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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 6, 2024
2024-06-07
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:16 Macron clarified that the fighters will be transferred to Ukraine by the end of the year, and it will take 5-6 months to train pilots. He did not name the number of planes.

21:44 The priority goal of the Russians in the Donetsk region is the route from Pokrovsk to Konstantinovka, said Nazar Voloshin, speaker of the OSGV Khortitsa. According to him, the Pokrovsk direction remains the hottest along the entire front line: “Of course, after Ocheretino they are just rushing towards the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka highway. Perhaps they have such a goal - to capture Pokrovsk and the vital highway just to Konstantinovka.”

21:37 France will transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Kiev and will train Ukrainian pilots, Macron said. In addition, according to him, France intends to prepare a Ukrainian brigade of 4,500 people, train and arm it. However, there is no talk about the French military in Ukraine yet, Macron clarified.

Macron also confirmed that Ukraine can fire French missiles at Russian territory: “We are with the Ukrainians. Ukraine is allowed to strike targets from which missiles were fired. We prohibit hitting civilians with our weapons.” The French President also said that he stands for peace, but peace “cannot mean the capitulation of Ukraine.” In his opinion, peace must be achieved through negotiations, but the time has not yet come for them.

20:46 Due to exceeding the limits, Ukrenergo announced the use of emergency shutdowns in Kiev and the Kiev region, as well as in the Volyn, Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Transcarpathian, Zaporozhye, Lviv, Nikolaev, Kirovograd, Odessa, Rivne and Kharkiv regions.

20:12 Zelensky was asked during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy whether he hoped for a “Normandy landing” of the Allies in Ukraine. “Yes, I hope,” Zelensky replied.

18:55 NATO plans to expand cooperation with Ukraine in the field of defense technologies and share intelligence about Russia's capabilities in the field of electronic warfare, Bloomberg writes. NATO Assistant Secretary General David van Weel said the Alliance was preparing an agreement that would introduce a new framework for sharing information, including on drone supply chains. It will be completed before the July NATO summit in Washington.

18:46 The German government presented a new military plan - the Framework Directive for Total Defense. The document spells out measures that must be taken during a military conflict, writes Bild. According to the plan, NATO troops should be deployed across the country to the eastern flank, where Bundeswehr forces will also be located.

18:42 On Friday, June 7, limits on electricity consumption will be in effect throughout the entire territory of Ukraine, Ukrenergo reported. To comply with the limits, hourly shutdown schedules will be applied, and if the limits are exceeded, emergency shutdowns are possible.

18:33 Syrsky reported on the optimization of the staffing structure of the General Staff units. In particular, their numbers are being reduced and their functions are being revised. Thanks to this, the military command and control bodies that command troops in combat areas have already been strengthened, the commander-in-chief noted. “Our main task is to make the troop command system more effective and eliminate duplication of functions. These activities are being carried out as part of the implementation of the strategy for the development of branches and individual branches of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces until 2035. Our goal is to create a promising structure of the Armed Forces for the period before joining NATO,” - Syrsky emphasized. According to him, in the same context, the formation of the Unmanned Systems Forces is being carried out.

18:24 In Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, three people were injured as a result of a kamikaze drone attack, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. Residential buildings, greenhouses, solar panels and power lines were damaged.

17:57 Orban said that Ukraine is trying to drag the whole world into the war: “The Ukrainians believe that the more countries they can drag into the war against the Russians, the greater the chances of victory, so they will drag the EU or even the whole world into the war. From the Ukrainian national point of view, the escalation of the war is logical."

17:21 From the beginning of June, Russia began to attack solar power plants, switchgear devices were destroyed there, said DTEK Executive Director Dmitry Sakharuk.

16:38 “Governor” of the occupied Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky said that Putin will soon write a decree on the creation of a new “federal district”, which will include the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea. They can call it “Novorossiya”.

15:49 Biden said that the United States does not authorize strikes 300 km deep into Russia and does not authorize strikes on Moscow. According to him, the United States allows them to strike with weapons only in border areas: “We provide weapons for strikes across the border, from where the Russians conduct shelling, enter Ukraine and kill Ukrainians.”

14:58 The Verkhovna Rada ratified an agreement with the European Union necessary to receive 50 billion euros under the Ukraine Facility program. This was the last step for the program to work, Shmygal said. Ukraine Facility is a four-year support program that provides for a number of reforms and transformations that bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. This year, Ukraine will receive 16 billion euros under this initiative.

14:31 As a result of today's shelling of populated areas in the north of the Donetsk region, one person was killed and three were wounded, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. In particular, in Hour Yar one person was killed and one was wounded. One person was wounded in the Green Field of the Ilyinovskaya community and another in New York.

14:15 Zelensky said that he had arrived in France, where, in particular, he would take part in events marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy.

13:56 Russia is trying to develop an offensive towards Pokrovsk, Mirnograd and Selidovo, said Nazar Voloshin, speaker of the OSGV Khortitsa: “The main efforts of the Russian troops are focused on trying to break through our defenses and develop an offensive in the direction of the settlements of Pokrovsk, Mirnograd and Selidovo. Since the situation is in the Netaylovo area characterized by high enemy activity."

13:44 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said that Budapest will take part in the Peace Summit in Switzerland: “The reason for our participation is that we are absolutely on the side of peace, and therefore we take part in all events where peace is on the agenda.” He also said that Hungary will be represented at the conference at the level of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

13:21 The Russian army shelled the village of Priozernoye, Kherson region, with artillery, two people were wounded, the OVA reported.

12:39 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once again stated that he does not see a threat of attack from Russia. According to him, NATO is the most powerful military force in the world. The Secretary General also emphasized again that the Alliance is not going to send troops to Ukraine.

11:45 French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that French instructors have never trained the Ukrainian military directly in Ukraine, but such a question “is not a taboo.”

11:38 The Verkhovna Rada adopted an appeal to parliaments and foreign governments, international organizations, and parliamentary assemblies in support of the Global Peace Summit. The deputies call for facilitating the participation of the leaders of states invited to the summit, to demonstrate unity and determination in defending the goals and principles of the UN Charter and to counteract the destructive actions of the Russian Federation, to support Zelensky’s Peace Formula, to counteract Moscow’s attempts to “legitimize” violations of the UN Charter, and to refuse any support so-called “peace ideas”, which actually propose agreeing with the actions of the Russian Federation and ending Russian armed aggression against Ukraine through compromises and concessions to the aggressor.

11:20 A special unit of the 9th Department of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense tonight off the coast of Crimea struck a Russian raid tug of Project 498 Saturn or Proteus. As a result of the operation in the waters of Lake Panskoye, the ship was destroyed. The fire defeat was inflicted after a successful breakthrough of the line of defensive barriers in the Black Sea waters, intelligence officials said and showed a video:

10:27 The number of wounded in Selidovo, Pokrovsky district, Donetsk region, has increased to seven, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. In addition, as a result of Russian shelling in Berestka, Ilyinovsk community, Kramatorsk district, one person was killed and three were wounded; in the Bakhmut district, one person was killed and four were injured in the Pivnichny Toretsk community. One more death each - in Zhelanny and Progress.

09:53 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, three people were injured as a result of Russian shelling, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Four high-rise buildings and 14 private houses, a critical infrastructure facility, a medical center, preschool educational institutions, a shopping center, and a store were damaged.

09:34 On the afternoon of June 5, the Russians dropped the KAB on the village. Bugaevka, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region, two people were injured, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA. Another person was wounded as a result of shelling from the MLRS in Kupyansk.

09:08 The United States may announce a new aid package to Ukraine in the amount of $225 million as early as this week, Reuters writes, citing sources.

08:55 On the evening of June 5, Russian troops fired two UMPB D-30SN aerial bombs at the city of Selidovo, Donetsk region. As a result of the shelling, six people were wounded and 13 multi-storey residential buildings were damaged, the GVA reported.

