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"It would be a serious historical mistake to allow Putin to prevail."
said #NATO clown #Stoltenberg.

Someone needs to wake him up.
The war has already been decided.


Výborný tah. #Slovensko je v tuto chvíli bezpečnostní riziko pro celou #EU i #NATO


Ukraine Daily Summary - Thursday, January 25


Thursday, January 25

Russia’s war against Ukraine


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A woman stands near a crater left by a missile in the yard of an educational institution in Kharkiv on Jan. 24, 2024. Russian forces shelled Kharkiv three times in 24 hours on Jan. 23 as part of a mass missile strike against Ukraine. Mayor Ihor Terekhov declared Jan. 25 a day of mourning for the victims of the attack. (Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Zelensky on Il-76 crash: Ukraine to demand international investigation, fate of POWs unknown. President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address on Jan. 24 said Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into the crash of the Russian Il-76 transport plane in Belgorod Oblast.

RFE/RL Schemes project identifies crew members’ names of crashed IL-76, confirms 3 deaths. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigation project Schemes identified the names of the crew members of the Russian Il-76 transport plane that crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 that was allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war.

White House cannot confirm claims that Ukrainian POWs were in Belgorod Oblast plane crash. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the White House was aware of the reports and was "obviously doing the best we can to try to get more clarity and more information on it.”

Ukraine says it was not informed about need to ensure safety of airspace before plane crash in Belgorod Oblast. The Russian side did not notify Ukraine about the necessity to ensure the safety of the airspace around Belgorod, Ukraine's military intelligence said, which has been done "repeatedly" in the past.

Lavrov calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting over plane crash. Speaking at the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the plane crash a "terrorist attack" and held Ukraine responsible.

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Kharkiv mayor declares day of mourning, proposes renaming Pushkinska Street following Russian missile attacks. January 25 will be a day of mourning for the victims of Russia's mass missile attacks against Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced via Telegram. He also proposed renaming the city's Pushkinska Street in the wake of the Russian attack.

Military intelligence: Cyberattack on Russian scientific research center deals 'devastating' damage. Ukraine's military intelligence agency confirmed the media reports on the attack, saying that the hackers allegedly destroyed 280 servers and two petabytes of data.

Fire breaks out at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. A fire broke out at an oil depot in the town of Tuapse in Russia's southern Krasnodar Krai the night of Jan. 25. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties.

Deputy minister: Foreign investors want to buy two Ukrainian state-owned banks. Foreign investors expressed interest in purchasing two Ukrainian state-owned banks, Ukrgasbank and Sense Bank, Deputy Finance Minister Yurii Drahanchuk told Ukrainska Pravda.

Military intelligence names fallen officer behind August sabotage of Russian bombers. A Ukrainian reconnaissance unit, led by fallen Colonel Oleh Babii, was responsible for the destruction or disabling of three Russian Tu-22M3 bombers in August 2023, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) revealed.

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Ukraine war latest: Russia says Ukrainian POWs were in crashed II-76 aircraft, Kyiv calls for investigation

A Russian Il-76 transport aircraft allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 at around 11 a.m. local time. Ukrainska Pravda initially claimed that Ukrainian forces downed the plane, but the information was later retracted.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs were aboard the fatally crashed plane on its way for a prisoner exchange, as well as six crew members and three accompanying people.

Photo: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles not a sign of Moscow's depleted domestic capacity

Russia’s missile campaign against Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure is no longer limited by the rate of domestic production as North Korea becomes its top weapons supplier. Pyongyang has allegedly sent Moscow more than 1 million artillery rounds and the mass strikes on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 provided the first direct evidence that Russia used North Korean missiles to attack a Ukrainian city, specifically Kharkiv. Experts say this will allow Russia to intensify its attacks on civilian targets.

Photo: Vladimir Smirnov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

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Human cost of war


Death toll of Russian Jan. 23 strike on Kharkiv rises to 10. The two Kharkiv residents found the ruins of a five-story building today were a 56-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man.

Police: 2 killed**, 9 wounded in Russian attack on Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast.** Russian troops launched an attack against the town of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast, targeting a residential area, the Donetsk Oblast police said on Jan. 24.

Russian forces Kherson hospital, injure 3 medical workers. Russian forces launched an attack against Kherson on Jan. 24, hitting a hospital and injuring at least three medical workers, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 378,660 troops in Ukraine. Russia has lost 378,660 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 24. This number includes 840 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response


Shmyhal meets Fico in Uzhhorod, says Slovakia will not block EU aid for Ukraine. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Uzhhorod for a meeting to discuss bilateral relations between Ukraine and Slovakia, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Jan. 24.

