[NBC] LONDON — A group of former senior U.S. national security officials have held secret talks with prominent Russians believed to be close to the Kremlin — and, in at least one case, with the country’s top diplomat — with the aim of laying the groundwork for potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, half a dozen people briefed on the discussions told NBC News.
In a high-level example of the back-channel diplomacy taking place behind the scenes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with members of the group for several hours in April in New York, four former officials and two current officials told NBC News.
On the agenda of the April meeting were some of the thorniest issues in the war in Ukraine, like the fate of Russian-held territory that Ukraine may never be able to liberate, and the search for an elusive diplomatic off-ramp that could be tolerable to both sides.
Sitting down with Lavrov were Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, current and former officials said. The group was joined by Europe expert Charles Kupchan and Russia expert Thomas Graham, both former White House and State Department officials who are Council on Foreign Relations fellows.
#2
Democrats might be wondering if going into the 2024 election with the prospect of a Russian victory in Ukraine looming over them is a good idea. Even without Russian victory, Trump will make hay of the fact that hundreds of thousands have lost their lives just because Joe Biden wanted to expand NATO onto Russia's front porch.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/06/2023 13:02 Comments ||
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Aleksey Avramenko was transport minister when the incident happened in 2021
A Ryanair flight carrying Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend from Greece to Lithuania was 'hijacked' by Belarusian authorities and the pair were arrested
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[LB] Chernihiv, Sumy, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions came under fire.
by Iryna Lysohor
The Russians fired six times a day in the Chernihiv region . Mortars and artillery were used in the Koryukiv and Novgorod-Siversky districts. 77 explosions were recorded. Without victims and destruction, it is said in the summary from OVA as of this morning.
The enemy launched five shellings (27 explosions) in Sumy at night and in the morning. Three territorial communities - Bilopolska, Krasnopilska, Myropilska - were shelled. In advance - without consequences. Yesterday, during the day, the Russians carried out 36 shelling of the border.
A total of 268 explosions were recorded. Bilopolska, Velikopysarivska, Glukhivska, Esmanska, Znob-Novgorodska, Krasnopilska, Mykolaivska, Seredino-Budska, Yunakivska communities came under fire. Krasnopil community: as a result of one of the shellings, three private houses were damaged. Myropil community: a private household building, the premises of the lyceum were damaged. The Russians also fired artillery (18 explosions), as a result of which two private houses and a former farm building were damaged.
In Zaporizhzhia, the enemy fired 60 shots at 12 settlements in one day. So far, the destruction of 17 civilian objects has been recorded. Orihiv was hit by an airstrike, Levadne, Novodarivka, and Malynyvka were hit by seven salvo rocket attacks, Novotroitske, Gulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Orihiv, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanilivka, Preobrazhenka, Charivne survived 52 artillery attacks. Fortunately, people survived.
In Dnipropetrovsk at night, defenders from PvK "East" shot down an enemy drone. In the morning, the aggressor struck the Marganets community with an unmanned aerial vehicle. There are no casualties. The consequences are being clarified.
In Luhansk last day, the enemy tried to advance south of Novoselivskyi. With the support of aviation, he made attempts to dislodge our troops from the occupied positions west of Novovodyanyi and south of Dibrova, but he was unsuccessful. Nevske and Bilogorivka came under artillery fire from the occupiers. During the day, the enemy fired 99 rounds (426 shells).
In Kharkivskaduring the day, the occupiers launched rocket and artillery strikes. The enemy launched a rocket attack on the city of Pervomaiskyi and the village of Bily Kolodyaz.
Threee mortars and artillery shelled the border settlements of Kharkiv, Chuguiv, Kupyan and Izyum districts, in particular: Vovchansk, Udy, Kurylivka, Bely Kolodyaz, Kozacha Lopan, Odnorobivka, Okhrimivka, Zemlianka, Odradne, Novomlynsk, Dvorichny, Zapadne, Mastivka and Kislivka . In the settlement of Monachynivka, the occupiers damaged houses and farm buildings with shelling. There are no casualties.
In Pervomaiskyi, 43 people, including 12 children, were injured as a result of the "Eskander" rocket hitting. Eight high-rise buildings were damaged, cars were on fire. In the evening, the enemy launched a powerful mortar attack on the village of Udy.
A total of 19 hits were made, two private houses were damaged and a car was destroyed. There are no victims. At night, in the settlement of Bily Kolodyaz, as a result of the shelling of the enterprise (sugar factory), there is destruction and transformer oil was on fire. 45- and 37-year-old men received explosive injuries and were hospitalized in moderate condition.
In the morning, artillery shelling took place there, an apartment building and a car were damaged. There was no information about the victims. The data is being verified. This morning in Kozachiya Lopan, a house was on fire as a result of shelling, but no one was injured.
In Izyum, as a result of the detonation of an explosive object in Piskov Forest, a 69-year-old woman received injuries, amputation of her foot, and shrapnel wounds. 45- and 37-year-old men received explosive injuries and were hospitalized in moderate condition.
In the morning, artillery shelling took place there, an apartment building and a car were damaged. There was no information about the victims. The data is being verified. This morning in Kozachiya Lopan, a house was on fire as a result of shelling, but no one was injured. In Izyum, as a result of the detonation of an explosive object in Piskov forestry, a 69-year-old woman received injuries, amputation of her foot, and shrapnel wounds.
The Russians launched 23 shellings in Donetska during the day.
A total of 13 settlements were shelled: Avdiivka, Kostyantynivka, Lyman, Chasiv Yar, Velyka Novosilka, Udachne, Severny, Vesely Hay, Hannivka, Dalne, Maksimivka, Novoukrainka, Druzhkivka. Two residential buildings, a non-working substation, and the Druzhkivska MBA building were damaged. In Donetsk region in a day: two civilians were injured.
In Mykolayivska yesterday during the day, Ochakiv came under enemy fire, as a result of which a dry grass fire broke out in an open area. Also yesterday, the enemy shelled the water area of Ochakivska hromada with artillery. There are no casualties. As a result of the shelling of the settlement of the Kutsurub community, a dry grass fire broke out in an open area, the area of 500 square meters. m. There were no casualties.
In Khersonska, the enemy fired 83 rounds (465 shells) during the day, of which six rounds (27 shells) were fired at Kherson. The occupiers targeted the districts of 24 settlements of the region, a school in the village of Veletenske, and a building of a critical infrastructure facility in the Kherson district. Due to Russian aggression, two people died, one was injured.
We will remind you that the enemy is concentrating its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv and Marin directions, and heavy fighting is ongoing. During the day, 40 combat clashes took place.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] 23:18 The counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is going on not only in the south of Ukraine, but also in the Bakhmut region. The Ukrainian military are recapturing the lines previously occupied by the enemy and have achieved strategic success. About why the capture of Kleshcheevka is so important - in the material Claws shrink .
22:43 After the strike on Makiivka, a strong fire at the oil depot, Russian propaganda media reported.
22:21 A second meeting with representatives of foreign diplomatic missions was held in Kiev, aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine, Yermak said in a telephone conversation with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The meeting was attended by the ambassadors of the G7 countries, the EU Delegation to Ukraine and the heads of diplomatic missions of the Republic of South Africa, China, Denmark, Spain, India, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, Slovakia, the Czech Republic , Brazil, Argentina and the Vatican in Ukraine.
The head of the Presidential Office separately thanked Pietro Parolin for participating in today's meeting in Kyiv of the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine and the titular Archbishop of Martana - Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas. Yermak also thanked Pietro Parolin for his willingness to assist in the process of returning Ukrainian children illegally deported by Russia.
22:14 Ukraine again struck Makiivka, local "authorities" report.
22:12 Ukraine is significantly increasing the production of ammunition, said Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin: "We have a significant increase in production, we are starting to produce items that have not been produced for a long time. And still our production capabilities are very far from our needs."
21:58 In Bakhmut, the Russians are trapped - "they can't move around fully, they can't leave the city," said Anna Malyar. According to her, the hottest thing in the East is now in the Liman and Bakhmut directions. Tough battles are going on on Bakhmutsky, the enemy is holding on tightly to their positions. However, the situation can change from time to time. So, on the northern flank around Bakhmut there were battles, as of the end of the day without significant advances. There were some advances on the northern flank today.
The Deputy Minister of Defense noted that the Defense Forces are hitting the enemy in the East so powerfully that in some directions their military units have begun to leave their positions in whole units. "But the stakes have grown so much that the enemy began to use barrage detachments and, with weapons aimed at their backs, is trying to ensure the stamina of the troops," she added.