08:27 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 6:

  • personnel - about 515,000 (+1300) people,

  • tanks - 7828 (+22),

  • armored combat vehicles - 15,076 (+40),

  • artillery systems - 13 433 (+48),

  • MLRS - 1095 (+3),

  • air defense systems - 831 (+1),

  • aircraft - 357 (+0),

  • helicopters - 326 (+0),

  • Operational-tactical level UAV - 10,846 (+41),

  • cruise missiles - 2270 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 27 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 18,360 (+63),

  • special equipment - 2230 (+7).

07:39 The Russians attacked the Nikopol district of the Dnepropetrovsk region in the evening and in the morning with artillery and kamikaze drones, said the head of the OVA Sergei Lysak. In the morning, an enemy UAV hit a regular bus in Nikopol - it caught fire, four passengers were injured. Also in the city, an infrastructure facility, a nine-story building, and three private houses were damaged.

07:28 As a result of a night attack in one of the settlements of the Khmelnytsky region, a fire broke out at an infrastructure facility, said the head of the OVA Sergei Tyurin. No people were hurt.

07:16 Air defense at night destroyed 17 of 18 attack UAVs of the Shahed-131/136 type, which Russia attacked from Primorsko-Akhtarsk and from the Crimean Cape Chauda, ​​the Air Force reported. Drones were shot down in Nikolaev, Kherson, Zaporozhye and Khmelnytsky regions. In addition, at night the Russians attacked the Dnepropetrovsk region with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles from Taganrog.

03:41 Drones attacked the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery in the Rostov region, a fire broke out on an area of ​​100 square meters. m, said Governor Vasily Golubev. According to him, work to extinguish the fire had to be suspended due to a repeated attack. According to preliminary data, there are no dead or injured. In addition, a drone attacked an oil depot on the territory of the Stary Oskol urban district of the Belgorod region, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. As a result of the explosion, one of the tanks caught fire, but there were no casualties.

Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 5, 2024
2024-06-06
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:08 Putin said that Russia has the right to supply weapons to regions “from where attacks will be carried out on sensitive facilities of countries supplying weapons to Kiev.” According to him, “the answer may be asymmetrical, we will think about it.” The head of the Kremlin also believes that if the United States stops supplying weapons to Ukraine, “the conflict will end in two to three months.”

22:00 Greece has joined the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children as an observer, said Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets.

21:56 Zelensky, in a telephone conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, noted London’s permission to strike military targets on Russian territory, the President’s Office reported. The parties also discussed additional opportunities for joint training missions and interoperability of the Ukrainian Defense Forces with NATO.

21:47 Ukrenergo reported that due to exceeding limits, emergency shutdowns were applied in Kharkiv, Sumy, Kiev, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, Volyn, Lviv, Odessa, Zaporozhye and Kirovograd regions.

21:03 There is a big scandal in Moldova. The former chief of the country's General Staff, it turns out, was an informant for the Russian GRU for many years. He regularly reported to Russian intelligence officers about the internal political situation in the republic, and also talked about visits by representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. For more details, see the article The Head of the General Staff of Moldova is an agent of the Russian Federation.

20:59 Taiwan's Ministry of Economy has expanded controls over the export of nitrocellulose products to Russia and Belarus to prevent their use for military purposes. New restrictions from June 14 prohibit the export of nitrocellulose with a nitrogen content of less than 12.2%.

20:41 There is a significant shortage of electricity in Kiev, so on June 6 there will be outages in the so-called gray zone according to the schedule, DTEK reported. They emphasized that “a shutdown in the light gray zone is also a shutdown according to schedule. If the situation allowed, at this time the houses falling under this zone would have light.”

20:27 Ukraine has already used American weapons to strike Russian territory, the Associated Press reports, citing an unnamed Western official. He did not provide any details, but noted that this happened “in recent days.”

20:06 In Kiev, the lights are turned off a little more than in other regions, due to a significant amount of critical infrastructure, Yasno CEO Sergei Kovalenko said: “That is, the critical volume is taken away from the maximum possible volume of consumption, and the remainder is distributed among all consumers. I hope "That this situation will balance out a bit in the near future."

19:58 Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that Washington should stop “micromanaging military efforts in Ukraine” and lift restrictions on the use of American weapons from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “I have already spoken about this and will say it again. We will have conversations with the White House about this,” Johnson emphasized.

18:57 The EBRD will accumulate 300 million euros to support the energy sector of Ukraine, Shmygal said. The funds will go to state energy companies to restore generating capacity and infrastructure, as well as to build new decentralized generation.

18:44 Zelensky said that he arrived in Qatar for negotiations with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The parties will discuss continuing work on the return of Ukrainian children and preparations for the Peace Summit.

18:39 On Thursday, June 6, limits on electricity consumption will be in effect throughout the entire territory of Ukraine, Ukrenergo reported. To comply with the limits, hourly shutdown schedules will be applied for industrial and household consumers, and if the limits are exceeded, emergency shutdowns are possible.

17:56 All children are being taken out of the Zolochiv community of the Kharkov region in case of a Russian attack, said the head of the village military administration, Viktor Kovalenko. At the same time, he added that now the situation at the border is no longer as threatening as it was last week, but “it’s better to play it safe.”

17:29 Gazprom has suffered greatly as a result of the loss of the European market and will not be able to return to 2020 levels earlier than in ten years, writes the Financial Times.

17:02 Russia has already destroyed at least 210 thousand houses in Ukraine, writes The New York Times. Since 2022, the Russians have destroyed at least 106 hospitals, 109 religious sites and 708 educational institutions in Ukraine. The most extensive destruction occurred in Mariupol, Kharkov, Marinka, Rubezhnoye, Bakhmut, Irpen, Zaporozhye, Orekhov, Kherson, Novaya Kakhovka, Oleshki, and the ports of Reni and Izmail.

16:43 Germany must be ready for war with Russia by 2029, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in the Bundestag: “We must be able to fight by 2029. Three topics are of central importance - personnel, equipment and finance.” The minister also considers it necessary to restore military service. He noted that Russia “has long since switched to a war economy and continues to arm itself,” and its victory in Ukraine will cost the West more than the current assistance to Kyiv.

16:05 Syrsky reported that he was again working in the area of ​​active hostilities in the Kharkov and Kupyansky directions. According to him, the Russian Army is focusing its main efforts on the Kurakhovsky, Pokrovsky, Kupyansky and Kharkov directions. In addition, he carries out active assault operations in Volchansk and on the approaches to Chasov Yar in order to take control of them. In other directions, the enemy is attacking with the goal of stretching the line of the active front, pinning down Ukrainian troops and preventing them from being transferred to other areas.

Overall, the situation remains difficult. In the Kharkov direction, the enemy is trying to advance towards Glubokoe-Liptsov, but suffers significant losses and is unsuccessful. In Volchansk, the main task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at this stage is to contain the enemy, inflict maximum losses on him and gradually move forward to liberate the territories. In the Kupyansk area, the Russians are trying to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from two directions, and there are fierce battles. The goal here is to stop the enemy and force him to go on the defensive.

“My task is to provide this direction with a sufficient amount of ammunition and combat-ready reserves, which will significantly strengthen the defense. Despite the complexity of the situation, we have a chance to change the situation in our favor,” the commander-in-chief concluded.

15:51 The EU is working closely with Ukraine to help restore the energy system, said European Commission Speaker Tim McPhee. According to him, representatives of the Ukrainian central and regional authorities are working to formulate a list of urgent needs, which should be received by the European Commission.

14:59 Natalya Gumenyuk, who was fired from the post of head of the press center of the Southern Defense Forces after numerous complaints from journalists, was appointed deputy head of the communications department of OK Pivden. “Now this is not the Defense Forces, this is a slightly different entity, but already within the competence of OK Pivden. This department was created as part of the communication reform in the Armed Forces as a whole,” Gumenyuk explained.

14:08 The Ukrainian Armed Forces in the southern direction destroyed two Russian Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun systems, a command post and a drone control post, said Dmitry Pletenchuk, head of the center for strategic communications of the Southern Defense Forces.

