Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Victoria Nikiforova
[RIA] Honest art, like a sniper's bullet, strikes right in the heart. The truth of emotions, precision of form and modern reality complement and enhance each other. So one film in one and a half hours of screen time can tell about the history of Donbass, about the origins of the Northern Military District, about the internal civilizational conflict of Russia much more than an entire history textbook.
We are talking about Ilya Kazankov’s painting “Call Sign Passenger”. It is based on the novel “Murder of Cities” by Alexander Prokhanov and makes a simply deafening impression.
It’s already difficult to make an honest movie about war: directors usually want to embellish everything. Bringing the confrontation in Donbass to life on screen seems completely unattainable - it hits all the viewer’s pain points so much. But here the authors achieved the almost impossible. They immersed us in the reality of modern war, tearing us out of the ordinary city routine.
This film makes a completely surreal impression in a chic cinema hall of a shopping center: there are shining shop windows around, the buffet offers champagne, and exotic vegan snacks to go with it. And on the screen the blood of our people is pouring, explosions are eclipsing our sun.
The hero of the film, a young writer, a typical hipster from the Moscow Patricks, ends up in Donbass in 2015 to find his brother there. He is not interested in war, he knows nothing about it. He wanders through the mud in his fashionable white sneakers and looks completely out of this world; it’s not for nothing that the militia detachment gives him the call sign Passenger. Anton Shagin plays it all out in an extremely recognizable way - it’s as if his character stepped onto the screen straight from our luxurious cinema.
But little by little, the capital’s writer gets acquainted with the everyday life of war and sees how Ukrainian Nazis commit atrocities. For them, children, women, old people living in a dilapidated village are “separatists” who can and should be destroyed. And somehow, unbeknownst to himself, our hipster catches up, masters the AK and understands that there is simply no one besides him and his comrades to protect these women and children.
There is no didacticism in the film. This is a complete and terrible tragedy unfolding before us quickly and inexorably. The only formal complaint about “The Passenger” is that it seems that the authors were so keen on dynamism that they sacrificed entire storylines. In fact, if the film was longer by half an hour, it would still be watched in one sitting.
The fact is that all the characters here are alive, they are well-developed characters. It's a shame that we don't have time to learn the stories of the Musician, the Serb or the Brothers, who are not really brothers. What can we say about the commanders - Russian and Ukrainian.
I watched "Call Sign Passenger" on Friday night. The spectators, who had walked around the megamall and remembered to grab popcorn and champagne at the entrance, sat for the entire hour and a half in dead silence. There were no rustling shopping bags, the popcorn was forgotten. It seemed that people simply did not breathe, having forgotten about everything, lost in the ruins of Donbass. Many people cried on the way out.
And now about the sad thing. There were barely a dozen spectators in the large cinema hall. All Moscow cinemas give a film no more than one showing. In cinemas in the center of the capital, "The Passenger" is generally shown only in the morning or afternoon.
It’s a strange irony: a ticket to this film can be bought through the “Pushkin Card” program; young people and teenagers really need to see it, but it is shown in the cinema precisely at the time when the children are sitting in lessons and lectures. One hope is that smart teachers will take whole classes to see “Passenger” - this is urgently needed for their students.
Needless to say, the “progressive” press is deafeningly silent about this film. There they continue to lick imported films. A domestic film, and on a topical topic, and a good one at that - no, they don’t like that there. This, they say, is for “vatniks”, “zetniks”, as they also call normal people...
This is how they impose on us a completely false picture of the world, in which everything progressive and advanced is tightly connected with the Western agenda. And all that is truly sovereign in our art is the so-called Z-culture, this is “for Z-people.”
Liberals fearfully fence themselves off in their cozy media and blogs: but here we will be about transqueers and the Venice Biennale, and you, quilted jackets, bad and unprogressive, do not interfere in our sandbox. The writer Prokhanov, in particular, is feared to the point of convulsions there - really, what can you do with true talent, who was never afraid to dare to have his own opinion? Originality is so scary. A true “liberal” is obliged to march in formation, eat soy meat and shout chants about love for transgender people.
Hence the boycott of “Call Sign” by many media outlets. But it has an excellent word of mouth - people write reviews, talk about the film, discuss it on social networks.
The fact is that the natural growth of national self-awareness and inspiration cannot be stopped. As a result, our “progressors” will remain in their sandboxes with their imported trinkets, and Russian art will open new horizons and become a role model throughout the world. Actually, the process has already begun. “Call Sign Passenger” is clear proof of this.
This is a dryly humorous explication of a new Russian television historical drama about WWII. by Vladimir Shigin
[CHERNARUSIANNARCOWARS] These days, a new military-heroic series “Admiral Kuznetsov” produced by Mostelefilm with the support of the Internet Development Institute (directed by Sergei Vinogradov) began to appear on the Internet.
The first thing that caught your eye when you got acquainted with the data on the film was the incredible number of screenwriters, eight people: Valentin Spiridonov, Liliya Vysokovskaya, Alexander Vysokovsky, Oleg Kirillov, Mikhail Kolodinsky, Igor Ter-Karapetov, Igor Torotko, Alexey Boletus! Moreover, none of them had ever had anything to do with the navy and therefore hardly fully understood what they wrote about...
To be honest, knowing the level of historical awareness and responsibility of modern screenwriters and directors, I did not expect anything good from the film in advance. But reality exceeded all expectations.
Once upon a time, writer Karem Rush wrote an essay “Bring Back Kuznetsov!”, dedicated to the history of returning the good name of the former People's Commissar of the Navy and Minister of the Navy of the USSR. Good name N.G. After much ups and downs, Kuznetsov was finally returned in the late 1980s. Alas, today after watching the first episode of the film “Admiral Kuznetsov” I got the impression that it was time to save the legendary People’s Commissar. This time from our zealous and clueless filmmakers...
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 20:57 Kiev has three lines of defense, said the commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Pavlyuk. According to him, the border with Belarus has been significantly strengthened, in particular the Chernobyl zone, which was not previously considered a defense line.
“We have done a huge amount of work: about 1000 km of fortifications, three rings of defense of Kyiv, we have greatly strengthened the Chernobyl direction, which had not previously been taken into account as a defensive line,” Pavlyuk noted. He added that construction of long-term fortifications is now underway.
19:40 In the Lviv region, the number of deaths as a result of a night strike has increased to two - another body was found under the rubble of the administrative building of a critical infrastructure facility. Rescuers continue search work, said the head of the OBA, Maxim Kozitsky.