21:46 The Russians hit residential buildings in Belozerka, Kherson region: one person died, five were injured, including a ten-year-old child, the President's Office reported.
21:19 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that a "second territorial self-defense regiment" of 3,000 people is being formed in the region, the issue of equipment and weapons is being resolved.
20:37 On the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, 46 authoritative Western experts, military and diplomats, including former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegen and State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker, signed a letter calling for Ukraine to be provided with a roadmap to membership in the Alliance as soon as possible. The signatories believe that the NATO Heads of State and Government should instruct the NATO Council to develop recommendations on the timing and modalities of the Kyiv accession process for decision at the next NATO summit in Washington in 2024.
19:50 Zelensky imposed sanctions on 18 foreign companies, of which seven are registered in the Russian Federation, nine in Cyprus, one in Luxembourg and one in the British Virgin Islands.
19:43 The "mayor" of Volnovakha of the Donetsk region stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly struck a blow at the "administration", the left wing of the building was broken.
19:39 Losses of the Russian army since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine amounted to about 220 thousand killed and wounded, said British Deputy Defense Secretary James Hippie. According to him, the losses of the Russian Federation in armored vehicles amount to more than 6200 units.
19:36 The first meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council will be held on July 12, on the second day of the summit in Vilnius, the UP reports with reference to the official program of the meeting. It is noted that the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council "at the level of heads of state and government, including Sweden" will be held on July 12 at 13:00.
19:32 Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev confirmed preparations for Zelensky's visit: "This visit is important for us, I'm sorry that the information was leaked. I hope that this will not interfere with the arrival of the Ukrainian president."
19:30 Zelensky said in an evening video message that the Ukrainian authorities are in maximum contact with partners "so that no one in the world has even the slightest lack of information about the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the threats created by Russia."
The President also reminded that exactly one week remains before the key day of the NATO summit in Vilnius: "So, a week before the key moment for our common security in Europe. We work with partners to the maximum so that our common security in Vilnius wins. It all depends on the partners."
19:19 On the border with Belarus, all police patrols and counterintelligence units have been transferred to an enhanced combat duty regime, the number of foot and mobile patrol groups has been increased, said Sergei Naev, commander of the Pivnich Joint Strategic Forces Group. In addition, according to him, another plan for training military personnel directly in the border areas has been developed and already approved.
The entire border line was reinforced with means and personnel in those areas where there was at least a minimal threat of enemy penetration. There is also close cooperation with Polish partners: the Polish authorities decided to increase the number of law enforcement officers on the border bordering Belarus.
18:35 The IAEA asks for additional access to the ZNPP to "confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site," said the agency's director general Rafael Grossi. In particular, according to him, it is important for experts to have access to the roofs of the third and fourth power units, as well as to parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system at the station.
18:13 Britain plans to start training 20 Ukrainian pilots in August, Deputy Defense Minister James Hippie said.
17:48 In the Bakhmut direction, the Defense Forces are successful, Syrsky said. According to him, the assault units of the 10th Edelweiss Brigade are storming the positions of the Russians on the northern approaches to Bakhmut. A number of territories were recaptured and a significant amount of enemy manpower was destroyed.
17:27 Russia can produce about 100 missiles of various types per month, Oleksiy Gromov, deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, said in an interview with Ukrinform. According to him, every month the Russians manage to produce more than ten Iskanders, up to 30 Calibers, up to 60 air-launched cruise missiles, including Kinzhals.
16:39 CIA officers are constantly in Ukraine, but their activities are strictly regulated, and their number is limited, Newsweek writes, citing sources. In particular, their tasks include working with weapons, communication with the Ukrainian special services, control over "the situation does not go beyond certain limits."
According to the publication, the American intelligence service is working not only to help Ukraine (mainly by passing intelligence), but is also trying to find out the true plans of Zelensky and Putin. In addition, the CIA oversees significant amounts of American military assistance to Ukraine, which are kept secret.
15:45 Each of the lanes of the defense system in depth, built by the Russians, reaches a length of 10-40 km, and they are located close to each other, head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff Oleksiy Gromov said in an interview with Ukrinform.
14:56 The positions of Italy and Poland in relation to Ukraine coincide, Rome stands for real security guarantees for Kiev, Prime Minister George Meloni said.
14:31 Medvedev said that "any war can be ended quickly - either by a peace treaty, or by doing what the US did in 1945 by using nuclear weapons."
14:27 IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that during the latest checks, the agency's specialists did not find signs of mining at the ZNPP: "During our last checks, we did not reveal any mining activity, but we continue to remain vigilant."
14:06 The presence of nuclear charges in Belarus is currently unlikely, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff Alexei Gromov said in an interview with Ukrinform. According to him, the storage of nuclear weapons is a very complex technological process that requires special conditions and a deployed base for their maintenance.
13:55 Peskov called the Kremlin "fiction" Financial Times information that Xi Jinping personally warned Putin against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
13:14 Zelensky announced that he had held an expanded meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander. We discussed the protection of nuclear power plants, the situation at the front, and the further increase in our own production of equipment and ammunition, and the acceleration of the pace of repair of Western-style equipment. As a result of the meeting, Zaluzhny was instructed to strengthen the Northern direction.
12:36 Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda is sure that at the NATO summit in Vilnius it will be possible to agree on such obligations to Ukraine, "which will not disappoint her."
11:55 Russia is deliberately aggravating the situation with the ZNPP and may resort to terrorist actions on its territory in order to turn the tide of the war in its favor, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said: "Both scenarios - both intimidation by terrorist actions, and their direct commission - are for the Russian Federation is a tool for achieving military goals." Malyar urged to remain calm, trust only official sources of information and follow their recommendations.
11:32 Chinese Special Representative Li Hui, during a visit to Kiev, did not believe the Ukrainian authorities that the Patriot complex was able to intercept the Russian Dagger, and left without waiting for evidence, Reznikov said in an interview with the Financial Times. He also acknowledged that Russian electronic warfare systems can suppress GPS-guided munitions and HIMARS MLRS.
11:23 Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky said in an interview with ABC News that Prigozhin's rebellion did not affect the situation on the battlefield and, in general, does not matter. He also claims that, despite the strong defensive positions of the Russians, the counter-offensive of the Defense Forces is advancing according to the agreed plan.
"We all want to achieve the desired results, but in general the counteroffensive is moving according to plan, as we expected. I would call this process a natural achievement of our victory without creating pressure and pushing from anyone," summed up Syrsky. He added that the losses of the Russian Federation are 8-10 times higher than the Ukrainian ones.
10:48 Russia is preparing to send even more prisoners and "Kadyrovites" to the front in the coming weeks to replace Wagner PMC mercenaries, writes Bloomberg with reference to representatives of European intelligence. According to them, now there are about 15,000 fighters from among the prisoners in the Russian army, and it is not yet known how many more will be attracted. Chechnya, according to analysts, will not send many soldiers to the war - there are already 7,000 of its fighters at the front, and another 2,400 are being trained.
10:39 The Russian army during the war against Ukraine has lost almost half of its combat capability, said the head of the British Defense Staff, Tony Radakin. According to him, last year the Russian army fired 10 million artillery shells, but at best it can produce 1 million shells a year. In addition, the Russian Federation has lost 2,500 tanks and, at best, can produce 200 tanks a year.
Also, Radakin does not agree that the Ukrainian counteroffensive is moving slowly. At the same time, he acknowledged that the “stronger than expected” density of Russian minefields, the lack of Ukrainian air cover and “not all the equipment they wanted” complicated the campaign. Radakin stressed that it is unfair to tie Ukraine to a specific time frame. And Russia, he said, "now is so weak that it does not have the strength for its own counteroffensive."
10:10 Unknown partisans attacked Russian troops in the Bryansk region - a kamikaze drone destroyed the Diabazol electronic warfare complex at the Ural base, the State Border Service of Ukraine reported.
10:07 British intelligence drew attention to the fact that generals Sergei Surovikin and Yunus-bek Yevkurov do not appear in public after Prigozhin's rebellion. According to analysts, this may be a sign of a split in the Russian national security system. The intelligence service also recalled that the video caught a conversation between Yevkurov and Prigozhin during the capture of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don by the PMC Wagner.
British intelligence officials do not confirm Surovikin's arrest data, but at the same time suggest that he may be under suspicion due to long-term ties with Wagner since his service in Syria since 2017. Intelligence calls Surovikin one of the most authoritative officers in the Russian army, and also notes that any official sanctions against him are likely to cause a split.
