Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

[Benjamin]

'Peaceful facilities'. Of course. The facility is just a building. People kill people, not the gun.

Pentagon divulges number of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine​

US insists 46 “peaceful” facilities were all about public health and safety

June 9, 2022

The US government has supported 46 facilities in Ukraine over the past 20 years, but as part of a peaceful public health project rather than to develop biological weapons, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The US military accused Russia and China of “spreading disinformation and sowing mistrust” about its efforts to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

This is the first time the US Department of Defense disclosed the exact number of facilities its government has supported in Ukraine, in a document titled ‘Fact Sheet on WMD Threat Reduction Efforts.’

According to the Pentagon, the US has “worked collaboratively to improve Ukraine’s biological safety, security, and disease surveillance for both human and animal health,” by providing support to “46 peaceful Ukrainian laboratories, health facilities, and disease diagnostic sites over the last two decades.” These programs have focused on “improving public health and agricultural safety measures at the nexus of nonproliferation.”

The work of these biolabs was “often” conducted in partnership with bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and was “consistent with international best practices and norms in publishing research results, partnering with international colleagues and multilateral organizations, and widely distributing their research and public health findings,” the Pentagon insisted.

Last month, the Russian military said only three laboratories in Ukraine had the required safety levels to do the kind of research they were engaged in. Head of the Radioactive, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov cited Ukrainian government reports to point to a series of problems at one of those facilities in Odessa, by way of example.

In a series of briefings starting in March, the Russian military has presented evidence of the Pentagon’s involvement in funding laboratories in Ukraine. In early May, Kirillov accused Kiev of launching a biological attack against the breakaway region of Lugansk and of conducting “inhumane experiments” on Ukrainian patients. Other evidence suggested attempts to weaponize drones to disperse pathogens, and attempts to destroy compromising materials after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February.

According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the US has poured more than $224 million into biological research in Ukraine between 2005 and early 2022. Western pharmaceutical giants, nonprofits and even the US Democratic Party were involved in the scheme, Moscow has said.

To hear the Pentagon explain it, the US had “full approval” of the Russian government to engage “thousands of former Russian biological weapons scientists to conduct peaceful biological research projects for public health purposes.” Earlier in the document, the US military points out it was trying to create “sustainable civilian employment” for scientists with “weapons-related knowledge” in order to “remove incentives to seek or accept of terrorist or other state actor employment and financing.”

US involvement with biological laboratories in Ukraine “remain peaceful efforts to improve nuclear and radiological safety and security, disease surveillance, chemical safety and security, and readiness to respond to epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19,” the Pentagon said.

Meanwhile, it accused Russia – with the help of China – of seeking “to undermine that work by spreading disinformation and sowing mistrust in the people and institutions all over the world that contribute to WMD threat reduction.”

China has responded to Russian briefings by calling for the US to provide a “fair, objective and professional” explanation of its activities.

The Pentagon insists that Ukraine “has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs” and that the small amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that remains at research institutes in Kiev and Kharkov “is well below the amount needed to produce a nuclear device.”

This is the "Fact Sheet" from the first link above, jic. I've only skimmed parts of it. I've also delinked the links.

Fact Sheet on WMD Threat Reduction Efforts with Ukraine, Russia and Other Former Soviet Union Countries​

June 9, 2022

---

The History and Accomplishments of U.S. Collaboration With the International Community to Reduce Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Threats in Ukraine, Russia, and Other Countries of the Former Soviet Union

• Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States, along with allies, partners, and international organizations, has led cooperative efforts to reduce legacy threats from nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons left in the Soviet Union’s successor states, including Russia. These cooperative threat reduction efforts have helped advance global peace and security, and have supported the global consensus that the world is safer when we work together to increase transparency and reduce the risks from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs.
• The U.S. Congress created the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program through the passage of the Soviet Threat Reduction Act of 1991. The CTR Program provided U.S. funding and expertise to: 1) consolidate and secure WMD and WMD-related material in a limited number of secure sites; 2) inventory and account for these weapons and materials; 3) provide safe handling and safe disposition of these weapons and materials as called for by arms control agreements; and 4) offer assistance in finding gainful employment for thousands of former Soviet scientists with expert knowledge of WMD, WMD-related materials, or their delivery systems
• The United States has provided this assistance with transparency and in cooperation with our partners, which included Russia prior to 2014, toward mutually-decided objectives, and has been reported on a regular basis.
• In addition to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction work, the Departments of Energy and State have supported nuclear, chemical, and biological threat reduction efforts, often with technical assistance from other U.S. departments and agencies. This work has occurred in collaboration with other countries, such as Canada, the European Union, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and others; multilateral organizations, and the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC); and the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU).
• Thirty years later, amidst its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia seeks, with support from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to undermine that work by spreading disinformation and sowing mistrust in the people and institutions all over the world that contribute to WMD threat reduction.
• This Fact Sheet provides an overview of the history of threat reduction and nonproliferation programs supported by the United States, in cooperation with countries of the former Soviet Union, including the Governments of Russia and Ukraine.

