consider that was one reason that putin gave for the attack and he did do the attacking but right now he fail on everything and getting his butt kick

Call the Ukrainians what you want but just like the original nazis, it is the Russians who are the foreign invaders here, the brutal occupiers of a peaceful neighboring country, not Ukraine. Russia. No amount of ham handed, weak excuses or ridiculous Kremlin attempts to blame the victim can hide that basic fact.

Nor should it be forgotten that Russia had absolutely no problem at all with the nazis right up until 1941. Did they not feast upon Poland together? Was it not Russians who executed thousands of Polish civilians and prisoners of war in the Katyn forest?

The nickname "Putler" is increasingly accurate. Under his rule Russia becomes more like the nazis every day. You should get rid of him before he burns your country to the ground like hitler did to Germany.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet May Have Lost Another Flagship

The Ukrainian navy for months has been hunting the Russian navy frigate Admiral Makarov. It seems the Ukrainians finally got a shot at the 409-foot, missile-armed vessel in her home port of Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian government on Saturday released dramatic videos apparently depicting a successful nighttime strike on Makarov or her sister ship Admiral Essen by at least one unmanned surface vessel.

The speedboat-size USV, possibly packing hundreds of pounds of explosives, dodged Russian helicopters and small boats and drove directly at the frigate, approaching to within a few feet before the video feed went dead.

There aren’t yet any photos or videos circulating online that can confirm whether the frigate suffered any damage. In the best case, her crew blew up the drone boat before the drone boat blew up them. In the worst case, Makarov or Essen suffered the kind of waterline damage that quickly can sink a ship. To say nothing of any fires that might have resulted from the blast.

The daring robotic raid is history repeating itself. Makarov became the flagship of the depleted Russian Black Sea Fleet in April after Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles and shore-based missile crews worked together to sink the previous flagship, the 612-foot cruiser Moskva.

Even if Makarov remains afloat—and that’s a distinct possibility—the Ukrainians still can count the nighttime strike as a win. There are reports of other Black Sea Fleet ships suffering damage in the raid. And to avoid future USV attacks, the Russians either will have to devote significantly more resources to protecting Sevastopol, or pull the Black Sea Fleet’s three dozen or so surviving vessels from Crimea.

The Ukrainian navy has been shockingly successful, considering it no longer has any big ships. In the early hours of the initial Russian bombardment on Feb. 23, the crew of Hetman Sahaidachny, the Ukrainian navy’s flagship and only large surface combatant, scuttled the frigate at its moorings in Odesa, Ukraine’s strategic port on the western Black Sea.

For the first two months of Russia’s wider war on Ukraine, the Russians dominated the Black Sea. Sailing and flying with impunity, they captured tiny Snake Island, 80 miles south of Odesa, and—using the island plus some gas platforms they’d captured from Ukraine as bases for air-defenses and surveillance gear—enforced a blockade of Odesa that effectively cut off Ukraine’s vital grain exports.

The Black Sea Fleet was poised to attempt an amphibious landing around Odesa. Capturing the port would complete Russia’s conquest of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast and cut off the country from the sea, permanently strangling its economy.

Russian forces meanwhile captured or scattered the rest of the Ukrainian navy’s ships, including one landing ship and a clutch of armored patrol boats. When the Ukrainians struck back, they did so with land-based missiles, UAVs and USVs.

The tide began to turn on March 23, when a Ukrainian Tochka ballistic missile hit the Black Sea Fleet landing ship Saratov while she was pierside in the occupied port of Berdyansk. The explosion sank Saratov, damaged at least one other landing ship and underscored the danger Russian ships might face in a direct assault on Odesa.

Then, on April 13, a Ukrainian navy anti-ship battery put two Neptune missiles into the side of the Russian cruiser Moskva, eventually sinking the 612-foot vessel.

In a single strike, the Ukrainians deprived the Black Sea Fleet of its main air-defense ship with her S-300 long-range surface-to-air missiles. Desperate to preserve their surviving large warships—in particular, the two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates including Makarov—fleet commanders pulled back the bigger ships 80 miles from the Ukrainian coast.

That exposed the rest of the Black Sea Fleet—in particular, support ships that can’t effectively defend themselves—to attack by Ukraine’s missiles and drones. “Russia’s resupply vessels have minimum protection in the western Black Sea,” the U.K. Defense Ministry stated.

