian history

The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has requested a meeting with the Vatican’s envoy to the country about recent remarks made by Pope Francis on Russian history, local media have reported.

“The Foreign Ministry has invited the apostolic nuncio for a conversation in early September, when Archbishop Petar Rajic will return from his vacation,” the Baltic News Service quoted spokesperson Paulina Levickyte as saying on Wednesday.

The Pope stirred anger among Moscow’s critics with his remarks to young Russian Catholics last week. He urged them to cherish their nation’s history, naming Peter I and Catherine II as examples of great Russian political leaders. The monarchs were bestowed with the honorific “the Great” and are two of three such Russian rulers.

The Pontiff’s words were met with fury in Kiev. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry accused Pope Francis of praising “grand-state ideas, which are the cause of Russia’s chronic aggression.” Mikhail Podoliak, a senior aide to President Vladimir Zelensky, branded the Catholic leader an “instrument of Russian propaganda.”(KEK!)

The Vatican’s ambassador to Kiev rejected claims that the remarks supported imperialism. The Lithuanian Embassy to the Holy See reposted his comments, according to local media, although the Foreign Ministry said the apparent endorsement had not been coordinated with Vilnius.

Moscow reacted to the controversy by stating that it agreed with the Pope’s assessment that Russia has a rich and much-valued history.

There are many teachers in Russian schools and universities whose goal is to inspire students with this legacy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that “the fact that the Pontiff sounded in unison with those efforts was very pleasing.”

(The Pope should never have become a politician instead of a Pope. If he had, he wouldn’t have made himself a target for the left or radicals because he didn’t go outside his lane. But the guy is a Marxist, Communist and he couldn’t resist using the pulpit to spread his evil ideology.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/582152-lithuania-pope-russian-history/

31 Aug, 2023 09:43

Kiev worries West might renege on F-16 deliveries – NYT

Ukraine wants to get the advanced fighter jets before elections in the US, the outlet has reported

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is scrambling to complete an agreement for delivery of F-16 fighter jets to his country as soon as possible, according to the New York Times. Zelensky fears that shifting political sands in Western countries could undermine support for Kiev and in particular scupper his hopes for the warplanes, the outlet reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

According to serving and former US and Ukrainian officials interviewed by the paper, Kiev “senses a ticking political clock” when requesting the US-designed F-16 aircraft. Zelensky apparently wants to get as many jets as possible before elections in the EU and the US “bring a change of heart in the governments that have promised the planes,” the report said. (Zelensky knows he has no dirt or blackmail on Trump, so he wants to use what he has quickly)

The international coalition to help Kiev procure F-16s and train Ukrainian pilots was first announced by the UK and the Netherlands in May, with a total of 11 countries backing the effort. However, Ukraine does not expect to receive the first of the promised warplanes until 2024.

While the administration of US President Joe Biden has signaled that it would allow Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands to send their F-16s to Ukraine, a new president could reverse this policy if the delivery has not yet been completed by the time they come to power, an unnamed American official told the paper.

Another former US official suggested that Zelensky also wanted to secure the deliveries in case “a sluggish counteroffensive erodes political support among allies.”Ukraine has been unsuccessfully trying to breach Russian lines since early June, losing more than 43,000 service members, according to Moscow.

The scramble to secure the fighter-jets comes amid increasing skepticism among Republicans in the US Congress about sending further military support to Kiev, with many citing a lack of financial transparency and strategic vision on the part of the White House. The growing chorus of discontent has also been echoed by former US President and current GOP presidential candidate frontrunner Donald Trump.

Trump has repeatedly slammed the Biden administration’s handling of the Ukraine conflict, noting that Washington is “giving away so much equipment” to Kiev while it does not have enough munitions for itself.

Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against supplying Ukraine with F-16s, arguing that the move could be interpreted as a nuclear threat as these jets can potentially carry atomic weapons.

(I hope the Military has convinced Bidan and the Admin, it’s not a good idea to give a Terrorist country high tech American weapons and planes, to a country that could turn on us at any time.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/582132-ukraine-f16-deliveries-elections/

31 Aug, 2023 18:21

Ukrainian FM tells critics to ‘shut up’(angry fat baby man FM, is having a tantrum)

Dmitry Kuleba has called on anyone dissatisfied with the pace of the Kiev’s counteroffensive to go fight Russia themselves

TheForeign Minister of Ukraine Dmitry Kulebahas lashed out at critics of his country in the West who are not impressed with Kiev’s much-hyped counteroffensive. Detractors of the operation should instead go to the front lines and fight, he also suggested.

“Criticizing the slow pace of the counteroffensive is equal to spitting into the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day,” Kiev’s top diplomat told journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of a EU foreign ministers’ meeting in the Spanish city of Toledo. “I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves,” he said.

His words came after Kuleba urged EU member states to supply more lethal weapons to Kiev, including long-range missiles, armored vehicles and air defense systems. He also warned that Moscow was ramping up its own missile production.

“We should deprive Russia of the capacity to produce missiles and drones. We see that the production is increasing, and they use Western elements, and Western spare parts,” Kuleba said, as he called on Ukraine’s Western backers to crack down on suppliers supposedly circumventing sanctions Washington and its allies imposed against Moscow.

The minister also specifically demanded Western air defense systems to protect what he described as an “alternative sea route” delivering Ukrainian agricultural products to foreign markets, in the wake of Russia’s suspension of its participation in the grain deal also known as the Black Sea Initiative.

Moscow pulled out of the UN- and Türkiye-brokered deal in July, citing the West’s failure to lift sanctions hindering Russian agricultural exports. It also said it was ready to return to the deal once its conditions are met.

Kuleba’s words came as the Ukrainian counteroffensive continues, failing to bring about any tangible results in almost three months since its launch. Ukrainian forces have also suffered heavy losses in the operation, both in personnel and equipment.

Specifically, Kiev’s troops have lost 25 German-made Leopard tanks, 21 US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and more than 70 American M777 howitzers in the first two months of the counteroffensive, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Developments such as these have prompted many former and acting NATO and European officials to question the operation’s prospects as well as the Western strategy of arming Kiev. In mid-August, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s chief of staff, Stian Jenssen, suggested Ukraine could give up its territorial claims in exchange for peace and NATO membership. His words sparked an angry reaction in Kiev, forcing the official to apologize.

https://www.rt.com/russia/582177-ukraine-counteroffensive-critics-shut-up/