BREAKING: INVASION HAS BEGUN..... Putin's "3-day war"... NOW... 1 YEAR 338 DAYS ...WAGNER HEAD SAYS GROUP STANDING DOWN AFTER CLAIMS OF DEAL
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Ukrainian volunteers in the east feel abandoned as Russia advances - …
Sudarsan Raghavan
DRUZHKIVKA, Ukraine — Stuck in their trenches, the Ukrainian volunteers lived off a potato per day as Russian forces pounded them with artillery and Grad rockets on a key eastern front line. Outnumbered, untrained and clutching only light weapons, the men prayed for the barrage to end — and for their own tanks to stop targeting the Russians.
“They [Russians] already know where we are, and when the Ukrainian tank shoots from our side it gives away our position,” said Serhi Lapko, their company commander, recalling the recent battle. “And they start firing back with everything — Grads, mortars.”
“And you just pray to survive.”
Ukrainian leaders have projected and nurtured a public image of military invulnerability — of their volunteer and professional forces triumphantly standing up to the Russian onslaught. Videos of assaults on Russian tanks or positions are posted daily on social media. Artists are creating patriotic posters, billboards and T-shirts. The postal service even released stamps commemorating the sinking of a Russian warship in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian forces have succeeded in thwarting Russian efforts to seize Kyiv and Kharkiv and have scored battlefield victories in the east. But the experience of Lapko and his group of volunteers offers a rare and more realistic portrait of the conflict and Ukraine’s struggle to halt the Russian advance in parts of Donbas. Ukraine, like Russia, has provided scant information about deaths, injuries or losses of military equipment. But after three months of war, this company of 120 men is down to 54 because of deaths, injuries and desertions.
The volunteers were civilians before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and they never expected to be dispatched to one of the most dangerous front lines in eastern Ukraine. They quickly found themselves in the crosshairs of war, feeling abandoned by their military superiors and struggling to survive.
“Our command takes no responsibility,” Lapko said. “They only take credit for our achievements. They give us no support.”
When they could take it no longer, Lapko and his top lieutenant, Vitaliy Khrus, retreated with members of their company this week to a hotel away from the front. There, both men spoke to The Washington Post on the record, knowing they could face a court-martial and time in military prison
Serhi Lapko, left, and Vitaliy Khrus share stories about the struggles their men faced on the front line in Ukraine. (Sudarsan Raghavan/TWP)
“If I speak for myself, I’m not a battlefield commander,” he added. “But the guys will stand by me, and I will stand by them till the end.”
The volunteers’ battalion commander, Ihor Kisileichuk, did not respond to calls or written questions from The Post in time for publication, but he sent a terse message late Thursday saying: “Without this commander, the unit protects our land,” in an apparent reference to Lapko. A Ukrainian military spokesman declined immediate comment, saying it would take “days” to provide a response.
“War breaks people down,” said Serhiy Haidai, head of the regional war administration in Luhansk province, acknowledging many volunteers were not properly trained because Ukrainian authorities did not expect Russia to invade. But he maintained that all soldiers are taken care of: “They have enough medical supplies and food. The only thing is there are people that aren’t ready to fight.”
But Lapko and Khrus’ concerns were echoed recently by a platoon of the 115th Brigade 3rd Battalion, based nearby in the besieged city of Severodonetsk. In a video uploaded to Telegram on May 24, and confirmed as authentic by an aide to Haidai, volunteers said they will no longer fight because they lacked proper weapons, rear support and military leadership.
“We are being sent to certain death,” said a volunteer, reading from a prepared script, adding that a similar video was filmed by members of the 115th Brigade 1st Battalion.
Ukraine’s military rebutted the volunteers’ claims in their own video posted online, saying the “deserters” had everything they needed to fight: “They thought they came for a vacation,” one service member said. “That’s why they left their positions.”
Hours after The Post interviewed Lapko and Khrus, members of Ukraine’s military security service arrived at their hotel and detained some of their men, accusing them of desertion.
The men contend that they were the ones who were deserted.
Before the invasion, Lapko was a driller of oil and gas wells. Khrus bought and sold power tools. Both lived in the western city of Uzhhorod and joined the territorial defense forces, a civilian militia that sprung up after the invasion.