Ukraine meanwhile reinforced its Neptune battery with U.S.-made Harpoon missiles, compounding the risk to Russian ships in the western Black Sea. The missileers coordinated with drone operators flying Turkish-made TB-2 drones to hunt down and sink several of the Black Sea Fleet’s Raptor patrol boats and landing craft.

In early May there were rumors a Ukrainian missile had struck Makarov. That turned out to be untrue. But a Harpoon did hit and sink the support ship Vsevolod Bobrov while she made a supply run to Snake Island on May 12.

Ukrainian missiles also struck at least one of the gas platforms the Russians were using for observation. Ukrainian drones, fighters and artillery bombarded Snake Island, rendering the treeless rock uninhabitable.

The Russian garrison fled the island on May 31. A week later, Ukrainian commandos hoisted a Ukrainian flag. Snake Island’s liberation signaled to the Ukrainian merchant marine that the western Black Sea was safe for commerce.

Odesa was still under blockade—and would remain so until Turkey brokered an end to the port blockage in late July—but ships now could get grain out of Ukraine via canals connecting small river ports near the Romanian border to the western Black Sea.

The river route might regain its previous significance in the wake of last night’s Sevastopol raid. The Kremlin announced it was ending its agreement with Kyiv to allow big grain ships to sail from Odesa.

The Russians aren’t acting from a position of strength. Unable to replace the Black Sea Fleet’s losses as long as Turkey controls the Bosphorous Strait joining the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, Russian commanders have focused on protecting what remains of the fleet. Ships hug the Crimean coast, staying inside the range of land-based aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.

But the Ukrainian drone boats struck the Black Sea Fleet well inside that protective umbrella. Between the ballistic and anti-ship missiles and airborne and seaborne drones, the Ukrainian armed forces have plenty of ways of sinking Russian ships.

The Black Sea Fleet isn’t safe in the western Black Sea. It isn’t safe in Sevastopol. The only place it might be safe is the only place where it’s totally irrelevant to the wider war: in ports in Russia proper, tied up pierside and closely guarded around the clock.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...65b0faae6420bd

Kremlin has begun 'active discussions' on who will replace Putin, says Ukraine spy chief

Vladimir Putin is unlikely to last until the end of the war in Ukraine, with "active discussions" happening in Russia over who will replace him, the eastern neighbour's spy chief has claimed. The comments come from Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's head of intelligence, as Russia's ruling class grow frustrated with Putin's invasion. Russian troops are now fleeing large parts of eastern Ukraine as the opposition continue their fierce counter offensive strategy, with a focus on recapturing the city of Kherson.

Some 40,000 Russian troops are regrouping around the region and according to Major General Budanov, it includes some of the "most trained and most capable Russian units".

He believes Kherson could be retaken by the end of next month and added that a counter-offensive to recapture Crimea could happen next year as Ukraine continues to make progress against opposition forces.

The spy chief also believes the war started by Putin could lead to the Russian President's own downfall.

Major General Budanov told The War Zone: "It's unlikely that he survives it. And currently, there are active discussions happening in Russia about who'd be there to replace him."

He also claimed the continued attack from Russia on Ukraine's energy infrastructure was damaging but not "critical".

The intelligence boss also refused to confirm or deny whether Ukraine was responsible for the attack on the Kerch Bridge in Crimea earlier this month.

It was seen as inflicting a devastating blow against Putin as it is the only bridge linking Russia and Crimea, which is critical for Russian supply lines.

The comments from the spy chief come with two former army officers warning Putin's reign of power and destruction in Russia could be brought to a thunderous end from within Moscow over his disastrous war in Ukraine.

Russia has been hit by scores of devastating losses in the battlefield and combined with the Ukrainian counter offensive efforts pushing opposition troops backwards, Putin's war strategy is coming under serious scrutiny.

There has also been widespread speculation Russia is quickly running out of weapons during the war, while his partial mobilisation of troops saw thousands of Russians attempt to flee the country.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer who served for nearly 30 years, told Express.co.uk: "There are definitely rumblings among the political elites in Moscow and dissent among some of his close military allies.

"They and politicians in Russia are making very unusual public dissent. It is very possible some of the political elites in Moscow might be planning to get rid of Putin and that is a very distinct possibility.

"You can't say it will happen and I know it's not easy, but I think it is certainty a likelihood."