19:34 The Russian Foreign Ministry officially accused Ukraine of involvement in the terrorist attack in Crocus. “Investigative actions indicate that the traces of the latest terrorist attacks lead to Ukraine. Russia has submitted a demand to the Ukrainian authorities for the arrest and extradition of all those involved,” the statement said. Moscow also demands from Kyiv the arrest of the head of the SBU Vasily Malyuk in connection with his statements about his involvement in the bombing of the Crimean Bridge and the murder of a number of people in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry threatens Ukraine with liability for “violation of obligations under anti-terrorism conventions.”
18:53 The railway that Russia is building in the occupied territory could become a serious problem for Ukraine, Budanov
…no relation to Rantburg’s own badanov…
said: “Russia has actually been building a railway for more than a year to connect with our southern temporarily occupied territories. This process is almost completed, and this could pose a serious problem for us."
16:32 Pope Francis, in his traditional Easter message, called for an exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine according to the “all for all” formula: “My thoughts first of all go to the victims of the numerous conflicts ongoing in the world, starting from the war in Israel and Palestine, and also in Ukraine. May the Risen Christ open the way to peace for the suffering population of these regions. Calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my wishes for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine - all for all."
15:37 In the morning, the Russians attacked the Kherson region with ballistics, hitting industrial infrastructure, the Southern Defense Forces reported. The extent of the damage is being clarified; no casualties have been reported. The military noted that the enemy continues the tactics of targeted missile strikes, testing and reconnaissance of air defense systems.
13:49 The Russian fleet has been accumulating Caliber cruise missiles for a long time and may soon use them to strike Ukraine, said the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov. According to him, the military leadership of the Russian Federation decided to use Kh-101 cruise missiles instead of Caliber missiles, since they are more effective. “While the fleet was accumulating its missiles, the Russian Aerospace Forces were using the X-101,” Budanov explained. Now the number of X-101s with the enemy has been significantly reduced, so it is likely that “we will see Caliber again in the near future,” the head of military intelligence added.
13:28 Today, March 31, is the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha, Kiev region, from Russian troops. However, the number of those killed and those who were tortured is still not final; the search for missing persons continues, said the head of the criminal police, Andrei Nebytov. According to him, a total of 1,190 bodies were discovered in the Buchansky district. To date, 514 residents of the Kyiv region are considered missing, 180 bodies remain unidentified.
11:56 At night, the Russians once again attacked one of the gas facilities, the Ministry of Energy reported.
11:21 In the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed and five were injured, regional police reported. In particular, in Krasnogorovka two people were killed and one was injured. Three people were injured in Kurakhovo, another in Konstantinovka.
09:54 France will transfer hundreds of old VAB armored personnel carriers to Ukraine within a year, Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said. He clarified that Kyiv will receive armored personnel carriers in the period from 2024 to early 2025. Despite the fact that some armored personnel carriers are more than 40 years old, they are “still on the move,” the minister added. In addition, France plans to supply Ukraine with additional Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles for the French SAMP/T air defense system.
09:50 At night, the Russians again attacked energy facilities, the target was high-voltage substations of Ukrenergo in the southern region, the company reported. Due to equipment damage, emergency shutdowns were applied in Odessa and surrounding areas. Consumption restrictions also continue to apply in the Kharkov region and Krivoy Rog.
09:38 At night, the Russians attacked with cruise missiles the same critical infrastructure facility in the Lviv region that was attacked on March 24 and 29. The administrative building was destroyed and the fire was quickly extinguished. As a result of the attack, one person died. Rescuers are clearing the rubble; there may still be people underneath.
09:20 In Odessa, due to a limitation in the supply of electricity, electric transport stops operating, the City Council reported. The number of buses on main routes has been increased.
09:03 In Kharkov, as a result of yesterday’s shelling of the Shevchenko district (probably KAB), two people were wounded, eight buildings and houses were damaged, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. In addition, at night the enemy attacked the town of Borovaya, Izyumsky district - as a result of hitting the ground near a service station, two shopping pavilions were damaged, one person was killed, one was wounded.
08:57 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of March 31:
personnel - about 442,170 (+650) people,
tanks - 6966 (+15),
armored combat vehicles - 13,304 (+20),
artillery systems - 11,050 (+44),
MLRS - 1023 (+0),
air defense systems - 743 (+7),
aircraft - 347 (+0),
helicopters - 325 (+0),
UAV of operational-tactical level - 8731 (+30),
cruise missiles - 2048 (+2),
ships/boats - 26 (+0),
submarines - 1 (+0),
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 14,717 (+47),
special equipment - 1823 (+9).
08:41 Over the past 24 hours, 85 military clashes took place at the front, the General Staff reported in its morning report. In particular, the enemy tried 36 times to break through the defenses of Ukrainian troops in the Novopavlovsk direction - in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Pobeda, Novomikhailovka and east of Vodyanoye, Donetsk region. Another 24 attacks were repelled in the Avdeevsky direction - in the areas of the settlements of Berdychi, Semenovka, Umanskoye, Pervomaiskoye, Nevelskoye, Donetsk region.
The enemy did not conduct offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction. In the Liman direction, the Defense Forces repelled six attacks in the areas of Ternov, Donetsk region and Belogorivka, Lugansk region; on Bakhmutskoye - seven attacks in the areas of the settlements of Chasov Yar, Ivanovskoye, Kleshcheevka, Donetsk region; in the Orekhovsky direction - five attacks in the districts of Staromayorskoye, Donetsk region and Rabotino, Zaporozhye region; on Kherson - two attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
08:18 Air defense destroyed 18 air targets at night - nine attack drones and nine missiles, the Air Force reported. In particular, the Russian Federation attacked with 14 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95ms strategic aircraft (launch area - Saratov region), 11 Shahed-type attack UAVs (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Crimea), Iskander-M ballistic missile (Crimea ) and a guided aircraft missile X-59 (occupied territory of the Zaporozhye region). Nine Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles and nine Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs were destroyed.
07:29 At night, Russia again attacked Ukraine with drones and missiles. The enemy's targets were, in particular, the energy infrastructure of the Odessa region and the agro-industrial facilities of the Kherson region, the Southern Defense Forces reported. In the Odessa region, all eight drones were shot down, and as a result of falling debris, a fire broke out at one of the energy facilities. Several settlements were cut off from power. The fire was extinguished, no people were injured.
In the Kherson region, during a drone attack, the Russians also used ballistics and a guided aircraft missile. They hit a mothballed agricultural enterprise, no people were injured.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] Pavlyuk revealed details of the defense of the capital
The general assures that everything has now been done to prevent the invaders from breaking through in the direction of the capital.
The Ukrainian capital has three lines of defense, said Lieutenant General, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Alexander Pavlyuk during a telethon.
According to him, the border with Belarus has been significantly strengthened, in particular the Chernobyl zone, which was not previously considered a defense line.
“We did a huge amount of work: about 1,000 kilometers of fortifications, three rings of defense of Kyiv, greatly strengthened the Chernobyl direction, which had not previously been taken into account as a defensive line,” Pavlyuk said.
