Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Skybird]

^ Focus writes:
--------------------
After the unexplained death of the Belarusian foreign minister, suspicions are rising that there is more to Makei's death than just a tragic death. According to Anton Gerashenko,the advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Gerashenko, there are already some rumors that he was poisoned. For background, Vladmir Makey was considered a possible successor to Lukashenko-and was not under Russian influence. But one sentence suggests something else behind the rumors. According to Gerashenko, Makej's presumed murder was a "finger pointing" at Lukashenko.

Even before Makej's death, the U.S. think tank "Robert Lansing Institute for Global Threats" reported on the Kremlin's possible plan. Citing sources in the Russian military leadership circle, it said that Putin had had enough of Belarusian President Lukashenko and had decided to take a radical step to force Belarus' entry into the war against Ukraine.

According to the report, Russian military intelligence (GRU) could try to either kill Lukashenko in an assassination attempt or imitate an assassination attempt in the coming days to intimidate the Belarusian president. That should animate him to order his troops to the side of the Russian army, according to sources at the U.S. think tank.

If Lukashenko were to survive and give in to Putin's will to war, he would be de facto deprived of power and part of the Kremlin's puppet game, the U.S. factory's analysis says. Should he perish in the assassination attempt, pro-Russia OKVS Secretary General Stanislav Zas would immediately take his place. Whether or not Lukashenko dies in the scenario, the U.S. and NATO are to be blamed.
----------------------

[Catfish]

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Skybird

^ Focus writes:
--------------------
After the unexplained death of the Belarusian foreign minister, suspicions are rising that there is more to Makei's death than just a tragic death. According to Anton Gerashenko,the advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Gerashenko, there are already some rumors that he was poisoned. For background, Vladmir Makey was considered a possible successor to Lukashenko-and was not under Russian influence. But one sentence suggests something else behind the rumors. According to Gerashenko, Makej's presumed murder was a "finger pointing" at Lukashenko.

Even before Makej's death, the U.S. think tank "Robert Lansing Institute for Global Threats" reported on the Kremlin's possible plan. Citing sources in the Russian military leadership circle, it said that Putin had had enough of Belarusian President Lukashenko and had decided to take a radical step to force Belarus' entry into the war against Ukraine.

According to the report, Russian military intelligence (GRU) could try to either kill Lukashenko in an assassination attempt or imitate an assassination attempt in the coming days to intimidate the Belarusian president. That should animate him to order his troops to the side of the Russian army, according to sources at the U.S. think tank.

If Lukashenko were to survive and give in to Putin's will to war, he would be de facto deprived of power and part of the Kremlin's puppet game, the U.S. factory's analysis says. Should he perish in the assassination attempt, pro-Russia OKVS Secretary General Stanislav Zas would immediately take his place. Whether or not Lukashenko dies in the scenario, the U.S. and NATO are to be blamed.
----------------------

Reading your post made me wonder if Lukashenko is feeling the heat under his feet and are planning on fleeing to an another country..Before he meet a Russian bullet or get poisoned

Markus

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 87.9 thousand people, 2,908 tanks, 1,899 artillery systems, 5,861 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

The Russian occupiers, who invaded the territory of Ukraine, continue to suffer losses. As of the morning of November 28, the loss of enemy personnel are approximately 87,900.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 28.11 are approximately:

personnel - about 87,900 (+590) people were eliminated,
tanks - 2908 (+3) units,
armored combat vehicles - 5861 (+5) units,
artillery systems - 1,899 (+2) units,
MLRS - 395 (+0) units,
air defense equipment - 209 (+0) units,
aircraft - 278 (+0) units,
helicopters - 261 (+0) units,
UAV of operational-tactical level - 1555 (+0),
cruise missiles - 531 (+0),
Warships/boats - 16 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 4416 (+4) units,
special equipment - 163 (+0). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383392

[Jimbuna]

Information about "offensive from Belarus" is being spread by Russia to scare Ukrainians, - Defence Intelligence

The information that Belarus is allegedly preparing an offensive is spread especially.

Andrii Yusov, the representative of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, informed about this, Censor.NET reports.

According to him, such fakes are profitable for Russia, this is how it tries to scare Ukrainians.

