"All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again." (293 Viewers)

[Denniss]

Ukrainians claim they gathered information about Ivanovs corruption via hacking of some russian servers in March. Either they used this information in propaganda and russians picked that up or the russians found them during investigation of the hack.

Ukraine's Intelligence helped in detaining Deputy Minister of Defense of RF - Source

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

 

[Admiral Beez]

Longer range ATACMS in Ukraine?

Ukraine war: Kyiv uses longer-range US missiles for first time

Missiles secretly delivered this month have been used to strike Russian targets in Crimea, US media say.

www.bbc.com

That was quick. Now, smack that bridge.

Next week, Vipers over Kharkiv?

 

[SaparotRob]

This is interesting...I particularly like the line about Ivanov accepting bribes "on a particularly large scale" which, reading between the lines, suggests that bribery is common in Russia (what a shock!!!).

Russian deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov accused of taking bribes

Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov is remanded in custody in a rare case against a high-ranking official.

www.bbc.com

I believe that is part of system. Everyone is in on the take. It's understood. When someone's unemployment is necessary, the charges for removal are already in place. Sort've like the boss having everyone's signed resignation already in corporate's desk.

 

[GrauGeist]

Pretty sure that the Russian higher-ups knew about Ivanov, especially Putin.and I'll bet good money that all the others are involved in bribery and such as well.

The difference is, he got exposed and now Putin has to put on his "surprised face" and make an example out of Ivonov.

Once his corpse is cold, everyone will be back to business as usual.

 

[Greg Boeser]

Pretty sure that the Russian higher-ups knew about Ivanov, especially Putin.and I'll bet good money that all the others are involved in bribery and such as well.

The difference is, he got exposed and now Putin has to put on his "surprised face" and make an example out of Ivonov.

Once his corpse is cold, everyone will be back to business as usual.

Creates a job opening for the next guy.

 

[GrauGeist]

Creates a job opening for the next guy.

Yep and now is the time to set up the "what'll happen to Ivonov" betting pool.

Choices will be, suddenly dies from:
1) Falling up three flights of stairs and out a window.
2) A sudden heart ailment.
3) A plane crash.
4) A plane crash WHILE playing with live grenades.
5) Falling ill after drinking tea.
6) committing suicide (also stopping to reload).
7) Whole family commits suicide (involving guns, knives and hammers).
8) Accidently falling off boat and drowning.
9) Exploding statue presented in his honor.

*BONUS*
Write in an unusual demise and if correct, instant win.

 

[Snautzer01]

Write in an unusual demise and if correct, instant win.

Going to ice hockey and get a puck to the head.
Hometeams is awarded with goal.

 

[GrauGeist]

Going to ice hockey and get a puck to the head.
Hometeams is awarded with goal.

Ohh...good one!

 

[GTX]

Ukraine Gets Long Range ATACMs

It will enhance its capacity for operational strike, but is not a silver bullet

mickryan.substack.com

 

[GTX]

Dual-Mode Paveway IV Guided Bombs Headed To Ukraine

The British-supplied bombs will offer all-weather and moving-target capabilities, but it’s unclear which aircraft will employ them.

www.twz.com

 

[GTX]

Netherlands pledges Over €200 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine | Defense News April 2024 Global Security army industry | Defense Security global news industry army year 2024 | Archive News year

Netherlands pledges Over €200 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

www.armyrecognition.com

 

[GTX]

Think they are getting ready for the F-16s?

Russia Plans to Double Anti-Aircraft Systems Deployment in Ukraine with New Missiles | Defense News April 2024 Global Security army industry | Defense Security global news industry army year 2024 | Archive News year

Russia Plans to Double Anti-Aircraft Systems Deployment in Ukraine with New Missiles

www.armyrecognition.com

 

[GTX]

It's a pity there isn't a F-16 equivalent to the EA-18G Growler. The Ukrainians could really use it I fear.

 

[GTX]

Why Is Russia Losing The FPV Drone War?

Both sides are making armies of FPVs, but Russia’s battlefield drone strikes have faltered as Ukraine’s have surged. The reason appears to be a failure to adapt.

www.forbes.com

 

[GTX]

Ukraine Had No Choice But To Deploy One Of Its Least-Prepared Brigades

The situation in Ocheretyne is desperate for Ukraine. The army was compelled to deploy the lightly-armed 100th Mechanized Brigade into combat with a bigger Russian force.

www.forbes.com

 

[GTX]

And massive rearmament. History sees Chamberlain (1937-40) and to a lesser extent his predecessor Baldwin (1935-37) as weak, appeasing PMs, but during those four years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Britain's government funded massive increases in capabilities in the RAF, RN and to a lesser extent the Army. Just look at the number of battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, escorts and submarines, plus advanced combat aircraft like the Spitfire and Manchester begun under Britain's 1936-40 rearmament. Chamberlain was no fool.