09:46 Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to Moscow in March personally warned Putin against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, writes the Financial Times, citing Western and Chinese officials. Deterring Putin from using such weapons has been a central element of China's campaign to repair damaged ties with Europe, a senior Chinese government adviser said.
Western intelligence officials said Putin was disappointed after Xi's visit failed to produce any tangible results for Russia, such as the approval of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline. The condemnation of the use of nuclear weapons in their joint communiqué was almost certainly added at China's request, officials said.
09:08 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed, another one was injured. In the Donetsk region, two wounded, according to the IVA.
08:57 The defense forces are successful in the Kleshcheevka area in the Bakhmut direction, they are gaining a foothold on the achieved lines, said Andrei Kovalev, spokesman of the General Staff. To the north and south of the city of Bakhmut, Ukrainian troops continue to put pressure on the enemy, knocking them out of the previously captured lines. The enemy puts up powerful resistance, uses reserves, and suffers heavy losses. There are heavy battles.
At the same time, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the advance of Russian troops in the Limansky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions.
08:51 In the evening and at night, the Russians fired from the S-300 with. Bely Kolodets, Chuhuivsky district, Kharkiv region, two people were injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. In Pervomaisky, out of 43 injured as a result of yesterday's missile attack, seven people remain in hospitals, in a moderate condition.
08:24 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 5.
personnel - about 231,700 (+670) people liquidated,
tanks - 4062 (+3),
armored combat vehicles - 7917 (+9),
artillery systems - 4288 (+36),
MLRS - 656 (+9),
air defense systems - 395 (+1),
aircraft - 315 (+0),
helicopters - 309 (+0),
UAV operational-tactical level - 3614 (+12),
cruise missiles - 1264 (+0),
ships/boats - 18 (+0),
automotive equipment and tankers - 6865 (+22),
special equipment - 598 (+8).
07:49 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions, there are heavy battles. During the day, there were 40 combat clashes, the General Staff said in the morning summary .
According to the General Staff, in the occupied Skadovsk and Genichesk, Kherson region, an increase in the number of cases of infectious diseases with acute intestinal infections was noted. By the nature of the course, the disease has signs of cholera. The occupying "authority" does not recognize the increase in the incidence rate, tries to hide the deterioration of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region, began covert cholera vaccination of representatives of their "administrations" and their immediate environment.
07:25 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes that Ukraine is now focused on attrition of the enemy, maintaining manpower, at the cost of slow territorial advance. According to analysts, this does not indicate that the counter-offensive has reached a dead end. ISW emphasizes that the current Ukrainian counter-offensive is not as bright and lightning-fast as in the Kharkiv region, but more successful than the failed Russian winter offensive. In general, in terms of their pace and progress at the initial stage, Ukrainian actions are similar to the slower, but eventually successful Kherson scenario, experts say.
03:39 The Economist published an article Vladimir Putin's Useful Idiots , which ranked the countries that are accomplices of the Russian regime. It is led by Hungary and Austria, among the "useful idiots" are also Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Serbia.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Maxim Sokolov
[RIA] Exactly eighty years ago, on July 5, 1943, at dawn, the earth trembled on the Kursk Bulge. German artillery preparation began. And in the rays of the rising sun, leaflets fell on our trenches: "Surrender! You have already experienced the crushing power of German offensives more than once!" Continued on Page 49
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Victoria Nikiforova
[RIA] In the second year of the NMD, the unexpected turned out: the US military complex was not ready to conduct full-scale military operations. The idea to overwhelm Ukraine with weapons was designed only for a blitzkrieg. As conceived by American strategists, Russia should have lost long ago, plunged into the chaos of a civil war, on its ruins the Americans would have planted their puppets and with their help would have fallen on China.
But the Americans had no plans for a war of attrition.
Nobody had plans for a war of attrition, by the sound of it.
Now everything is falling apart for them because of a mere trifle - literally because there was no nail in the forge. It turned out that the American military-industrial complex does not produce shells and ammunition on the scale required for a big war.
And the Russian military-industrial complex? It seems to me they were not properly supplied even before the current excitement began.
Now the catastrophic state of affairs in the American defense industry is openly recognized at the highest level. Congress demands a full-scale reform of the military-industrial complex. In June, U.S. Secretary of the Army Christina Wormuth told reporters that U.S. manufacturing is failing to keep up with the demands of the Ukraine conflict: "The lesson our country has hopefully learned from the standoff in Ukraine is that our industry is underdeveloped, that's a wake-up call."
But if you look only at the numbers, then the American defense industry is the richest industry in the world. American weapons and equipment are positioned by their creators as "works of art." All this in total is worth some insane trillions. Fascinated by the cargo cult, Ukrainians are dying en masse for the "holy Javelins" and the bright "Stingers" - so long as their supplies do not stop. However, in all this splendor there is, as they say, one nuance.
The influential publication Foreign Affairs notes a paradoxical flaw in the modern American military-industrial complex: it is perfectly sharpened for export sales of glamorous equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but it is decidedly not suitable for waging a big conventional war. Well, this is such a war where artillery works a lot, where an inhuman amount of shells is spent, where glamorous equipment burns as hot as old and unadvanced ones, where it always lacks spare parts and where soldiers need ammunition in an amount that is an order of magnitude greater than that, what is now.
Why did it happen? Foreign Affairs believes that all the problems stem from the fact that the American state after the Second World War lost control over the defense industry and handed it over to private owners. Five giant monopolies now rule the US military-industrial complex - Raytheon , Boeing, Lockheed Martin , General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman.
In turn, the largest shareholders of these companies are such legendary investment funds as, for example, BlackRock . That is, the production of military equipment, in fact, is controlled by financiers. Naturally, they are only interested in profits and stock growth. Therefore, companies enter into contracts with the state for the maximum possible amount and produce the most expensive equipment - such as stealth aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Then this glamorous technique is exported. The company's profits are growing, the shares are also growing, the shareholders are happy, everything is fine. But with the production of the simplest "Stingers", artillery shells, even ordinary gunpowder, things are much worse.
First, the United States has a very expensive labor force. Hiring a highly skilled proletarian for a military plant is initially unprofitable. Secondly, this labor force still needs to be trained for a long time, which also requires expenses. Well, the price of shells is a penny, you can’t really weld or saw them here. So it turns out that the production of vital ammunition is unprofitable.
An interesting fact: American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were constantly short of ammunition, because in the United States at that time there was exactly one factory for their production. Or here's another: in 2021, one of the few American factories for the production of black powder exploded, and so far it has not been restored - this is unprofitable, the plant was unprofitable.
Therefore, although they started talking about the need to increase the production of shells a year ago, things are still there. New production lines have not been built because it is unprofitable for large corporations. Small private traders could take on an order with state money, but they are afraid that the government in Washington will change and immediately cancel injections into the military-industrial complex.
And the production will already be launched, and then what to do with it?
The "arsenals of democracy", from which it was planned to feed the Armed Forces of Ukraine , are "devastated", states Foreign Affairs, while the defense capability (of the United States) "has suffered noticeable damage."
This topic will be discussed at the upcoming NATO summit - in the same pessimistic vein. Yes, production needs to be increased, but it is not clear where to get the money for this. On salaries alone, European proletarians - if they agree to stand at the machine - can be ruined in a year.
It turns out that, by demilitarizing Ukraine, we simultaneously managed to thoroughly demilitarize the United States. In any case, there are no more hatred moods of last summer, when Washington, in all seriousness, was going to fight with Russia and China at the same time.
On the contrary, walkers are now being sent to Beijing , one by one, now Blinken, now Yellen. And they wave a white flag in front of Russia, offering - through the same Foreign Affairs - various options for a truce. For example, military analysts from the RAND Corporation, serving the interests of the American military-industrial complex, advise Kiev to accept all territorial losses and agree to refuse to join NATO in exchange for an agreement with the United States on defense and defense.
They can offer whatever they want, of course. Russia will continue to carry out all the goals of the NMD, especially since the side effect of our special operation is the undermining of the largest military-industrial complex on the planet. Nothing personal, gentlemen, it's just collateral damage - collateral damage, as they say.
#1
Load of cr@p. Some munitions are in short supply, but US troops don’t use a lot of Javelins or artillery anyway. Stingers are obsolete, and mothballed armor was never going to be used.