The general noted that everything has now been done to prevent the invaders from breaking through in the direction of the capital. For now, they are building long-term fortifications, because “having such a neighbor, you must always be ready for war.”
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The General Staff gave a new report on the situation at the front
The Russian army is attacking the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in six directions. During the day, 49 military clashes were recorded.
During the day, 49 military clashes were recorded. In general, the enemy carried out 23 missile and 61 air strikes, and carried out 41 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas, the General Staff reported on the evening of Sunday, March 31.
The situation on the most “hot” directions of the front is as follows:
in the Liman direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 3 attacks in the area of the village of Terny, Donetsk region;
in the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 7 attacks in the areas of Belogorovka settlements, Lugansk region; Ivanovskoe, Klishchievka, Andreevka, Donetsk region;
in the Avdeevsky direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 9 attacks in the areas of the settlements of Semenovka, Umanskoye, Pervomaiskoye, Donetsk region;
in the Novopavlovsk direction, the Defense Forces continue to contain the enemy in the areas of the settlements of Georgievka, Novomikhailovka and east of Vodyanoye, Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defense 16 times;
in the Orekhovsky direction, the Russians carried out 2 attacks on the positions of our defenders in the areas of Staromayorsky, Donetsk region and Robotinoy, Zaporozhye region;
In the Kherson direction, during the day the Russians made 2 attacks on the left bank of the Dnieper.
In addition, on March 31, aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out strikes on 10 areas where Russian troops were concentrated, weapons and military equipment, the General Staff added. And units of the missile forces hit two UAV control posts, one air defense weapon, one electronic warfare station and one Russian artillery weapon.
Let us remind you that during the day on March 30, 85 military clashes took place at the front, most of them in the Avdeevsky and Novopavlovsky directions.
During the past day, 85 combat clashes took place.
Ivanna Kapustyanska
The seven hundred and sixty-seventh day of large-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has begun. During the past day, 85 combat clashes took place .
This is stated in the morning summary of the General Staff.
In general, the enemy launched 17 missile and 83 air strikes, carried out 87 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas. At the end of the last day, the Russian invaders once again attacked Ukraine, using 11 unmanned aerial vehicles of the "Shahed" type.
The forces and means of air defense of Ukraine destroyed 9 UAVs, and already in the morning of the current day, the enemy used various types of cruise missiles to strike. Data on the latest attack are being verified.
During the past day, the settlements of Neskuchne, Sumy region, were hit by airstrikes; Hryhorivka, Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Kupyansk-Vuzlovy of Kharkiv region; Novolyubivka, Luhansk Region; Terny, Stavky, Yampolivka, Rozdolivka, Chasiv Yar, Ivanivske, Druzhba, Berdychi, Semenivka, Vodyane, Oleksandropil, Staromayorske of the Donetsk region; Malynyvka, Zaporizhzhia region. More than 100 settlements in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions were under artillery fire.
On the Volyn and Poliske directions, the operational situation remains without significant changes.
In the Siver and Slobozhan directions, the enemy maintains a military presence in the border areas, conducts sabotage activities to prevent our troops from moving to dangerous directions, and increases the density of mine and explosive barriers along the state border.
The enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) actions in the Kupyansk direction.
In the Lyman direction, our soldiers repelled 6 attacks in Terna, Donetsk region, and Bilogorivka, Luhansk region, where the enemy, with the support of aviation, tried to break through the defenses of our troops.
In the Bakhmut direction, our soldiers repelled 7 attacks in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Ivanovske, and Klishchiivka settlements of the Donetsk region.
In the Avdiivsk direction, our defenders repelled 24 attacks in the areas of Berdychi, Semenivka, Umanske, Pervomaiske, Nevelske settlements, where the enemy tried to knock out our units from the occupied lines.
On the Novopavlivskyi direction, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Pobyeda, Novomykhailivka and eastern Vodyanyi of the Donetsk region, where the enemy tried to break through the defenses of our troops 36 times.
In the Orihiv direction, the occupiers carried out 5 attacks on the positions of our defenders in the districts of Staromayorskyi, Donetsk region, and Robotyny, Zaporizhzhia region.
In the Kherson direction, the enemy attacked the positions of our troops on the left bank of the Dnieper 2 times.
During the past day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 4 anti-aircraft missile complexes and 11 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the enemy.
Units of the missile forces damaged 4 radar stations, 1 control post, 1 personnel concentration area, 4 anti-aircraft defenses and 1 enemy artillery.
Russian ministry of defense failed to post their daily summary for April 1st, so we take the text from the Russian FSB supervised summaries as a substitute.
[NewsFront] 22:15 An explosion occurred in Kharkov in eastern Ukraine. According to the online map of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, an air raid alert has been declared in the Kharkov and Sumy regions of the country.
21:25 "Lancet"blew upSelf-propelled gun 2S1 “Gvozdika” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
20:34 Our fighters against the background of two more American M2A2 Bradley ODS-SA infantry fighting vehicles from the Avdeevsky direction, claiming to be trophies -photo.
19:15 The enemy T-72 was going about its business somewhere on the Donetsk front, but was discovered with a UAV by our paratroopers and received its “Lancet” -video.
18:46 Today, in Khmelnytsky, a farewell ceremony was held for junior lieutenant Taras Melnik. The militant was killed near the village. Staromayorskoe, Donetsk region -photo.
17:42 Su-34 bombed the Ukrainian Armed Forces deployment point in Chasov Yar -video.
16:38 Military personnel of the Dnepr group of troops are destroying military facilities, as well as positions of Ukrainian Armed Forces militants on the right bank of the Dnieper -video.
16:00 The 305th Artillery Brigade destroyed the Ukrainian Strela-10 small-radius air defense system in the Staromayorsky area using a self-propelled "Gyacinth"video.
15:12 During attacks on the Sumy region, the Russian Armed Forces used the ODAB-1500 heavy aerial bomb for the first time in the area of the settlement. Great Pisarevka -video.
14:19 Attacks on personnel and transport of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by drone pilots from the 123rd Motorized Rifle Brigade in the area of the village of Vyemka, northeast of Soledar -video.
14:02 Artillerymen of the 6th motorized rifle division hit the American M-777 with their grandfather’s D-20 howitzer and with the help of Krasnopol -video.
13:19 German-Ukrainian captured T-72B3 with added dynamic protection -video.
12:43 Artillerymen of the 238th brigade hit the Ukrainian Carnation with a lancet -video.
12:28 Msta-B howitzer covers the position of a 120-mm Ukrainian mortar in Chasov Yar -video.
11:50 Active fighting continues in the Zaporozhye direction at any time of the day. And the enemy can be firmly confident that our rocket artillery will continue to deliver accurate strikes on targets -video.