13:55 The Main Intelligence Directorate, with its DDoS attack, actually paralyzed the work of a number of government agencies of the Russian Federation and large companies, Ukrainian media write, citing intelligence sources. In particular, access to the electronic services of the government services website, a number of ministries, tax and customs services, and the state civil registry registry has been lost (Russians are massively complaining about canceled weddings). Services of some banks are also unavailable.

12:59 For 17-year-old boys who are abroad, registration will be delayed, said the head of the Ministry of Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk. According to her, a corresponding resolution has already been developed and will be adopted in the near future. “Pre-conscripts and conscripts who are currently abroad will be given a deferment of registration - either until they return to Ukraine or until the end of martial law,” she noted.

12:20 As a result of the morning Russian shelling of the Donetsk region, one person was killed and five were wounded, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin. In particular, in the Pivnichny Toretsk community, one person was killed and four were injured. Another person was injured in Selidovo.

11:43 The Russian army attacked the village of Ingulets, Kherson region - two people were wounded during the distribution of humanitarian aid, the OVA reported.

11:07 The deficit in the Ukrainian energy system is significant, so planned power outages today can also be long, said the Chairman of the Board of Ukrenergo Vladimir Kudrytsky: “If our colleagues invest in the limits that we determine for this day, then the outages will be planned. The deficit is significant, therefore, the duration of these outages, unfortunately, can also be significant. It can be four hours, it can be more, depending on whether we are talking about rush hour - morning or evening - or we are talking about the hours when the situation is. The deficit is a little less acute - this is the day zone and the night."

10:42 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military shelled 28 settlements in the Sumy region - one person was killed, three more were injured, the National Police reported. Seven private houses and a company warehouse were damaged.

10:31 The Diya application now has a veteran’s certificate, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. You no longer need to carry a paper version with you. The document can be added by combatants, people with disabilities as a result of war, war veterans, injured participants in the Revolution of Dignity, as well as family members of a deceased war veteran and a deceased defender of Ukraine.

10:14 From June 1, military personnel with dual citizenship stopped being released from Ukraine. The US Embassy in Ukraine explained that Ukrainian law does not recognize dual citizenship, therefore those liable for military service are considered exclusively as citizens of Ukraine with all relevant responsibilities.

10:08 The United States is ready to provide Ukraine with a loan worth $50 billion, which will be repaid using profits from frozen Russian assets if the European Union extends anti-Russian sanctions against these assets indefinitely, writes the Financial Times. Currently, EU sanctions are extended every six months. To make such a decision, the unanimous consent of all EU members is required.

09:39 As a result of Russian shelling in Volchansk, Kharkov region, on June 4, two people were injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. Another person was wounded in the village. Volchanskiye Khutor, Chuguevsky district.

08:57 In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed and eight were injured, said the head of the OVA, Alexander Prokudin. Three high-rise buildings and eight private houses, an educational institution, a dormitory, an office building, catering, shops and a gas pipeline were damaged.

08:16 In the Poltava region, during a night attack, an enemy drone hit an industrial facility, one person was injured, said the head of the OVA, Philip Pronin.

07:55 Air defense at night destroyed 22 of the 27 Shahed-131/136 type UAVs that Russia attacked from Kursk and the Crimean Cape Chauda, ​​the Air Force reported. Drones were shot down in Nikolaev, Kherson, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy and Poltava regions.

07:38 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 5:

  • personnel - about 513,700 (+1280) people,

  • tanks - 7806 (+12),

  • armored combat vehicles - 15,036 (+16),

  • artillery systems - 13 385 (+40),

  • MLRS - 1092 (+0),

  • air defense systems - 830 (+3),

  • aircraft - 357 (+0),

  • helicopters - 326 (+0),

  • UAV of operational-tactical level - 10 805 (+39),

  • cruise missiles - 2270 (+2),

  • ships/boats - 27 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 18,297 (+69),

  • special equipment - 2223 (+12).

05:24 Biden will meet with Zelensky in France on Thursday, June 6, and next week will meet again with the Ukrainian president in Italy, said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. He also announced the transfer of new aid packages to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

01:23 Putin has been wearing a bulletproof vest under his clothes at open-air public events since last year, The Moscow Times writes, citing two Russian officials and a source close to the Kremlin. In particular, at the May 9 parade, Putin “was definitely wearing a hidden bulletproof vest,” one of the sources said. At the request of the publication, British security consultant Jade Miller studied video footage of Putin’s speech at the parade on May 9, 2024 and also came to the conclusion that the head of the Russian Federation was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Link


Europe
Proof the Rwanda plan IS working! How Ireland is in meltdown amid riots, tent cities and a record surge of migrants fleeing Britain, as IRAM RAMZAN'S dispatch from Dublin shows
2024-06-04
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] It was around 11pm on Tuesday when, last week, another petrol bomb was thrown — and St John's House, a four-storey block in Tallaght on the outskirts of Dublin was suddenly ablaze.

It could have been much worse but, fortunately, no one was inside and firefighters were quickly on the scene.

As to why anyone might take the trouble to attack a set of empty offices, the answer is all too clear: they'd been earmarked as housing for asylum seekers.

A recent and dramatic rise in the number of migrants reaching Ireland has sparked a furious campaign of protests and petrol bombings right across the country. This was just the latest.

In December, a blaze ripped through the disused 19th century Ross Lake House country hotel in Rosscahill, Galway. The Great Southern Hotel in the seaside town of Rosslare, County Wexford was targeted with petrol bombs just the month before. Both had been due to accommodate refugees.

More than 6,500 people have already claimed asylum since the start of the year — a radical increase from the past, and the calm weather of the summer months is yet to come, threatening more arrivals and unrest.

Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance, Michael McGrath, said that up to 30,000 asylum seekers are forecast to land Ireland in 2024, more than double the 13,600 in 2022.

Ireland has long enjoyed a reputation as the land of 'a hundred thousand welcomes', taking around 3,000 refugees from Syria and 105,000 Ukrainians since 2022.

Now, though, there's a backlash - and it's clear that the Irish state is struggling to find enough accommodation. Some 1,900 asylum seekers are said to be homeless, with hundreds of them sheltering in tents.

The vast majority are in Dublin where, last week, the authorities dismantled a large migrant encampment — but amid much sceptical comment: the clearance happened just before the capital was due to host the Europa League Final.

Besides, it's far from clear how much difference such operations make. The authorities tried the same thing a fortnight earlier but, like a game of whack-a mole, tents sprang up elsewhere that same evening.

Now, amid growing concern from a population not used to large influxes from abroad, the Irish government has decided to blame Britain and, in particular, our plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Deputy Taoiseach (or prime minister) Micheál Martin could hardly have been more direct, stating that it was 'fairly obvious' that fearful immigrants were hoping 'to get sanctuary here and within the European Union, as opposed to the potential of being deported to Rwanda'.

I see this for myself on the three-hour bus journey from Belfast to Dublin, where I meet 22-year-old friends Zahid Khan and Wali Khan from Afghanistan.

When I ask Zahid how they arrived in Northern Ireland, he replies: 'Dunki', a south Asian term that refers to people crossing a country's borders illegally.

They both paid people-smugglers 15,000 afghanis (about £167) before making the perilous journey through Iran and Turkey to Europe, where they had to fend for themselves. Then they hid inside a container on a boat crossing the Channel before catching a ferry to Belfast. Now they want to cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic and claim asylum in Dublin.

Zahid travelled to Belfast last month by ferry; Khan stepped off the boat just that morning. When I ask them why they'd picked Ireland, the response is clear: 'Rwanda'.

'It's now difficult to stay in the UK so we've had to come to Ireland,' says Zahid. 'Inshallah (God willing), they'll give us a house so that we can stay.'

A bus departs hourly from the Europa bus centre in Glengall Street in Belfast. One-way tickets for the three-hour trip cost around £17. Across the road, the Dublin Express, promises to transport passengers in as little as two hours and 20 minutes for just £11. The border between north and south is famously porous: checks are few and far between.

We chat in Urdu, a second or third language for many Afghans. It seems Zahid set off for the UK in spring 2022. He was caught by the border guards in Turkey, where he was imprisoned for five months. He was released with the expectation that he would return to Afghanistan.

