"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (147 Viewers)

[buffnut453]

Ignore...nothing to see here. Move along.

 

[RogerdeLluria]

View: https://twitter.com/Sputnik_Not/status/1678494362286665728

 

[SaparotRob]

Poland detains Russian spy, says interior minister

Poland has detained another member of a Russian spy network, bringing the total number of people rounded up in an investigation to 15, the interior minister said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

I keep thinking of Boris and Natasha.

 

[GrauGeist]

From a few months ago, but the Baltic countries have been dealing with Russian spies, too.

Estonians warn of Russian Spies

 

[Admiral Beez]

BREAKING NEWS - Turkey agrees to let Sweden join NATO:

Turkey backs Sweden's Nato membership

The Nato chief says President Erdogan will drop opposition to Sweden becoming the alliance's 32nd member.

www.bbc.com

Earlier today, Erdogan had said he would let Sweden join NATO if the EU started talks to admit Turkey to the Union. Seems like something has broken the log-jam. This is great news, IMHO.

Ten rubles says Hungary now blocks Sweden.

Explanation: Here is why Hungary blocks Sweden's NATO accession

The political director of PM Orbán explained on Twitter on Thursday evening why Hungary is reluctant to approve Sweden's NATO accession.

dailynewshungary.com

 

[MiTasol]

Russia is using thermobaric munitions that burn everything, against a democratic, western-leaning country it has illegally invaded. That's where the scorn should lay.

And Ukraine is using captured ones back at the Russians

 

[Admiral Beez]

And Ukraine is using captured ones back at the Russians

As long as the Ukrainians restrict their strikes to within Ukraine I'm fine with them using anything below WMDs. Cluster munitions, flamethrowers, napalm, Novichok-laced MREs? As long as it kills Russians within Ukraine, go for it.

Though it has to be tempting to Zaluzhnyi to go from Kharkiv oblast briefly into Russia to flank around into Luhansk, aiming for Troitske.

 

[manta22]

"As long as the Ukrainians restrict their strikes to within Ukraine I'm fine with them using anything below WMDs."

As far as I'm concerned they can flatten the Kremlin. The Soviets Russians did not spare Kyiv.

 

[SaparotRob]

And Ukraine is using captured ones back at the Russians

Turn about is fair play. Who brought it to Ukraine?
I didn't see any towns or villages in that wind break.

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

Australian E-7 Radar Jet Will Watch Over Ukraine Aid Shipments

Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany later this year where it will support airspace surveillance efforts over Ukraine.

www.thedrive.com

 

[SplitRz]

Russia is using thermobaric munitions that burn everything, against a democratic, western-leaning country it has illegally invaded. That's where the scorn should lay.

But it already does, so that's a bit of a strawman kind of argument.

Russia has also used White Phosphorous in civilian areas, and deliberately targeted and destroyed civilian infrastructure. You don;t need to do more than scratch the surface to find a long list of brutal Russian actions

The world has woken up to Russian war crimes and thats one of the many reasons why, aside from banana republics, dictatorships and nations of ignorami, the 'thinking world' is opposed and unified against Russia. I'm chary of anything that puts that unity in jeopardy, because this *is* a righteous confrontation with a illiberal, totalitarian, nationalist pseudo-dictatorship. Anything that blunts that is a wrong step IMO - abd is clearly a concern shared across multiple nations at diplomatic and political level.

 

[Denniss]

They could and should have woken up after the russian brutaly in Syria showed up but it seems that sector was too unimportant for most nations. But it may at least have helped in providing more (hidden) assistance to Ukraine in rebuilding/retraining their army. But still awful to look into the past how long the europeans and other Nato members too for decision to send military hardware to Ukraine (tanks, fighting vehicles, rockets, not some small amount of helmets although better than nothing)

 

[swampyankee]

Turkey simply cannot become an EU member state. The main but not the single reason being it mililtary occupies the northern part of Cyprus, an EU member state.
Other reason if the notion of Europe has a meaning, only about 3 % of its territory is in Europe in the geographical sense, and only because it was taken by force.