11:18 The crew of the anti-tank missile system of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed the Ukrainian Kozak armored car in the Donetsk direction -video.
10:42 On May 1, 2023, Oleg Shpur, a veteran of the so-called ATO, was liquidated in Artyomovsk.
He was born in Vinnytsia region. After graduating from school, Shpur signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and took part in the so-called ATO and Joint Forces Operation.
After the start of the Northern Military District, he voluntarily joined the 120th separate territorial defense brigade. Served as a machine gunner -photo.
09:59 Primorye residents from the Tiger detachment shared with us footage of how an ATGM crew hit a building in which the enemy was sitting. The action takes place in the Novomikhailovka area -video.
09:36 Rotation failed. Excellent arrival at a group of infantry from Ukrainian formations in the Yuzhnodonetsk direction. Coordinated work of scouts and artillerymen of the 36th Army of the Vostok group of the Russian Armed Forces from Buryatia -video.
08:54 Combat work of the artillery of the Sever-V brigade in the Artemovsk direction.
In the area of the village Grigorovka, the UAV launch site was discovered. As a result of an artillery strike, the enemy's air reconnaissance crew was destroyed -video.
08:10 Elimination of the enemy DRG after entering the gray zone. The Aida Special Forces group "Akhmat" is gathering its harvest -video.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:35 Advance of the RF Armed Forces –map.
1. In the Rabotino area (mostly now successes are to the west and north-west of Verbovoy; it is not yet possible to push through Rabotino directly).
2. In the Novomikhailovka area (where we move forward almost every day, both in the village itself and to the north or south of it).
20:33 Powerful explosions in Khar'kov. The city has reintroduced hourly power outage schedules.
Explosions have just thundered on the outskirts of Kharkov and Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft have launched strikes with KAB guided bombs on targets in the Volchansky region.
19:01 Sumy region. Another wave of strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forcesrevealsenemy positions for high-precision strikes. Several sounds of explosions were reported. In addition, the enemy reports on his telegram channels about the operation of our attack UAVs.
18:28 They report that as a result of strikes on Kharkov and the Kharkov region in the afternoon, a radar and one launcher of the S-300 air defense system, which were supposed to provide air defense for Kharkov, were destroyed. The hunt for air defense systems does not stop.
Increasing the accuracy of missiles and guided bombs + increased capabilities for satellite and technical reconnaissance make it easier to solve this problem.
17:30 Map: alarms in Ukraine.
16:15 Odessa region.
A powerful explosion occurred in the port area of Odessa.
In all likelihood, our rocket scientists launched ballistics and aviation sent the Ukrainian Armed Forces X-59 missiles.
15:31 Avdeevskoe direction.
Enemy Resources report about the most powerful attack of our army west of Avdievka.
The village is being stormed. Semyonovka, Berdychey, advance to Umansky and Yasnobrodovka.
The enemy reports that there has not been such a density of fire since the battle for Avdievka. Extremely intense attack. By evening we expect positive news from the direction.
14:40 Special military operation. Situation on March 31 –map.
12:35 Statement by the senior officer of the press center of the “South” group -video.
Units of the “Southern” group of forces, supported by air strikes and artillery fire, improved the situation along the front line and defeated enemy formations in the areas of Belogorovka, Kurdyumovka and Chasov Yar.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 370 military personnel, 15 vehicles, two ammunition depots, the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun, an electronic warfare station, and an M119 gun.
Air defense systems shot down 105 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, six Khaimars and Vampire MLRS missiles
. 11:15 Summary on the morning of March 31, 2024
Tonight, the Russian Armed Forces carried out another group strike on enemy power generation facilities. Explosions were heard in the Odessa region, after which there were power outages.
Since March 22, 2024, several series of attacks have been carried out on power plants in Ukraine, the consequences of which the enemy now assesses as catastrophic: restoration is comparable to new construction. Replacing transformers is not enough. The deelectrification of Ukraine is sweeping across the entire territory of the former Ukrainian SSR, including the western regions.
In addition to undermining the moral and psychological state of the population, the strikes are aimed at reducing the enemy’s industrial production, limiting its repair and restoration capabilities and minimizing the operation of railway electric locomotives. In a number of regions, diesel locomotives are already being installed where previously trains ran using electricity.
Along the entire length of the front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are erecting fortifications, engineering and minefields. At the same time, a number of fortified areas are located in the rear. For example, yesterday shots of new powerful defensive positions in the Odessa and Kyiv regions dispersed. In the capital region, the enemy previously reported that over 1 thousand km had been built. frontiers.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine pay special attention to the Kharkov direction. Against the backdrop of ongoing terrorist attacks on the civilian population of the Belgorod region and previous attempts to break through the State border, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are distributed throughout the Kharkov region, preparing one of the defense centers southwest of Kharkov.
Apparently, before it, the enemy will leave units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for slaughter to slow down the advance of our troops. Residents of the front-line regions of Russia are impatiently waiting for the LBS to be pushed to the west; casualties among the civilian population are daily. A relatively new element was the regular use of powerful FABs with UMPCs by the Russian Armed Forces against targets in the rear of the Kharkov region. Planning modules allow heavy aerial bombs to travel tens of kilometers, and guidance systems allow them to accurately hit enemy military targets.
At the front, the slow advance of our troops continues in the Krasnolimansky, Avdeevsky, Vrem'evsky, Zaporozhye, and Ugledarsky directions. Our troops are also moving to Chasov Yar with heavy fighting.
The Russian Army’s advancement to a new technological level can contribute to decisive breakthroughs in enemy defenses in the current conditions. The enemy notes the constant modernization of our missiles, Shoigu tours defense enterprises, and at some he arranges a demonstrative flogging of the local authorities.
The risks of conflict escalation are increasingly higher. The French are planning to replace tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on the border with Belarus, Poland has suspended the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. At the same time, the United States continues to delay sending military-technical assistance to Kyiv, trying to shift the burden of the conflict onto the shoulders of European workers and farmers.
10:41 Night raid by attack drones on the Odessa region.
On the night of March 30-31, 2024, by Russian troops applied attacks on energy infrastructure facilities in the Odessa region.
Coordinates: 46.6995149, 30.9316853
During the raid, the Adzhalyk 330 substation northeast of Odessa was disabled. After the strike, most of Odessa and nearby settlements were left without electricity. A large fire broke out at the site, which is also confirmed by satellite thermal indicators.
The resulting damage does not allow the transfer of power to the city from the Yuzhnoukran nuclear power plant in the Nikolaev region.
Coordinates: 46.4538478, 30.3870876
Another blow was dealt to one of the two autotransformers of the Novoodesskaya 330 kV substation. The 330 kV outdoor switchgear is working. After the explosions, temporary power surges in the network and short-term power outages were recorded in the Belgorod-Dniester region.