"Information and psychological special operations very often pursue several goals at the same time. And in this case, we see different goals, that is, on the one hand, to sow panic among the population, among Ukrainians, including residents of border regions and regions.
And to disorient the Ukrainian defense forces, disperse the forces, and transfer the forces from other directions. And also the object and goals of this special psychological information operation are Belarus itself and Belarusians, that is, incitement. To make it so that it sparks, and still involves Belarus itself in a full-scale war, which has never happened before," Yusov explained.

He emphasized that it is now very important to understand the goals of the enemy. You cannot give in to this kind of provocation.

"We are not talking about the fact that there is no threat from the Lukashenko regime. There is, and Lukashenko is helping Putin with weapons, ammunition, and armored vehicles. It provides its airspace for strikes on Ukraine, but today we cannot talk about the fact that a full-scale invasion will take place shortly and Belarus will be involved in a ground operation," concluded the representative of the Defence Intelligence. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383423

[Jimbuna]

NATO countries can provide new support to Ukraine, - AP

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest this week will pledge long-term support to Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian air, missile and ground attacks.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to the EP, AP writes about it.

At this meeting in Bucharest, NATO ministers are likely to make new promises regarding non-lethal support to Ukraine. It is about fuel, power generators, medicines, winter equipment, and anti-drone devices.

Individual members of the Alliance are also likely to announce new deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine - mainly air defense systems. NATO as an organization will not offer such supplies due to fears of involvement in a war with Russia.

But the ministers will also discuss how to support Ukraine in the more distant future.

"In the long term, we will help Ukraine move from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO standards, doctrine, and training," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented before the meeting. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383427

Russia does not plan to leave ZNPP and Enerhodar, - Peskov

Putin’s spokesman, Dmytro Peskov, said that Russian troops do not plan to leave the territory of Zaporizhzhia NPP and Enerhodar.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the propaganda publication RIA Novosti.

"There is no need to look for signs where there are none and cannot be," he said.

Earlier it was reported that the Russian military may be preparing to withdraw from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383436

Enemy "Orlan" shot down near Bakhmut contains components produced in NATO countries. Russian Federation continues to obtain electronics for arming drones there, - Butusov. PHOTOS

Russia continues to obtain electronics from NATO countries to arm its drones.

Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, writes about this on Facebook.

As noted, Ukrainian soldiers near Bakhmut shot down a Russian "Orlan"-type unmanned reconnaissance vehicle produced no earlier than August. When examining the wreckage, it became noticeable that the Russians continue to use components produced in NATO countries.

"This is a key element of the Russian "Orlan" - a four-element small-sized adaptive antenna array "Cometa-M", which allows the "Orlan" navigation system to operate in conditions of radio-electronic interference of satellite navigation satellite signals. If the Russians didn't have this block, it would actually be impossible to use the Orlan, because any EW constantly jammed the navigation system and the drone wouldn't be able to perform the task," the journalist writes.

"According to him, this "Comet-M" was manufactured in July 2022, it is unlikely that the Russian Federation has accumulated so many spare components, these are most likely new deliveries. This "Comet" uses components from American companies Altera/Intel, Taoglas, and Taiwanese Cirocomm.
The set is very similar to the similar equipment of Iranian Shahed drones. I hope that our allies will be able to reliably stop the supply of critical elements to the Russian Federation and Iran. And we need to develop our drone production program, we can get much better components and assemblies on world markets and in much larger quantities than the Russian Federation can do," Butusov adds. Source: https://censor.net/en/p3383444

[Jimbuna]

EU will help Ukraine survive winter in conditions of electricity shortage, - Borrell

EU leaders will discuss measures to further help Ukraine prepare for a winter of power shortages as Russian invaders continue to destroy Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure.

This was announced by EU High Representative Josep Borrell, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"He, Putin, continues to bomb Ukraine. Putin continues his attempts to turn Ukraine into a black hole - without light, without electricity, without heat - to condemn Ukrainians to darkness and cold. So we must continue our support, provide Ukraine with more materials to face this winter without electricity. This means many things, from electrical installations to anything you may need to survive this winter without electricity. It's hard to imagine, but that's exactly what happens. So today we have to look at the (Russian. - Ed.) war in Ukraine from the perspective of a humanitarian crisis," he said.

Borrell said that during the meeting, the ministers will consider the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan, but the main focus of the discussion will be on the situation in Africa and the development of relations between the EU and the African Union. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383452

Heads of foreign affairs of Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden arrived in Kyiv. PHOTOS

The foreign ministers of Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden arrived in Kyiv.