Reuters: EU unlikely to confiscate Russian central bank assets. European officials believe it is unlikely that the EU will seize Russian central bank assets, partly due to the legal risks, Reuters reported on Jan. 23.

EU Commission wants to continue liberalization of food trade with Ukraine. "The European Commission will soon announce a proposal to extend liberalization measures for Ukraine. Member states hope to receive information about such an extension, as well as a vision of long-term trade relations," Belgian Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium David Clarinval said.

Pentagon: Lack of funding prevents US from meeting Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs. The U.S. government has not provided any military aid to Ukraine for the first time since the Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) was established in April 2022, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder said during the briefing on Jan. 23.

US Treasury Secretary reassures Ukrainian PM on $11.8 billion of budget support. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated in a video call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Jan. 23 that the Biden administration is committed to securing $11.8 billion in direct budget support to Ukraine as part of the national security supplemental request before Congress.

Polish farmers begin protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports. The protests have occurred in over 200 places throughout Poland, the Polish media outlet RMF24 reported.

Estonia joins UK-led training operation for Ukrainian soldiers. According to Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian instructors will train Ukrainian volunteers at the U.K.’s military bases and continue cooperating with Ukrainian soldiers under the EU’s EUMAM training mission in Estonia.

Bank of Cyprus leaves Russia. The Bank of Cyprus, the biggest Cypriot bank, closed its representative offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg on Jan. 22, the data posted by the Central Bank of Russia revealed.

In other news


Ukraine's Yastremska reaches Grand Slam semifinals, repeating national record. Dayana Yastremska ousted Linda Noskova in two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, to reach the Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

Orban: Hungary supports Sweden's NATO accession. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he "will continue to urge" Hungary's parliament to "to vote in favor of Sweden’s accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity."

General: UK must train 'civilian army,' prepare for land war. Britain's recent cuts to its army indicate it is not taking the threat from Russia and other countries seriously enough, said the U.K.'s Chief of the General Staff, General Patrick Sanders.

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Commenting on #Ukraine membership in #NATO, #Putin said “Ukraine has right to ensure its security, but not by creating threats to #Russia”[^1], a statement which on its face value sounds absurd, granted that it’s Russia that in the first place materialised the largest threat in the last half century for Ukraine and Europe.

But behind that statement there’s a certain logic of Russian elites, and since this postulate was and will be picked up by the Putinverstehers of the world, I think it requires a clarification.

Russians wholeheartedly believe they have a moral right to Ukraine and Eastern Europe. This “right” is not based on, or directly contravenes all kind of international agreements and obligations signed by Russia but it doesn’t matter, because Russia treats all laws in the same way as explained by Simonyan in the context of Wagner mutiny - they are “made for humans” and can be applied selectively, as necessary.[^2]

Because of the above, they also believe they have a moral right to intervene, either covertly, as they did all the time before 2014, or directly, using military force, as they did starting from 2014. These interventions form the core of “security of Russian interests” frequently mentioned by Putin and others.

This vague “moral right” to interventions of their liking was precisely what drove not only annexation of Crimea and war in Donbas, but also numerous GRU assassinations in Europe, explosions in Vrbětice etc. And, to be honest, lukewarm reaction of the international community was perceived by them as a kind of approving nod.

Now, once we established how these interventions in “their zone of influence” (once again, having no legal base) are considered as their sacred right, any defensive actions or countermeasures undertaken by the target countries are naturally described by Russia as “violation of their security”.

This is exactly how air defense “Patriot” batteries located in #Poland were described by Russians as “threat to their security”, and this is exactly how Ukrainian static lines of fortifications in Donbas were also described as “offensive”. Of course, you can’t invade another country with static trenches 20 km from their border, but dialectically these fortifications reduced options for Russian invasion, thus limiting their “sacred right” to invade. 🤷‍♂️

This kind of dialectics has a long tradition in Russia: during and after WW2, Soviets many times labelled as “Nazis” anyone who fought against Soviet influences even if they also fought against German invasion. Which led to absurd arguments, where people like Poland’s Witold Pilecki, who tirelessly fought against Nazis from 1939, when USSR was German ally, was at the end of the war sentenced to death as “Nazi collaborator” because he also opposed Soviet occupation.[^3]


[^1]: https://tass.com/world/1646611

[^2]: https://agora.echelon.pl/notice/AX56Nlajrdw8qiex4S

[^3]: https://write.as/arcadian/on-the-kremlins-ideas-of-denazification-and-russophobia


BREAKING NEWS!