Achievements of this cooperation across the former Soviet Union include:

• Destroying 2,531 missiles, decommissioning more than 1,300 WMD delivery systems (silos, mobile launchers, submarines, and strategic bombers), upgrading security at 24 nuclear weapon storage sites, and securely moving over 600 shipments of nuclear warheads from less secure storage to more secure storage or destruction (almost all of this work in Russia).
• Ukraine’s voluntary and verifiable renunciation of nuclear weapons, with the transfer of Soviet missiles, nuclear weapons, and weapons-usable nuclear materials to Russia or destruction of such missiles, weapons, and materials, and accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon State Party in December 1994.
• Joint efforts by the United States and partners working with Russia to destroy Russia’s declared chemical weapons stockpile under international verification by the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and ensuring that Soviet scientists with weapons-related knowledge could have sustainable civilian employment—in particular, supporting scientists to remove incentives to seek or accept of terrorist or other state actor employment and financing.
• Engagement of thousands of former Russian biological weapons scientists to conduct peaceful biological research projects for public health purposes, with the Russian government's full approval. (These types of projects were very similar to biological research projects Russia is now criticizing in other former Soviet countries.)
• Securing Russia's active approval of and collaboration, as a full member of the ISTC Governing Board until 2014, in peaceful biological research projects worth millions of dollars to advance public health with Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and other former Soviet Union countries. (The Russian government repeatedly approved, and often collaborated in, the very projects it is now criticizing.)

Ukraine

• Ukraine has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs. On March 11 and 18, 2022, United Nations (UN) High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu similarly stated that the UN is not aware of any biological weapons programs in Ukraine. Those comments were reiterated on May 13, 2022, by the UN Deputy High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
• Today, the collaborations in Ukraine remain peaceful efforts to improve nuclear and radiological safety and security, disease surveillance, chemical safety and security, and readiness to respond to epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19.
• Many of these collaborations are multilateral and involve the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the OPCW, and other UN specialized agencies.
• Ukraine has become a leader in transparency and in promoting nonproliferation and global health security norms. For example, in December 2021, Ukraine completed a voluntary, external, WHO-led evaluation (

  JEE | Strategic Partnership for Health Security and Emergency Preparedness (SPH) Portal

  extranet.who.int
  ) of its capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to public health emergencies.

Ukraine Has No Nuclear Weapons Program

• During the Cold War, the Soviet military stationed a sizable number of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, believed to be around 1,800 nuclear warheads as well as strategic bombers and nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). There were also several locations in Ukraine where Soviet tactical nuclear weapons were stored. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia retained control of these weapons under the aegis of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
• Ukraine assumed obligations under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) in 1992 as a successor state to the Soviet Union, and in 1994 joined the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon State Party, renouncing the Soviet legacy nuclear weapons that had been deployed or stored in Ukraine.
• The transfer of all nuclear weapons from Ukraine to the Russian Federation was completed by 1996, in return for reactor fuel for peaceful uses and security assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom as set forth in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. All ICBMs were dismantled or removed from Ukraine, and all nuclear missile silos in Ukraine were destroyed.
• As a Non-Nuclear Weapon State Party to the NPT, Ukraine has upheld its obligation not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or to seek or receive assistance in their manufacture. Ukraine also has met its NPT obligation to accept IAEA safeguards on all nuclear material in the country, and in addition has in force an Additional Protocol to its NPT-required safeguards agreement to enable the IAEA to provide credible assurances to the international community that all nuclear material in Ukraine remains in peaceful activities. The IAEA has repeatedly stated that it has found no indication that would give rise to a proliferation concern in Ukraine.
• In a further demonstration of Ukraine’s dedication to nuclear nonproliferation, at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit hosted by the United States, Ukraine voluntarily pledged to remove its highly enriched uranium (HEU).
  • Through the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) efforts, 234 kg of Ukraine’s HEU was repatriated to Russia, the original exporter of this material. The material was then down-blended to low enriched uranium (LEU). In exchange for eliminating this HEU inventory, NNSA provided LEU fuel for the research reactor at the Kyiv Institute for Nuclear Research and supported the development and construction of the Neutron Source Facility at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, with both facilities being used for peaceful purposes.
  • The very small quantity of HEU that remains in Ukraine is intended for specific scientific purposes, such as nuclear forensics, and is well below the amount needed to produce a nuclear device. Ukraine does not possess uranium enrichment or spent fuel reprocessing capabilities, nor does it possess substantial quantities of separated plutonium.
• Ukraine has consistently stated that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and has consistently supported other key elements of international nonproliferation regimes, such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Zangger Committee, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, and the Missile Technology Control Regime. Further, Ukraine has signed and ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Ukraine Has No Biological Weapons Program