This was reported by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgar Rinkevich, Censor.NET reports.

"The ministers of foreign affairs of the Northern Baltic countries are visiting Kyiv and meeting with the highest officials of Ukraine, this is the largest group of ministers who have visited Ukraine since the beginning of Russian aggression. The main question is how to further support Ukraine," the message reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383466

NATO does not have ban on transfer of heavy equipment to Ukraine, - Ambassador of Poland to Alliance, Shatkowski

There is no agreement in NATO that prohibits the transfer of modern tanks, missile defense/air defense systems and other heavy equipment to Ukraine.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to LIGA.net, this was stated by Polish Ambassador to NATO Tomasz Szatkowski.

"In the public space, from public speakers in Berlin, we often heard in recent months that there is some kind of agreement between NATO members that, for example, heavy equipment should not be transferred, and then - that tanks should not be transferred, then - "maybe tanks and it is possible, but not of Western production"... This is absolutely false," the diplomat explained.

Also, "it was a surprise to assume", the ambassador noted, that it is the Alliance that should decide, and not Berlin alone, whether to give Patriot anti-aircraft batteries to the military of Ukraine.

Shatkowski recalled the words of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said that in some cases it is more important for the security of the member states of the Alliance to transfer equipment and ammunition to Ukraine than to accumulate them in their own warehouses.

Meanwhile, Shatkowski described the situation in NATO regarding military support to Ukraine as "Schrödinger's cat": "On the one hand, there is a discussion, it (help. - Ed.) is encouraged by the Secretary-General, and on the other hand there is a veto of some countries, opposition, and reluctance."

At the same time, the attitude of some countries towards the support of the Armed Forces is changing for the better, the ambassador noted, pointing out that "a positive transformation has taken place" with part of the allies in the south of Europe.

Shatkowski also noted that France, which is often criticized, is generally the only country, apart from Poland, that supplies the Armed Forces with entire artillery systems: "It means not only what shoots, but also the fire control system, effective ammunition." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383470

Council of Ministers of OSCE will meet for first time without representative of Russian Federation

The meeting should take place in the Polish city of Lodz on December 1 and 2.

As Censor.NET informs, this was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

As he noted, the Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will meet for the first time without the participation of a representative from Russia.

"And this is correct. There is nothing for him to do. They are only simulating negotiations. They are only simulating diplomacy. But in fact, they have made their choice: this choice is war and war crimes," the minister emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383484

[Jimbuna]

Several Patriot SAMs can cover large area of airspace, - Air Force

The Patriot anti-aircraft missile system is capable of hitting targets at a long distance. Only a few units of the system would already allow to close a large area of air space.

This was stated by the spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yurii Ihnat, on the air of the telethon, Censor.NET informs with reference to RBC-Ukraine.

As Ignat explained, there are currently several modifications of the long-range complex. The latest modification of the air defense system is also capable of hitting ballistic targets.

In general, the percentage of impression varies depending on the technical characteristics of the complex, for example:

- Patriot is able to shoot down targets at a distance of up to 150 km;

- Buk M1 - 40 km;

- IRIS-T - 40 km;

- NASAMS - 40 km;

- C300 - 75 km.

"Of course, if it is 150 km, then by placing those complexes at a certain distance from each other, it is possible to cover a rather large area of ​​airspace with four installations," Ignat added.

According to the spokesman of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Patriot is an extremely modern and effective complex, whose radars are able to detect targets from the smallest to the largest extremely effectively. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383503

Patriot air defense systems, wherever they are located, must remain in integrated NATO system, - Bundeswehr

Germany believes that all of its Patriot air defense systems, wherever they are located, should remain in the integrated NATO system.

Defense Ministry representative Arno Kollats said this at a briefing on Monday in Berlin, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"There is a great interest in keeping these systems (Patriot - ed.) in the NATO system..." Kollats said.

He noted that the head of the department, Christine Lambrecht, has already made it clear that the Patriot systems are an integrated and integral part of NATO's defense, that this is Germany's contribution to the alliance's air defense system, that Germany must decide how to fulfill its obligations to introduce forces in the coming years rapid response. Therefore, Germany needs these systems also in order to be able to fulfill its obligations to its partners, the officer said.

