Russian military vehicles roll through outskirts of Donetsk after Putin orders troops into Ukraine

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Haha, they f'd up again

Edit: check out Crimea

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Allison Quinn - The Daily Beast




Nearly a year into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has gotten into a bizarre bickering match with Ukraine’s leader over whether or not Vladimir Putin is still alive.

The squabble started when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an audience at Davos that he’s not entirely convinced the Russian leader is still among the living.

“I don’t quite understand who to speak with and about what. I’m not sure the president of Russia, who sometimes appears against a green screen, is the right one. I don’t quite understand if he is alive, if he is making the decisions, or who is making the decisions there,” he said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly hit back—without actually addressing the condition of the Russian leader.

“Clearly, Zelensky would prefer for neither Russia nor Putin to exist. The sooner he realizes that Russia exists and will exist, the better for such a country as Ukraine,” Peskov said in comments published by Russian media.

Putin famously canceled his year-end press conference for the first time in 10 years in December, along with his traditional address to the Federal Assembly. The Russian president has also been widely mocked on social media for attending a range of meetings and key events via video link from his bunker, even as Zelensky has made trips to some of the most dangerous spots on the frontline.

While Putin did take a trip to St. Petersburg this week and appeared publicly for several events, the Kremlin stoked further suspicions about Putin’s health Thursday with the announcement the Russian leader had taken a dip in icy waters to mark the Orthodox Christian feast of Epiphany, in keeping with his yearly tradition—but said no one would ever see proof he’d done so.

“This time there are no photos or videos. We are just informing you that he followed his tradition,” Peskov said.

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Lol. Perfect comment!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Associated Press




The speaker of the lower house of Russia's parliament warned Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risked their own destruction, a message that followed new pledges of armoured vehicles, air defence systems and other equipment but not the battle tanks Kyiv requested.

Ukraine's supporters pledged billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine during a meeting at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday, though the new commitments were overshadowed by a failure to agree on Ukraine's urgent request for German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks.

The issue appeared to move close to a resolution late Sunday when Germany's top diplomat said her country would not object if Poland decided to send some of its Leopards to Ukraine.

French TV channel LCI posted clips from an interview with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Sunday in which she said her government has not received a formal request for approval from Warsaw but added "if we were asked, we would not stand in the way."

Germany is one of the main donors of weapons to Ukraine, and it ordered a review of its Leopard 2 stocks in preparation for a possible green light. Nonetheless, the government in Berlin has shown caution at each step of increasing its commitments to Ukraine, a hesitancy seen as rooted in its history and political culture.



German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not respond when asked about the Leopard 2 tanks Sunday, but stressed that his country already has made sizeable military contributions to Ukraine.

"The U.S. is doing a lot, Germany is doing a lot, too," he said. "We have constantly expanded our deliveries with very effective weapons that are already available today. And we have always co-ordinated all these decisions closely with our important allies and friends."

Germany's tentativeness has drawn criticism, particularly from Poland and the Baltic states, countries on NATO's eastern flank that feel especially threatened by Russia's renewed aggression.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that if Germany did not consent to transferring Leopard tanks to Ukraine, his country was prepared to build a "smaller coalition" of countries that would send theirs anyway.

"Almost a year had passed since the outbreak of war," Morawiecki said in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP published Sunday. "Evidence of the Russian army's war crimes can be seen on television and on YouTube. What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start to act in line with the potential of the German state?"

Leclerc tanks not ruled out by Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said Sunday that he does not rule out sending Leclerc battle tanks to Ukraine and had asked his defence minister to "work on" the idea.

Macron spoke during a during a news conference in Paris with Scholz as their countries commemorating the 60th anniversary of their post-World War II friendship treaty. In a joint declaration, France and Germany committed to their "unwavering support" for Ukraine.

France will make its tank decision based on three criteria, Macron said: that sharing the equipment does not lead to an escalation of the conflict, that it would provide efficient and workable help when training time is taken into account, and that it wouldn't weaken France's own military.



2 U.S. lawmakers call for delivery of Abrams tanks

In Washington, two leading lawmakers urged the U.S. on Sunday to send some of its Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the interests of overcoming Germany's reluctance to share its own, more suitable tanks.

"If we announced we were giving an Abrams tank, just one, that would unleash" the flow of tanks from Germany, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House foreign affairs committee, told ABC's This Week on Sunday. "What I hear is that Germany's waiting on us to take the lead."

Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also spoke up for the U.S. sending Abrams.

"If it requires our sending some Abrams tanks in order to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from other allies, I would support that," Coons said.



Russian 'retaliation' for Ukraine support

Earlier Sunday, the speaker of the lower house of Russia's parliament, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, said that governments giving more powerful weapons to Ukraine could cause a "global tragedy that would destroy their countries."

"Supplies of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime would lead to a global catastrophe," he said. "If Washington and NATO supply weapons that would be used for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to seize our territory as they threaten to do, it would trigger a retaliation with more powerful weapons."