• At the time of its dissolution in 1991, the Soviet Union, despite being a State Party to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), had a large and sophisticated biological weapons program, consisting of dozens of research, development, and production facilities, with tens of thousands of employees, spread across many of its successor states.
• In violation of the BWC, this Soviet weapons complex developed a broad range of biological pathogens for use as weapons against plants, animals, and humans, including the weaponization of anthrax, plague, and smallpox.
• In contrast, no other European state nor the United States possessed any biological weapon development programs, in compliance with their obligations under the BWC. When the Soviet Union dissolved, it left some newly independent states, like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with legacy biological weapons program facilities, equipment, and materials that were vulnerable to theft, misuse, and unsafe handling and storage. The U.S. Departments of Defense and State funded programs to help transition such former Soviet weapons facilities into peaceful public health facilities. (
  https://media.defense.gov/2022/Mar/11/2002954612/-1/-1/0/FACT-SHEET-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE%27S-COOPERATIVE-THREAT-REDUCTION-PROGRAM-BIOLOGICAL-THREAT-REDUCTION-PROGRAM-ACTIVITIES-IN-UKRAINE.PDF
  )
• The United States, through international collaboration, has also worked to address other biological threats throughout the former Soviet Union. Subject matter experts in biology, biodefense, public health, and related fields were engaged from across the U.S. government. These efforts advanced disease surveillance and enhanced peaceful biological research cooperation between former Soviet Union scientists and the global scientific community, consistent with international norms for safety, security, nonproliferation, and transparency.
• The United States has also worked collaboratively to improve Ukraine’s biological safety, security, and disease surveillance for both human and animal health, providing support to 46 peaceful Ukrainian laboratories, health facilities, and disease diagnostic sites over the last two decades. The collaborative programs have focused on improving public health and agricultural safety measures at the nexus of nonproliferation.
• This work, often conducted in partnership with outside organizations, such as the WHO and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has resulted in safer and more effective disease surveillance and detection. Ukrainian scientists have acted consistent with international best practices and norms in publishing research results, partnering with international colleagues and multilateral organizations, and widely distributing their research and public health findings.
• Ukraine owns and operates its public health laboratories and associated infrastructure, and the United States is proud to collaborate, cooperate, and provide assistance in support of this infrastructure. These facilities operate just like other state or local public health and research laboratories around the world. Furthermore, all equipment and training provided by the United States is subject to U.S. export control processes, audits, and acquisition laws and regulations, which ensures transparency and compliance with domestic and international laws.
• This assistance has directly and measurably improved Ukraine’s preparedness and response efforts to detect and report outbreaks, including COVID-19 response, and has helped protect its food supply in addition to many other benefits that accrued from this partnership.

Ukraine Has No Chemical Weapons Program

• Ukraine has been a respected member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) since ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1998.
• Ukraine has consistently demonstrated its commitment to uphold the international norm against the use of chemical weapons, including through its participation at the OPCW and its implementation of its obligations under the CWC.
• Ukraine regularly plays an active role at the OPCW Conference of the States Parties and was most recently a member of the OPCW Executive Council from 2018 to 2020. Ukraine previously held a number of leadership roles at the OPCW, to include chairing the Executive Council from 2012 to 2014.
• The United States has been clear since ratifying the CWC in 1997 that it will never under any circumstances develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, direct or indirectly, chemical weapons to anyone; use chemical weapons; engage in any military preparations to use chemical weapons; or assist encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a state party under the CWC.
• The United States is committed to the destruction of all chemical weapons around the world and has provided substantial aid and support to numerous countries in the destruction of their chemical weapons, including Russia and Syria.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

'US-funded biolabs in Ukraine for a "peaceful" killing?'

Pentagon divulges number of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine​

9 Jun, 2022

US insists 46 “peaceful” facilities were all about public health and safety

The US government has supported 46 facilities in Ukraine over the past 20 years, but as part of a peaceful public health project rather than to develop biological weapons, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The US military accused Russia and China of “spreading disinformation and sowing mistrust” about its efforts to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

This is the first time the US Department of Defense disclosed the exact number of facilities its government has supported in Ukraine, in a document titled ‘Fact Sheet on WMD Threat Reduction Efforts.’

According to the Pentagon, the US has “worked collaboratively to improve Ukraine’s biological safety, security, and disease surveillance for both human and animal health,” by providing support to “46 peaceful Ukrainian laboratories, health facilities, and disease diagnostic sites over the last two decades.” These programs have focused on “improving public health and agricultural safety measures at the nexus of nonproliferation.”

The work of these biolabs was “often” conducted in partnership with bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and was “consistent with international best practices and norms in publishing research results, partnering with international colleagues and multilateral organizations, and widely distributing their research and public health findings,” the Pentagon insisted.

Last month, the Russian military said only three laboratories in Ukraine had the required safety levels to do the kind of research they were engaged in. Head of the Radioactive, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov cited Ukrainian government reports to point to a series of problems at one of those facilities in Odessa, by way of example.