Lapko, built like a wrestler, was made a company commander in the 5th Separate Rifle Battalion, in charge of 120 men. The similarly burly Khrus became a platoon commander under Lapko. All of their comrades were from western Ukraine. They were handed AK-47 rifles and given training that lasted less than a half-hour.
“We shot 30 bullets and then they said, ‘You can’t get more; too expensive,’ ” Lapko said.
They were given orders to head to the western city of Lviv. When they got there, they were ordered to go south and then east into Luhansk province in Donbas, portions of which were already under the control of Moscow-backed separatists and are now occupied by Russian forces. A couple dozen of his men refused to fight, Lapko said, and they were imprisoned
The ones who stayed were based in the town of Lysychansk. From there, they were dispatched to Toshkivka, a front-line village bordering the separatist areas where the Russian forces were trying to advance. They were surprised when they got the orders.
“When we were coming here, we were told that we were going to be in the third line on defense,” Lapko said. “Instead, we came to the zero line, the front line. We didn’t know where we were going.”
The area has become a focal point of the war, as Moscow concentrates its military might on capturing the region. The city of Severodonetsk, near Lysychansk, is surrounded on three sides by Russian forces. Over the weekend, they destroyed one of three bridges into the city and are constantly shelling the other two. Ukrainian troops inside Severodonetsk are fighting to prevent the Russians from completely encircling the city
That’s also the mission of Lapko’s men. If Toshkivka falls, the Russians can advance north toward Lysychansk and completely surround Severodonetsk. That would also allow them to go after larger cities in the region.
When the volunteers first arrived, their rotations in and out of Toshkivka lasted three or four days. As the war intensified, they stayed for a week minimum, sometimes two. “Food gets delivered every day except for when there are shellings or the situation is bad,” Khrus said.
And in recent weeks, he said, the situation has gotten much worse. When their supply chains were cut off for two days by the bombardment, the men were forced to make do with a potato a day.
They spend most days and nights in trenches dug into the forest on the edges of Toshkivka or inside the basements of abandoned houses. “They have no water, nothing there,” Lapko said. “Only water that I bring them every other day.”
It’s a miracle the Russians haven’t pushed through their defensive line in Toshkivka, Khrus said as Lapko nodded. Besides their rifles and hand grenades, the only weapons they were given were a handful of rocket-propelled grenades to counter the well-equipped Russian forces. And no one showed Lapko’s men how to use the RPGs.
“We had no proper training,” Lapko said.
“It’s around four RPGs for 15 men,” Khrus said, shaking his head.
The Russians, he said, are deploying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, Grad rockets and other forms of artillery — when they try to penetrate the forest with ground troops or infantry vehicles, they can easily get close enough “to kill.
“The situation is controllable but difficult,” Khrus said. “And when the heavy weapons are against us, we don’t have anything to work with. We are helpless.”
Behind their positions, Ukrainian forces have tanks, artillery and mortars to back Lapko’s men and other units along the front. But when the tanks or mortars are fired, the Russians respond with Grad rockets, often in areas where Lapko’s men are taking cover. In some cases, his troops have found themselves with no artillery support.
This is, in part, because Lapko said he has not been provided a radio. So there’s no contact with his superiors in Lysychansk, preventing him from calling for help.
The men accuse the Russians of using phosphorous bombs, incendiary weapons that are banned by international law if used against civilians.
“It explodes at 30 to 50 meters high and goes down slowly and burns everything,” Khrus said.
“Do you know what we have against phosphorous?” Lapko asked. “A glass of water, a piece of cloth to cover your mouth with!”
Both Lapko and Khrus expect to die at the front. That is why Lapko carries a pistol.
“It’s just a toy against them, but I have it so that if they take me I will shoot myself,” he said.
Despite the hardships, his men have fought courageously, Lapko said. Pointing at Khrus, he declared: “This guy here is a legend, a hero.” Khrus and his platoon, his commander said, have killed more than 50 Russian soldiers in close-up battles.
In a recent clash, he said, his men attacked two Russian armored vehicles carrying about 30 soldiers, ambushing them with grenades and guns.