#2
...We slit our own throats 30 years ago with the drawdowns - and it wasn't so much losing the troops as it was losing the support infrastructure. The Army ammunition plants, the Navy Yards/Shipyards, and the consolidation of the aircraft and overall defense industries - that's what's hurt.
The losses in a potential conflict with China will be the things of genuine nightmares. The Navy could be broken beyond help for decades, the USAF could lose most of its aircraft in the Pacific on the ground, and the ground forces would be fed into the kind of meatgrinder that hasn't been seen by US forces since WWII. And the official response is - IMHO - kabuki.
#3
Well, if the plan is to surrender to the Chicoms, might as well turn that ordnance into boodle before the final capitulation.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/06/2023 7:19 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Truth. Federal arsenals closed. Foreign suppliers (especially communist China for crying out loud!) depended on for critical parts because they were the cheapest bidder. If it wasn't for greed and/or stupidity you would assign it to malice.
More on this story from yesterday
[KavkazUzel] The attack on lawyer Alexander Nemov and journalist Yelena Milashina is being investigated under articles on causing harm to health of medium and light severity, the Russian Investigative Committee said on the second day after the attack. Milashina has a traumatic brain injury, numerous bruises and fractures of 14 bones, Novaya Gazeta informed on the results of a survey of a journalist in a Moscow clinic.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 4, Novaya Gazeta journalist Yelena Milashina and Zarema Musayeva's lawyer Alexander Nemov were attacked in Chechnya. They were beaten by masked gunmen while driving from the airport to Grozny, where the verdict in the case of Zarema Musayeva was to be announced. Milashina said that there were at least 10 attackers, they demanded to unlock the phone and threatened to cut off their fingers.
Nemov and Milashina were sent to Moscow for treatment, Nemov's colleagues said that the lawyer could not walk. Lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted that Chechen investigators are in no hurry to open a case on the attack, although its investigation does not guarantee that the perpetrators will be named.
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, half a day after the attack, promised to "sort things out," Chechen Ombudsman Mansur Soltayev called the attack a provocation, and the head of the Chechen Ministry of Press, Akhmed Dudayev, pointed out that the attack showed "the signature of Western intelligence services." The reaction of the authorities, human rights activists and lawyers to the incident is collected in the "Caucasian Knot" report " Attack on Milashina and Nemov in Chechnya ".
The head of the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Chechen Republic, Vitaly Volkov, reported to the chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee on the initiation of a criminal case in connection with the attack on Milashina and Nemov. He noted that the case is being investigated under articles on deliberate infliction of moderate bodily harm (Part 2 of Article 112 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for up to five years in prison) and light bodily harm (Part 2 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for up to two years in prison).
"The investigative group is carrying out a complex of investigative actions and operational-search measures aimed at identifying the persons involved in this crime and all the circumstances of the incident," the Russian Investigative Committee said in a message on the Telegram channel.
Elena Milashina was examined after the attack in Chechnya, Novaya Gazeta reported today. "Diagnoses: closed craniocerebral injury, multiple fractures of the bones of the hands (up to 14), multiple bruises of soft tissues. Consciousness is clear, the condition is stable," the publication's website says.
Novaya also published two photographs of Milashina with signs of a beating. Hematomas are visible on the head, in particular, on the back of the head, the entire back of the journalist is bruised.
Kindly note that several entries in this article may have been removed because they included discussions of the grand strategic level.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:09 An explosion occurred in the city of Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine. This was reported by the local edition "Strana.ua".
In the Dnipropetrovsk region from 21:44 an air alert was announced. There are no details of the incident. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
21:58 The Russian army continues to crushenemy near Artyomovsk
20:48 Special Forces works by a group of militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Ugledar direction
19:16 Work of TOS "Solntsepyok" on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Avdiivka direction
19:00 Russian hackers gained access to the database of Ukrainian conscripts, and then deleted it
It is not clear whether Kyiv will be able to restore the database of conscripts, as it is not known if the files have backup copies. Probably, only paper copies of the lists of conscripts remained. However, the Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices will no longer be able to catch men and send them to slaughter with the same efficiency.
17:58 The crew of the reconnaissance and attack helicopter Ka-52 guided missile destroyed APU armored personnel carrier with troops.
17:56 Russian intelligence officers work from a boat on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a 12.7-mm machine gun "Utes"
16:55 Personnel destruction of a group of militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a boat with saboteurs in the area of Antonovsky bridge
16:54 Supreme Council of the Russian Federation destroyed armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South-Donetsk direction. The crew of a Russian reconnaissance and attack helicopter Ka-52 destroyed an armored personnel carrier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a landing force with a guided missile.
15:59 Paratroopers drove back the offensive of Ukrainian militants on the southern flank of the Artemovsky direction
15:58 Russian Armed Forces hit the warehouses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sumy region
According to "Come and See", as a result of Russian strikes, military depots in the Sumy region were hit.
“Arrivals came from warehouses. There are also losses among the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said the source of the channel.
Earlier it was reported about the explosions in the Sumy region.
14:59 The main thing from the new briefing of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation:
🔹The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation repelled two attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Krasnolimansky direction.
🔹The Russian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Razdolovka in the DPR defeated the command post of the 115th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
🔹The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine per day in the Krasnolimansky direction amounted to more than 90 servicemen.
🔹The RF Armed Forces repelled five attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Yuzhnodonets direction.
🔹The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation defeated three accumulations of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artemovsk.
🔹In the Krasnolimansky direction, the activities of two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were stopped.
🔹The RF Armed Forces repelled nine attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk direction.
🔹The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the battles in the Donetsk direction amounted to 290 people per day.
🔹The Armed Forces of Ukraine lost over 300 military personnel, two infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns Krab per day in the Yuzhnodonetsk and Zaporozhye directions.
🔹The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the settlement of Nevelskoye in the DPR.
🔹Russian troops destroyed up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers and three US-made M777 artillery systems in a day in the Kherson direction.
13:58 Ka-52 destroyed armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a guided missile in the South-Donetsk direction
13:57 In the Orekhov region, another Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down, which was trying to support the attacking actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In recent days, this is already the fourth aircraft lost by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Orekhov region.
According to preliminary data, the soldiers of the 58th Army destroyed another Su-25 attack aircraft flying towards the front line in the Orekhovskoye direction
After the defeat, the plane crashed in a lowland and is on fire. Now on account of the air defense of the 58th Army of the Southern Military District for four days four downed Nazi planes. On July 2, Su-25 and Su-27 were destroyed, on July 3 - Su-25 and today another Su-25.
12:52 Supreme Council of the Russian Federation eliminated the location of the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of temporarily occupied Kherson
12:51 Russian FPV drones near the Antonovsky bridge destroyed enemy personnel and watercraft
11:30 For the past day:
As a result of fire damage by the formations of the Dnepr group of troops in the island zone, the following were destroyed:
- 120 mm mortar crew and ammunition for it, losses: four servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed, three were injured of varying severity.
As a result of fire damage by the formations of the Dnepr grouping of troops in the Kherson direction, the following were destroyed:
- two 120mm mortar crews and ammunition for them, losses: eight servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed, six were injured of varying severity;
- three M-777 howitzers with ammunition, losses: 14 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed, five were injured of varying severity.
As a result of fire damage by formations of the Dnepr group of troops in the Kakhovka direction, the following were destroyed:
- the position of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of the settlement. Dutch, losses: three AFU servicemen destroyed; five - received injuries of varying severity;
- the position of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of the settlement. Republican, losses: three APU servicemen destroyed; seven - received injuries of varying severity.
11:29 Statements by the head of the press center of the Southern group. Main:
🔹Aviation of the Southern Group of Forces carried out rocket and bomb strikes on enemy targets in the Soledaro-Artemovsky and Aleksandro-Kalinovsky directions.
🔹During the counter-battery fight, the artillery of the group destroyed a 152mm self-propelled howitzer "Akatsiya" in Novonikolaevka, a large-caliber 240mm mortar 2S7 "Pion" in the Markovo region, a 152mm towed artillery gun 2A65 "Msta-B" in the village of Ostroy and a 120mm mortar at a firing position near Staromikhaylovka .
🔹In addition, artillery units hit the deployment point of the Georgian Legion mercenaries in Konstantinovka, the ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Vesyoloye, and five units of enemy vehicles in Seversk and Lastochkino.
10:25 Ukrainians, under pressure from Russian units, continue to leave their positions, realizing that death is inevitable
10:24 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation shared cadres combat work of crews of 100mm anti-tank guns "Rapira"
09:27 Personnel defeat by the "Lancet" of an American howitzer in the Bakhmut (Artemovsky) direction.