In a series of briefings starting in March, the Russian military has presented evidence of the Pentagon’s involvement in funding laboratories in Ukraine. In early May, Kirillov accused Kiev of launching a biological attack against the breakaway region of Lugansk and of conducting “inhumane experiments” on Ukrainian patients. Other evidence suggested attempts to weaponize drones to disperse pathogens, and attempts to destroy compromising materials after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February.

According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the US has poured more than $224 million into biological research in Ukraine between 2005 and early 2022. Western pharmaceutical giants, nonprofits and even the US Democratic Party were involved in the scheme, Moscow has said.

To hear the Pentagon explain it, the US had “full approval” of the Russian government to engage “thousands of former Russian biological weapons scientists to conduct peaceful biological research projects for public health purposes.” Earlier in the document, the US military points out it was trying to create “sustainable civilian employment” for scientists with “weapons-related knowledge” in order to “remove incentives to seek or accept of terrorist or other state actor employment and financing.”

US involvement with biological laboratories in Ukraine “remain peaceful efforts to improve nuclear and radiological safety and security, disease surveillance, chemical safety and security, and readiness to respond to epidemics and pandemics such as COVID-19,” the Pentagon said.

Meanwhile, it accused Russia – with the help of China – of seeking “to undermine that work by spreading disinformation and sowing mistrust in the people and institutions all over the world that contribute to WMD threat reduction.”

China has responded to Russian briefings by calling for the US to provide a “fair, objective and professional” explanation of its activities.

The Pentagon insists that Ukraine “has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons programs” and that the small amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that remains at research institutes in Kiev and Kharkov “is well below the amount needed to produce a nuclear device.”

 

[lilies]

The Greeks do not want to hand over their Soviet tanks until all 50 German Marder vehicles have been delivered ready for deployment. But this is likely to take until the fall or winter.

Will there be enough fuel left to take these to Ukraine? Also will there be any CIA-controlled Ukraine left by winter?

The SU-57 itself is not news, as well as the possibility of this type of aircraft being combined into a single network is not news, but combat use in this way is for the first time.

Russians were eyeing robot / drone-driven next-gen fighter jets for a long time. SKYNET they want it to be as the robot-piloted jets - no pilot-compartment means sleeker streamlined jet body less air-resistance - can fly and turn way faster and endure untold G-s that would squash the soft flesh bodies of puny human pilots. This also means that Russian engineers specially built the hulls / fuselages of pilot-less jets to endure way higher Gs than they are currently flown at by disadvantageous / detrimental human pilots.

Combine this with already spreading rumors of AI becoming self-aware and we ignorant unfortunates quickly arrive to the apparently 'very close to the truth' SKYNET Prophecy = computers became self-aware and decided that fleshy humans are useless annoyances. Steel frame Terminators are treading on a thick carpet of white-grey human skulls are one of the most shocking scenes of the movie series.

 

[Pierre]

"In the sky of Serpukhov near Moscow, planes wrote: "Russia, we love you" and drew a giant heart. On the eve of June 12, Russia Day, the First Flight aerobatic team decided to congratulate their compatriots."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1535214915065196545

 

[Adobe]

BEIJING, June 10.

"The Chinese government demands that the United States disclose full and detailed information about the activity of US military laboratories in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a news briefing while commenting on the Pentagon’s factsheet concerning support for Ukrainian biological facilities."

"Once again we call on the United States to explain fully"

"Also, we urge the United States once more to drop objections to creating a verification protocol," Zhao said."

"Previously, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that during the special military operation in Ukraine Russian forces unearthed evidence pointing to an emergency cleanup by the Kiev regime of traces of a military biological program, carried out in Ukraine and bankrolled by the US Defense Department."

"According to Konashenkov, staff from these Pentagon-run Ukrainian-based labs revealed the emergency disposal of particularly dangerous pathogens on February 24, namely, the plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases."

China demands full information about US biolabs in Ukraine

On June 9, the Pentagon released a factsheet saying that the US authorities supported civilian laboratories and health care centers in Ukraine as part of peaceful program

tass.com

 

[Ocean]

The Pentagon has put out a statement that there are in fact 46 biolabs in the Ukraine. But they're to rid the world of WMDs and bioweapons so that's all right then.
--------------

Fact Sheet on WMD Threat Reduction Efforts with Ukraine, Russia and Other Former Soviet Un

The history and accomplishments of U.S. collaboration with the international community to reduce nuclear, chemical and biological threats in Ukraine, Russia and other countries of the Former Soviet

www.defense.gov

Fact Sheet on WMD Threat Reduction Efforts with Ukraine, Russia and Other Former Soviet Un

The history and accomplishments of U.S. collaboration with the international community to reduce nuclear, chemical and biological threats in Ukraine, Russia and…

www.defense.gov

 

[XPan]

Hui-buuuuh - Be very afraid...

Olof Scholz, the chancellor of Germany states following in a twitter post:

We will defend every inch of NATO territory.
I reaffirmed that to our Baltic partners in Lithuania today.

Germany will reinforce NATO's eastern flank and will
lead a robust combat brigade in Lithuania to deter and
deterrence and defence.