“Their mistake was not to come behind us,” Lapko said. “If they would have done that, I wouldn’t be talking to you here now.”
Lapko has recommended 12 of his men for medals of valor, including two posthumously.
The war has taken a heavy toll on his company — as well as on other Ukrainian forces in the area. Two of his men were killed, among 20 fatalities in the battalion as a whole, and “many are wounded and in recovery now,” he said.
Then, there are those who are traumatized and have not returned.
“Many got shell shock. I don’t know how to count them,” Lapko said.
The casualties here are largely kept secret to protect morale among troops and the general public.
“On Ukrainian TV we see that there are no losses,” Lapko said. “There’s no truth
Most deaths, he added, were because injured soldiers were not evacuated quickly enough, often waiting as long as 12 hours for transport to a military hospital in Lysychansk, 15 miles away. Sometimes, the men have to carry an injured soldier on a stretcher as far as two miles on foot to find a vehicle, Lapko said. Two vehicles assigned to his company never arrived, he said, and are being used instead by people at military headquarters.
“If I had a car and was told that my comrade is wounded somewhere I’d come anytime and get him,” said Lapko, who used his own beat-up car to travel from Lysychansk to the hotel. “But I don’t have the necessary transport to get there.”
Lapko and his men have grown increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with their superiors. His request for the awards has not been approved. His battalion commander demanded that he send 20 of his soldiers to another front line, which meant that he couldn’t rotate his men out from Toshkivka. He refused the order.
The final affront arrived last week when he arrived at military headquarters in Lysychansk after two weeks in Toshkivka. His battalion commander and team had moved to another town without informing him, he said, taking food, water and other supplies.
“They left us with no explanation,” Lapko said. “I think we were sent here to close a gap and no one cares if we live or die.”
So he, Khrus and several members of their company drove the 60 miles to Druzhkivka to stay in a hotel for a few days. “My guys wanted to wash themselves for the first time in a month,” Lapko said. “You know, hygiene! We don’t have it. We sleep in basements, on mattresses with rats running around.”
He and his men insisted that they want to return to the front.
“We’re ready to fight and we will keep on fighting,” Lapko said. “We will protect every meter of our country — but with adequate commandments and without unrealistic orders. I took an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. We’re protecting Ukraine and we won’t let anyone in as long as we’re alive.”
But on Monday, Ukraine’s military security services arrived at the hotel and took Khrus and other members of his platoon to a detention center for two days, accusing them of desertion. Lapko was stripped of his command, according to an order reviewed by The Post. He is being held at the base in Lysychansk, his future uncertain.
Reached by phone Wednesday, he said two more of his men had been wounded on the front line
Sudarsan Raghavan
DRUZHKIVKA, Ukraine — Stuck in their trenches, the Ukrainian volunteers lived off a potato per day as Russian forces pounded them with artillery and Grad rockets on a key eastern front line. Outnumbered, untrained and clutching only light weapons, the men prayed for the barrage to end — and for their own tanks to stop targeting the Russians.
“They [Russians] already know where we are, and when the Ukrainian tank shoots from our side it gives away our position,” said Serhi Lapko, their company commander, recalling the recent battle. “And they start firing back with everything — Grads, mortars.”
“And you just pray to survive.”
Ukrainian leaders have projected and nurtured a public image of military invulnerability — of their volunteer and professional forces triumphantly standing up to the Russian onslaught. Videos of assaults on Russian tanks or positions are posted daily on social media. Artists are creating patriotic posters, billboards and T-shirts. The postal service even released stamps commemorating the sinking of a Russian warship in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian forces have succeeded in thwarting Russian efforts to seize Kyiv and Kharkiv and have scored battlefield victories in the east. But the experience of Lapko and his group of volunteers offers a rare and more realistic portrait of the conflict and Ukraine’s struggle to halt the Russian advance in parts of Donbas. Ukraine, like Russia, has provided scant information about deaths, injuries or losses of military equipment. But after three months of war, this company of 120 men is down to 54 because of deaths, injuries and desertions.
The volunteers were civilians before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and they never expected to be dispatched to one of the most dangerous front lines in eastern Ukraine. They quickly found themselves in the crosshairs of war, feeling abandoned by their military superiors and struggling to survive.