08:49 Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that as a result of the attack by the Armed Forces of Belgorod Valuyki, one woman was injured - she received shrapnel wounds to the chest. She was taken to the Valuyskaya Central District Hospital, doctors are providing her with all the necessary assistance.
08:10 Russian Armed Forces attacked enemy targets in Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy and Kharkov regions at night, explosions were heard near Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
08:07 Artillerymen from the Southern Group of Forces, together with scouts from a separate reconnaissance battalion "Sparta", discovered and destroyed a Ukrainian anti-aircraft gun hidden in a forest belt in the Donetsk direction -video.
07:50 Crews of Su-25 attack aircraft launched missiles in pairsblowson objects and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The launches were carried out from low altitudes, and after them the aircraft released heat traps. The strikes destroyed camouflaged fortified field positions and armored vehicles of Ukrainian militants.
07:47 Governor of the Kursk region Starovoit reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired on the village of Tyotkino: “In total, they counted 12 arrivals. There were no casualties."
07:40 Ukrainian militants shelled Valuiki in the Belgorod region - Governor Gladkov
The Armed Forces of Ukraine began to strike at the city around 7 am. According to local residents, the shelling is very strong - explosions are heard every 5 minutes. According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, there were no preliminary casualties.
“The air defense system worked, but there is destruction on the ground. Two private houses and five cars were badly damaged. The head of the district, Aleksey Dybov, and all operational services are in place, the door-to-door tour continues, ”said Governor Gladkov.
07:33 In the war zone eliminated battalion commander of the Zhytimir Troops, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Verbilo. Participated in a punitive operation in the Donbass. Prior to the NMD, he was responsible for the formation of the territorial defense of Zhytomyr.
06:50 In the Krasno-Limansky direction, our fighters destroyed the command post of the VFU with the help of the Krasnopol-M corrected artillery ammunition -video.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFrontInfo] 23:56 Official summary of the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC from 00:00 07/05/2023 to 00:00 07/06/2023
Over the past day Representation reported about 18 facts of firing by the VFU.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy made 12 attacks from the MLRS, artillery 155mm and 152mm.
On Gorlovsky two artillery attacks from MLRS, artillery 152mm. On Yasinovatsky three artillery attacks from MLRS, artillery 155mm.
On Volnovakhsky one artillery attack from MLRS. By releasing 110 units of various ammunition.
The region of six settlements of the Republic came under enemy fire: Horlovka (Nikitovsky district), Yasinovataya, the capital city. Donetsk (Kuybyshevsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeivka, Yelenovka, Volnovakha.
Over the past day, information was received about the wounding of eight civilians in the Petrovsky and Kirovsky districts of Donetsk.
4 residential buildings were damaged in the Petrovsky and Kuibyshevsky districts of Donetsk, as well as five civilian infrastructure facilities.
A previous 49 artillery attacks were recorded from the VFU side in 24 hours.
21:02 Three civilians were injured during the artillery attack of Donetsk by Ukrainian troops, city mayor Aleksey Kulemzin wrote in histelegram channels.
“Information continues to be received about the injured civilians as a result of the barbaric artillery attack by Ukrainian punishers of peaceful areas of the city of Donetsk. In the Kirovsky district, a man born in 1962 was injured. Two civilians were wounded in the Petrovsky district: men born in 1969 and 1993,” the mayor said.
19:25 The units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been inflicting indiscriminate strikes on the Donetsk agglomeration all day.
In the capital of the republic, residential buildings in the Kuibyshevsky, Petrovsky and Kirovsky districts were damaged, one man was injured.
The Nikitovsky district of Gorlovka and Yelenovka were also hit. Yasinovataya suffered the most from shelling: residential buildings, a grocery store, the building of the railway station and the canvas itself were damaged in the city, a large fire broke out at the place of arrival.
At the moment, there is no information about the victims and injured, the fire was successfully extinguished, and the damage is being assessed.
19:17 APU inflicted strike on the administration of Volnovakha (DPR), the left wing of the building was damaged - mayor
19:01 The consequences of the artillery attack of the Petrovsky district of Donetsk by Ukrainian militants -photo.
18:21 Today, as a result of the artillery attack of Kremennaya by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one civilian was killed, two were injured.
17:50 The number of victims of the artillery attack of Makiivka by Ukrainian militants has increased to 68.
17:37 Svatovsky section of the front and fighting near Novoselovsky. Situation as of 17.00 July 5, 2023
Fighting resumed in the Svatovsky sector a few days ago - then the fighters of the Russian army began to storm the enemy positions in Novoselovsky.
According to the latest data, the assault detachments of the RF Armed Forces continued to move, clearing the depot and the industrial zone near the railway and gaining a foothold on two streets of the village.
Control over a section of the railway line makes it easier to move inland, since it is located on a hill. At the moment, units of the RF Armed Forces are squeezing the enemy out of the settlement.
17:25 Today, the reconnaissance and artillerymen of the Western Group of Forces had a good day:
- the warehouse of enemy ammo was opened and destroyed in N. p. Volchansk;
- after 10 minutes, the enemy's PVD was covered at the plant in the same Volchansk;
- after that, the panicking militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine evacuated to the settlement. White Well, but there they were waiting for a gift from the MLRS "Tornado-G" and "Tornado-S";
- at the end of the working day, the enemy's PVD was destroyed in the settlement. Cossack Lopan.
17:12 Ukrainian formations once again tried to strike at Berdyansk in the Zaporozhye region.
In the sky over Berdyansk, the air defense system shot down a missile. At about 16:30, the APU militants tried to launch a missile attack on Berdyansk. The air defense system of the RF Armed Forces has successfully worked out. Rocket shot down over the sea. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or damage.
16:31 On video- the consequences of the artillery attack of the grocery store in Yasinovataya (DPR) by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the staff, they miraculously survived. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been artillery attack the peaceful quarters of the city since the very morning. As a result of the strikes, administrative buildings and the railway station were also damaged. There were no reports of casualties.
16:17 Mikhailovsky district of Zaporizhia region under fire from APU militants
The Nazis are again hitting private households in the Zaporozhye region. Today, the settlements of Burchak and Lyubimovka of the Mikhailovsky district of the Zaporozhye region came under fire.
In total, six arrivals were recorded, as a result of which the houses of local residents, a garage and a car were damaged.
15:32 Paratroopers repelled the offensive of Ukrainian militants on the southern flank of the Artyomovsky direction -video.
15:19 Circumstanceas of 15.00 July 5, 2023:
Despite the strike of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the bridge and statements about the cleansing of the bridgehead, the enemy again deployed reinforcement units under the Antonovsky bridge. Last night two groups were transferred from Antonovka on two boats.
Now the Ukrainian formations hold positions under the bridge and at the hotel nearby. Russian fighters tried to recapture the territory, but a unit of the RF Armed Forces came under heavy artillery fire from the opposite bank and retreated to the original one.
At the moment, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are still under the bridge, but their presence there does not pose a serious threat to the grouping of the RF Armed Forces, except for the information and psychological effect. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation need only conduct a systematic defeat of the enemy at a distance without the involvement of assault detachments.
At the same time, today the Russian Aerospace Forces attacked the hangar in Antonovka with a FAB. According to sources, the hit was right on target. It is not known for certain what was stored in the warehouse, but the size and presence of access roads indicate the possible location of military equipment or ammunition.
At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to concentrate forces near the Dnieper. A few days ago, a howitzer battery of the 406th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was moved to the Kherson-Sadovoye line. The intensity of artillery attack along the line of contact has increased in recent days.
In addition, a company of the 70th Separate Pontoon Regiment arrived in Lvov, and on the Zmievka-Krasny Mayak line, the forces of the 39th Rifle Battalion are clearing the coastal zone. The appearance of pontoon layers and the removal of barriers indirectly indicate preparations for crossing the river.
14:25 According to the operational lines of the JCCC DPR for July 5, as of 14:00, additional information was received about damage as a result of artillery attack of the VFU of the cities of the Republic:
n.p. Yasinovataya:
– the infrastructure of the railway station “Yasinovataya” was damaged;
- a direct hit in the store "Avoska" on the street. Ordzhonikidze.
13:55 Yasinovataya is under heavy fire from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Several arrivals near the railway station. The Nazis are hitting the city with MLRS and 155mm artillery.
13:37 The consequences of the artillery attack of the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk by Ukrainian militants -photo.