DeepL

 

[Pierre]

"While Europeans face shortages and inflation caused by US anti-Russian sanctions, the ruble has hit its highest level in 4 years..."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1535312332598960128

 

[Adobe]

"The illegal transfer of nuclear weapons materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied: Chinese envoy"

"The Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) trilateral nuclear submarine cooperation violated the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)"

"No matter what name the three countries give to the AUKUS and how they handle relevant nuclear weapon materials, the essence of the illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied, Wang said."

The illegal transfer of nuclear weapons materials involved in AUKUS cannot be denied: Chinese envoy - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[Laurentien2]

One Of The Main Ukrainian Propagandists Takes Back Her Words

On June 8, the former ombudsman of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova commented on her statements regarding the stories of rapes of...

southfront.org

ONE OF THE MAIN UKRAINIAN PROPAGANDISTS TAKES BACK HER WORDS​

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Lyudmila Denisova
On June 8, the former ombudsman of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova commented on her statements regarding the stories of rapes of Ukrainian girls by Russian soldiers. These statements were made by the former ombudsman in the Italian parliament. Denisova’s main goal was to push Italy to take bolder steps with regard to assistance to Ukraine.

It is interesting to note some of the ombudsman’s comments:
“I was talking about scary things to make the decisions that Ukraine needs.”
“Maybe I went overboard. But I was trying to achieve the goal of convincing the world to provide weapons and put pressure on Russia.”
“When I spoke in the Italian Parliament at the International Affairs Committee, I heard and saw such fatigue about Ukraine, you know? I talked about terrible things to somehow push them to make decisions that Ukraine and the Ukrainian people need.”

The former Ukrainian ombudsman claimed that women, the elderly, children, small boys and men were raped by Russian servicemen. Denisova described the gruesome cases in great details but provided no evidences. When she got to the point of raping six-month-old babies and 90-year-olds, she was asked to back up her story. But Denisova was unable to do so.
Ludmila Denisova was on a tour of European countries as a Ukrainian political official, but not as an ombudsman. At the end of May, the Verkhovna Rada removed her from her post. The Parliament gave a vote of no confidence.
The deputies had a lot of complaints against the ombudsman. Denisova was accused of negligent performance of official duties. She failed to create humanitarian corridors, protect and exchange prisoners of war, but only performed online spreading lies about the rapes and fake murders. The Rada believes that her media activities harmed Ukraine by distracting the attention of the world media from the real needs of the country. In the Rada, 234 deputies voted for her resignation. She was also added to the Ukrainian base “Peacemaker” for discrediting the Ukrainian government in the world.
Denisova’s fakes about the Russian army were designed not only for Europeans, they were actively spread in the Russian social media in an attempt to provoke mass protests against the Russian military operation.
The lies created by the former Ukrainian ombudsman were supported by foreign officials and as a result became the basis of the western propaganda against the Russian military, which in turn was rarely claimed on the official level.
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also repeated the story , claiming that Russian soldiers were raping Ukrainian civilians. Thomas-Greenfield also mentioned that the constant rape of civilians by the Russian military was filmed on video, but neither the Ukrainian nor the American sides had any footage to support these claims. There is no material evidence at all.
Also, Darya Gerasimchuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for children’s rights, said on the Polish Belsat TV channel that there were no confirmed cases of violence against Ukrainian children.
On June 6, the Russian Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, commented on the issue. The Russian position was simple: Denisova repeatedly lied without evidence about the “atrocities” of the Russian military.

 

[Laurentien2]

Black Sea Battle: Russian Forces Took Control Of Kinburn Spit, Threaten Ukrainian Ochakov

On June 10, Russian forces claimed control over the Kinburn Spit in the Ochakiv district of Mykolaiv Oblast. The distance...

southfront.org

BLACK SEA BATTLE: RUSSIAN FORCES TOOK CONTROL OF KINBURN SPIT, THREATEN UKRAINIAN OCHAKOV​

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Click to see full-size image
On June 10, Russian forces claimed control over the Kinburn Spit in the Ochakiv district of Mykolaiv Oblast. The distance from the tip of the Spit to the Ochakov is only about 6 km. Thus, the Russian military positions in the spit may serve a foothold for an assault operation as the Russian military may shell the Ukrainian port in Ochakov. The spit goes deep into the sea and actually blocks the Dnieper-Bug estuary. This means that any vessels trying to leave the Dnieper River will be under Russian control.
The Russian advance was confirmed by the drone footage from the Black Sea.