“Our command takes no responsibility,” Lapko said. “They only take credit for our achievements. They give us no support.”
When they could take it no longer, Lapko and his top lieutenant, Vitaliy Khrus, retreated with members of their company this week to a hotel away from the front. There, both men spoke to The Washington Post on the record, knowing they could face a court-martial and time in military prison
“If I speak for myself, I’m not a battlefield commander,” he added. “But the guys will stand by me, and I will stand by them till the end.”
The volunteers’ battalion commander, Ihor Kisileichuk, did not respond to calls or written questions from The Post in time for publication, but he sent a terse message late Thursday saying: “Without this commander, the unit protects our land,” in an apparent reference to Lapko. A Ukrainian military spokesman declined immediate comment, saying it would take “days” to provide a response.
“War breaks people down,” said Serhiy Haidai, head of the regional war administration in Luhansk province, acknowledging many volunteers were not properly trained because Ukrainian authorities did not expect Russia to invade. But he maintained that all soldiers are taken care of: “They have enough medical supplies and food. The only thing is there are people that aren’t ready to fight.”
But Lapko and Khrus’ concerns were echoed recently by a platoon of the 115th Brigade 3rd Battalion, based nearby in the besieged city of Severodonetsk. In a video uploaded to Telegram on May 24, and confirmed as authentic by an aide to Haidai, volunteers said they will no longer fight because they lacked proper weapons, rear support and military leadership.
“We are being sent to certain death,” said a volunteer, reading from a prepared script, adding that a similar video was filmed by members of the 115th Brigade 1st Battalion.
Ukraine’s military rebutted the volunteers’ claims in their own video posted online, saying the “deserters” had everything they needed to fight: “They thought they came for a vacation,” one service member said. “That’s why they left their positions.”
Hours after The Post interviewed Lapko and Khrus, members of Ukraine’s military security service arrived at their hotel and detained some of their men, accusing them of desertion.
The men contend that they were the ones who were deserted.
Before the invasion, Lapko was a driller of oil and gas wells. Khrus bought and sold power tools. Both lived in the western city of Uzhhorod and joined the territorial defense forces, a civilian militia that sprung up after the invasion.
Lapko, built like a wrestler, was made a company commander in the 5th Separate Rifle Battalion, in charge of 120 men. The similarly burly Khrus became a platoon commander under Lapko. All of their comrades were from western Ukraine. They were handed AK-47 rifles and given training that lasted less than a half-hour.
“We shot 30 bullets and then they said, ‘You can’t get more; too expensive,’ ” Lapko said.
They were given orders to head to the western city of Lviv. When they got there, they were ordered to go south and then east into Luhansk province in Donbas, portions of which were already under the control of Moscow-backed separatists and are now occupied by Russian forces. A couple dozen of his men refused to fight, Lapko said, and they were imprisoned
The ones who stayed were based in the town of Lysychansk. From there, they were dispatched to Toshkivka, a front-line village bordering the separatist areas where the Russian forces were trying to advance. They were surprised when they got the orders.
“When we were coming here, we were told that we were going to be in the third line on defense,” Lapko said. “Instead, we came to the zero line, the front line. We didn’t know where we were going.”
The area has become a focal point of the war, as Moscow concentrates its military might on capturing the region. The city of Severodonetsk, near Lysychansk, is surrounded on three sides by Russian forces. Over the weekend, they destroyed one of three bridges into the city and are constantly shelling the other two. Ukrainian troops inside Severodonetsk are fighting to prevent the Russians from completely encircling the city
That’s also the mission of Lapko’s men. If Toshkivka falls, the Russians can advance north toward Lysychansk and completely surround Severodonetsk. That would also allow them to go after larger cities in the region.
When the volunteers first arrived, their rotations in and out of Toshkivka lasted three or four days. As the war intensified, they stayed for a week minimum, sometimes two. “Food gets delivered every day except for when there are shellings or the situation is bad,” Khrus said.
And in recent weeks, he said, the situation has gotten much worse. When their supply chains were cut off for two days by the bombardment, the men were forced to make do with a potato a day.