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said the U.S.-led meeting at the air base in Germany "left no doubt that our enemies will try to exhaust or better destroy us," adding that "they have enough weapons" to achieve the purpose.

Medvedev, a former Russian president, warned on his messaging app channel that "in case of a protracted conflict," Russia could seek to form a military alliance with "the nations that are fed up with the Americans and a pack of their castrated dogs."

Spring offensive

Ukraine is asking for more weapons as it anticipates Russia's forces launching a new offensive in the spring.

Oleksii Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council, warned that Russia may try to intensify its attacks in the south and in the east and to cut supply channels of Western weapons, while conquering Kyiv "remains the main dream" in President Vladimir Putin's "fantasies," he said.

In a column published by online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. he described the Kremlin's goal in the conflict as a "total and absolute genocide, a total war of destruction"

Among those calling for more arms for Ukraine was former British prime minister Boris Johnson, who made a surprise trip to Ukraine on Sunday. Johnson, who was pictured in the Kyiv region town of Borodyanka, said he traveled to Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"This is the moment to double down and to give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to finish the job. The sooner Putin fails, the better for Ukraine and for the whole world," Johnson said in a statement.

The last week was especially tragic for Ukraine even by the standards of a brutal war that has gone on for nearly a year, killing tens of thousands of people, uprooting millions more and creating vast destruction of Ukrainian cities.



A barrage of Russian missiles struck an apartment complex in the southeastern city of Dnipro on Jan. 14, killing at least 45 civilians. On Wednesday, a government helicopter crashed into a building housing a kindergarten in a suburb of Kyiv. Ukraine's interior minister, other officials and a child on the ground were among the 14 people killed.

Zelenskyy vowed Sunday that Ukraine would ultimately prevail in the war.

"We are united because we are strong. We are strong because we are united," the Ukrainian leader said in a video address as he marked Ukraine Unity Day, which commemorates when east and west Ukraine were united in 1919.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Caitlin McFall | Fox News




President Biden on Wednesday approved the U.S. to send 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine just hours after German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz said Ukraine would also receive Leopard 2 tanks from Berlin as Russia plans for a major offensive.

The president, joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Defense Secretary Antony Blinken, described the vehicles as the "most capable tanks in the world" and said they "will enhance Ukraine’s ability" on the battlefield.

Biden said Western aid to Ukraine "is not an offensive threat to Russia."

"This is about freedom, freedom for Ukraine, freedom everywhere," he added.

Senior defense officials told reporters Wednesday that between tanks supplied from the U.S., U.K, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden, along with tank shipments expected to be announced by other European nations in the coming days, Ukraine can expect to receive "hundreds" of desperately needed tanks.

The Wednesday decisions come after weeks of stalled and frustrated negotiations with Germany in what one senior defense official described as the "product of good diplomatic conversations."

"It really is remarkable if you look back over the last year to see the extraordinary shift in Germany's security policy," another senior defense official told reporters on background.

While Leopard 2 tanks from EU nations will require minimal turnaround time and will serve the immediate needs of Ukraine’s military forces, the shipment of Abrams tanks to Ukraine will take months.

"Coupled with this near-term commitment that the Germans have made on Leopards, we think this contribution by us with the Abrams represents the long-term commitment," one official said.

Top U.S. defense officials, including Austin, had expressed reservations about sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine because of cost, maintenance requirements and the longer training periods needed to get Ukrainian soldiers up to speed on the combat vehicles.



But earlier this month Germany suggested that it would not agree to send its tanks unless the U.S. did as well, citing concerns over escalating the war – a concern that drew international eye rolls as the deadly war enters its 11th month.

Senior defense officials would not confirm if the decision to send the battalion of Abrams tanks was a stipulation of Berlin’s or motivation from Washington to get the ball rolling on Leopard tanks.

The move was instead championed as a show of long-term support for Ukraine.

"Abrams tanks are the best in the world," a senior defense official said. "This is a tremendous new capability that Ukraine will be getting to boost its long-term defenses."

The Pentagon is also working through the fuel and maintenance requirements that the Abram tanks demand and the U.S. will also send eight M88 recovery vehicles in support of the top tanks.



The U.S. has already supplied thousands of combat vehicles, including 1,700 Humvees and pledged earlier this month to send another 500 armored vehicles of various types.

The Abrams tanks will be procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and will not come directly from U.S. stockpiles.

It remains unclear how long it will take to get the Abrams tanks up and running in Ukraine and defense officials did not say where the trainings will take place, though it was confirmed that the trainings would be held outside of Ukraine.

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These are perhaps even more amazing than Abrams. $250,000 a pop, though

[Teh One Who Knocks]

ABC News Australia




Australia has partnered with France to supply Ukraine with 155-millimetre artillery shells, Defence Minister Richard Marles and his counterpart Sebastien Lecornu have announced.

"Several thousand 155mm shells will be manufactured jointly" by French arms supplier Nexter, France's Mr Lecornu said, while Mr Marles said the plan would come with a "multi-million-dollar" price tag.