Click to see full-size image

Click to see full-size image
On June 3, the small anti-submarine ship “Vinnytsia” of the Ukrainian Navy was sunk by Russian forces during the capture of the spit. This corvette was decommissioned in 2021 and was awaiting disposal. However, according to some reports, the Ukrainian military regarded the need for technical restoration of the ship.
The ship was located in the territory of the naval base of the Ukrainian Navy, built in Ochakov by the U.S. The US special operations center, deployed to monitor the Russian operations in the Black Sea and transmit information to the United States and NATO, was reportedly destroyed.
The second ship of the Ukrainian Navy located in Ochakov in order to contain the potential offensive of Russian forces, was urgently evacuated to Odessa. It was the medium landing ship “Yuri Olefirenko” which was shelled during the evacuation. Junjing by the footage, the ship managed to leave the area undammaged.
Falling of the Kinburn Spit under Russian control is of great strategic importance. It may mark the upcoming Russian assault on the Ochakov oprt and further advance towards the city of Mykolaiv from the south.

 

[N1mTzo]

"While Europeans face shortages and inflation caused by US anti-Russian sanctions, the ruble has hit its highest level in 4 years..."

If we leave the ruble exchange rate aside (it is not so important for an ordinary resident of Russia, it is important for exporters and importers) and look at inflation, then it in Russia now exceeds 17%. This is the latest official data from 06/08/2022 - Годовая инфляция в России за неделю замедлилась до 17,02%

On my own behalf, I can add that food, medicines, seeds and fertilizers (and much more) have also risen in price in Russia, as well as around the world. There is no shortage, you just need more money to buy goods. The only thing that has NOT risen in price in Russia over these six months is gasoline and gas))
The main difference between Russia and the EU and the USA is that for the guys from the West, inflation of 10% -15% (in their countries) is a SHOCK, but for us, high inflation is the norm (it used to be worse, for example, in the 90s) .

 

[Laurentien2]

Made in Russia, built to last.

Another Russian Su-25 Survived Ukrainian Anti-Aircraft Missiles (Photos)

Another Su-25 close air support fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) has survived a direct hit from Ukrainian...

southfront.org

ANOTHER RUSSIAN SU-25 SURVIVED UKRAINIAN ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES (PHOTOS)​

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File image.
Another Su-25 close air support fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) has survived a direct hit from Ukrainian air defense fire.
On June 10, Russian sources shared photos of the fighter jet, which was reportedly hit by a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD). The fighter jet’s left engine received a direct hit. Despite the heavy damage, the jet was able to land in an unspecified Russian air base. The pilot was not hurt as a result of the incident.

Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.

Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.

Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
This was the second Russian Su-25 to survive a direct hit from Ukrainian air defense fire. The first such incident was reported in the very first weeks of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
The Su-25 was designed to withstand air defense fire, especially MANPADs. The fighter jet’s cockpit, fuel tanks and engines are all armored. The jet also has a redundant control schemes to increase the likelihood of surviving a hit.
The protection was improved in the upgraded Su-25SM3, which were equipped with the Vitebsk-25 protection suite. The suite integrates a set of Zakhvat forward and rearward facing missile approach warning ultraviolet sensors, the L-150-16M Pastel radar homing and warning system, two UV-26M 50 mm chaff dispensers and a pair of wing-mounted L-370-3S radar jamming pods. The fighter jet that survived the hit was not upgraded to the SM3 standard.
The VKS’s Su-25s have been providing Russian troops along the frontlines in the Donbass region with close air support. Typically, they are armed with S-13 unguided rockets, which have a warhead of 21-32 kilograms and a range of 3-6 kilometers depending on the variant.
While Ukraine is still retaining some of its air defense and air force capabilities, the VKS maintains supremacy over the country’s airspace.

 

[Laurentien2]

War In Ukraine Day 107: Ukrainian Forces Close To Being Trapped In Severodonetsk And Slavyansk

In the north of the Kharkiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are reportedly regrouping in order to launch another...

southfront.org

WAR IN UKRAINE DAY 107: UKRAINIAN FORCES CLOSE TO BEING TRAPPED IN SEVERODONETSK AND SLAVYANSK​

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In the north of the Kharkiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are reportedly regrouping in order to launch another counter offensive against Russian forces. So far, the AFU have failed twice to take back control of Ternove and Varvarovka. Positional clashes continue in the region. Ukrainian positions in the villages of Udy, Cherkassy Tishki, Svetlichny, Zolochiv and Stary Saltov are constantly shelled by Russian artillery.
On June 9, the headquarters of the territorial defense of the Donetsk People’s Republic announced the beginning of the battle for the city of Slavyansk. The ministry noted that Kiev’s forces use the local civilians as a “human shield”.
Units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation already reached the outskirts of Slavyansk and are shelling on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU in the city). approaching from several directions. In the western direction, fighting is going on in the area of Krasnopolye and Novonikolayevka. In the northern direction, Russian troops are fighting in the Bogorodichnoye area and are approaching from the direction of Tatyanovka, which is already under Russian control.