They spend most days and nights in trenches dug into the forest on the edges of Toshkivka or inside the basements of abandoned houses. “They have no water, nothing there,” Lapko said. “Only water that I bring them every other day.”
It’s a miracle the Russians haven’t pushed through their defensive line in Toshkivka, Khrus said as Lapko nodded. Besides their rifles and hand grenades, the only weapons they were given were a handful of rocket-propelled grenades to counter the well-equipped Russian forces. And no one showed Lapko’s men how to use the RPGs.
“We had no proper training,” Lapko said.
“It’s around four RPGs for 15 men,” Khrus said, shaking his head.
The Russians, he said, are deploying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, Grad rockets and other forms of artillery — when they try to penetrate the forest with ground troops or infantry vehicles, they can easily get close enough “to kill.
“The situation is controllable but difficult,” Khrus said. “And when the heavy weapons are against us, we don’t have anything to work with. We are helpless.”
Behind their positions, Ukrainian forces have tanks, artillery and mortars to back Lapko’s men and other units along the front. But when the tanks or mortars are fired, the Russians respond with Grad rockets, often in areas where Lapko’s men are taking cover. In some cases, his troops have found themselves with no artillery support.
This is, in part, because Lapko said he has not been provided a radio. So there’s no contact with his superiors in Lysychansk, preventing him from calling for help.
The men accuse the Russians of using phosphorous bombs, incendiary weapons that are banned by international law if used against civilians.
“It explodes at 30 to 50 meters high and goes down slowly and burns everything,” Khrus said.
“Do you know what we have against phosphorous?” Lapko asked. “A glass of water, a piece of cloth to cover your mouth with!”
Both Lapko and Khrus expect to die at the front. That is why Lapko carries a pistol.
“It’s just a toy against them, but I have it so that if they take me I will shoot myself,” he said.
Despite the hardships, his men have fought courageously, Lapko said. Pointing at Khrus, he declared: “This guy here is a legend, a hero.” Khrus and his platoon, his commander said, have killed more than 50 Russian soldiers in close-up battles.
In a recent clash, he said, his men attacked two Russian armored vehicles carrying about 30 soldiers, ambushing them with grenades and guns.
“Their mistake was not to come behind us,” Lapko said. “If they would have done that, I wouldn’t be talking to you here now.”
Lapko has recommended 12 of his men for medals of valor, including two posthumously.
The war has taken a heavy toll on his company — as well as on other Ukrainian forces in the area. Two of his men were killed, among 20 fatalities in the battalion as a whole, and “many are wounded and in recovery now,” he said.
Then, there are those who are traumatized and have not returned.
“Many got shell shock. I don’t know how to count them,” Lapko said.
The casualties here are largely kept secret to protect morale among troops and the general public.
“On Ukrainian TV we see that there are no losses,” Lapko said. “There’s no truth
Most deaths, he added, were because injured soldiers were not evacuated quickly enough, often waiting as long as 12 hours for transport to a military hospital in Lysychansk, 15 miles away. Sometimes, the men have to carry an injured soldier on a stretcher as far as two miles on foot to find a vehicle, Lapko said. Two vehicles assigned to his company never arrived, he said, and are being used instead by people at military headquarters.
“If I had a car and was told that my comrade is wounded somewhere I’d come anytime and get him,” said Lapko, who used his own beat-up car to travel from Lysychansk to the hotel. “But I don’t have the necessary transport to get there.”
Lapko and his men have grown increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with their superiors. His request for the awards has not been approved. His battalion commander demanded that he send 20 of his soldiers to another front line, which meant that he couldn’t rotate his men out from Toshkivka. He refused the order.
The final affront arrived last week when he arrived at military headquarters in Lysychansk after two weeks in Toshkivka. His battalion commander and team had moved to another town without informing him, he said, taking food, water and other supplies.
“They left us with no explanation,” Lapko said. “I think we were sent here to close a gap and no one cares if we live or die.”
So he, Khrus and several members of their company drove the 60 miles to Druzhkivka to stay in a hotel for a few days. “My guys wanted to wash themselves for the first time in a month,” Lapko said. “You know, hygiene! We don’t have it. We sleep in basements, on mattresses with rats running around.”