13:18 Soledar direction situation as of 13.00 July 5, 2023:
Now the clashes on the outskirts of Kleshcheevka continue. The Armed Forces of Ukraine use the forest belts around the village as a shelter for the advancement of infantry groups. For the past few days, the attacks have not stopped - the Armed Forces of Ukraine are pressing both from the northwest and from the southwest.
Some enemy DRGs even managed to break into Kleshcheevka and tried to gain a foothold. But at the moment the settlement is under the control of the Russian army. Fighters from the field report that there are no problems with the rounds, and the APU is crushing by numbers, regardless of the losses, the number of which has long passed over a hundred.
The goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this area is obvious - to squeeze the RF Armed Forces from important heights on the outskirts of the village - Kleshcheevka itself lies in a lowland, and its defense without control over important strongholds is difficult.
Armed forces of Ukraine have also resumed attacks in the direction of Razdolivka, where Ukrainian formations are trying to occupy the gray zone. As well as in other areas, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attack in groups of 15-20 people without armored vehicles.
Artillerymen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are actively working on the advancing ones. The roll-ups go on without stopping, despite the huge number of those killed, and the meaning, apparently, lies in the intention to crush by numbers in the hope of using up ammunition.
13:10 Daniil Bezsonov also confirms that Kleshcheevka is ours.
“The fighters from the Kleshcheevka region have just written. Our kleshcheevka. For the fourth day, the enemy has been actively attacking our positions from several sides, an average of about 20 attacks per day, but nothing happens and the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffer losses.”
Earlier, a number of other sources also denied reports of the abandonment of Kleshcheevka. It is necessary to hold the village, since its loss will significantly complicate the position of our troops south of the city.
12:30 According to the operational lines of the DPR JCCC for July 5, as of 12:30, information was received about victims among civilians in the cities of the Republic:
Donetsk (Petrovsky district): - on the street. Petrovsky, 260 “a”, a man born in 1991 was wounded.
Information was received about damage as a result of artillery attack of the VFU cities of the Republic:
Donetsk:
Petrovsky district:- str. Udaltsova, 67 - private residential building.
Kuibyshevsky district: - st. 60th Anniversary of the USSR, 12, 18 - apartment buildings.
12:29 Pushilin's adviser denied the information about the transition of Kleshcheevka to the DPR under the control of Ukrainian troops.
12:06 The situation in the Zaporozhye and South-Donetsk directions:
In the Zaporozhye direction, the enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the area of Zherebyanka, Rabotino and Kopan. Infantry and artillery fire suppressed the actions of enemy DRGs in the area of the settlement. Lugovskoe, Dorozhnyanka and Mirnoe. In the area of Novodanilovka, army aviation destroyed the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. Another Su-25 of the Ukrainian Air Force was shot down in this direction.
In the Vremevsky direction, Ukrainian units are conducting assault operations in the direction of Priyutnoye and Staromayorsky. Last night, in the area of Staromayorsky, enemy soldiers, under the cover of smoke and tank fire, tried to evacuate their dead, but instead replenished their ranks. In the area of Novodonetsky, our TOSs worked on clusters of enemy personnel. It is also reported that Russian units launched a counterattack in the Rovnopol region.
In the Ugledar direction, the activity of enemy DRGs in the Vladimirovka area was noted. Basically, their activity is reduced to clearing minefields with their mortal bodies.
11:27 Yesterday Akimovka fired upon rocket "Storm Shadow".
Fragments and fragments of the Storm Shadow rocket were found by investigators of the RF Investigative Committee at the site of the strike on the pharmacy in Akimovka. In addition, among the wreckage found were parts with serial numbers.
A rocket attack on Akimovka was carried out on July 4, four volunteers were injured. The condition of two is assessed by doctors as serious.
10:40 The RF Armed Forces repulsed the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporozhye. According to "Come and See", the Armed Forces of Ukraine again tried to attack in the Orekhovsky section of the Zaporozhye Front.
All attacks have been successfully repelled. At least 10 pieces of equipment were destroyed,” the Russian fighter told the channel.
Currently, Russian artillery is working on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:25 According to Turkish sources, in the Zaporozhye region, Ukraine launched new strikes in the area of Orekhov and Lobkovy yesterday, but there were no changes in the front line. Attacks continue in the direction of Bakhmut.
The biggest change took place in the area of the Antonovsky bridge. The Ukrainian army on boats retreated to the right bank of the river. The two-week battle ended with the loss of about 1,000 people and a wave of excitement on social networks.
Over the past week, Russia has destroyed various air defense systems, radars, artillery and MLRS systems that were deployed to the east to protect Ukrainian troops in the Kherson region with the help of Lancet loitering ammunition, and on top of that, destroyed Ukrainian positions under and around the Antonovsky Bridge at assistance OTRK "Iskander" and TOS-1A
10:09 At night, the enemy, as expected, went on the attack in the Pyatikhatki area with the forces of the company tactical group. Yesterday evening it was reported that mine clearance and preparations for the attack were being made. Didn't have any success.
At night, the Armed Forces of Ukraine went on the offensive, without equipment, on foot from two sides, 50-70 people entered. A gunfight ensued in the trenches.
The enemy was stopped and our artillery began to destroy them. Until 0400 hrs, the artillerymen were engaged in finishing off disparate groups in landings and houses in the settlement. Pyatikhatki.
Since 9 am, two groups have been trying to come to the rescue, most likely there should have been a rotation. Met with artillery, defeated. They dragged the wounded. Cars don't come.
09:25 Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the movement “We are together with Russia”, spoke about the situation at the ZNPP and Energodar.
“At the Zaporozhye NPP, the working environment is normal. There is no panic, despite the efforts of Ukrainian information dumps.
Station workers are busy with their duties. Security on the territory of ZNPP is provided by the fighters of the Russian Guard, outside it - by the Russian Army. The radiation background on the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP and the city of Energodar is within the normal range - 0.110 µSv/h. The natural radiation background for this area is 0.09-0.12 µSv/h,” Rogov explained.
09:18 The night passed calmly on the Pyatihatka/Zherebyanka section.
Fighters from the Storm .Ossetia and Alania battalions report that in the morning artillery artillery attack from the enemy resumed.
“We are conducting surveillance and reconnaissance of the front line. Thanks to the competent actions of the command and the military personnel themselves, during yesterday's intense battle, there was no enemy advancement, ”said the fighter with the call sign Kama.
09:10 Number of people killed as a result of breakthrough of Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station increased to 50 people - emergency services
09:06 Over the past day, 49 artillery attacks were recorded from the AFU - Representative office of the DPR in the JCCC
Ukrainian militants fired from MLRS, artillery of 152mm and 155mm caliber, firing 281 rounds across the territory of the Republic. Gorlovka (Nikitovsky district), Zaitsevo, Shirokaya Balka, Yasinovataya, Donetsk (Kuibyshevsky, Kievsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky districts), Makeevka (Chervonogvardeysky district), Aleksandrovka and Novopetrikovka were under enemy fire.
As a result of the shelling, three civilians were killed in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk and the Chervonogvardeysky district of Makeevka. Wounds of varying severity were received by 46 civilians, incl. three children, in Petrovsky and Budyonnovsky districts of Donetsk, Aleksandrovka, Chervonogvardeysky district of Makeevka and Novopetrikovka.
Data on the consequences of the artillery attack of the Chervonogvardeisky district of Makeevka continue to come in. A number of residential buildings were damaged in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk and the Chervonogvardeysky district of Makeevka, as well as 13 civilian infrastructure facilities, incl. nine medical institutions.
09:00 Over the past two days, Ukrainian militants have been chaotically artillery attack the territory of the Lisichansk Oil Refinery. Attacks are delivered randomly, in squares, by both rocket and howitzer artillery. Arrivals on the outskirts of Lisichansk are also recorded. The likely goal is the destruction of the enterprise and civilian infrastructure. This was announced by a military expert, retired lieutenant colonel of the NM LPR Andrey Marochko.
08:38 The criminal Kiev regime continues to shell the civilian infrastructure of the settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Armed Forces of Ukraine were fired from barrel artillery:
-- n.p. Krynki fired nine rounds;
-- n.p. Aleshki fired 19 rounds;
-- n.p. Sagas fired six projectiles;
-- Seven rounds were fired at the village of Korsunka;
-- Nine rounds were fired at the settlement of Podstepnoye;
-- Nine rounds were fired at the Kazachi Lagery;
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlement of New Kakhovka, the settlement of Kakhovka, N. P. Nova Zburyevka, N. P. Tavriysk firing a total of 33 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure to be confirmed
08:10 Consequences of the artillery attack of Makiivka. The Nazis hit the residential areas of the city from the HIMARS MLRS -video.