As a result of the strikes, the situation with the power supply in Odessa has approached critical: there is no own generation, and power from the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant simply does not reach the city. But we need to be realistic - with a high degree of probability, the situation will stabilize in the next few days.
09:56 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to fire at the civilian infrastructure of settlements on the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired from cannon artillery:
-- n.p. Novaya Kakhovka four rounds;
-- to n.p. Kakhovka three rounds;
-- the village of Lyubimovka three rounds;
-- Malokakhovka settlement two rounds;
-- Brilevka settlement two missiles;
-- n.p. Alyosha seven rounds.
As a result of the artillery attack of the settlement. Brilevka, four civilians were moderately injured.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the village. Kakhovka, n.p. Proletarka, n.p. Korsunka, n.p. Aleshki, firing a total of 13 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being determined.
09:27 Telegram channel «WarGonzo":
Frontline report for the morning of 03/31/2024
- Zaporozhye Front. No major changes here. Long-range weapons are actively working on both sides. Positional battles continue in Rabotino. Events are developing a little more actively northwest of Verbovoy, but so far without significant progress.
– On the Donetsk front, the Russian Armed Forces continue to fight their way into Novomikhailovka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have to withdraw, but completely leave the settlement. They're not going yet. There are small tactical successes in Georgievka, where the Ukrainians also offer fierce resistance, but cannot stop the advance of the Russian Armed Forces. In Krasnogorovka there are oncoming battles.
In the Pervomaisky Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, in heavy battles they continue to take enemy positions, literally one meter at a time. In the Tonenkoye area, Russian troops continue to attempt to advance westward. Fierce oncoming battles on the outskirts of Semyonovka and in Berdychi.
– Artemovskoe (Bakhmutskoe) direction. The Russian Armed Forces continue to push through enemy defenses towards Chasov Yar. In Kleshcheevka and Bogdanovka there were oncoming battles.
08:53 Telegram channel “Fisherman":
Chronicle of a special military operation for March 30, 2024
– Russian troops attacked enemy targets in the front-line and rear areas. The targets were substations, oil depots and locations of Ukrainian formations in the Nikolaev, Odessa and Poltava regions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, in turn, intensified attacks on the border of the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
– In the Artemovsky (Bakhmutsky) direction there are battles on the approaches to Chasov Yar. The Russian Armed Forces are trying to push through enemy defenses along the railway leading to the eastern outskirts of the city. The enemy, meanwhile, is strengthening the front line of defense.
– In the Avdeevsky direction there are battles on the southern outskirts of Semenovka. In Berdychi and west of Tonenkoye there are no significant changes.
– In the Donetsk direction, positional battles continue in Krasnogorovka and Georgievka. The Russian Armed Forces are also advancing in Pervomaisky, fighting is taking place in the center of the village.
– In the Ugledar direction in Novomikhailovka, Russian troops have significantly expanded the zone of control in the center of the village and the outskirts. Soldiers from the 155th Marine Brigade advanced further to the west, taking control of the post office and village council buildings.
“In addition, information has emerged that the Russian Armed Forces began fighting on the eastern outskirts of the Mashinostroitel holiday village, and the enemy retreated from the forest belt to the south.
08:10 Official summary of Representative offices of the DPR in the JCCC:
31 cases of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded by the DPR Representative Office in the JCCC.
One civilian was reported injured.
Damaged:
One residential building,
One civil infrastructure facility.
Ten attacks were recorded from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donetsk direction,
A total of 21 attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recorded in the Gorlovka direction.
In total, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 101 units of various ammunition.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Andrey Musalov
[REGNUM] Against the background of a special military operation in Ukraine, many other aspects of the confrontation between Russia and the countries of the collective West remained in the shadows. Meanwhile, one of them has long been the struggle for the Arctic region.
In the 90s, the vacuum that arose in the former Soviet Arctic was quickly filled by numerous countries of the so-called “Arctic Club”: the USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, etc.
Representatives of these countries adhere to the point of view that Russia does not have the right to control its territories of the Arctic and Siberia alone, and propose dividing these riches “fairly.” The reason is obvious: over the past decades, large deposits of natural resources have been discovered in the Arctic region.
According to the US Geological Survey, up to 20% of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are located in the Arctic Ocean: potential gas reserves are estimated at 47.3 trillion cubic meters. m, gas condensate - 44 billion barrels, oil - 90 billion barrels.
These are decisive factors for a possible geostrategic confrontation between countries laying claim to the Arctic region.
LOST POSSESSIONS
For a long time, the polar possessions of the USSR were determined by the sectoral principle of dividing the Arctic. In the west, the maritime border of the sector ran from the northern point of the Russian-Norwegian border on the Rybachy Peninsula - a triangulation mark on Cape Kekursky to the North Pole. In the east - from the strait that separated the Soviet Ratmanov Island from the American Kruzenshtern, to the North Pole.
This milestone was secured by a resolution of the Presidium of the USSR Central Executive Committee of 1926. Norway, Denmark, Canada and the USA had their own sectors, but the Soviet one was the largest.
The situation changed in 1997. The government of Boris Yeltsin ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982, according to which the maritime economic boundaries of states are limited to a 200-mile coastal zone without recognizing priority over the remaining territories of the Arctic sector, which previously belonged to the polar possessions of the USSR.
As a result, our country lost the right to own the “Russian Arctic triangle”. Vast areas beyond 200 miles from the coast were declared zones of free navigation, to which Russia no longer had the right to lay claim, as well as to the natural resources located there.
It is noteworthy that a number of countries either refused to ratify the Convention on the Law of the Sea or did not sign it at all. First of all, we are talking about the United States, which not only did not sign the document, but also declared that the continental shelf is a continuation of the country’s land territory. Accordingly, they did not recognize waters beyond the 200-mile zone as areas of free navigation.
This applied to the Atlantic, Pacific and, of course, the Arctic, where the United States claims an area of 1 million square meters of the Bering Sea. As a result, a number of other countries began to consider the continental shelf as an extension of their lands under water.
WHOSE RIDGE?
In 2001, Russia submitted an application to the UN to expand its Arctic economic zone on the basis that the Lomonosov Ridge is a continuation of the Russian continental shelf and a direct continuation of the Eurasian continent, and therefore is Russian territory.
The Lomonosov Ridge stretches 1,800 kilometers across the entire center of the Arctic Ocean - from the Russian-owned New Siberian Islands to the Canadian Ellesmere Island.
Satisfaction of the application would allow Russia to justify its rights to more than 1.2 million square meters. km of ocean shelf - from Chukotka to the Kola Peninsula. The Arctic shelf is rich in oil, gas and other mineral reserves. According to some estimates, from 83 to 110 billion tons of hydrocarbons in oil equivalent are concentrated here (16 billion tons of oil and more than 82 trillion cubic meters of gas).