Instead, he snuck into Bulgaria, but was caught by officials before being deported to Turkey. Undeterred, he headed back to Europe. The entire journey from his home to Ireland, which normally takes three or four months, took him two years.

Zahid says that life under the Taliban was unbearable, claiming that they killed his father, who had worked for the previous government. Wali, meanwhile, says the Taliban killed his uncle who worked in the army. His father is dead and his mother is a refugee in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan. It took him a year to get to Ireland.

'I like Europe,' he says when asked why he came here. 'I just want to work, whatever job I can get.' In his old life, he worked at a bakery making fresh naan bread.

Zahid has brought a cricket ball with him. He played the sport at a good level in Afghanistan, and hopes he can play for Ireland one day.

When the bus arrives in Dublin, they'll make their way down to the Grand Canal, where a tent city has been established.

Migrants usually make their way to the International Protection Office (IPO), in Lower Mount Street, where newcomers to Ireland must present themselves to lodge asylum claims. Those who register at the IPO can expect a weekly allowance of 113.80 euros (around £97).

There were also tents outside the IPO and along Mount Street for the best part of a year until, finally, they were removed at the beginning of May. Taoiseach Simon Harris has declared that these 'makeshift shanty towns' will not be allowed to reappear — although he was embarrassed earlier this month when it emerged that Irish taxpayers themselves have indirectly helped to pay for the encampments.

Why? Because the country's Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has funded four homelessness charities providing tents to the migrants.

Arriving in Dublin, I walk down to the Grand Canal, overlooked on either side by elegant Georgian and Victorian houses. Along the lush, tree-lined banks are rows of tents crammed together side-by-side.

There are more than 100 men down here, mostly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Africa. One man is folding away an Islamic prayer mat. Socks are hanging out to dry on an improvised washing line.

I speak to a young barefoot man who gives his name as Ali. He tells me he is 20 and from Gaza.

But when I question him further, I realise he's not even 18. Ali says the people-smugglers told him to lie about his age. He looks close to tears as he explains that he doesn't know why they brought him to Ireland.

Occasionally, Irish men walk by and hurl abuse, telling the migrants to 'f*** off and leave'. A constant police presence ensures there is no further trouble.

'We get a lot of that type of racism,' a 22-year-old Afghan named Safiullah tells me in broken Urdu.

Tension has been growing among the locals. Last month, six people were arrested for public order offences during four nights of anti-migrant protests at Newtownmountkennedy, a small town in County Wicklow, over plans to turn a disused guest house into an accommodation centre. Four of them were charged after rocks were thrown at Gardai and the window of a police car smashed by a man wielding an axe.

Then, on the first Bank Holiday Monday in May, thousands marched through central Dublin, waving Irish tricolours and shouting 'Get Them Out' (to the government) and 'You'll Never Beat the Irish'. Some brandished signs saying 'Ireland is full'. Elsewhere, demonstrators have belted out slogans such as 'Ireland is for the Irish'. They've also branded Sinn Fein 'traitors', due to the party's support for mass migration, which has alienated much of its working class base.

This anger will no doubt play its part in next week's European and local elections. Malachy Steenson, a solicitor who is standing as an independent in the European elections, believes immigration will be a top priority at the ballot box. 'June 7 will show a huge rise in nationalism,' he tells me. 'We were described as racists or fascists, but we're just seeing what's an obvious fact. People are flooding in at a rate that has never been seen before. They're not genuine asylum seekers.'

Earlier this month, a high court in Belfast suspended the Rwanda Act in Northern Ireland, saying it considered it a violation of the Windsor Framework, which regulates UK-EU relations following Brexit. It also declared parts of the act to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Steenson believes Ireland should co-operate, saying: 'When Rishi Sunak next uses the military plane [to transport the migrants to Rwanda], we should tell him to keep a few seats on it, land it at Baldonnel airbase [near Dublin] and we'll fill the rest.'

Back at the canal, Mashal, 22-year-old from Pakistan, tells me: 'All these people are risking their lives to come here. They shouldn't send them to Rwanda.' He shows me a picture of him with a class of children, to whom he taught science and English.

I struggle to understand why he'd want to leave that all behind. He claims he couldn't support his family on 15,000 rupees per month, around £43, which is well below Pakistan's minimum wage.

He lived in France for a year, leaving because he couldn't understand the language. 'This place is better. I hope I can get a job as a teacher here.'

A new plan to accommodate asylum seekers will see the Irish state provide 14,000 beds by the end of 2028, as part of a wider strategy to make 35,000 spaces available across the system.

Coilean O Ruaric thinks it's 'outrageous'. He documents Ireland's growing homelessness crisis on his YouTube channel and believes the state is neglecting its citizens. 'We have 14,000 of our own homeless people. They didn't make that promise to us,' he tells me. 'I've got nothing against these guys. My issue is with the government. We just don't have the capacity or the infrastructure [to house them].'

The day of my visit, the Dublin authorities removed more than 100 tents and erected steel barriers to stop them returning.

Nearly 200 asylum seekers were removed and taken to an IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services) centre a few miles away, which offers washing facilities, health care, food, and 24-hour security.

But that's not enough for Steenson. 'It's pure optics and total opportunism,' he says. 'The government needs to close the borders. Tomorrow, another 50 tents will appear somewhere else.'

And they did, this time close to the affluent area of Ballsbridge.

Perhaps it's not all that surprising. I think back to my conversation with Zahid and Wali on the bus. When I asked if they were worried about sleeping rough, Zahid simply smiled as he replied: 'If I wasn't scared to walk through jungles, why would I be scared of sleeping in a tent?'

They are determined — while the Irish state seems feeble and disjointed in respose.

Things here won't change any time soon.
Related:
Ireland: 2024-06-02 120,000 claimed to rally in Tel Aviv to demand hostage deal, denounce gov’t, thank President Biden; 5,000 claimed protest to thank President Biden in J’lem
Ireland: 2024-06-01 Israel will not agree to halt in Gaza fighting without hostage return; Hamas releases hostage video of Noa Argamani
Ireland: 2024-05-31 Cyprus says aid held off Gaza coast after pier damage
Related:
Dublin: 2024-05-29 Danish parliament rejects proposal to recognise Palestinian state
Dublin: 2024-05-28 Israel’s ambassador to Dublin concerned Ireland’s recognition of Palestinian state could harm tech ties
Dublin: 2024-05-25 Ireland slams ‘totally unacceptable' Israeli rebuke after envoy shown Oct. 7 footage
Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: June 3, 2024
2024-06-04
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korreapondent] 22:09 Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that the country will provide Ukraine with a second SAMP/T air defense system.

21:28 A whole network of Russian propaganda has been uncovered in Europe. The pro-Russian Voice of Europe, launched in the Czech Republic in May 2023, has been used by the Kremlin to fund Russian propaganda through far-right politicians in five European countries. The Kremlin spent up to 1 million euros a month on this. After the EU and the Czech Republic began banning Voice of Europe, investigations into its influence spread to Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and France. It turned out that this is not just a pro-Russian site. Read more in the material Medvedchuk and money for the right.

21:23 On Sunday, June 2, the Ukrainian Armed Forces captured about 60 Russians near Volchansk, said Nazar Voloshin, speaker of the OSGV Khortitsa.

20:37 The upper house of the Swiss parliament rejected the allocation of $5.6 billion in aid to Ukraine on the grounds that such a plan violates borrowing restrictions in a neutral country, Reuters reports.

20:32 Italy may soon send Ukraine another SAMP/T air defense system, writes Reuters.

19:26 There is no generation left in Kharkov, Mayor Igor Terekhov said in an interview with the Estonian publication ERR: “Today we do not have a single generation of our own in the city and we are forced to take electricity from other cities. This is a very difficult situation, and it is teetering on the brink “We understand this very well. It is impossible to enter winter with such an energy supply system... A very difficult heating season is ahead.”