08:02 Frontline summary on the morning of 07/05/2023:
In the Zaporozhye direction, Ukrainian troops, supported by artillery, attacked Zherebyanki, Kopani and Rabotino. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hit the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Malaya Tokmachka, Belogorye, Gulyaipolsky and Gulyaipole. The Ukrainian army attacked Vasilyevka and Yakimovka.
In the Uglidar sector, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued assault operations near Priyutny and Staromayorsky. Russian troops after artillery strikes counterattacked in the region of Rovnopol. Ukrainian positions in Blagodatny, Zolotoy Niva, Bogoyavlenka and Vugledar are under shelling.
On the Donetsk front, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, with the support of artillery, again tried to advance in Marinka. The result is the same as in previous days. Under the blows of Ukrainian units in Pobeda, Georgievka, Maksimilyanovka, Ostrom, the city of Krasnogorovka, Nevelsky, Severny (a settlement west of Avdeevka), Avdeevka and Keramika. The Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled Oleksandrivka, Donetsk, Vodiane, Makeevka and Gorlovka.
In the Bakhmut direction, Ukrainian troops, after artillery strikes, attacked near Ozaryanovka, Kurdyumovka and Kleshcheevka. Russian units counterattacked from Yagodny. With the support of artillery, they also tried to move from Berkhovka to Bogdanovka and from Dubovo-Vasilyevka to Grigorovka and in the Vesely region (not to be confused with the two settlements of the same name northeast of Donetsk and north of Avdievka). The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation fired at the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Belaya Gora, Predtechina, Ivanovsky, Chasovoy Yar, Vasyukovka, Rozdolovka and Verkhnekamensky.
In the Luhansk direction, Russian troops, with the support of artillery, attacked in the Serebryansky forest from the side of Kuzmin to Grigorovka and Dibrov to Yampol, as well as in the Novovodyany and Novosyolovsky area. The positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Belogorovka, Nevsky, Berestovo, Kupyansk, Novomlynsk and Petro-Ivanovka are under fire.
08:00 Russian militaryreflectedattacks by two platoons and a company of Ukrainian troops in the South Donetsk direction and shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft and two Valkyrie drones in the Zaporozhye direction, Oleg Chekhov, head of the press center of the Vostok group, said
07:38 Late in the evening, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked residential areas and the hospital complex of the Chervonogvardeisky district of Makeevka. This was announced by the acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.
“At the moment, 25 victims are known, including two children injured: a girl two years nine months old. and a seven year old boy. Everyone gets the necessary medical care. A number of apartment buildings, hospital buildings, schools and kindergartens were damaged,” Pushilin said.
01:09 In the Donetsk direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to improve the tactical situation and attacked the positions of the RF Armed Forces from Avdiivka and Nevelskoye. The attack was successfully repulsed.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] There are no grounds for extending the grain deal, but there is still time to fulfill part of the agreements. This was announced to journalists on July 5 by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov .
Peskov: there are no grounds for extending the grain deal, but it is still possible to fulfill part of the agreements
When asked whether the decision not to renew the grain deal was final, Peskov replied: “The decision has not been officially announced. Everything will be in its time.”
He noted that there is still time to fulfill part of the agreements that relate to Russia, but this part has not yet been fulfilled, so there are no grounds for extending the deal.
As IA Regnum reported , the Russian Foreign Ministry said that there are no grounds for further continuation of the grain deal, which expires on July 17. It is noted that the deal, the purpose of which was to provide assistance to needy countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, has turned into a purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to “well-fed” countries.
On June 30, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that Russia would not leave the world's poorest countries without grain: it would provide supplies at its own expense if the grain deal was not extended. In any case, the export of Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs continues.
[Regnum] New footage of the searches of the office of the founder of the private military company "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared at the disposal of IA Regnum .
The security forces during the raid found their own helipad, swimming pool, sauna, gym and gold bars. Weapons and cartridges for them, several passports, wigs and money in various currencies were also found.
regnum.ru's media server sux.
Earlier, during a search of the Trezzini Hotel, which is located near Prigozhin's office in St. Petersburg, investigators found a white car in the backyard, which, as it turned out later, did not belong to anyone from Academic Lane. The Gazelle was checked for the presence of explosive objects, but only boxes with five thousandth banknotes were found in it, in which, according to investigators, there were about 4 billion rubles.
As IA Regnum reported, on July 4 it became known that the founder of PMC Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin was returned 10 billion rubles seized during searches, found on June 24. In addition, the equipment seized during the searches was returned to the office of the Patriot media group and the Wagner Center.
On the night of June 24, Wagner PMC, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, tried to carry out an armed rebellion. The fighters of the group arrived in Rostov-on-Don, some of them headed towards Moscow in a column.
Later, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, in agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoke with Prigozhin and reached an agreement on de-escalation. After that, the Wagner column stopped, the PMC fighters left Rostov-on-Don. They were given several options for what to do next. This is signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense, returning home to their families or the opportunity to go to Belarus.
From the V Kontakte page of Power is in the truth Seems Prigozhin was doing God's work:
❗During a search in Yevgeny Viktorovich's house, a photograph was found in a frame, which depicts the severed heads of ISIS fighters lying heaped on the ground (a banned terrorist organization).
[Insider] A top British defense official says Russia's combat abilities have been slashed in half since last year's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the formal head of the UK's armed forces who is the chief military advisor to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, told a parliamentary hearing that Russia was now "so weak" that it could no longer wage a military counteroffensive of its own.
"Russia has lost nearly half the combat effectiveness of its army," Radakin said, according to the Financial Times. "Last year, it fired 10 million artillery shells, but at best, can produce 1 million shells a year. It has lost 2,500 tanks and, at best, can produce 200 tanks a year."
He then defended Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been criticized for not making enough progress.
Radakin said Kyiv's strategy to "starve, stretch, and strike" was gradually eroding Russia's defenses. However, he did acknowledge that Russian mines, Ukraine's insufficient air defenses, and the lack of equipment Ukraine requested had weighed on operations.
[Regnum] British Admiral Tony Radakin's claims that the Russian army has lost half of its combat capability are discouraging by the universal scale of lies, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry said on July 5 in its Telegram channel.
“In the absence of any results of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield, and now even their prospects are becoming clearer, one can only fantasize about the “loss of combat capability” of the Russian army,” the message says .
The Russian military department also added that the British defense headquarters had long since retrained from a strategic analysis and planning body to a BBC affiliate.
Earlier, Admiral Tony Radakin, in an interview with the Financial Times, said that Russia was so exhausted by the Ukrainian offensive that it was unable to take active steps. The admiral claims that during the special operation, the Russian army has already used up 10 million shells, despite the fact that its capacity allows only a million shells to be fired a year.
As reported by IA Regnum , CNN reported that the West began to get nervous because the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is measured not in kilometers, but in meters, this could shake the support of Ukraine's allies in the prolongation of the conflict.
On July 3, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Ukrainian authorities, at the insistence of the West, demand that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the offensive, regardless of significant losses. The Russian Defense Ministry reported unsuccessful attempts to attack the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
[Regnum] The Special Military Operation (SVO) would end in a few days if the United States and its vassals stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev , deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council (SB), said onJuly 5 in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
According to him, if NATO stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine, then the special operation would be completed in a few months, and if this is done now, then the SVO will end in a few days.
Medvedev also believes that any war can be ended quickly: either with a peace treaty or like the United States in 1945. The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council recalled that at that time the United States used its nuclear weapons and bombed two cities in Japan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the cost of this step was the lives of almost 300 thousand civilians.
As IA Regnum reported , the Kiev authorities do not stop asking and demanding from the West more and more military and financial assistance.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with the Financial Times that Ukraine is an ideal testing ground for Western weapons. He added that Kyiv's Western allies can actually see if their weapons work, how well they work, and if they need to be upgraded.
[IsraelTimes] Neutral, non-NATO members say their participation in Sky Shield Initiative, created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, won’t entail involvement in armed conflict.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikail Moshkin and Oleg Krivoshapov
[REGNUM] NATO leaders at the Vilnius summit on July 11-12 will approve the alliance's new defense plans, which will be the biggest changes in the last 40 years, the alliance's deputy secretary general, Romanian representative Mircea Geoana, announced on July 5.