There are also deposits of tin, nickel, lead, manganese, gold, platinum and other valuable metals on the shelf. As ice melts due to global warming, supplies become more accessible every year. It is not surprising that in addition to Russia, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are also laying claim to this tidbit of the Arctic.
At the same time, most of the countries participating in the Arctic process have territorial claims against Russia. The United States, for example, lays claim to Russia's Wrangel Islands, arguing that they are an extension of the Alaskan continental shelf.
In 2002, the UN Commission rejected Russia's application "for lack of evidence." It was noted that the data contained in it requires clarification. The commission recommended that the Russian side conduct more detailed studies.
To confirm that the underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges are a continuation of the Siberian continental platform, a Russian deep-sea research expedition led by oceanographer and polar explorer Artur Chilingarov set off for the Arctic in 2007.
On August 2, the expedition made the first ever dive of manned vehicles onto the ocean floor near the North Pole. At the same time, the bathyscaphe "Mir-1" plunged to a depth of 4261 meters, "Mir-2" - to 4302 meters.
During the dive, scientists collected samples of bottom sediments and rocks, and also installed a Russian flag made of titanium on the ocean floor, and with it a capsule with a message to future generations.
Based on a study of data collected by the Arctic-2007 expedition, Russian scientists confirmed that the Lomonosov Ridge is a continuation of the Siberian continental plate.
As one might expect, politicians in competing states reacted with irritation to Russian research. US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said that it does not matter to him “what the Russians left on the ocean floor - a flag or a metal plate.” According to him, Russia's actions had no legal basis.
In turn, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said that the Russian deep-sea expedition was nothing more than a show, and only in the Middle Ages it was possible to claim rights to the occupied territory after planting the flag. Other countries in the Arctic zone, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, expressed solidarity with the position of the United States and Canada.
In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian expedition was carried out in accordance with international maritime law, and its goal - to determine the ownership of the continental shelf - was announced in advance.
Commenting on Mackay's statement, the minister noted: “When explorers reach undiscovered territory, they leave flags behind. This is exactly what the Americans did on the Moon."
In general, Russia’s desire to solve the problem of the Arctic shelf using evidence-based scientific methods has brought results. In 2014, the UN Commission partially satisfied the Russian application, recognizing the section of the continental shelf in the Sea of Okhotsk as part of the territory of the Russian Federation. We are talking about an area of over 50 thousand square meters. km, which is a continuation of the Siberian continental platform.
In response to this, the then Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper said: The North Pole is on primordially Canadian territory, since the Lomonosov Ridge does not come from the Russian shelf, but is an underwater continuation of the northern Canadian Ellesmere Island.
Harper was supported by Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, the first Eskimo woman in the Canadian cabinet. In one of her speeches, she categorically stated: “At the North Pole we define Canada’s last border!”
CONFRONTATION AMONG THE ICE
Throughout the last decade, despite the desire of the Russian side for a constructive resolution of disputes, some of the states of the “Arctic Club” have been straining relations with Russia.
At first, it was about one-time demonstrative actions of non-governmental organizations, such as provocations by Greenpeace activists (an organization recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation) at the Russian Prirazlomnaya platform. But soon such actions became systemic and reached the state level.
Norway has been more active than others, whose coast guard has repeatedly detained and inspected Russian fishing vessels in areas of the Barents Sea, which over the last century were considered joint fishing areas. More than once Russian fishermen were arrested and transported to Norwegian ports.
In response to the activity of the states of the collective West in the Arctic, Russia began to strengthen its presence in the region.
The Ministry of Defense first announced the need to build up military potential on the Northern Sea Route in March 2011. At the same time, the Russian Security Council adopted the “Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the period until 2020 and beyond.”
In December 2014, specifically to protect Russia’s strategic and economic interests in the Arctic, the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command (USC) was formed with headquarters in Severomorsk. Its main task is to protect Russia’s economic interests in the Arctic region, from Murmansk to Anadyr.
The unified command includes the surface and submarine forces of the Northern Fleet, naval aviation, coastal troops and air defense. In the same year, airfields in Tiksi, Naryan-Mar, Nagurskoye, Anadyr, Rogachevo and other cities were quickly reconstructed.
The next step was the creation in 2015 of six military bases, of which the most remote were “Northern Clover” on Kotelny Island (in the center of the Northern Sea Route) and “Arctic Trefoil” on the island of Alexandra Land. These are closed-cycle military camps with a power plant, boiler room and other life support systems.
As troops build up, the air defense of the area is also strengthened. The Arctic air defense units are represented today by the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army, which includes a powerful formation - the 1st Air Defense Division.
Also in 2015, the formation of motorized rifle Arctic brigades began to operate in the Far North. The first formation to operate in the Arctic was to be formed on the basis of the 200th motorized rifle brigade, which is stationed in Pechenga.
In developing the concept of protecting Russia’s interests in the Arctic region, on March 12, 2020, the State Duma in the first reading adopted the bill “On state support for business activities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.” The document defines the legal regime according to which business activities should be conducted in the Arctic zone, and also spells out state support measures that will be applied to areas of the Russian Arctic shelf that will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Of course, the increase in Russia’s presence in the Arctic region did not go unnoticed by the countries of the collective West. In the American “Strategy for Cooperation on Naval Forces of the 21st Century,” a document that is a conceptual plan for the development of the US Navy, the situation in the Arctic is included in the list of “challenges of a new era.”
The US military regularly conducts exercises in the region, often jointly with other members of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In mid-February 2020, the head of the Northern Command of the US Armed Forces, Terrence O'Shaughnessy, said that the United States fears the expansion of influence in the Arctic by Russia and China, which intend to “exploit the economic potential” of the region. The Ice Exercise (IceX), a biannual exercise, responded to concerns.
As part of the exercises in the Alaska region, the American command demonstrates to Russia and China the operational readiness of the United States and allied countries to operate in the Arctic. At the same time, the US military is creating a Seadragon camp on the ice fields of the Beaufort Sea, and Los Angeles-class submarines of the US Navy are practicing surfacing with breaking through the ice and a subsequent training attack.
The last Ice X exercise to date took place on March 8, 2024.
FROM WORDS TO DEEDS
With the start of the Northern Military District in Ukraine, members of the Arctic Council - the USA, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden - declared a boycott of Russia. They created the “7+1” format and hold meetings without the participation of Moscow, ignoring its opinion on all issues. At the same time, State Department representative Derek Chollet said that 70% of problems in the Arctic can be solved without the participation of the Russian Federation.
The most striking example of the growth of confrontation in the Arctic was the actual blockade in the spring-summer of 2022 of the Russian village of Barentsburg, located on the Spitsbergen archipelago.