19:05 At the Zaporozhye NPP, all safety principles have been violated, the situation there remains unstable, said IAEA head Rafael Grossi: “Issues related to staffing, regular inspections and maintenance, as well as emergency measures at the site, remain complex and pose risks to the nuclear power plant.” safety and security of the station." He emphasized that IAEA representatives still do not have access to some areas of the plant that are important for nuclear safety. “The Russians’ restart of the Zaporizhia NPP will not be safe, and they understand this,” Grossi added.

19:01 On Tuesday, June 4, limits on electricity consumption will be in effect throughout the entire territory of Ukraine, Ukrenergo reported. If limits are exceeded, hourly shutdown schedules may apply.

18:54 India will be represented at the Peace Summit in Switzerland by the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs or the Deputy National Security Adviser, The Hindustan Times writes, citing sources.

18:36 Last week, Ukraine received permission from most of its allies to strike military targets on Russian territory. Less than 24 hours after Biden authorized the use of HIMARS systems to destroy targets in enemy territory, the first strike occurred. For more details, see the article First strikes on Russian territory.

18:27 Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the United States at the Peace Summit in Switzerland, the White House said.

18:03 Umerov reported that at the Asian Security Summit, Shangri-La Dialogue met with representatives of the world's leading defense companies and technology giants and encouraged them to invest in weapons production in Ukraine. These companies include BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Boeing, Saab, Google and Oracle.

17:59 Receiving American ATACMS ballistic missiles with a range of 300 km means that Ukraine can now hit any target in Crimea, writes The Economist. Ukraine is trying to make Crimea a liability for Putin, not an asset, the publication notes. The goal is to isolate the island, strangle it as a logistics hub, and thus push Russian air and sea forces away from southern Ukraine.

17:28 Suspilny journalists identified one of the Russians who abused prisoners in the Kharkov direction. He turned out to be the operator, 32-year-old Alexey Kiprin with the call sign Bars from St. Petersburg. He has been fighting against Ukraine since 2014, and is now the commander of an assault company. The journalists wrote to Kiprin via messenger - he thought he was chatting with Russians, so he confirmed that it was him in the video. “The anthem was sung badly. They slapped us on the back of the head and transferred us to a prisoner-of-war camp,” Kiprin wrote.

17:04 Belgium, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, calls on the countries of the bloc to consider the possibility of depriving Hungary of its voting rights. Belgian Foreign Minister Aja Labib has called for applying the no-confidence procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty to Budapest - an extreme step that could lead to the suspension of the country's voting rights in the EU.

16:45 Russia is set up for a long war and, in the worst case, can turn Kharkov into a second Aleppo, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexander Litvinenko told The Wall Street Journal. He recalled that in Aleppo, Russian aircraft destroyed electricity and water supply systems, and also bombed hospitals and schools. The city's population then dropped to a third of its pre-war level. “They simply pushed people out. This is what they want to practice around Kharkov,” Litvinenko said.

16:13 In the Donetsk region, they are preparing to evacuate children from Liman and six villages - Lipovoe, Novoe, Karpovka, Headquarters of the Liman community, as well as the villages of Progress of the Grodovsk community and the village of Zarya of the Ilyinovsk community, the OVA reported. The military administration is currently awaiting approval from the Coordination Headquarters on evacuation issues.

15:27 Australia plans to send Disability Insurance Minister Bill Shorten to the Peace Summit in Switzerland, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. According to her, such an initiative was made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The Australian opposition criticized the decision, but Wong said “the level of representation is acceptable” because Shorten is a senior government minister.

14:41 The Russian military fired at Mikhailovka, Novogrodovsk community, Donetsk region - two people were killed, one was wounded. Among the dead is a 12-year-old child, said the head of the OVA, Vadim Filishkin. In the morning, the Russians dropped a controlled air bomb on the village, and an hour and a half later they repeated the attack. At least five houses were damaged.

14:26 The Russians are spreading IPSO that a provocation is allegedly being planned in Kherson with the staging of the death of civilians, said the head of the Kherson OVA, Alexander Prokudin. “It is obvious that the only threat to the townspeople is the Russian military. And it is from them that we can now expect terrible provocations. Dear Kherson residents, please, in the near future, do not move on the streets unless absolutely necessary. And be sure to respond to air raid signals,” he emphasized Prokudin.

13:38 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning denies putting pressure on other countries to dissuade them from participating in the Peace Summit in Switzerland, as Zelensky previously stated. According to her, Beijing has never "fanned the flames or fanned the flames." At the same time, Mao Ning added that the peace conference should be recognized by both the Russian and Ukrainian sides: “Everyone should participate in it on an equal basis, and all peace projects should be discussed fairly. These are three important factors.”

13:25 Russian public pages write that over the weekend Ukraine launched a strike using the HIMARS MLRS against the deployment of the Russian Defense Ministry in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region. As a result of the attack, several pieces of military equipment were burned, the secretary of the district security council was killed, the heads of the administration and rural settlements and three military personnel were wounded. The impact probably destroyed some components of the S-300/400 system. Videos posted on social networks:

12:21 Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren confirmed that her country will allow Ukraine to use its F-16s to strike military targets on Russian territory: “We only ask that international law and the right to self-defense be respected, as stated in the UN Charter, which means "that they are using it to achieve military goals that they need to achieve for self-defense."

11:55 Zelensky’s press secretary Sergei Nikiforov said that public statements from the allies on the supply of air defense systems are expected in the near future: “Of course, I cannot now announce what exactly was discussed, the timing and the very essence. But I can say that this the topic of air defense for Ukraine, for Kharkov, for civilian infrastructure, for people and for the front. And it received the most attention.”

Nikiforov also said that Zelensky will take part in the G-7 summit, which will be held in Italy on June 13-15. However, he did not specify whether this would be an online format or a personal visit.

11:37 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at a meeting with Zelensky, called for a peaceful settlement that would be “morally acceptable not only for Ukraine, but also for the rest of the world.” "We will continue to do everything we can to promote peace, end the fighting and reach a political solution for your country. I think everyone is well aware that this is easier said than done and it will be a difficult road to return to a situation that is morally acceptable not only for Ukraine, but also for the rest of the world,” he was quoted as saying by the local publication Philstar.

Also during the negotiations, Zelensky asked Marcos Jr. to send Filipino psychotherapists to Ukraine to assist the military, to which the Philippine president agreed: “This is what I think we are able to offer. I am glad to do everything in our power, to help, especially civilians and innocent people affected by the war."

11:19 Moscow for the first time commented on Ukrainian strikes on nuclear radar stations. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov called on the United States to take “with the utmost seriousness” Russian warnings regarding strikes by American weapons on Russian territory. According to him, an “asymmetric response” can be given to strikes on nuclear radars. “Such attempts will be suppressed; the response may be asymmetrical,” Ryabkov said.

10:58 Special forces Akhmat has been deployed to the Kharkov direction, said detachment commander Apty Alaudinov. According to him, this section of the front is now considered “the most important.”

10:43 The prosecutor's office reported that it has begun criminal proceedings into the harsh treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Kharkov direction.

10:11 The prosecutor's office clarified that at night the Russians fired five S-300 missiles at a recreation center in the village of Dachnoye, Slobozhansky community, Chuguevsky district, Kharkov region. One base employee was killed and two were injured.

09:42 In Hungary, they see no point in going to the Peace Summit in Switzerland, since Russia will not be represented there, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said: “If not both sides of the war are represented, I think it’s a legitimate question whether the whole conference makes sense in terms of the ultimate goal, which is the pursuit of peace. Therefore, we believe that a peace conference makes real sense and offers the best hope for peace if both sides are at the table."

Szijjártó also stressed that the war is between Ukraine and Russia and does not concern Europe: “Russia did not attack us. We are not at war. Ukraine is not fighting for us. If we were attacked, it would be a different situation, but for us did not attack, like other states of the European Union. The NATO Secretary General said very clearly that none of the Alliance's allies is under military threat. So if we are not under military threat, then why do we think that this is our war? "

08:54 In the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, five people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling: two each in Belozersk and Zhelezny, one in Volchy, said the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.

