The EU sends 5 million potassium-iodide pills as precautionary measure against "reactor mishaps".

Such pills are taken to flood in one rush the thyroid gland where iodine likes to accumulate (though it is only a fraction of the total ammount of what the body stores and wants). The idea is that if the gland is packed full with "good" iodine, it has no space left to accumulate any "bad" (=radioactive) iodine. The effect of this however cannot last too long, since the thyroid processes iodine quite fast, and to fill the iodine reserves in your body alltogether last many, many months, can take up to 1, 2, rarely more years. The measure should only give you time to get the heck out of Dodge without taking too much damage. Thats why it is not recommended to take it too long time in advance as a precautionary measure. It does not work this way, sorry.

^ How many of the citizens around this nuclear power plant think they can withstand the radiation when they take these Iodide pills ?

Something tells me that there will be thousand of these-Who believe they are immune when they take these pills.

Markus

Think Ukrainians know from the past what a radiation leak means

^ Excellent. :yep:

https://twitter.com/WarMonitor3/stat...11324303773698

Markus

How should the Ukrainians take their own city of Kherson?
 

Ukraine wants to recapture the city of Kherson and thereby deal Russia a sensitive blow. However, the capture of the city will be a heathen task. And how do you chase away the enemy without destroying the city? The attacks launched by the Ukrainian army on Monday to retake the city of Kherson did not come out of the blue. Autumn is on its way and swampy terrain is not in favor of the Ukrainians, who have to cover miles to get to Kherson. The ground is now hard enough for tanks and armored vehicles to advance. The Ukrainian army, which claims to have broken through the initial Russian lines of defense in several places, is said to have taken some five villages, according to various reports. These are located some 20 to 30 kilometers from Kherson. The army hopes that the devastating missile attacks in recent weeks on Russian supply lines, ammunition depots and command centers will enable a rapid advance. Should the Ukrainians indeed soon find themselves at the gates of Kherson, the question arises: how do you take a city surrounded by a sea of Russian-occupied territory? Some 20-30 thousand Russian soldiers, including those of the elite VDV forces, are defending the city. You don't just drive those away.

Inside look at Ukrainian strategy
U.S. military officials on Monday gave an inside look at Ukraine's strategy to recapture its first occupied city from the Russians. Kyiv would not be looking for a devastating urban war at all. The first option would be to cut off the Russians in Kherson from the rest of the Russian territory, and then force them to surrender. With the elimination of several bridges over the Dnipro River, Russia is already having difficulties supplying its units. Before that happens, the Ukrainians must take some 20 kilometers of territory to the edges of Kherson. This advance, however, makes them vulnerable to Russian artillery. The terrain is flat, it's a delta with many small rivers and streams,' says Brigadier-General retired Ruud Vermeulen (73), a former battalion commander with the Airborne Brigade and a lecturer at the Higher School of War. 'By acting in a staggered fashion, as far apart as possible, Ukrainian units become less vulnerable to Russian attacks.'

'A good chance,' the Pentagon thinks
The U.S., Pentagon officials tell news site Politico, thinks Ukraine has "a good chance" of retaking occupied territory. Only, what happens if that humiliating Russian surrender fails? Bombarding the city with brute force, as the Russians have done to other cities, is out of the question for the Ukrainian army. That leaves only a classic urban war: entering Kherson and fighting from building to building. That's a prayer without end,' says Vermeulen, who for years has been working on war strategies to fight a battle in a city. In his view, Ukraine should not be tempted into a city war. 'Those house-to-house battles will take a lot of fighting power and a lot of deaths.' That could cost Ukraine dearly later in the war, because immediately deployable units, with well-trained soldiers, are crucial. Vermeulen: 'You actually have to let the Russian units bleed to death. Cut them off completely and stop their supply, especially from the river.'