Then, as part of anti-Russian sanctions, the Norwegian authorities rejected Russia’s application to allow cargo for our citizens to pass through the Storskog checkpoint, the only checkpoint on the Russian-Norwegian border. As a result, 450 miners from the Arktikugol trust and about 50 employees of travel companies were on the verge of starvation.
The validity of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1920, was called into question. According to the document, Norwegian sovereignty was established over the archipelago, but the Soviet Union, and then its successor Russia, could use its natural resources.
In response, Russia threatened to denounce the agreement between the Russian Federation and Norway on the delimitation of maritime spaces and cooperation in the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. This had an effect: in order to circumvent its own sanctions, Norway undertook to deliver Russian cargo to Spitsbergen using its own ships.
It is difficult to say what scenario the further confrontation in the Arctic will follow. It is important to note that only Russia has a developed icebreaker fleet and large-scale military infrastructure in the region.
However, it is obvious that further global warming, the discovery of large mineral deposits in the region and the growing need to use the Northern Sea Route will strengthen the desire of the collective Western countries to push Russia out of the polar regions. And at any cost.
Yes, but what if there is no significant global warming, and therefore no Northern Sea Route?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Terrorists in Dagestan were identified as part of increased security after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. The head of the region, Sergei Melikov, announced this on March 31 in the Telegram channel.
“The identification of the criminals took place, among other things, as part of strengthening security after the terrorist attack in the Moscow region,” Melikov wrote.
He thanked all responsible services and noted that during the counter-terrorism operation (CTO), the complete safety of civilians was ensured. There were no casualties among citizens or losses among law enforcement personnel.
As Regnum reported, three criminals who were planning to commit terrorist acts were detained in Dagestan during the CTO. There were no casualties among civilians or law enforcement officers. During the inspection of the places where terrorists were detained, weapons, ammunition and a ready-to-use improvised explosive device were discovered and seized.
The CTO regime in two regions of Dagestan was announced on March 31 at 5:35 am. Security forces worked in the Leninsky and Sovetsky districts of Makhachkala and in the city of Kaspiysk. The population was urged to remain vigilant and assist law enforcement officers.
In Dagestan, during the counter-terrorism operation (CTO), three criminals who were planning to commit terrorist acts were detained. There were no casualties among the civilian population or law enforcement officers, the information center of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) reported.
“During the counter-terrorism operation carried out this morning in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk under the leadership of the NAC operational headquarters, security authorities detained three bandits who were planning to commit a number of terrorist crimes,” the message follows.
NAC clarified that during an inspection of the places where terrorists were detained, weapons, ammunition and a ready-to-use improvised explosive device were discovered.
As Regnum reported, the counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in two regions of Dagestan today at 5:35 am. It was carried out within the administrative borders of the Leninsky, Sovetsky districts of Makhachkala and the city of Kaspiysk, reported the department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the region.
The operational headquarters of Dagestan also appealed to the population with a request for vigilance and support for law enforcement officers in the fight against extremism and terrorism.
Around 7:00 it became known that FSB special forces blocked the terrorists in apartments in residential areas in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The killers of Russian defector pilot Maxim Kuzminov shot him six times and then ran over his body with a car. The American newspaper New York Times writes about this.
“The killers not only shot him six times in a garage in southern Spain, but also drove over his body in their car,” the material follows.
As reported by IA Regnum, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported that on February 13, Kuzminov’s body was allegedly discovered in Villajoyosa. The body had bullet wounds; the deceased was lying on the garage ramp. Spanish police officers have confirmed the death of a defector who hijacked a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter in 2023.
According to Kuzminov’s father, he feels more sorry for the crew of the Mi-8 helicopter, which died at the hands of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, than for his own son. The man noted that those with whom his son served saw him as a colleague, but he changed over trifles, betraying his homeland and loved ones.
Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said that pilot Maxim Kuzminov became a moral corpse even when he was planning his crime.
The hijacking of a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter by Kuzminov became known in August 2023. The FSB opened a criminal case under the article of high treason. According to the pilot, he received $500,000 (48.7 million rubles) from Kyiv for betrayal.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Russian armed forces, despite the muddy roads, continue to move forward in the combat zone in Ukraine. Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson shared his opinion in an interview with the Dialogue Works Youtube channel.
“If you look at what's happening right now, I think the offensive has already begun. They are moving forward. Ukrainian troops are steadily retreating,” the expert suggested.
He added that Russian troops are not stopped even by mud, while Western tanks transferred to Ukraine are stuck in the mud.
As Regnum reported, Telegraph columnist Colin Freeman visited Ukrainian positions. In his article, he talked about German Leopard tanks and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles stuck in the mud, as well as about the state of the Ukrainian army and its military failures. In addition, he called the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces a drama, “which now seems to be becoming a reality,” and added that because of this, there is a decline in morale in the ranks of the Ukrainian military. In turn, the Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery commander with the call sign Miron invited politicians and experts from Western countries who criticize the Ukrainian army to come to the front and show themselves in action.
In March, British magazine The Sun published a video of a British Challenger 2 tank getting stuck in the mud in Ukraine during a press demonstration run. Representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the turret mechanisms and sighting devices of British tanks turned out to be not as durable as originally expected, as a result of which the Challenger 2 regularly needs repairs.
The counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2023 became one of the largest military defeats in modern history. This opinion was expressed by American billionaire David Sachs
…he made his nut as the PayPal COO, so knows Mr. Musk’s thinking better than most …
on the social network X, commenting on businessman Elon Musk ’s forecast about Ukraine’s likely loss of access to the Black Sea and Odessa.
“Tanks and soldiers ran headlong through minefields as Russian artillery rained down on them from heavily fortified positions,” Sachs admitted.
The billionaire believes that the “reckless support” of the United States led to Ukraine’s failure.
“These people are fools who should not be trusted at all,” Sachs concluded, adding that until American authorities are held accountable for their policies, Ukraine will face destruction.
As IA Regnum reported, American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s warning about Ukraine’s likely loss of Odessa should be taken seriously, since Musk thinks big and has authority, Oleg Soskin, a former adviser to ex-President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, said on March 31.
Elon Musk once again made a forecast about the future fate of Ukraine. According to the entrepreneur, it may lose even more territories and ultimately lose access to the Black Sea.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Alexander Syrsky, lied about the successes of the Ukrainian military on the front line. This was stated by the editor-in-chief of the website “Censor. no,” former adviser to the country’s defense minister Yuri Butusov in a video blog.
“The statement that the number of positions we returned exceeds the number of lost ones does not correspond to reality. The phrase that the enemy failed to make significant progress in strategic directions, unfortunately, also does not correspond to reality. According to all data, the enemy is moving forward and has captured significant territories,” he said.