08:39 At night, the Russians launched a missile attack on the Slobozhany community of the Chuguevsky district of the Kharkov region - as a result of a hit on the territory of the recreation center, one person was killed and two were injured, said the head of the OBA Oleg Sinegubov. In addition, the day before, two people were injured as a result of shelling in the village. Borovskaya Andreevka, Izyumsky district, two more - in the village of Stary Saltov, Chuguevsky district.

07:51 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of June 3:

  • personnel - about 511,130 (+1270) people,

  • tanks - 7779 (+14),

  • armored combat vehicles - 15,002 (+22),

  • artillery systems - 13,280 (+47),

  • MLRS - 1090 (+1),

  • air defense systems - 824 (+3),

  • aircraft - 357 (+0),

  • helicopters - 326 (+0),

  • Operational-tactical level UAV - 10,739 (+40),

  • cruise missiles - 2268 (+0),

  • ships/boats - 27 (+0),

  • submarines - 1 (+0),

  • automotive equipment and tank trucks - 18,159 (+67),

  • special equipment - 2199 (+4).

06:46 Zelensky said that he arrived in the Philippines and for the first time in the history of bilateral relations met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. We discussed the Peace Summit and the importance of representing Southeast Asian countries at it.

Link


International-UN-NGOs
AI and War Top Agenda as Globalist Elites Gather for Bilderberg Meeting
2024-06-03
[Breitbart] Global elites representing the upper echelons of power in politics, banking, big tech, media, industry, and academia converged this week in Madrid, Spain to discuss Artificial Intelligence, the “future of warfare”, and more at the shadowy Bilderberg Meeting as the “off the record” conference turns 70 years old.

Founded in 1954 with a meeting hosted by Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands in the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Dutch village of Oosterbeek, the annual meeting of the Bilderberg Group is believed to be a driving force behind numerous globalist projects.

Unlike similar institutions such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Bilderberg Meeting is conducted strictly behind closed doors with participants bound by the Chatham House Rule, which prohibits the disclosure of the identity of those behind any idea mentioned within the meeting. Officially intended to allow for the free flow of discourse, the back-room nature of the meeting of global elites has fostered many theories about the influence the conference may exert on international policy.

This belief is perhaps not without merit. A 2023 study from Lukas Kantor of Prague’s Charles University found that at least 133 politicians were elevated to positions of power after attending a Bilderberg Meeting, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and current French President Emmanuel Macron.

According to Kantor, at least 42 participants became either prime ministers, presidents, or the top officials of international organisations such as the European Union, NATO or the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While he acknowledged that most participants were never elevated to a top political position, Kantor said that it is likely that “politicians invited to the exclusive meetings gain valuable contacts, insider information and probably some backing”.

“From 2019 to 2023, all key international organizations—EU, NATO, IMF, and UN—have been chaired by Bilderbergers (Ursula von der Leyen, Jens Stoltenberg, Kristalina Georgieva and Antonio Guterres). It seems improbable that this is just a coincidence,” Kantor wrote.
Related:
Bilderberg: 2024-06-01 Estonian PM Kaja Kallas traveled to Spain to the Bilderberg meeting
Bilderberg: 2023-12-09 Deep State Controlled Demolition of America – Alex Newman
Bilderberg: 2023-08-20 These 14 American Cities Have A ‘Target' Of Banning Meat, Dairy, And Private Vehicles By 2030
Link


Cyber
Expert Golovanov calls Russia the most attacked country in the world by hackers
2024-06-03
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia is by far the most hacked country in the world. This was announced on May 2 on the eve of SPIEF 2024 by the chief expert of Kaspersky Lab, Sergey Golovanov.

“Russia has the largest number of information security incidents in 2023 in the world, and moreover, the chances that you will now encounter phishing or other fraud just by going online are 73-75%,” quoted his words from the Prime agency.

The expert clarified that before the coronavirus pandemic, these chances were 30-35%, during the pandemic they rose to 40-50% and now amount to over 70%.

“And there is no reason that it [the percentage of the chance of meeting scammers] will begin to fall,” Golovanov emphasized.

He also answered the question of why hackers are less interested in countries with less secure infrastructure than Russia, for example, African states. According to the expert, this is due to the fact that now money is not the main thing for many hackers.

Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Rashid Nurgaliev said on April 14 that Western countries encourage cyber attacks by hacker groups against Russia. He added that Western intelligence agencies are actively using information technologies for cyber attacks on critical Russian infrastructure and for conducting intelligence activities.

On March 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB to strengthen the protection of information infrastructure, as well as expand preventive response measures against the backdrop of an increase in the number of cyber attacks. The head of state invited the intelligence services to actively cooperate with scientists involved in digital development, business, and use domestic achievements in quantum technologies and the development of artificial intelligence to solve cyber defense problems.

Related from regnum.ru
Hackers attacked the resources of Germany's largest opposition party
The resources of Germany's largest opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), were attacked by unknown hackers a week before the European Parliament elections. The newspaper Der Spiegel reported this on June 1with reference to the German Interior Ministry.

A representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs explained that the scale of the cyber attack cannot yet be accurately assessed, and it is unknown whether information was leaked. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that the very nature of the actions indicates a very experienced and professional hacker.

The CDU clarified that the incident is being treated with all possible seriousness and, as a preventive precaution, a decision has been made to shut down and isolate part of the IT structure.

The Ministry of the Interior has issued a warning regarding cyber attacks to all parties in the Bundestag. Federal agencies for information security (BSI) and counterintelligence joined the investigation.

Earlier, Regnum news agency reported that the European Union threatened to take action against Russia due to the alleged connection of the APT28 hacker group with Russian intelligence services. The European Union claims that Russia allegedly used the services of hackers who carried out cyber attacks on institutions in Germany and Prague in 2023.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock accused Russia of allegedly being involved in hacking the email accounts of board members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and other parties. German authorities have repeatedly blamed Russian hackers for cyber attacks. Last November, Russian hackers were accused of hacking the Kaufhaus des Westens shopping center in Berlin.

In February 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated the hostile attitude of the German Foreign Ministry and Baerbock personally towards Moscow. At the same time, he emphasized that Bärbock and her policies harm, first of all, Berlin itself, which is losing a lot economically due to hostility towards Moscow.

Link


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
What is Hamas Hiding in Rafah, and Why Doesn't Biden Want the IDF to Find It?
2024-06-02
[Townhall] In the lead up to the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operation to destroy Hamas and secure the release of over 100 hostages — including 8 Americas — believed to be in and around Rafah, leaders around the world from Joe Biden to the collective leftist leaders of the European Union to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi panicked and ordered Israel to forestall its necessary means to end the war.

Why did world leaders clamor for Israel to do nothing?

What are they hiding?

It turns out they are hiding a lot.

...Meanwhile, Israel continued to negotiate through the "good" offices of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar for the release of hostages. Out of thin air, on May 6 Hamas agreed to the ceasefire terms. Only, what actually happened was that the terms they agreed to were not the negotiated terms that the US, Qatar, and Israel had seen. Indeed, Egypt edited the ceasefire terms in such a way that Hamas would get a "win" and say they accepted the terms, but the terms, as edited, were outrageous. Even the even-keeled US negotiator, CIA Chief William Burns, was mystified and outraged. What kind of nonsense game was Egypt playing? Cairo pulled a bait-and-switch on the Israelis and the other negotiators ensuring that, needless to say, negotiations broke down.

On the IDF’s first day of entry into Rafah in mid-May they discovered hundreds of tunnels with over 50 two-way underground tunnels between Rafah and Egypt. Dozens more cross-border tunnels have been discovered since, along the Rafah-Egypt border. Some tunnels were paved and wide enough for passage of full-sized cargo trucks.

...Egypt built a formidable border wall, something Donald Trump could not even imagine in a fever dream for America. It is impenetrable, militarized, and closely guarded with Egyptian troops and security forces. The way through it for Gazans seeking to get out of Gaza? Baksheesh. Upwards of $5,000 per person. It has also been a gateway for international aid and smuggling into Gaza resulting in over $88 million in profit to the holder of the border keys.