He and his men insisted that they want to return to the front.
“We’re ready to fight and we will keep on fighting,” Lapko said. “We will protect every meter of our country — but with adequate commandments and without unrealistic orders. I took an oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people. We’re protecting Ukraine and we won’t let anyone in as long as we’re alive.”
But on Monday, Ukraine’s military security services arrived at the hotel and took Khrus and other members of his platoon to a detention center for two days, accusing them of desertion. Lapko was stripped of his command, according to an order reviewed by The Post. He is being held at the base in Lysychansk, his future uncertain.
Reached by phone Wednesday, he said two more of his men had been wounded on the front line
The opposite of whatever that account is posting is the actual reality.
This is even low quality for russia troll accounts.Kadyrovite videos?
He even references Zelensky's "coke habit" which was part of April's Russia bullshit:
This is the background for the Kadyrovite "humanitarian" tiktoks
Remember, they are part of the rear guard meaning that they are well away from any actual fighting and are there to kill deserters as the russians have done going back to the Russian Civil War.
Speaking of Kadyrovites, I dont think I posted this from Chechen state TV after one of the early Kadyrovite purges:
Apparently, this is the way of the modern Muslim strongman as Assad does something similar with oranges and/or clocks for the family of the deceased.
This is already circulating on "pro russia" twitter and is example of how stupid/desperate the stuff has become even for the trolls.
This is a pretty succinct breakdown of how they work and their usual MO: https://www.ceros.com/inspire/originals/russian-tweet-bot-data/
Folks been saying the Russia blockade of the ports is causing a food shortage but they won’t speak on the mine problems.
I mean this been a issue from jump.
UKRAINE CRISIS
31 MAY, 11:15
Ukrainian mines hinder shipping of grain from Odessa — Turkish foreign minister
According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, another obstacle is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports
ANKARA, May 31. /TASS/. Floating naval mines Ukraine has laid in the Black Sea are one of the worst obstacles to shipping grain from Odessa, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday.
"Mines laid by Ukraine in the Odessa region are one of the obstacles to the safe transportation of grain. Another reason is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports," he said.
Cavusoglu said that there were serious unresolved problems between Moscow and Kiev in this context. "Ukraine does not want Russian ships to enter Odessa, while Russia does not want other ships to use this corridor to deliver weapons to Ukraine. Both sides need confidence and guarantees," Cavusoglu said. He remarked that Ukraine had allegedly vowed it would need "a week or two" to clear the sea of mines to make shipping safe again.
Cavusoglu argues that it is necessary to create a mechanism between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the problem. Ankara suggests creating this mechanism with the participation of the UN. It is also ready to participate in it.
On April 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Xinhua news agency in an interview said that Ukrainian mines were drifting in the Black Sea, posing a threat to the shipping and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries. He said the Ukrainian naval forces had laid mines on the coast, in the waters of ports, and in territorial waters. "These explosive devices are torn off the anchor cables and drift into the open sea, thus posing a serious risk to both fleets and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries," he said.
I mean this been a issue from jump.
UKRAINE CRISIS
31 MAY, 11:15
Ukrainian mines hinder shipping of grain from Odessa — Turkish foreign minister
According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, another obstacle is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports
ANKARA, May 31. /TASS/. Floating naval mines Ukraine has laid in the Black Sea are one of the worst obstacles to shipping grain from Odessa, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday.
"Mines laid by Ukraine in the Odessa region are one of the obstacles to the safe transportation of grain. Another reason is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports," he said.
Cavusoglu said that there were serious unresolved problems between Moscow and Kiev in this context. "Ukraine does not want Russian ships to enter Odessa, while Russia does not want other ships to use this corridor to deliver weapons to Ukraine. Both sides need confidence and guarantees," Cavusoglu said. He remarked that Ukraine had allegedly vowed it would need "a week or two" to clear the sea of mines to make shipping safe again.
Cavusoglu argues that it is necessary to create a mechanism between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the problem. Ankara suggests creating this mechanism with the participation of the UN. It is also ready to participate in it.