❗️The US and its allies plan to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets as part of long-term efforts to strengthen Kyiv's security, — a senior White House official commented to NBC News
#Ukraine️ #Russia #Russian #Putin #EU #NATO #Zelensky #war #news #Moscow #USA #UK #Germany #Poland #France #Turkey #Finland


Ukraine Daily Summary - Tuesday, January 24


Ukraine Daily

Tuesday, January 24
Russia’s war against Ukraine


KI-Inline_24-01-2023

Ukrainian emergency service workers extinguish a fire in a garage after Russian shelling in Chasiv Yar, 23 Jan. 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Poll: Record 86% of Ukrainians support joining NATO. Meanwhile, 87% of Ukrainians are currently in favor of their country's aspiration to join the European Union, according to a new poll by the Rating Group.

Foreign minister: Western tanks are coming to Ukraine soon. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Jan. 23 that Ukraine is in the final stages of convincing allies to provide Western main battle tanks, including German-made Leopard 2s.

NGO: Most convicts recruited by Wagner killed, wounded or deserted. Of the 50,000 convicts recruited by mercenary company Wagner Group from the Russian prison system, only 10,000 remain in the ranks of the military, according to Olga Romanova, head of Russia Behind Bars, an NGO that protects the rights of convicts.

General Staff: Ukraine downs two Russian aircrafts, helicopter over past day. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 24 that Ukraine's military shoot down two Russian Su-25 aircrafts, one Ka-52 helicopter, an Orlan-10 drone, and two guided air missiles Kh-59.

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Zelensky: Security council bans state officials from leaving Ukraine, except for business trips. Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are banned from leaving the country during the war, except for cases when they obtain special permits from the government. Some Ukrainian state officials and businesspeople have routinely abused this system and bypassed the restrictions.

Anti-Corruption Court seizes assets of Russian billionaire. The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine seized the Ukrainian assets of Russian billionaire Mikhail Shelkov. The assets include multiple apartments, vehicles, company shares, and money in Ukrainian bank accounts.

Zelensky's deputy chief of staff Tymoshenko resigns. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Deputy Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Kyrylo Tymoshenko on Jan. 23.

Ukrenergo: Emergency blackouts introduced in 5 Ukrainian regions on Jan. 23. The power deficit in Ukraine's energy system has increased as the consumption rises, the country's state grid operator Ukrenergo reported on Jan. 23. Emergency power outages have been introduced in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, and Volyn oblasts where consumption limits have been exceeded.

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‘They were real beasts’: A farming couple describes what occupation looked like in their village.

The darkness setting over the muddy street of the small hamlet in Kharkiv Oblast did little to hide the destruction Russian soldiers left behind.

Photo: Alexander Query/Kyiv Independent

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How kindergarten morning in Kyiv suburb turned into tragedy.

The crash in Brovary, a city just east of Kyiv, killed 14 people, including one child and several parents of preschoolers, turning what was supposed to be an ordinary day for the kindergarten into a nightmare.

Photo: Ed Ram/Getty Images

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Ukraine war latest: Kyiv expects battle for Donbas to intensify in February-March amid Russia's desperate attempt to capture the region.

Russian forces will likely intensify their offensive in eastern Ukraine in the coming months, Deputy Military Intelligence Chief Vadym Skibitsky said on Jan. 23.

Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

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The human cost of Russia’s war


Russian attacks across 7 Ukrainian oblasts kill 1, injure 8 over past 24 hours. Russian attacks were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in the east, south, and north of Ukraine.

Russian artillery kills 1 civilian**, wounds 2 others in Sumy Oblast.** Russian artillery shelled a residential building in Sumy Oblast on Jan. 23, killing a woman and wounding two other people, Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said on Telegram.

Russian Jan. 23 attack on Kherson Oblast kills 1. Russian forces struck Kherson Oblast’s village of Antonivka, killing one person, Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported on Jan. 23. The killed man was in the yard of the building when Russian projectiles fell there, according to Yanushevych.

Russian shelling of Chasiv Yar kills 1, wounds 2. Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported late on Jan. 23 that Russian shelling killed one person and injured two others in Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut in Donestk Oblast.

Russian attacks injure 4 civilians in Donetsk Oblast over past day. Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast injured four civilians over the past day, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on Jan. 23 on Telegram. Three people were injured in Bakhmut and one in Avdiivka, the governor said.

UN: At least 18,483 civilian casualties in Ukraine due to Russia’s war. According to the United Nations human rights agency, Russia’s war against Ukraine has killed at least 7,068 civilians and wounded at least 11,415 from Feb. 24 to Jan. 22. The agency reported that the actual figures are likely considerably higher since the information from places with ongoing hostilities is delayed, and many reports of civilian casualties still need to be confirmed.