He emphasized that Germany, having offered assistance to Poland, wants to help the ally protect its airspace from external threats - both with Patriot systems and with increased air patrols. "Both proposals remain in force," said the representative of the Ministry of Defense.

It will be recalled that Germany offered Poland Patriot systems to protect the airspace after missile strikes on the area bordering Ukraine. In response, Warsaw offered to place the Patriot in Ukraine near the border with Poland. It would be better for Poland's security, President Andrzej Duda said.

After that, a discussion took place, in which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also joined. He said that the placement of air defense systems in Ukraine is possible, but Germany must decide on this. In this way, Stoltenberg denied the arguments of Minister Lambrecht, who initially referred to possible reservations from NATO. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383520

[mapuc]

It's not how far and how high these SAM goes-It's all about hit percentage.

Markus

[Skybird]

The various versions of Patriot are not beyond reproach, and have drawn criticism for embellished statistics on their hit probability and effectiveness during the Gulf War. It is difficult to assess which Patriot defense data are credible and which are more or less embellished statistics.


Its probably not bad, but I take it that it is in no way as superior as it is often described to be.

[Jimbuna]

^ Probably true but still possibly the best the Ukrainians will get.

[Jimbuna]

Pope Francis recognized Russia as aggressor of Ukraine: I do not name Putin, because it is already known

Pope Francis recognized Russia as an aggressor of Ukraine. I am not naming Putin because it is already known

One of the journalists' questions to the Pope concerned the war in Ukraine. Journalist Gerard O'Connell noted that for many people in the United States, it appears as if the Pope does not want to directly criticize Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, preferring instead to speak more generally about the need to end the war, to end mercenary activity, rather than Russian attacks, to end trade weapons, Censor.NET reports with reference to "Vatican News".

"How would you explain your position regarding this war to Ukrainians, Americans and others who support Ukraine?" he asked.

Here is what the Holy Father answered:

"When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about a martyr people, a martyred people. If there is a martyr people, then there is someone who tortures them. When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about cruelty, because I have a lot of information about the cruelty of the troops, who invade. In general, the most violent are probably those who are from Russia, but do not belong to the Russian tradition, for example, Chechens, Buryats and so on. Of course, the one who invades is the Russian state. This is quite understandable. Sometimes I I try not to be specific, so as not to offend, but rather to condemn in general, although it is well known who I am condemning. It is not necessary to indicate the name and surname.

On the second day of the war, I went to the Russian embassy [to the Holy See], an unusual gesture because the Pope never goes to the embassy. And there I told the ambassador to tell [Vladimir] Putin that I am ready to go on the condition that he gives me a window for negotiations. Foreign Minister [Serhiy] Lavrov sent me a formal reply, a polite letter, from which I understood that there was no need for this yet.

I twice [ed. - three times] spoke by phone with President Zelensky. In general, I work to obtain lists of prisoners, both civilian and military, and send them to the Russian government, and the response has always been very positive.

I was also thinking of making a trip, but I decided: if I make a trip, I will go to Moscow and Kyiv, to both, and not to one place. And I never gave an opportunity to think that I was covering up aggression. Here, in this hall, three or four times I received a delegation from Ukraine, from the government. And we work together.

Why don't I name Putin? Because it is not necessary; this is already known. However, sometimes people get hung up on a detail. Everyone knows my position, with Putin or without Putin, without mentioning his name.

Some cardinals went to Ukraine: Cardinal Cherny went twice; [Archbishop] Gallagher, who is responsible for [relations with] states, spent four days in Ukraine, and I received a report of what he saw; and Cardinal Krajewski traveled four times. He drives his van loaded with things and spent a week in Ukraine last Holy Week. Thus, the presence of the Holy See through the cardinals is very strong and I am in constant contact with people in positions of responsibility.

And I want to note that these days are the anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocide that Stalin committed against Ukrainians (in 1932-33). I think it's appropriate to mention it as a historical precursor to the [current] war." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383545

[August]

Originally Posted by Skybird

The various versions of Patriot are not beyond reproach, and have drawn criticism for embellished statistics on their hit probability and effectiveness during the Gulf War. It is difficult to assess which Patriot defense data are credible and which are more or less embellished statistics.


Its probably not bad, but I take it that it is in no way as superior as it is often described to be.

The Gulf war was fought over 30 years ago and there have been dozens of upgrades since then. Any contemporary criticisms of published statistics would be long out of date.