Troops on east side of city crucial
Crucial to this, he says, is that Ukraine is keeping considerable pressure on Russian troops on the east side of the river. Those troops are important for supplying the Russians. By attacking important targets, such as airfields and supply lines, the Russian units on the west side could run into trouble. 'They are then additionally forced to come to the aid of their colleagues in the east. This will make the capture of Kherson easier. But if the Russians do not surrender, at some point Ukraine will still have to enter the city and take buildings step by step.' The former brigadier general believes that the party that is mentally strongest will have the upper hand in Kherson. Vermeulen: 'And the Russians have the necessary problems in this area, as the past six months have shown.' According to him, the Ukrainians should make the losses to the Russians so great that it affects their will to continue fighting. The Russians have already had to watch as bridges over the river and other targets were destroyed with U.S. Himars missiles. Partisans and special forces have also caused major destruction. Vermeulen holds it possible that the battle for Kherson, in part because of the presence in the city of Russian airborne troops, could last into the winter. 'The troops on the west side will cross the river if necessary and fight their way out of the city,' he argues. 'That's what we, as the Dutch army, would do if you're cut off. If that happens, it will be a big mental blow to Russia, both militarily and mentally.'

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-ach...emen~b7cdbf41/

Six months of gains lost in a week, hope it continues.
https://i.postimg.cc/vTkX84bz/EUNatural-Gas.png

A farewell to arms. By year end Russia will be left almost without shells, artillery
 

For Russia, six months of war have led not only to colossal irreplaceable losses in manpower, but also to a huge waste of weapons and military equipment: guided missiles are already very scarce, shells for artillery and armored vehicles will be exhausted by the end of the year, and the state of military aviation precludes a full-scale air campaign. Because of the sanctions, Russia cannot continue full industrial production of weapons and replenish its arms stockpiles, which are rapidly running out.

Barrel wear and ammunition shortage

One of the underestimated problems is the finite number of Russian artillery shells and guns. There is a common perception among experts, observers, and concerned citizens that Russia had inherited a vast stock of artillery equipment from the Soviet Union. The problem is that Soviet artillery shells could not be stored for long and as early as summer 2002, during the second Chechen campaign, the Russian army faced a shortage of 122 mm and 152 mm shells.

https://theins.ru/en/politics/254573

"Azovstal" defender Oleh Mudrak after 100 days in captivity of Russian occupiers. PHOTOS

"Azovstal" defender Oleh Mudrak after 100 days in captivity of Russian occupiers

In the first photo - a frame from the video during the exit of the Ukrainian defenders from "Azovstal".

The second photo is Oleh after months of captivity.

Oleg Mudrak is the captain and commander of the 1st battalion of the "AZOV" self-defense unit. Source: https://censor.net/en/p3364289

Representatives of Russian Federation must leave territory of ZNPP immediately and without additional conditions, 10-kilometer demilitarized zone must appear around plant

The US State Department released a joint statement of the G7 nuclear non-proliferation group.

As Censor.NET informs, this was reported in the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The statement condemned Russia's actions at Ukraine's nuclear facilities and the nuclear blackmail that Ukraine and the whole world are subjected to. The leaders of the countries supported the joint position of the heads of foreign affairs of the G7 members on ensuring nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,

The G7 group expressed concern over the serious threat posed by the continued control of the Russian armed forces over Ukrainian nuclear facilities:

"These actions significantly increase the risk of a nuclear accident or incident and endanger the population of Ukraine, neighboring states and the international community... The Zaporizhia NPP and the electricity produced by it rightfully belong to Ukraine."

Any attempts by the Russian Federation to disconnect the station from the Ukrainian energy system are unacceptable. Zaporizhzhia NPP itself should not be used for military operations or storage of military materials.

Group members clearly stated:
"the Russian Federation should immediately withdraw its troops from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and respect the territory and sovereignty of Ukraine." In turn, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that the IAEA mission had arrived in our country to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

However, the Russians continue to make provocations in all directions from which the mission is supposed to arrive at the station:

"The occupiers do not leave the station, continue shelling, do not take away their weapons and ammunition from the territory of the NPP. They intimidate our nuclear workers. The risk of a radiation disaster due to Russian actions does not decrease even for an hour."