The ammunition supplies fit into "the ongoing level of support both France and Australia are providing Ukraine to make sure Ukraine is able to stay in this conflict and … see it concluded on its own terms," Mr Marles added.

Mr Lecornu said the aid would be "significant" and "an effort that will be kept up over time", with the first deliveries slated for the first quarter of 2023.

Mr Marles said there were "some unique capabilities that exist in Australia and some synergies that can be achieved by Australia and France working together" to manufacture the shells.

While Nexter will carry out the manufacturing, Australia will supply gunpowder, Mr Lecornu said.

The two defence ministers met alongside both countries' foreign ministers, Catherine Colonna and Penny Wong, as France and Australia look to relaunch cooperation.

Ties between the countries took a serious blow in 2021 when Canberra dropped a French submarine contract in favour of American nuclear submarines, as well as joining the AUKUS Pacific alliance with London and Washington.

Mr Marles hailed "personal warmth between the four of us", with all the ministers stressing the need to "rebuild" or "relaunch" the relationship in different ways.

Several types of artillery sent to Ukraine from its Western allies fire 155mm shells, including French-made CAESAR truck-mounted guns, the British-built M777 howitzer or the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled gun.

France's Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thébault, said countries — including Australia — had provided weapons to aid the Ukrainian resistance, and that this was the next step in helping defend the country from invading Russian forces.

"Ammunition is key — you can't use guns if you don't have ammunition," he told the ABC.

"What France and Australia, together, are doing is using the abilities of our industries to manufacture thousands of shells — [that] will be used by not only French, but [also] Americans, Germans — and other equipment.

"That's something that the Ukrainians so desperately need."

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Andrea Vacchiano | Fox News




Six countries sided with Russia during a United Nations General Assembly resolution on Thursday, in which 141 countries voted to end hostilities in Ukraine and for Russia to withdraw its forces.

Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Mali and Nicaragua all joined Russia in opposing the declaration.

While the resolution does not force Russia into leaving Ukraine, it signifies an international censure against Moscow's aggression.

The vote marks a slight increase from the four countries who voted against an October resolution denouncing Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories. Mali and Eritrea abstained from the vote during that time.

The six countries opposing the resolution have developed close military ties with Russia. Amendments proposed by Belarus would have stripped much of the resolution's language but were resoundingly defeated.

Countries who abstained during Thursday's vote included South Africa, China and India.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took the 141-7 vote as a victory, saying it represents global support for Ukraine.



"This vote defies the argument that the global south does not stand on Ukraine’s side," Kuleba said. "Many countries representing Latin America, Africa, Asia voted in favor."

Friday will mark one year since Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The war has killed tens of thousands on both sides, demolishing entire Ukrainian cities and causing higher food and fuel costs prices worldwide.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Mali and Nicaragua

[Godfather]

How do this third world countries Russia has been trying to court like Mali still want to stay cozy with them after watching Russia get shat on the past 12 months? Don't look behind the curtain eh...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

BBC News




Russian reservists are likely using "shovels" for "hand-to-hand" combat in Ukraine due to a shortage of ammunition, the UK's Ministry of Defence says.

In late February, reservists described being ordered to assault a Ukrainian position "armed with only 'firearms and shovels'", the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.

It mentioned a shovel known as MPL-50.

The tool was designed in 1869 and had changed little, the ministry said.

"The lethality of the standard-issue MPL-50 entrenching tool is particularly mythologised in Russia," the ministry said.

The continued use of the shovel "as a weapon highlights the brutal and low-tech fighting which has come to characterise much of the war", it said.

One of the reservists described being "neither physically nor psychologically" prepared for the action, the update added.

"Recent evidence suggests an increase in close combat in Ukraine," it said.

"This is probably a result of the Russian command continuing to insist on offensive action largely consisting of dismounted infantry, with less support from artillery fire because Russia is short of munitions."

The BBC has been unable to independently verify these reports. The ministry did not give information on where such battles were taking place.

Meanwhile Russian forces appear to have secured a sufficient positional advantage in the besieged city of Bakhmut, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

Bakhmut has seen months of fighting, as Russia tries to take control of the small city, where around 4,000 civilians remain.

Taking the city would be a rare battlefield success in recent months for Russia, but the city's strategic value has been questioned.

The ISW said Russia's positional advantage could allow a "turning movement" in the city.

The purpose of a turning movement is to force the enemy to abandon prepared defensive positions, and is different from the aim of an encirclement, which is to trap and destroy enemy forces, the ISW says.

"The Russians may have intended to encircle Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, but the Ukrainian command has signalled that it will likely withdraw rather than risk an encirclement," the ISW said.

However, the Ukrainian military said on Sunday that it had no intention of withdrawing from Bakhmut.

A statement by the Armed Forces General Staff acknowledged that Russian forces were still trying to surround the city, but said more than 100 attacks had been repelled in the eastern Donbas region in the past 24 hours.

Thousands of Russian troops have died trying to take Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of around 75,000.