I agree. I increasingly think that people are too harsh on Chamberlain and co. You have to remember that they probably knew that Britain wasn't ready for a war in the '30s plus they were of a generation who had already gone through the pain of WW1 and thus would have wanted to avoid a repeat of that. N some respects Churchill was able to stand on their shoulders.

Taking the analogy of the 1930s a bit further, we also unfortunately have a repeat of the wannabe fascists and isolationists also on the table. Sigh…

 

[Admiral Beez]

Dual-Mode Paveway IV Guided Bombs Headed To Ukraine

The British-supplied bombs will offer all-weather and moving-target capabilities, but it’s unclear which aircraft will employ them.

www.twz.com

"The British-supplied bombs will offer all-weather and moving-target capabilities, but it's unclear which aircraft will employ them."

F-16s, presumably?

 

[Admiral Beez]

N some respects Churchill was able to stand on their shoulders.

And Churchill, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1924 until 1929 was responsible for financially starving the military throughout his tenure.

Churchill's policies aimed to balance the budget, often at the expense of military expenditures. These cuts left Britain vulnerable and ill-prepared for potential conflicts, especially as tensions were rising in Europe. As Exchequer, Churchill delayed or canceled key defense projects and modernization efforts, including reductions in personnel, equipment, and research and development, which had long-term implications for Britain's defense capabilities. To be fair, the British economy was not in good shape in the 1920s, but Churchill's tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer saw a period of significant underinvestment in the British armed forces and yet history sees him as a military champion.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Ukraine Had No Choice But To Deploy One Of Its Least-Prepared Brigades

The situation in Ocheretyne is desperate for Ukraine. The army was compelled to deploy the lightly-armed 100th Mechanized Brigade into combat with a bigger Russian force.

www.forbes.com

How many Ukrainians soldiers needlessly died and how much territory must now be forcibly regained at great cost due to the US holding back lethal aid to Ukraine? Imagine if the kit provided to Ukraine now was made available in 2022 or even 2023.

 

[ThomasP]

A slight wander off topic but closely related in some ways.

re

" Leaked audio reveals Russian plan to occupy Kazakhstan territory"
A leaked audio recording from a Russian deputy has sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, indicating that Kazakhstan could be the next target of Russian . . .

In case anyone was wondering why Kazakhstan is apparently on Putin's to-do list:

re the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances
From Wiki: "According to the memorandum Russia, the US and the UK confirmed their recognition of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine becoming parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and effectively abandoning their nuclear arsenal to Russia . . ."

A brief summary of NATO involvement with Kazakhstan since the dissolution of the Soviet Union:
"Relations with Kazakhstan"

A couple of examples of Kazkhstan's recent behavior toward Russia:

Since the start of the 2022 'limited mobilization' over 200,000 Russian men have traveled to Kazakhstan - according to the Kazakh Interior Ministry. (~33,000 additional men left Russia for Kazakhstan in the period between the start of the war and the beginning of the mobilization.) Russia has requested other countries return those who have already left Russia, and to not allow further entries by any men not cleared by Russian authorities. Georgia is ignoring Russia on the subject, and Kazakhstan has said 'no'. (Kazakhstan has set up special welcoming stations along the border with food, water and other essentials.)

From Wiki: "On March 7, 2023, the Kazakh government seized control of the Baiterek launch complex, one of the launch sites at Baikonur Cosmodrome, banning numerous Russian officials from leaving the country and preventing the liquidation of assets by Roscosmos. One of the reasons for the seizure was due to Russia failing to pay a $29.7 million debt to the Kazakh government. The seizure comes after Russia's relations with Kazakhstan became tense due to the ongoing war in Ukraine."

Here is an example of the propaganda (from late-2022) being spread about Kazakhstan on websites like Top War:

"https://en.topwar.ru/203466-kazahstan-majdan-rusofobija-svo.html"

A bit awkwardly written/translated but worth the read.

Sound familiar?

Incidentally, Top War (topwar.ru) is the URL address/domain name for the 'Military Review' media organization which is usually listed as started/owned by "VO-Media LLC" which is a media-front name for Roskomnadzor (Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media) which as the name implies is a Russian state run mouthorgan propaganda outlet media organization.

see "Roskomnadzor"