Ukraine's position on the issue of solving the crisis at the ZNPP is unequivocal and unchanging: all representatives of the Russian Federation, civilians and military, must immediately and without any conditions leave the territory of the power plant. The city of Energodar and the ZNPP itself must be removed from the influence of the Russian occupation administrations. After that, the work of legitimate Ukrainian administrations will be urgently resumed in the city and at the nuclear facility, whose main task will be the organization of a security corridor for the delivery of the necessary equipment and specialists to the territory of the station. In particular, by water with the help of a ferry crossing.

Control over the ZNPP must be immediately returned to the Ukrainian Energy Agency and the IAEA mission. At the same time, a demilitarized zone of at least 10 kilometers must be created around the station. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3364288

Don't underestimate Russia's military strength, German defence chief warns
 

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Germany's chief of defence has warned that the West must not underestimate Moscow's military strength, saying Russia has the scope to open up a second front should it choose to do so.

"The bulk of the Russian land forces may be tied down in Ukraine at the moment but, even so, we should not underestimate the Russian land forces' potential to open a second theatre of war," General Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr, told Reuters in an interview.

Beyond the army, Russia also has a navy and air force at its disposal, he added.

"Most of the Russian navy has not yet been deployed in the war on Ukraine, and the Russian air force still has significant potential as well, which poses a threat to NATO too," Zorn said.

The Bundeswehr regularly supports NATO air policing missions over the Baltic states with fighter jets and, having one of the strongest fleets in the region, is also keeping a close eye on the developments in the Baltic Sea at its doorstep.

One potential hotspot there is Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave sandwiched between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, that hosts Russia's Baltic naval fleet and is a deployment location for Russian nuclear-capable Iskander missiles.

Russia has threatened to station nuclear and hypersonic weapons in Kaliningrad should Finland and Sweden join NATO as they are in the process of doing.

Zorn, speaking before the start of an Ukrainian offensive in the south, stressed that Russia continued to have substantial reserves.

"As concerns its military, Russia is very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally," the general said. "That this would be a very unreasonable thing for Russia to do is a different story."

Referring to the military situation in Ukraine, Zorn said the dynamic of Russia's attack had slowed down but Russia was still pressing steadily ahead.

"Supported by massive artillery fire, they are driving their advance forward - regardless of civilian Ukrainian casualties," he said.

He also suggested that Russia was not about to run out of ammunition any time soon.

"The Russians have enormous quantities of ammunition at their disposal," he said. "This ammunition is partly old and very inaccurate but it is exactly this that causes great destruction to civilian infrastructure. They fire around 40,000 to 60,000 rounds of artillery ammunition per day."

Zorn said he nevertheless did not anticipate any far reaching offensives deep into Ukrainian territory at the moment.

He also said Russian forces were currently focused on conquering the Donbas, the industrial region of eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatisst already hold chunks of territory. No military resolution was in sight yet, however, he said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/dont-u...ns-2022-08-31/

Does he mean that Germany is planning to join the war on Russia’s side? :hmmm: They had two fronts, they shut one down because of failure, LOL.

I doubt Germany is capable of defending its own territory.

U.S. prepares new security assistance for Ukraine

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will soon announce additional security assistance for Ukraine.

According to Censor.NЕТ, this was stated on Wednesday by White House National Security Adviser John Kirby.

"In the coming days there will be announcements about future security assistance," Kirby said at a briefing.

As reported, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has spent the past two months helping the Ukrainian military prepare for a counterattack in the south by meeting their specific requests for military assistance.

On Ukraine's Independence Day, the White House announced the largest military aid package ever, worth nearly $3 billion.

The U.S. has provided about $13 billion in military aid to Ukraine since Russia began invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3364350