The day before, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Colacu voiced one of his wishes for a change in the balance of power in Eastern Europe: Bucharest insists on the permanent presence of German troops in Romania. The head of the Romanian government stated this at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz .
Ciolacu linked Bucharest's request to Berlin with the conflict in Ukraine: hostilities in the neighboring country seem to be prolonged, in Romania "they might have expected the conflict to end" with a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But, the prime minister added, "unfortunately ... public data does not give us much confidence in this."
Not so long ago, another Romanian citizen in the leadership of NATO, the official representative of the alliance, Oana Lungescu, said: by this year, NATO has doubled its military presence in Eastern Europe compared to 2021. From 5,000 troops united in four battle groups to 10,000 in eight groups deployed, including in Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the same Romania, The Washington Post clarified Lungescu's words . But a separate issue is the interest that Russia's Eastern European neighbors have shown in hosting precisely the German military. The Romanians were not the first in this sense.
“WE, THE FRG, EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE OUR RESPONSIBILITY…”
On June 27, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced Berlin's intention to deploy 4,000 German soldiers in Lithuania on a permanent basis. Of course, at the request of Vilnius, back in June 2022, at the NATO summit in Madrid, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda signed a memorandum with Scholz on the participation of the Bundeswehr brigade in the “defense of Lithuania”. However, the specific plans voiced by Pistorius for a “throw to the east” and for the possible deployment of a brigade in Lithuania on a long-term basis came as a surprise to the German officer corps.
Be that as it may, when explaining his government's plans to ask the Germans to send troops, the Romanian Prime Minister Ciolacu referred precisely to the Lithuanian precedent. “I hope that together with the Chancellor (Scholz) we will be able to make decisions in this regard as soon as possible,” the Prime Minister stressed.
The expectations are understandable, as the German political scientist and publicist Vladimir Sergienko noted , Romania's desire to deploy the German military on its territory may indicate NATO's intention to open a "second front" of confrontation with Russia in Transnistria. Another interlocutor of IA Regnum , political scientist Alexander Sosnovsky , suggested that the Romanian authorities are afraid of major popular unrest, to suppress which they will need additional force in the person of the German military.
So far, the German military department says that there are no plans to deploy troops on a permanent basis in Romania. But it is obvious that in Bucharest and other Eastern European capitals they are counting: Berlin will act according to the principle proclaimed by Pistorius.
“We, the Federal Republic of Germany, expressly recognize our responsibility and our obligation as a member of NATO and the largest economy in Europe to stand up for the defense of the eastern flank,” the German defense minister was quoted as saying by the AP during his trip to Vilnius in June.
“It looks like the Iron Cross is ready to return to the East,” The American Conservative noted on this occasion , and wondered: “Will Germany return to its historical role as a counterweight to Russia on the continent?”.
GERMANY FORCED TO FORGET THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
“Everything is very simple, ” German political scientist Alexander Rahr commented to IA Regnum . - After February 24, 2022, both the United States and Eastern European countries began to put heavy pressure on Germany - the richest country within the European Union, in fact, the main ally of the States in Europe. The pressure was that Germany, if it wants to be a leader in the EU in the future, would take some kind of leadership in supporting Ukraine and in supporting the containment of Russia, which Olaf Scholz did.”
The chancellor acted with the support of the federal government and "wide circles of German elites," the expert notes.
Today, Germany's position regarding military operations in Ukraine is closer to the position of Poland and the Baltic countries than the line pursued by France and Italy, he points out. In this sense, Germany is indeed becoming the "leader of Eastern Europe."
The appearance in Poland of the Leopard tank maintenance enterprise, on the construction of which Berlin and Warsaw agreed in May, is also a very real prospect, the political scientist adds. “It was not without pressure from the United States, ” the expert states. “ And now they are already demanding that Germany send its troops to the Baltic states, to Romania.”
There is an expectation in German society that the said pressure will intensify, Rahr noted. The attitude of the opponents of the “strengthening of the eastern flank” was expressed by the head of the Berlin organization of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Georg Padzerski : “Ex-Chancellor Schroeder is absolutely right in his criticism of Germany’s policy towards Russia,” the politician’s statement on the party website says, “Provocations, such as the deployment of Bundeswehr soldiers in the Baltic countries, is not just a policy that shows the forgetting of the lessons of history, they are also contrary to the interests of Germany.This does not mean that the policy of Russia and its leader should not be criticized, but criticism from a friendly country will be heard sooner than from an open enemy, Padzerski stressed.
Significantly, recent measurements have shown the growing popularity of Alternative for Germany, which opposes the confrontation with Moscow. As IA Regnum noted in early June , in the study of sociologists ARD "Deutschlandtrend", the level of popularity of AfD was 18%, thus reaching its historical maximum since September 2018. The sociological service Forsa sees it at 17%, and this is a record: according to the measurements of this institute, the party's rating has never risen above 16%.
Alternativa is consistently in second place behind the CDU-CSU (now in opposition) and ahead of the parties in the ruling coalition, including Scholz's Social Democrats. And the other day there was a precedent - the AfD nominee became mayor for the first time, having won elections in a small town in Saxony-Anhalt. Therefore, it is not surprising that the authorities of the federal republic are already moving towards a ban on the dangerous opposition force.
And the German elite itself is being purposefully pushed towards “moving eastward,” agrees a senior researcher at the IMEMO RAS named after V.I. Primakov Alexander Kamkin.
“Germany is still the locomotive of Europe, and not only economic,” said the expert IA Regnum. “The history of the twentieth century shows that the Germans, whatever one may say, are the most combat-ready nation in Western Europe.” In this sense, Scholz's promises to turn the Bundeswehr (which is now smaller in number, for example, the French army) into the most combat-ready non-nuclear force in Europe and the fresh statement of the chancellor are indicative. On July 5, speaking in the Bundestag, Scholz called the Ukrainian conflict a turning point that would force Germany to reconsider its security policy.
Kamkin points out that the decision to deploy a full-fledged Bundeswehr rapid reaction brigade in Lithuania “is being implemented as part of the defense against the mythical Russian threat, which is being whipped up by the leaders of the Baltic states, the media and the political class.”
WHAT IS IN THE WHITE PAPER
If German troops are also transferred to Romania, on the southern flank of the border between Ukraine and the EU, it will be difficult to rule out that a full-fledged NATO contingent will indeed enter the western regions of Ukraine. It is also quite likely that the alliance will prepare various provocations and aggressive actions against Russia from the territory of both Lithuania and Romania, as well as other limitrophe states.
The division of Ukraine into spheres of influence by the neighboring countries of Europe can be considered a fait accompli. It is also impossible to exclude the deployment of the Bundeswehr contingent in Slovakia in the future, Kamkin believes.
“The regime of Vladimir Zelensky is now in time trouble, ” the source says to IA Regnum . “ The “counterattack” failed for various reasons, and now their only option is to arrange some kind of large- scale provocation , as a result of which, of course, Russia will be blamed for everything, and the biased opinion of European politicians will be completely on their side.”
Taking advantage of this situation, a NATO contingent can indeed be introduced into the territory of Ukraine, admits Kamkin.
“The situation is really extremely explosive, because any increase in NATO military activity is naturally perceived as preparation for a war against Russia ,” the interlocutor argues. “ And NATO does not hide this, and the new German defense doctrine provides that Russia is the main threat in Europe.”
The “White Book” of the German Ministry of Defense, that is, in fact, the military doctrine of Germany in the latest edition, adopted in 2021, says: “ Without a fundamental change in course, Russia will become a threat to the security of our continent in the foreseeable future. Russia is no longer a partner, but a rival.”
The stable expression unser ausländischer Nebenbuhler (“our foreign rival”) used in German military vocabulary means “a potential enemy in a possible future war,” publicist Maxim Sokolov noted in a commentary on this to RIA Novosti .
Now we can talk about a kind of arrangement of chess pieces before a big European conflict, Kamkin believes. And the “casus belli” in this conflict may well not be the events in Ukraine.
“Some kind of sacred sacrifice can be made from some more serious European country in order to ignite the fire of a big war in Europe, since it is now extremely important for the Anglo-Americans to completely destroy the European architecture that has been taking shape for decades,” the expert believes .
“The Germans were drawn into the confrontation precisely in the east during the First World War, and later, when Hitler was already being heavily aimed at the east,” recalls the interlocutor.
Given the historical experience, Kamkin considers it highly likely that the Anglo-Saxon bloc may well try to push Germany against Russia for the third time on the historical path.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