General Staff: Russia has lost 121,480 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine's General Staff reported on Jan. 23 that Russia had also lost 3,150 tanks, 6,276 armored fighting vehicles, 4,936 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,146 artillery systems, 447 multiple launch rocket systems, 220 air defense systems, 287 airplanes, 277 helicopters, 1,894 drones, and 18 boats.

International response


Reuters: EU approves 542 million euro military aid package to Ukraine. The European Union on Jan. 23 approved another 500 million euro military aid package to Ukraine, along with an additional 45 million euros earmarked for non-lethal equipment for the EU's training mission in the country, Reuters reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources.

Russia, Estonia expel each other’s ambassadors due to ‘destroyed relations.’ Russia has summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre, ordering him to leave the country by Feb. 7, followed by Estonia making the same move under "the principle of parity," the AP reported, citing the countries' foreign ministries.

Estonia to give Ukraine all its 155-mm howitzers in largest aid package so far. "We want to create a precedent so that other countries will not have any excuses why they cannot provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons to win the war," said Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine Kaimo Kuusk.

Sweden to provide Ukraine with equipment to restore energy supply. The Swedish government allowed the state-owned grid operator Svenska Kraftnat to transfer the materials that can be used to restore Ukraine's power system.

VOA: Bradley fighting vehicles to arrive in Ukraine within few weeks. U.S. Bradley infantry fighting vehicles will arrive in Ukraine within the next few weeks, Voice of America reported, citing an anonymous Pentagon official.

PM: Poland to apply for Germany's approval to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine. “Even if we did not get this approval, we would still transfer our tanks together with others to Ukraine," Morawiecki said at a news conference, saying that Germany's consent is "of secondary importance."

German defense minister: Decision on Leopard tanks for Ukraine to be made 'soon.' German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told ARD that a decision on supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine will be made "soon" but called for patience in this matter. "The 'Leopard' is a heavy, armored weapon that can also be used for offensive purposes. And you have to think very carefully about when you bring them," said Pistorius.

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“Sweden’s center-right government will fulfil all requirements under a deal with Turkey to join NATO and will concentrate external relations to its immediate neighborhood while dropping the previous administration’s ‘feminist foreign policy,’ the country's top diplomat said Monday.”

Sounds like a right cunt. Congratulations on throwing the Kurds under a bus and getting in bed with an Islamist dictator, dickhead.

https://inkl.com/a/avGEpxSAxrA

#sweden #turkey #nato


Westerners: “haha, we pulled one over on Erdoğan. Don’t worry, the Kurds are safe…”

Erdoğan: “these signatures don't mean the issue is done... Without our parliament's approval, this does not go into effect … The ball is in their court now.”

“Asked about the extradition of suspects, Erdogan said if the Nordic countries did not send these individuals ‘then we will do what is necessary through our institutions and units.’”

https://inkl.com/a/jXnQNxFvWgv

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When in doubt, throw the Kurds under a bus.

Congratulations to Sweden and Finland for giving in to a genocidal dictator’s demands.

https://inkl.com/a/jXGVVJTvWgv

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“For as long as Tayyip Erdogan is the head of the Republic of Turkey, we definitely cannot say ‘yes’ to countries which support terrorism entering NATO”

https://inkl.com/a/xApRaauvVXv

Well it seems like there’s a very easy solution to that problem… 🤔

Also, what kind of dickhead speaks about himself in the third person? Oh yes, that kind.

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Your daily reminder that Erdoğan is an islamist autocrat and his regime has the largest number of imprisoned journalists in the world.

(Hey, if I’m to be called “a terrorist” by these people and barred from visiting the country I was born in for speaking out against him publicly, I might as well continue to do my job diligently.)

Fuck Erdoğan. I realise Turkey’s geopolitical military value for NATO but just fuck Erdoğan.

https://inkl.com/a/NYRpoltdJzd

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I’m all for Finland and Sweden joining NATO but I hope with my whole heart it doesn’t come at the cost of throwing the long-suffering Kurdish people under the bus yet again. If there was ever a time to tell Erdoğan “sit down, shut up, or fuck off”, it’s now. In other words, the sultan has no clothes; call his bluff.

https://inkl.com/a/aRPJRruAxrA

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In case you were still wondering, no, the islamist despot of Turkey, Erdoğan, has never been (and is not) your ally.

I may have been born Turkish but my solidarity is with the Kurds and their struggle for an independent, democratic, and egalitarian society. Sweden and Finland should be applauded for their support.

https://inkl.com/a/WArJpYIygzy

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