The holder of those keys is a Bedouin tribal leader named Ibrahim al-Organi, now the wealthiest man in northern Sinai. But how could an ex-con smuggler rise to a position of border control prince? Through connections to the Egyptian government, Organi has cultivated extremely close ties with Egyptian President al-Sisi, and more significantly, with al-Sisi’s son, Mahmoud. General Mahmoud al-Sisi is the Deputy Chief of Egyptian intelligence and he sits on Organi’s board. It’s good to have friends in high places, and in the case of Organi, it has made him, and those in his network, very wealthy.
And, just like Hunter, Mahmoud splits with the big guy?
Every day there is additional evidence of Egyptian smuggling in Gaza. Intelligence on May 31, 2024 uncovered surface to air missiles smuggled into Rafah from Egypt. The large cache purportedly would have been used to take down IDF helicopters. How much money changed hands for Egypt to have turned a blind eye (or been complicit) in these types of smuggling operations?

...Recently, following Israel’s successful surgical strike in Rafah to eliminate two terrorist masterminds, a humanitarian safe area caught fire and several civilians were killed. Hamas’s publicity hacks blamed Israel's strike. The IDF undertook an investigation which uncovered that the fire ignited over 1.7 kilometers from the IDF strike and was not caused by their action. Rather there was an ordnance storage facility in Rafah abutting the humanitarian zone and there were explosions in the stockpile that caused the fire. Hamas purposely stored highly combustible ammunition alongside a humanitarian zone for civilians.

The ordnance themselves were quite interesting. It turns out many were US-manufactured munitions that had been sold to Egypt. With Israel now in control over the entire Gaza-Egypt border area, it is all but certain that more evidence of Egyptian smuggling of American-made weapons and possible collusion with Hamas will unfold. What will happen to the US-Egypt relationship as a result?

...What is becoming obvious is that there were a lot of reasons for Egypt and America to want Israel to remain outside of Rafah. The secrets that will be revealed through the IDF’s operations may well surprise the civilized world as Israel fights to defeat the barbarians.
Related:
Ibrahim al-Organi 03/14/2024 Gazans reportedly charged exorbitant sums by Egyptian company to leave Strip


Link


Europe
German FM Baerbock Is Considering German Participation In Gaza Protection Force
2024-06-02
It would be a good deal more polite if they waited to be invited after the agreement between Israel and Hamas were signed by both of the parties actually involved., instead of pushing their way in on President Biden’s say-so. The world has already seen how often President Biden’s big announcements lead to nothing.
[NTV] For an agreement between Israel and Hamas, a three-phase plan is on the table that gives rise to international hope for an end to the war in Gaza. Foreign Minister Baerbock makes it clear that Germany would participate in an international protection force.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has brought into play a German participation in a protection force for the Gaza Strip. "As we have made it clear to Ukraine, we stand up for its freedom and for its peace, this also applies to me to the Middle East. If it now not only needs a reconstruction, but an international protection force that guarantees that we will finally, finally come to peace in the Middle East, then this is also our joint mission," said the Green politician at a small party congress of her party in Potsdam.
Who exactly would the German force be protecting? The Gazan population against Hamas or Hamas against the IDF?
A humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza War is possible, said Baerbock. This must include a cessation of the Hamas attacks, a release of the Israeli hostages and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Why? And what about the non-Israeli hostages? There is at least one Thai guest worker among the captives, as I recall.
During an appearance at the German Catholic Day in Erfurt, Baerbock was asked about her push, but she did not want to give any details with regard to international talks. She mentioned the possibility of a protection force for the current occasion, "because in my view now is the moment when we make clear what we have already discussed with others: We stand by a responsibility, without the details now, we have not even discussed them."

"CLEAR THAT OUR COUNTRY IS ALSO THERE"
And she added: "Now, in the last 24 or a little more hours, a new three-phase plan is on the table. And that's why I said this so clearly today that Germany is right behind it. That the other hostages are released, that Hamas can stop the shelling and then gradually withdraw the Israeli army. And if it then needs further contributions for security, for reconstruction, for the further ceasefire and for peace, then it is clear to me that our country is also there. And in what way, again, we will discuss this when we hopefully have this ceasefire, which is now on the table."

In Potsdam, Baerbock had explained how much Germany owed to its European neighboring countries, the European Union and the former opponents of the Second World War. "The fact that we can live freely and in peace in the heart of Europe is because others were there for us." Baerbock had been cautious about the Arab League's demand for a UN protection force in the Gaza Strip in mid-May. This requires a humanitarian ceasefire first, she had stressed.
Related:
Annalena Baerbock 04/18/2024 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: April 17, 2024
Annalena Baerbock 02/15/2024 Israeli offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe, says Germany
Annalena Baerbock 02/14/2024 Israel plans to move Rafah civilians to 15 tent cities along the coast – report


Link


Europe
The anti-Muslim, pro-Israel far right now runs Holland. Is the European Parliament next?
2024-06-02
[IsraelTimes] Upcoming elections for the EU’s legislature are expected to see gains by parties with ideologies feared by many Jews — even as they may be the community’s most ardent champions.

At a particularly bleak moment for European Jews, one of their most vocal supporters has effectively reached power in the Netherlands, the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and an influential founding member of the bloc.

A staunch advocate of Israel who worked as a volunteer in his youth in an Israeli agricultural community, Dutch politician Geert Wilders last week formed a new coalition that’s so pro-Israel and pro-Jewish that its founding contract promises to look into moving the Dutch embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and mandates Holocaust education for all new naturalized citizens.
Link


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Mercenaries and professional military personnel. Who goes to Ukraine from the West to fight for the Ukrainian Armed Forces
2024-06-01
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Andrey Musalov

[REGNUM] The authorities of Poland and the Baltic countries are ready to send their military to the territory of Ukraine if Russia achieves serious success at the front. The German publication Spiegel reported this on May 26, noting that Baltic politicians conveyed this to their German colleagues at the Lennart Meri conference in Tallinn.

The very next day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky said that he had spoken with French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu, after which he legalized visits to training centers in Ukraine by French instructors - they can “get acquainted with the infrastructure and personnel.”

Syrsky said that he welcomes France’s desire to send instructors to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine and hopes that other countries will follow this example.

LEGION FOR FOREIGNERS
Since the beginning of hostilities in the Donbass, in the spring of 2014, “shooting enthusiasts” began to arrive there from almost all over the world. According to the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, as of mid-July 2014, out of 250 fighters of the Azov volunteer battalion (a terrorist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation), 12 were foreigners - citizens of Finland, France, Norway, Great Britain and Italy.

The recruitment of volunteers was carried out by a professional mercenary, the Frenchman Gaston Besson, who previously fought for the Karens in Myanmar and for the Croats in the former Yugoslavia.

In the same year, the first American instructors appeared in Kyiv. On August 1, 2014, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said: “The White House notified Congress that the State and Defense Departments were going to spend $19 million from the Global Security Contingency Fund, created in 2012. These funds will be used to “train and equip four companies and the tactical headquarters of the Ukrainian National Guard.”

But if during the so-called ATO the participation of foreigners in hostilities was not advertised, then after the start of the Northern Military District, Ukraine officially allowed everyone to do so. On February 27, 2022, on the initiative of the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, the Foreign Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine was created. Its staff number was about 20,000 people.

The formation included several large units and units created on a national basis. Most of them came from post-Soviet republics. For example, the legion includes five Chechen battalions, the Georgian national legion, two Belarusian regiments - “Pagonya” and “Named by Kastus Kalinovsky”, the “Crimea” battalion, and the Karelian national battalion.

But, despite the big names, the number of personnel in the formations usually does not reach the regular level. There is no official data on this matter.

The formations “Russian Volunteer Corps” (an extremist organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation) and the “Legion “Freedom of Russia” (recognized as terrorist, prohibited in Russia) that are part of the Foreign Legion deserve special attention. During attempts to break through into the Bryansk and Belgorod regions, they tried to present the formations as “liberators of Russia.”