As Regnum reported , Yuri Butusov previously caught the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, in a lie.
The journalist said that Zelensky promised to supply a million drones to the front. In reality, the state does not meet the needs of the Ukrainian military for drones. Brigades receive from him only 5% of the UAVs they use.
To support his words, Butusov cited data from the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, which reported the production of 200 thousand UAVs in January and February 2024. But where even these drones are is unclear, the journalist emphasized.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The German economy is experiencing a serious crisis, and it is developing into a pan-European one, since other EU countries are integrated into German supply chains, and the EU budget depends on German contributions, German journalist Wolfgang Munchau noted in his publication on March 31 in the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
According to his assessment, the industrial decline in Germany took place before 2022, and after the start of a special military operation by Russia and the introduction of many anti-Russian sanctions, the crisis only intensified.
“The Russian special operation in Ukraine and the subsequent anti-Russian sanctions have brought the German economy to the brink of an abyss. Germany's neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe are largely integrated into German supply chains. The EU also depends on the country’s contributions to the budget and on its government bonds to support the eurozone,” the material says.
As Regnum reported, in March 2024, Bloomberg observers wrote that most of the family-owned companies in Germany, which actually form the basis of the country's economy, were on the verge of collapse due to sharp restrictions on government funding and extremely high electricity prices. The authors of the same publication previously noted that Germany's days as an industrial superpower were coming to an end.
In January 2024, Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs of Germany Robert Habeck said that the German economy was experiencing a shortage of funds due to the costs of supporting Ukraine, as well as other EU countries helping Kiev. The German government noted that the amount of funds that Germany has spent on helping Ukraine since February 2022 exceeds 25 billion euros.
In October 2023, President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia had fully overcome the 2022 economic downturn. During a meeting with entrepreneurs in Khabarovsk on January 11, the president noted that by the end of 2023, the Russian economy had overtaken Germany and taken fifth place in the world and first in Europe, despite the fact that the West is trying to “strangle and crush” Russia from all sides.
#3
^The French military is currently replacing its old VAB armored personnel carriers that started being used in 1979 by a new generation of armored vehicles.
“This old equipment, still operational, is going directly to Ukraine in large quantities. We’re talking about hundreds (of vehicles) in 2024 and early 2025,” Lecornu said.
#4
Some might think this is a good thing but I don't think anybody wants it to go so far as another Wiemar Republic. It would be nice if the elites could understand the danger and step back from the brink.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
04/01/2024 13:39 Comments ||
Top||
#5
This old equipment, still operational, is going directly to Ukraine in large quantities.
Along with spare parts, manuals and trained people to fix them?
At Skid's link in #2, there is a quote from Macron: "Russia Cannot be Allowed to Win ‘Existential’ War in Ukraine"
Rhetoric aside, from the Russian point of view, this *is* an existential war. They don't want the West trying a "Thunder Run" to Stalingrad Volgograd or Moscow. They have seen that play before and have no intention of allowing a historical enemy to gain the positional advantage to do it again.
"Oh, pish!", they retorted. "We are the good guys and would never do that."
OK, convince the Russians. How? Perhaps by creating a demilitarized Ukraine and threatening World War III the moment the first Russian unit crosses the border. Putin is smart enough to recognize a win-win situation. And besides, Russia has enough other problems, social and geo-political, to worry about.
#6
OK, convince the Russians. How?
OK, you're a paranoid empire-conquering tyrannical regime who threatens world-wide nuclear war, and it's OUR responsibility to reassure you? Right...
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/01/2024 18:28 Comments ||
Top||
#7
OK, you're a paranoid empire-conquering tyrannical regime who threatens world-wide nuclear war, and it's OUR responsibility to reassure you?
I use the word "convince" not in the sense of reassurance or a logical argument, but as an unequivocal threat of lethal force. Much like you convince a home intruder to leave by racking your shotgun and declaring "One more step and I will shoot you in the face".
Make no mistake, the Soviet Union was big and evil and a threat to the world. Germany had reason to fear the Red Army streaming through the Fulda Gap. For most of my adult life, NATO provided a necessary and effective counterforce to keep the USSR contained. But the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed, the mighty Red Army is gone. Everyone is better off now, Russians included. One might ask why NATO is still around.
Hugely successful negotiator Donald Trump has said you can always make a deal as long as both sides don't want the same exact thing. In this case, Ukraine wanted access to the European Union for economic opportunity and grift. Russia wanted an end to the civil war next door in the Donbass and security from NATO. Both sides could have gotten what they wanted without a war if the West was determined to make it so.
The story we were sold about Russia's invasion was that Putin the Mad got a wild hair one day and decided to invade their neighbor. But as the details unfold over time, we learn that Ukraine was mobilizing troops and NATO was sending advisors and weapons into Ukraine. Frau Merkel stated in a published interview with a German newspaper that the Minsk Agreements were a sham and only intended to buy time to build up Ukraine. For some reason, that interview did not appear in US media. It pains me greatly to say this, but it looks like we deliberately provoked the Russians.
I find it interesting to contrast our attempts to contain China by integrating them into the world economy vs containing Russia by continuing the Cold War.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Over a thousand people demonstrated in Amsterdam in support of peace and against the conflict in Ukraine. The protesters held a rally in the central Dam Square.
After the rally, protesters marched through the city streets to the beat of drums with white and blue flags.
Similar demonstrations have taken place in Amsterdam before. But this time the action brought together political activists who regularly hold them with ordinary peace supporters who gathered on the occasion of Catholic Easter.
“It’s good that they joined us, but there is a difference between us. They are simply for peace. We will continue to raise sensitive issues, speak out against our government, NATO, Zionists, Nazis and the European Union, because they are evil. Because of them there are so many problems in the world, because of them a huge number of people are dying,” one of the organizers of the action, Petra Ottenhof, told TASS.
The activist also added that people continue to oppose the supply of weapons to Ukraine. According to her, this is one of the main topics.
“Some people believe that we are against Ukraine because we do not support arms supplies. In fact, we support Ukraine and do not want more people to die there,” she explained.
It is noted that Russian flags were also seen in the crowd of protesters. The people who came with them stated that they supported the Russian Federation and expressed hope for a speedy end to the conflict in Ukraine.
“A lot of innocent people are dying because of this, it’s just terrible and needs to stop,” an activist named Bart shared his opinion.
As Regnum reported, one of the actions against arms supplies to Kiev took place on the central Dam Square in Amsterdam right on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2023.
Then Petra Ottenhoff stated that the leaders of Western countries no longer want to give money to the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky. They are tired of it and want to get out of this conflict without losing their face.
Also, protesters who took to the streets with white flags opposed the decision of the Dutch government to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and called for a speedy peaceful resolution of the conflict.
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.
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