On June 10, Russian troops claimed control over the town of Prishib located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River. Russian forces took control over the strategically important Prishib height near Svyatogorsk, and are pushing the AFU units from the areas nearby. Russian troops secured a bridgehead on the western bank of the Seversky Donets and continue to destroy the AFU positions in the vicinity of Slavyansk.
The entire region from Izyum to Rubezhnoe along the Seversky Donets River is under control of Russian-led forces.
Russian units, advancing from Izyum, continue to break through the Ukrainian defences along the M03 highway near Bogorodichny and Krasnopol. Russian troops continue their advance from the north towards the villages of Novonikolayevka, Nikolsky and Krestishche in order to reach the strategically important city of Slavyansk from the west.
In the Izyum region, clashes continue west of Velikaya Kamishevakha in the village of Grushevakha, as well as north-east of Barvenkovo in the village of Vernopolye. Fighting also reached the Barvenkovo-Slavyansk highway, preventing the AFU from sending military supplies to Slavyansk.
Russian-led forces are still approaching the city of Bakhmut (Artemovsk). Fighting is underway on the outskirts of Pokrovsky.

North of Popasnaya, fierce battles continue along the Yakovlevka — Belogorovka — Berestovoye — Nikolaevka line for control of the Bakhmut — Lisichansk highway. In the south, the battles for Novoluganskoye and Uglegorskaya plant near Svetlodarsk continue.
West of Popasnaya, Russian-led forces continue their advance on the outskirts of Zolotoe. The People’s Militia of the LPR, advancing from the south, occupied the eastern part of Katerinovka. Kamishevakha was completely secured by Russian units. Clashes for control of Vrubovka continue. In Toshkovka, Russian-led forces knocked out the AFU units from the Toshkovskoye mine.
In the Severodonetsk-Lisichansk metropolitan area no changes were reported. After the AFU counter offensive in Severodonetsk had failed, the city districts are being moped up and the battles for the Azot plant continue. Units of the Russian Armed Forces took control of the city airport. There are battles on the outskirts of Borovskoye.

According to the reports of the AFP news agency, about 800 civilians remain in the industrial area of the Azot plant where fighting continues. In fact, the AFU use them as human shields.
The territory of the plant was mined by the AFU units. The Russian ministry of Defence warned that containers with chemically dangerous substances (nitric acid, ammonia, ammonium nitrate) were also mined by the Ukrainian servicemen, which they plan to blow up during the retreat.
In the Avdeevka area, fierce clashes continue without any significant changes on the front lines. The People’s Militia of the DPR reached the southern outskirts of the village of New York.

In the Zaporozhye region, no advances by any side have been reported so far. However, the artillery shelling on the Russian positions in the area of Ugledar has recently intensified. In Zaporozhye, the Russian Armed Forces attacked Ukrainian positions in Orekhov and Kamyshevakha. On the front line between the Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions, the Russian Air Force are shelling Ukrainian forces in Trudolyubovka, Velikaya Kostroma and Knyazevka. Ukrainian forces fired back at Vysokopolye and Arkhangelsk.
In Zaporozhye, the Russian Armed Forces struck Ukrainian positions in Orekhov and Kamyshevakh.
The situation in the Kherson region remains stable. Russian forces hold control over the settlements of Chernobayevka – Pershetravnevoe and Muzykovka – Gorokhovskoye, Sadovoye, Baratovka – Davidov Brod. The Russian control over the town of Snigirevka has not been confirmed.

On June 10, Russian forces claimed control over the Kinburn Spit in the Ochakiv district of the Mykolaiv region. The distance from the tip of the Spit to the Ochakov port is only about 6 km. Thus, the Russian military positions in the spit may serve as a foothold for an assault operation as the Russian military may shell the Ukrainian port in Ochakov. The spit goes deep into the sea and also blocks the Dnieper-Bug estuary. LINK
On the Zmeiny island, the Russian military deployed anti-aircraft complexes “Tor” and “Pantsir”.
In turn, on June 9, the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed that the coastline of the country’s defense was reinforced by US-made Harpoon missile systems.
The full list of military aid received by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the US Congress includes:
6500 anti-tank complexes;
1500 MANPADS Stinger;
20,000 anti-tank grenade launchers;
7,500 small arms;
108 M777 howitzers;
220,000 155 mm shells;
121 Phoenix Ghost drone;
700 Kamikaze drones Switchblade;
200 M113 armored personnel carriers;
▪ Hundreds of Humvees;
4 HIMARS systems;
20 Mi-17 helicopters.

Shelling in the city of Donetsk
Foreign-made equipment supplied to the AFU is used for shelling on the civilians in the DPR and LPR.
On June 10, the DPR security services reported that the AFU fired more than 360 shells from multiple rocket launchers, including “Grad”, “Hurricane”, barrel artillery of 155, 152 and 122-mm caliber, as well as 120-mm mortars on the residential areas in the DPR.

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16 settlements of the Republic were targeted. As a result of the shelling, at least 7 civilians were killed and 24 were injured. 27 residential buildings and 4 civil infrastructure facilities were damaged.
On June 10, the air defence systems in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea intercepted an enemy object, which was likely on UAV heading towards a military base near the city.

 

[Voyageur]

The first three mercenaries operating in Ukraine were sentenced to death.