But if the RDK consists of principled far-right nationalists who fled persecution in Russia, then the “Legion” mainly consists of Russian prisoners of war. However, the number of these units remains insignificant, so the “Russian” militants in them are constantly diluted with Ukrainian military personnel. They bear the brunt of the fighting, while media personalities from the RDK pose for the camera, portraying “Putin’s opponents.”

FOR MONEY - YES
With foreigners from far abroad the picture is different. They are not united into large formations. In particular, the American journalist Seth Harp was able to discover only one such unit - the Polish Volunteer Corps.

As a rule, foreigners arriving in Ukraine from the West travel privately, after which the mercenaries are integrated into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian authorities require the media not to call foreigners fighting for Ukraine “mercenaries.” At the same time, these people fighting for money are not at all like volunteers.

During an investigation conducted by the Luxembourg television and radio company RTL, it turned out that mercenaries receive from 500 euros for their service when they are in the rear and up to 3,000 when they are on the front line. It is advisable to come with your own equipment, since the Ukrainian side provides only a meager basic kit.

At the beginning of the SVO, most Western mercenaries, after being registered with the Foreign Legion, were sent to the Yavorovsky training ground, where the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security was located near the village of Starichi in the Lviv region. There, new arrivals underwent training and training.

On March 13, 2022, the International Center was hit by at least six Russian cruise missiles. From 60 to 180 mercenaries died.

In an interview with The New York Times, the head of the department of international technical assistance and international cooperation of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Roman Shepelyak, reported that in the first half of 2022, up to 1,000 militants of the Foreign Legion were stationed at the Yavoriv training ground.

After completing training, the mercenaries were sent to various parts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where they fought as part of small groups of foreigners. Judging by videos from Telegram channels, they showed particular activity during the defense of the suburbs of Kyiv, in battles in the Kharkov region, Soledar and Krynki.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the first half of 2024, up to 13,500 mercenaries arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including more than 8.5 thousand from Western European countries, 1.7 thousand from Asian countries, from North and South America - more than 2.7 thousand, from Africa - over 220 people. Of these, several thousand simply fled from the front line, and about 5,900 mercenaries were destroyed.

"MOZART" VERSUS "WAGNER"
Judging by Ukrainian sources, the majority of mercenaries are representatives of poor third world countries who come to earn money. We are mainly talking about people from Colombia, Peru, Bulgaria, Brazil, etc.

But there are also military professionals - former military special forces of the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany and Sweden.

The most striking example is the private military company Mozart Group. It was created in March 2022 by former American special forces officer Andrew Milburn and head of the Atlantic Group Limited fund Andrew Bain.

The founders did not hide the fact that they named their brainchild in defiance of “Wagner”. In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Blick, they stated that the group’s main task was “to kill as many Russians as possible.”

Initially, the PMC was positioned as a community of American instructors designed to teach the Ukrainian military the basics of tactics and mine explosives. But then the mercenaries from Mozart got involved in the fighting. The result was disastrous: heavy losses and mass desertion. In 2023, the founders quarreled over funding, and lawsuits began. By the end of the year the project was closed.

THE STAKES ARE RISING
If at the beginning of the Northern Military District they were talking about volunteer mercenaries, then in 2024 several Western countries spoke out about the possibility of officially sending military contingents to Ukraine. The reason is obvious - large supplies of Western weapons to Kyiv were unable to turn the tide of hostilities in favor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, since there was simply not enough human resources for this.

In addition, the use of complex weapons systems by Ukraine is impossible without a large staff of instructors, and possibly crews and crews. Therefore, active military armies of foreign countries are already present in the combat zone.

There is one more important point. If Western countries begin to actively discuss the transfer of something to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it means that it is already on the territory of the country and is being prepared for use. And the information hype only prepares the public for the fait accompli.

Obviously, what is happening now is that Western leaders are actively discussing sending their soldiers to the conflict zone.

On February 26, 2024, after a meeting with the leaders of the European Union countries, Emmanuel Macron announced that he would allow the transfer of European troops to the territory of Ukraine. This caused a flurry of indignation among a number of European politicians. For example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Macron takes “too militant a position on the issue of assistance to Ukraine.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with The Economist, also hastened to emphasize that the alliance does not intend to send its forces to help Kiev.

On March 7, Macron lowered the intensity of his belligerence and floridly clarified that “not ruling out something does not mean doing it.” However, on March 9, Politico reported that Paris was still gathering a group of countries ready to send their soldiers to Ukraine.

The director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin spoke more specifically about the current situation. According to his data, announced on March 19, the French government is already preparing troops to be deployed to Ukraine. According to the head of the department, the contingent will consist of approximately 2 thousand French military personnel.

The overall picture was complemented by Macron’s statement at a joint press conference with Scholz. Demonstrating a diagram of possible missile strikes deep into Russian territory, he, traditionally floridly, said: “We must allow Ukraine to destroy military targets on Russian territory, from where shelling is being carried out, but we should not allow other military or civilian targets on its territory to be hit.”

Obviously, we were talking about French missiles, maintained by French personnel already in Ukraine.

RUSSIA'S RESPONSE
The Russian military is well aware that foreigners have been actively fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a long time. This is confirmed both by numerous videos and by English, Spanish, and Polish speech on the radio in all directions of combat operations.

Who these people are - mercenaries or regular military personnel of Western armies - is not known for certain. But this is not so important: in any case, they are a legitimate military target.

To confirm the seriousness of the Russian side’s intentions to prevent foreign troops from staying in Ukraine, on May 29, 2024, Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were again struck at the Yavorovsky training ground. The day before, foreign military training was resumed there.

According to Ukrainian sources, not only the Ukrainian military, but also instructors from NATO countries - Poland, France and the USA - became victims of the Daggers.

It is noteworthy that the strike almost coincided with a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Polish military would never leave the territory of Ukraine if the Polish authorities sent their contingent there.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Actor George Clooney's foundation announces a hunt for Russian journalists
2024-06-01
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The foundation of American actor George Clooney will seek the issuance of sealed arrest warrants for Russian journalists in Europe. This was stated by Anna Neistat, Director of Legal Affairs of the Docket project, in an interview with Voice of America radio (a media outlet recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation).
Playing at statesmanship, but really its only another cancellation game.
According to her, some countries have an article on “war propaganda” in their criminal codes. Where this provision is present, the organization will draw up a request to initiate criminal proceedings. If a warrant is issued, journalists could be detained throughout Europe at Europol level.

“That is, in any European country, journalists can be arrested and extradited to a country that is investigating a criminal case against them,” Neistat said.

She added that no appeals had yet been sent and refused to name the journalists who were planned to be persecuted. According to her, we are talking about “the most obvious Russian propagandists, the most visible of them.”

She also said that the project asks prosecutors to write closed arrest warrants so that people do not know about it and travel to other countries where they can be arrested.

As reported by IA Regnum, on May 17, the Council of the EU banned the broadcasting of three Russian media in the territory of the European Union: RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The sanctioned media must completely stop distributing any content through electronic media.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the ban on broadcasting of three Russian media in the EU a purge of the information space. The department added that this decision was based solely on political motives.

The media reported on May 15 that this decision was agreed upon by the ambassadors of European countries.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said that Russia will respond to the West with lightning speed and pain if the work of Russian journalists is limited.

The ICJ and ICC put Israel on notice but cannot stop the war
Related:
George Clooney 05/14/2024 Biden to hold star-studded fundraiser featuring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Obama
George Clooney 10/27/2023 Torture and murder. Germany is investigating Russian crimes in Ukraine
George Clooney 10/17/2023 Hamas considers Israeli captives as potential bargaining chips for prisoner release. Really.

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Europe
Slovenian government approves recognition of Palestine, but needs parliament's approval
2024-05-31
[Al Jazeera] Prime Minister Robert Golob says his government has approved a decision to recognise an independent Paleostinian state, following in the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway.

"Today the government has decided to recognise Paleostine as an independent and sovereign state," he said at a news conference in Ljubljana.

The parliament of the European Union
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