On April 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Xinhua news agency in an interview said that Ukrainian mines were drifting in the Black Sea, posing a threat to the shipping and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries. He said the Ukrainian naval forces had laid mines on the coast, in the waters of ports, and in territorial waters. "These explosive devices are torn off the anchor cables and drift into the open sea, thus posing a serious risk to both fleets and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries," he said.
Folks been saying the Russia blockade of the ports is causing a food shortage but they won’t speak on the mine problems.
I mean this been a issue from jump.
UKRAINE CRISIS
31 MAY, 11:15
Ukrainian mines hinder shipping of grain from Odessa — Turkish foreign minister
According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, another obstacle is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports
ANKARA, May 31. /TASS/. Floating naval mines Ukraine has laid in the Black Sea are one of the worst obstacles to shipping grain from Odessa, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday.
"Mines laid by Ukraine in the Odessa region are one of the obstacles to the safe transportation of grain. Another reason is the sanctions against Russian ships - their insurance, as well as the impossibility of servicing them in international ports," he said.
Cavusoglu said that there were serious unresolved problems between Moscow and Kiev in this context. "Ukraine does not want Russian ships to enter Odessa, while Russia does not want other ships to use this corridor to deliver weapons to Ukraine. Both sides need confidence and guarantees," Cavusoglu said. He remarked that Ukraine had allegedly vowed it would need "a week or two" to clear the sea of mines to make shipping safe again.
Cavusoglu argues that it is necessary to create a mechanism between Russia and Ukraine to resolve the problem. Ankara suggests creating this mechanism with the participation of the UN. It is also ready to participate in it.
On April 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Xinhua news agency in an interview said that Ukrainian mines were drifting in the Black Sea, posing a threat to the shipping and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries. He said the Ukrainian naval forces had laid mines on the coast, in the waters of ports, and in territorial waters. "These explosive devices are torn off the anchor cables and drift into the open sea, thus posing a serious risk to both fleets and port infrastructure of the Black Sea countries," he said.
I mentioned this a few pages back how the Russians were planting mines in the fields so that Ukrainian farmers couldn’t get their crops out to Africa.
I don’t recall the post but I’m sure it happened…I mentioned this a few pages back how the Russians were planting mines in the fields so that Ukrainian farmers couldn’t get their crops out to Africa.
Because I made a post about them transporting some harvest equipment back to Russia
Those tractors had security features they have to bypass in order to use
Russia still have a way to go to tie the score but this was in Novy Bug, where this unfortunately event happened.
I remember President Z, saying something about multiple people where killed in the south. I’m not 100% sure if this what he was speaking on, he’ll even if this is true…. I should’ve researched before, my bad
I remember President Z, saying something about multiple people where killed in the south. I’m not 100% sure if this what he was speaking on, he’ll even if this is true…. I should’ve researched before, my bad
seem like a list was found of foreign fighters in Ukraine
Publishes a list of foreign mercenaries by name in the ranks of the "International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine"
You know, we love the governor of the Nikolaev area Vitaly Kim and his inner circle very much.
You still need to look for such a storehouse of information. Documents left on the table, abandoned phones with password 123456 and absolute carelessness are already the branded "style" of the head of Nikolayevshchina.
Lazily looking through the politician's personal correspondence, we came across an interesting document. List of foreign citizens who are listed in the ranks of the "International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine" by the beginning of April.
Remember, back on April 5, we said that there were fewer than 700 people there, excluding PMC, private security and PMSC employees?
Now you know their names, dates of birth and numbers of identity documents.
We don't know where he came from. But the grief-governor for some reason kept the file in his "Favorites".
# mercenaries #Ukraine
@Rybar
Publishes a list of foreign mercenaries by name in the ranks of the "International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine"
You know, we love the governor of the Nikolaev area Vitaly Kim and his inner circle very much.
You still need to look for such a storehouse of information. Documents left on the table, abandoned phones with password 123456 and absolute carelessness are already the branded "style" of the head of Nikolayevshchina.
Lazily looking through the politician's personal correspondence, we came across an interesting document. List of foreign citizens who are listed in the ranks of the "International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine" by the beginning of April.
Remember, back on April 5, we said that there were fewer than 700 people there, excluding PMC, private security and PMSC employees?