Верховный суд ДНР приговорил к смертной казни наемников из Великобритании и Марокко

On SoTT.net there was a similar RT article. Here is the comments section of that article below:

Comment: RT interviewed both Pinner and Aslin before sentencing. Pinner warned foreigners not to "get into a war you don't really understand."

"Some people do want to be a part of Russia, and you have to accept that," he said, adding that, now, after he saw Donetsk's "face," his "war will be over" no matter what happens to him. He also revealed that he would like to "learn more about the history of both sides."

Pinner said that his decision to join the Ukrainian military was prompted by several factors: his Ukrainian wife did not want to move to the UK and he could not find a job to support his family. With nine years of service in the British military behind him, Pinner decided to sign a three-year contract with the Ukrainian armed forces which would also provide him with a residency in Ukraine. Being a "patriot of Ukraine," the Brit decided that it would be a good opportunity for "giving something to Ukraine and, obviously, receiving something back in return."

He revealed that the standard salary of a contractor at a point of permanent deployment was an amount equivalent to 360 British pounds, which could be raised to around £1,000 for participating in military operations.

According to Pinner, the emphasis of the military training was mainly on "cleaning" and "maintaining military" equipment with not much of actual military training.

There were several foreigners in his unit, the Brit revealed, but three of them deserted last year, "just walked away."

The active combat service for Pinner did not start till December last year and since February it was "full-on" every day.

Captivity and questioning has been "very very hard" for Pinner, as were solitude and "very confined" conditions. He said that during the questioning he was shown "terrible" photos, allegedly depicting the abuse of Russian prisoners of war by Ukrainian militants.

Aslin blamed Western media for convincing him of the Ukrainian narrative and turning him into a pawn, adding that he was initially pro-Donbass.

"My views started to change after I started seeing media reports and stuff that was basically saying that it was not locals but the Russian soldiers that were doing everything [in Donbass]," Aslin admitted, adding that he was watching CNN as well as BBC and Fox News. Since surrendering to the DPR militia, he has found that he has more in common with the Donbass soldiers than Ukrainians with whom he had fought. "I was kind of duped."

The Briton said he even received threats from fighters of the infamous Azov Battalion, known for its neo-Nazi ideology. Aslin said he believed Azov had changed since being incorporated in the Ukrainian National Guard but eventually saw firsthand that "they have not changed much."

The UK national had previously fought Islamic State (IS, former ISIS) terrorists in Syria together with the Kurdish YPG militia and has a YPG insignia as a tattoo on his arm. When an Azov fighter saw that tattoo two years ago, he told Aslin he "wanted to cut it off," the Briton said. "I told him I was a leftist and his attitude changed" completely, Aslin said, adding that the Azov regiment member began to see him "not as a friend but... more like an enemy" after that exchange.

He was also skeptical about the level of training in the Ukrainian Army. "They are not as professional as they would like to be," he said, calling their artillery training "substandard" to the extent that they can miss military targets and hit civilian infrastructure instead.

"Another factor you have to consider [in case of the Ukrainian] Army is that there is a lot of alcohol involved," he added. ...

"They [the Ukrainian government] could have easily ended the war. They had the opportunity but they chose not to, mainly because I think money was involved," Aslin said. He now feels abandoned by both Kiev and London.
...
"I have to ask the Ukrainian government, 'If you consider us, as you say, heroes, why do you act as if we do not exist?'" Aslin said.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has described the sentences as a "sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy". Maria Zakharova responded:

"They are mercenaries and not prisoners of war. Mercenaries sent by the West to assist the nationalist regime in Kiev are not combatants and are not entitled to the status of prisoner of war under international humanitarian law," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in the statement.

The Geneva Conventions specifically deny mercenaries the status of lawful combatants, which is granted to regular troops in an armed conflict.

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One Of The Main Ukrainian Propagandists Takes Back Her Words

On June 8, the former ombudsman of Ukraine Lyudmila Denisova commented on her statements regarding the stories of rapes of...

southfront.org

She said, the ex ombudsman:

“Maybe I went overboard. But I was trying to achieve the goal of convincing the world to provide weapons and put pressure on Russia.”

Ukraine​

Main article: Ombudsman in Ukraine
The office of ombudsman, or Commissioner for Human Rights, in Ukraine was instituted in 1998. The first ombudsman was Nina Karpachova until 2012. Valeriya Lutkovska was elected to the office for a five-year term by secret ballot in the Ukrainian Parliament on 24 April 2012. Under Article 55 of the 1996 Constitution, "Everyone has the right to appeal for the protection of his/her rights to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights". Article 101 provides "The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights exercises parliamentary control over the observance of constitutional human and citizens' rights and freedoms." The legal basis of the office, which is also Ukraine's national human rights institution, is set out in Law 767/97, which refers to the office as the "Authorised Human Rights Representative" of the Parliament. Lyudmyla Denisova was elected to the office by the Ukrainian Parliament on 15 March 2018.

Lydumyla "is a Russian-born Ukrainian politician." Bio here.