Retired US General Ben Hodges, the former Commanding Officer of the US Army Europe, warned there is a "power struggle going on inside the Kremlin" with many becoming increasingly unhappy with Putin.

He also believes there is a "widening gap" between the Russian Genral Staff and Putin, with support fast plummeting for the President.

General Hodges told Express.co.uk: "There is a significant power struggle going on inside the Kremlin. You have people that are even more ultra-nationalist and hawkish than Putin that are unhappy with how it's going.

"When you go below that, there does seem to be a widening gap between the general staff and Putin himself.

"I don't think Putin trusts his generals much anymore and that's why they have finally found Sergei Surovikin, whose two redeeming qualities seem to be brutality and loyalty.

"You can't conceal this from the general population forever - the number of casualties, the fact this is going to continue, the impact of sanctions.

"There is a large percentage of the population that think this is great and were cheering the recent missile strikes on Ukraine, but I'm under no illusion there is going to be a massive uprising in Russia, and I don't think Putin can count on unbridled support any longer."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...4822f34bd801b9

A natural step I must say

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...08397725999106

Markus

$100 won't pay for much training.

I think it should be 100 million. This is the figure which has been mentioned before.

Markus

Russia no longer has seat at civilized table for negotiations, - PO

Russia lost the opportunity for peace negotiations with the civilized world. The only option that awaits her is a tribunal at which the aggressors must bear responsibility for the war against Ukraine.

As Censor.NET informs, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the President's Office, tweeted about it.

"It's time for subjects from the Russian Federation to understand: they no longer have the option of 'turning back in January 2022'. And there are no negotiations with the USA or a seat at the civilized table for them either. There is only genocide in Ukraine, the war they have lose, and the tribunal at which they will receive their life terms," ​​he wrote.

It should be noted that earlier the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov stated that Putin is still ready for negotiations regarding Ukraine with the West, if he turns to the Russian Federation "with realistic proposals." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3377150

Russia should immediately return to boundaries of "grain agreement", - NATO

NATO called on Russia to urgently return to the "grain agreement" brokered by the UN and Turkey in the summer of this year, which allows the transportation of grain and products from the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny.

This is reported by Reuters, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"President Putin must stop using food as a weapon and stop his illegal war against Ukraine. We call on Russia to reconsider its decision and urgently extend the "grain deal" so that food is available to those who need it most," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

She added that all NATO allies welcomed this agreement, which was reached with the help of Turkey.

"These exports (grains. - Ed.) helped lower food prices all over the world," Lungescu added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3377136

Ministry of Defense of Turkey is negotiating with Russian Federation on "grain agreement", they say "there are grounds for optimism"

After Russia’s announcement of the temporary suspension of participation in the "grain agreement", Turkey started negotiations and hopes for their successful conclusion.

This was reported to the Bloomberg agency on Sunday by a Turkish official on the condition of anonymity, Censor.NET reports with reference to "European Truth".

According to the representative of Turkey, "there are grounds for optimism that the negotiations (with Russia) can make progress."

He also added that vessels with Ukrainian grain that have already arrived in Istanbul are being inspected, but new grain carriers from Ukraine will not be dispatched yet.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Defense of Turkey officially confirmed the negotiations with the Russian side.

"The Minister of National Defense (Turkey) Hulusi Akar continues negotiations and coordination with his interlocutors, and the relevant authorities continue negotiations and coordination among themselves," the agency said in a statement.

"During these meetings, the parties are reminded of the importance of continuing an initiative that has a positive impact on humanity around the world and proves that all crises can be resolved through goodwill and dialogue, as well as the importance of avoiding all kinds of provocations that will negatively affect the continuation the operation of the mechanism," they add. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3377140

Ukraine as a Safe Haven for Jihadists :D


https://www.journalismfund.eu/suppor...aven-jihadists

Guterres conducts negotiations on restoration of Russia’s participation in "grain agreement"

UN Secretary General Antnio Guterres is conducting active negotiations regarding the restoration of Russia’s participation in the grain agreement.

This was announced by the spokesman of the UN Secretary General Stefan Dujarric on Sunday, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

The spokesman noted that Guterres is "deeply concerned about the situation surrounding the Black Sea Grain Initiative and has postponed his trip to Algeria for the Arab League summit for one day to focus on this issue."

The Secretary General continues to participate in intensive contacts aimed at restoring Russia's participation in the grain agreement, he noted. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3377143