"Taken by force" applies to vast swaths of many nations' lands.

 

[SplitRz]

These are folks who, if the truth is inconvenient, will simply lie. Worrying about their good opinion seems a fool's quest to me.

As for the neutrals of the world, sure, cluster bombs is a bad look. But the critics have the luxury of criticizing Ukraine because they're not fighting for national survival.

But its not 'neutrals' OR critics, is it? Its the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy - and the majority of NATO (and Europe.)

As for worrying about good opinion?

Some might say that after the lessons of Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan etc, the importance of needing world opinion and support and a lasting coalition of 'the willing', might have stuck in the minds of US planners - along with some kind of agreed plan on how things are going to be conducted long term. There's no irony that we're now marking 25 years since the invasion of Iraq. The concern over what kind of war is gong to be fought in Ukraine, how long its going to last and the incremental steps of escalation that are likely to happen, are entirely valid I think.

Many of the critical nations also have the unwanted 'luxury' that many commentators lack; experience of unexploded munitions in their own fields or city streets. That does tend to put a different perspective on things.

Lets play Devils Advocate a minute:

Of course the Ukrainians are fighting for national survival - but what ends justify what means? Whats the red line? Mustard gas a step too far? I mean, they'd be using it on their own land, fighting an invader who's already broken key tenets of the Geneva Convention. So why not? Expanding small arms ammunition? Flamethrowers? Not all nations are signatories to The Geneva convention... Do we supply them with weapons we wouldn't use?

Times change and public as well as military opinion changes on whats acceptable and what isn't. War - especially a war that is going to depend upon the cash sacrifice of tax payers and voters - is also a war of opinion and perception. Whether considered naive or not.

If those munitions are going to be broken down into bomblets, this is largely a non issue. If they get used en masse as tube or air-launched cluster munitions, there will be a backlash across mainstream European opinion. Whether its a large one or important in the long run or not, remains to be seen. But it simply cannot and should not be dismissed out of hand. Doing so makes the whole controversy become a QED as it also displays the attitude in some quarters towards diplomacy regarding their allies - which really would be a victory for Putin.

 

[Denniss]

Another general lost?

NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image There are rumors about the sudden death of Lieutenant General of the Russian Armed Forces Oleg Tsokov somewhere near Berdyansk. Earlier this man was also injured near Svatove in September 2022. Let's wait for the official information 📢

mstdn.social

 

[Admiral Beez]

Australian E-7 Radar Jet Will Watch Over Ukraine Aid Shipments

Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany later this year where it will support airspace surveillance efforts over Ukraine.

www.thedrive.com

With Australia a smaller economy and being a non-NATO member, the Aussies are putting my country Canada to shame.

Trudeau criticizes U.S. plans to send cluster munitions to Ukraine: 'They should not be used'

The prime minister, however, would not say if he would be raising the issue with U.S. President Joe Biden during this week's NATO summit.

nationalpost.com

Shut your Poutine hole, Justin. And instead send more Leopard 2 tanks and start sending Bushmaster-armed LAV3s.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Of course the Ukrainians are fighting for national survival - but what ends justify what means? Whats the red line? Mustard gas a step too far?

Anything less than a WMD should be provided to and used by Ukraine. Poison gas, such as Saddam used on the Kurds is a WMD, so no. But everything else, napalm, flamethrowers, cluster munitions, Jewish space lasers? Yes to them all.

 

[Mike Williams]

Imagine how this situation might have played out with cluster munitions:

NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 video Footage of battles near Berkhivka north of Bakhmut shared by Commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi. Units of the 225th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade part of the 127th Separate Brigade repulsing a Russian counterattack. Russians got pinned down by artillery.

mstdn.social

 

[Denniss]

It seems Macron has just announced to send long rang missiles to Ukraine so more Srorm Shadows (forgot the french name for it)?

 

[WARSPITER]

Since cluster munitions have been shunned / banned why do so many countries still have them ?