Here we go again-Ukraine once again pt2

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Mart de Kruif: ‘Like the British in 1940, the Ukrainians are only becoming more determined’

With a large-scale air strike on Ukrainian cities, Russia wants to break the morale of the population, says Mart de Kruif. ‘Serious questions are emerging about how long the Russians will pull this off.’ On Friday, the Russian military launched nine missiles and 206 drones, the Ukrainian air force reported. It was one of the heaviest bombings Russia has carried out on Ukrainian cities since the start of the war, according to analysts. ‘The Russians mostly targeted civilian targets,’ said Mart de Kruif, former commander of the Dutch army. ‘I think it is retaliation for the attack the Ukrainians carried out on the Russian bomber fleet early this week.’

So the Russians are shelling apartment buildings as revenge for destroyed aircraft?
‘That is indeed the modus operandi employed by the Russians. While Ukraine attacks strategic targets, the Russians target civilian infrastructure. Russia's aim is to break the morale of the Ukrainian civilian population. ‘But if you look at history, that is not a salutary path. When Hitler bombed British cities during the Battle of Britain in 1940, the British only became more determined. We see that again now in Ukraine.’

A new Russian offensive is also expected. Might these bombings also be related to that?
‘I don't believe the Russians are capable of an offensive. In that case, the Russians would break through Ukrainian lines with a coordinated interplay between the air force and units on the ground. ‘The Russian army does not have those capabilities in terms of planning and leadership. What is possible is for the Russian army to increase the intensity of fighting on the front line. ‘President Zelensky may claim that Russia has assembled 50,000 troops north of Suma for an offensive. But if that is true, it could also be a feint. The Russian army would thus force Ukraine to take reserves away from the front in the Donbas and send them north.’

Something else: Trump has lost faith in peace talks, according to what he said at the White House on Friday.
‘There is simply no common ground for negotiations. The Kremlin's demands are still the same as at the start of the war: Ukraine must cede territory and must never join the EU or NATO. Ukraine can never agree to that. ‘Now that Trump has found out that a quick peace is not possible, he has lost interest in the negotiations. Meanwhile, the war of attrition continues: Neither Ukraine nor Russia is capable of winning on the battlefield.’

Russian politicians now joke that they want to facilitate peace talks between Trump and Elon Musk.
‘Yes, I saw that. You might think that there should quietly be a rapprochement between Trump and Zelenskyy. But we don't see that either anyway. Trump still does not want to actively support Ukraine. ‘I think in Kyiv the analysis has now been made that the cornerstone for future security should be its own defence industry combined with help from Europe. Ukraine is already taking into account a worst-case scenario in which the US completely takes its hands off this war. ‘Without US support, Ukraine obviously cannot win the war. But if you see that the Russians at the front are not having great successes now, the Ukrainians don't need to lose it either.’ https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/mart-...aden~b4c0fdff/

Mart de Kruif MSM is a retired Dutch Lieutenant-general in the Royal Netherlands Army who served as the 3rd Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army until his retirement in 2016. Mart De Kruif received his military education at the Royal Military Academy in Breda. Later, he was also educated at the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr and the U.S. Army War College. He held several positions within the Netherlands Army before he became commander of the 43 Gemechaniseerde(Mechanised) Brigade in Havelte in 2007. On 1 November 2008 he was promoted to Major General. On the same day, he took over the Regional Command South (RC-S) of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from Canadian Major General Marc Lessard. Under his command, the size of RC-S doubled to 40,000 troops. He held this command until 1 November 2009, when he was succeeded by British Major General Nick Carter. From May 2010 till October 2011 he served as the Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army. Promoted to Lieutenant General on 17 October 2011, de Kruif assumed the post of Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army on 25 October. He retired on 24 March 2016.

[Jimbuna]

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It will take years for Russia to replace strategic warplanes damaged during Operation Spider Web - Reuters

Russia will not be able to accelerate the production of new bombers due to limited financial resources and sanctions that complicate the work of the military industry.

According to Censor.NET, Reuters reports.

"These losses will put serious pressure on the key force of the Russian army, which is already operating at its limit," Justin Bronk, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense Studies (RUSI), told the agency.

The loss of the bombers is unlikely to have a serious impact on Russia's nuclear capabilities, which are based on missiles launched from land and submarines, Reuters reports. At the same time, the disabled planes were part of the strategic forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which were used to launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian territory throughout the Russian war against Ukraine, Bronk notes.

Most of the planes damaged during the Security Service of Ukraine's (SSU) "Spider Web" operation were produced in Soviet times, and in recent years the machines have only been modernized, so their complete replacement is unlikely, emphasizes aviation expert Douglas Barry.

Russia will not be able to accelerate the production of new bombers due to limited financial resources and sanctions that complicate the work of the Russian military industry, Bronk believes. Hans Christensen of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) agrees with him. According to him, Russia is already facing delays with other major defense projects, including work on the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.

SSU special operation "Spider Web"
On June 1, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation "Spider Web", launching a massive drone strike on Russian strategic aviation airfields.

The attack targeted the Olenya, Belaya, Dyagilevo, and Ivanovo airfields. They managed to hit 41 Russian aircraft, including A-50, Tu-95, and Tu-22 M3.

Later, the SBU clarified that the estimated cost of the enemy's strategic aviation, which was hit as a result of the SSU's Spider Web special operation, is $7 billion.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy listened to a report by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk on Operation Spider Web.

On June 3, the General Staff clarified that 41 Russian military aircraft had been downed as a result of a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine on June 1, 2025.

A number of media outlets also reported that Ukraine had not informed the administration of US President Donald Trump in advance of the SSU's Spider Web special operation against Russian airfields with strategic bombers. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3556669

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On 13 November 2023, the defence ministers of the Netherlands and Romania, Kajsa Ollongren and Angel Tîlvăr, jointly opened the European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC) at Fetești in Romania. To train Romanian pilots and also Ukrainians to pilot the fighters. Today, an Ukraine F-16 has shot down a Russian Su-35S fighter in the Kursk region.

[Jimbuna]

Germany plans to fully equip Bundeswehr by 2028 due to threat from Russia

The Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Technical Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) believes that it has only three years left to modernize and equip the German Armed Forces amid the growing military threat from Russia.

This was stated by the head of the department, Annette Lenigk-Emden, in an interview with the Tagesspiegel newspaper, published on Saturday, June 7, Censor.NET reports citing DW.

"By 2028, everything necessary must be purchased to ensure full defense capability. After all, the soldiers will still have to train with the new equipment," said Lenigk-Emden.

The Bundeswehr's calculations are based on analysts' predictions that Russia could be ready to attack NATO territory from 2029.

Recently, Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer also said that Russia "could decide to launch a large-scale attack on NATO territory from 2029."

He added that in order to prevent this, Germany must strengthen its deterrence forces.

The Bundeswehr Federal Equipment Office expects that the procurement schedule until 2028 will be met, and the funds will be used in a timely manner to purchase the necessary equipment.

The Inspector General has drawn up a list of priorities, which indicates what is needed. We did not wait for the formation of a new government, but prepared a list of the most necessary purchases," said Lenigk-Emden.

By the end of the year, her office will submit about a hundred proposals for the purchase of military equipment to the German parliament.

These are primarily "large equipment" such as Skyranger self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and the replacement of outdated Fuchs armored personnel carriers with new models.

In addition, framework agreements have already been signed on the production of a new batch of Leopard 2 battle tanks. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3556686

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