Now you know their names, dates of birth and numbers of identity documents.
We don't know where he came from. But the grief-governor for some reason kept the file in his "Favorites".
# mercenaries #Ukraine
@Rybar
I mentioned this a few pages back how the Russians were planting mines in the fields so that Ukrainian farmers couldn’t get their crops out to Africa.
Exactly. They are pivoting to fucking with the food supply after the nuclear "threats" weren't hitting.
The EU and the African Union have agreed on a united message on food security which places the blame for disruptions to food supply squarely on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shoulders amid warnings of a “catastrophic” famine.
“The key message is that we speak with one voice,” an EU source inside the summit room told EURACTIV, adding that this is essential if there is any hope of unblocking grain corridors and averting mass famine in Africa.
The key aim is to maintain the message that Russia bears sole responsibility for the current situation, rather than the sanctions imposed upon the country.
“What is important is that we are fully aligned in terms of messaging, that it’s not the sanctions, which are endangering the release of grains and cereals from Ukraine, or from the ports, such as in Odessa,” the source said.
The African Union will hold a meeting with President Putin in the coming days, the source added, meaning that it is particularly important to present a united front.
The news comes after the President of Senegal and Chair of the African Union, Macky Sall, addressed EU leaders on Tuesday (31 May) on behalf of the AU, where he impressed the gravity of the current situation.
While the crisis holds worldwide impact, many countries in Africa are particularly vulnerable given their reliance on Russian and Ukrainian food exports, combined with an already volatile food security situation.
Even before the conflict in Ukraine, data from by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation on the state of food security and nutrition in the world in 2020 indicated that 282 million people, or more than a third of the world’s undernourished people, live in Africa. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic plunged an extra 46 million Africans into risk of hunger and undernourishment.
“This means that the situation is worrying and that the worst may be yet to come if the current trend continues,” Sall warned, adding that, according to some estimates, cereal yields in Africa will fall by 20-50% this year.
Speaking during a press conference following the meeting, European Council President Charles Michel stressed that the war in Ukraine has “potentially serious ramifications” both for the EU and the African continent.
African Union and EU agree united stance on food security amid famine warnings
The EU and the African Union have agreed on a united message on food security which places the blame for disruptions to food supply squarely on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shoulders amid warnings of a “catastrophic” famine.
www.euractiv.com
Russia Does Not Seem to Be After Ukraine's Gas Reserves
There seems to be very little reason to believe that the true stakes of the war in Ukraine are the country's natural gas reserves, as some have speculated. Ukrainian gas fields appear too small to justify the costs of the invasion, too hard to keep, and almost impossible for Russia to exploit.
www.rand.org
So this article was written earlier and it says Russia wasn’t after oil because all the oil is in the East. Now fast forward two months and Russia is focused exclusively on taking East Ukraine.
I assume they originally were going to try and take the whole country, but now that shit hit the fan they want the Oil. I also don’t think they want the oil to use, they want it to keep Ukraine from entering the market and lowering their own oil’s value.
you can go in deeper, but that’s what this war seems like to be about to me, cutting the Ukraine off from access to that oil, and of course Putin can’t say that because after Iraq everybody knows that this is only for the benefit of the rich and connected.
Ok thanks for replyRussia Does Not Seem to Be After Ukraine's Gas Reserves
There seems to be very little reason to believe that the true stakes of the war in Ukraine are the country's natural gas reserves, as some have speculated. Ukrainian gas fields appear too small to justify the costs of the invasion, too hard to keep, and almost impossible for Russia to exploit.
So this article was written earlier and it says Russia wasn’t after oil because all the oil is in the East. Now fast forward two months and Russia is focused exclusively on taking East Ukraine.
I assume they originally were going to try and take the whole country, but now that shit hit the fan they want the Oil. I also don’t think they want the oil to use, they want it to keep Ukraine from entering the market and lowering their own oil’s value.
you can go in deeper, but that’s what this war seems like to be about to me, cutting the Ukraine off from access to that oil, and of course Putin can’t say that because after Iraq everybody knows that this is only for the benefit of the rich and connected.
I luv seeing how fellow members look at the operation