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

Meanwhile in Sweden (extract) :

Sweden inaugurates Arctic satellite launch site as space race heats up in Europe


Arctic space station vies to launch the first satellite from Europe


By Roselyne Min & Alice Tidey with AFP • Updated: 13/01/2023

"The race to put satellites into orbit from Western Europe is heating up.
Just days after a failed UK satellite launch, Sweden on Friday inaugurated its own new launch site in the Arctic, from which it hopes to see the first satellite blast off by late March 2024.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson cut the ribbon during a ceremony at the Esrange spaceport, about 40 km from the town of Kiruna.


They emphasised how the spaceport could help the EU tackle climate change and bolster its security and defence capabilities.

"This spaceport offers an independent European gateway to space," von der Leyen said, describing how space research had "enormous potential" to improve our daily life, from measuring the effects of climate change to tracking natural disasters or monitoring road traffic in real-time.

Small satellites are also important to Europe's security, von der Leyen added, noting how Ukrainian forces use them to track the movement of Russian troops.

"Europe has its foothold in space and we will keep it," she said."
 
Brain drain?
From Schengen Visa - Comprehensive information about EU Visa there was:
73% of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany Have University Degrees
Almost ¾ of the Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Germany since February 24, when Russia started the invasion of their homeland, have a university degree, more specifically 73 per cent of them, a new official report has shown.


The report, which has been carried out by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Research Center of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees ( BAMF -FZ) and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research Berlin (DIW), also shows that the share of people with only elementary or secondary school qualifications make up as little as two per cent of the total number of refugees from this country.

This report is the first representative study that provides reliable information on the more than one million refugees from Ukraine that have arrived in Germany since February 24, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Commenting on the results of the report, Germany’s Minister of Interior Nancy Faeser said that Germany has shown its willingness to warmly welcome Ukrainians escaping the Russian aggression, which she says is clearly shown in the results of this report.

The vast majority of the refugees feel welcome and are already learning German, the children go to schools and day care centers. The adults have a high level of education and want to get involved. Many have found their own apartments, integration course and are involved in social life. We will continue to help the refugees with all our might,” Minister Faeser said.
Indeed, the report shows that 80 per cent of the adult refugees are women, 65 per cent of whom have at least one child in their household.
65 % of 80 percent is about half of the refugees. Of course, we don't know how many men come single with their children, but it would probably be much less than 65 %. What I have seen is that some women come with their husbands or partners. In other words among the 20 % that are men, some will be associated with some of the 80 % that are women.
Regarding families with school-age children, in 91 per cent of them at least one child is already enrolled at school in Germany, while 23 per cent of children younger than three, and 60 per cent of kindergarten-age children are also enrolled.

The report also reveals that half of the adult refugees are either still enrolled at or have completed a German course, whereas 18 per cent of refugees of ages between 18 and 65 are already employed.


Unfolding his opinions on the report’s results, the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany Hubertus Heil showed his belief that many of the Ukrainian refugees will stay in the country longer than the war, asserting that the right thing to do for them is to offer them a perspective on the German job market.

This also means that language courses or job placement services are widely used, because they are of central importance for integration and participation. We have set the course for this with access to basic security and support from the job center,” he noted.

Data show that 78 per cent of those of working age who participated in the survey claim that they would definitely” (56 per cent) or “probably” (22 per cent) want to take up employment in Germany.

Over 11,000 Ukrainians between the ages of 18 to 70 have participated in this survey between February 24, 2022 and June 8, 2022. A quarter of them (26 per cent) plan to remain in Germany even after the war in Ukraine ends, while 27 per cent do not yet know whether and for how long they want to stay.

>> 48% of Ukrainian Refugees Employed in Poland & Germany Don’t Intend to Return to Their Homeland, Survey Reveals
 
Information about the Ukrainian war on Wikipedia, intended for Ukrainian citizens
In an earlier post, I quoted statistics that about 75 % of the people who fled to Germany from Ukraine had a university degree. Reading up on science related subject, I checked the Ukrainian Wiki for this subject and found if translated on top the following icon and text:
This led to the following page, which may indicate what some of the people who migrated in 2022 were looking into before they moved. As I followed the links, I encountered links to the kind of news offered up for the Ukrainian population.
How to help and get help during the war
Wikipedia-logo-v2-uk.svg

Wikimedia-UA-logo.svg

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an open, large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, which has already caused tens of thousands of deaths and forced millions of people to flee their homes. On this page you will find information about how Ukrainians can protect themselves from the consequences of Russian military aggression and help other representatives of the vikispilnoti.
40px-Information_icon4.svg.png
This page is not an encyclopedic Wikipedia article, it is a service portal with a selection of useful information for Wikipedia. Read an encyclopedic article about the Russian invasion of Ukraine here. Suggestions for filling out this portal can be found on the discussion page
.
The first point is funding the army effort, which for many has continued also after moving to another country, at least judging from the "UA-new country" FB groups that have sprung up.
How to help
Next is how to get help to leave Ukraine or to get a new job, including a new job in a foreign country.
How to get help
Last is where to get information:
If you go on the above Official channels of government agencies, many are on FB.
If you go to Local government channels, you find if translated:
🇺🇦
News in Ukrainian
Online marathon, official sources of information, telegram channels of Regional State Administration heads, Ukrainian mass media, traffic

🟢 Read more
🟡 Look
🔵To listen
If one selects reading, one arrives at a page, where there are more links that again often leads to Facebook, Telegram and Instagram.
Much of the communication appears to rely on Smartphones rather than computers.
In News by city and region, I tried to press the TG link for Kharkov region which gives:
Kharkiv region
The TG link for Current news, says that the link has expired, then came a moment later an invitation to join a chat group which however also had expired. On TG I looked up Kharkov and Kharkiv, typed it in Latin and found a few channels with a large following, including two with more than 500,000.

Here is one post:
Murals with Zhukov and Gagarin in Kharkov want to paint over.

This proposal was made by activists of the movement "Dekomunizatsiya.Ukraine".

The appeal to the City Council has already been sent, in case of refusal to paint over them, activists threaten to do it themselves.
Before cancel culture wins, here is an image, though the quality is not the best.
1673877321989.png
 

NATO waging ‘proxy war’ against Russia – Croatian president


"Speaking about the Ukraine conflict, Zoran Milanovic said he doesn’t want to be an “American slave”

"Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has claimed NATO, a military bloc of which Zagreb is a member, is waging a “proxy war” against Moscow in Ukraine. He also dismissed sanctions against Moscow as “nonsense, adding that he does not want to be an “American slave.

They go from war to war. And what should I be? An American slave?” Croatia's president asked rhetorically.

He went on to argue that “The plan cannot be to remove Putin. The plan cannot be sanctions,” adding that such punitive measures are “nonsense and we will not achieve anything with them.



 
Today, the Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices in Lviv blocked almost all entrances and exits to the city (They are distributing subpoenas)

Most of the mobilised residents of the Lviv region, after receiving subpoenas, are sent to the 24th Mechanized Brigade, the 80th Airborne Brigade, the 103rd Brigade of Territorial defense, and the 125th Brigade of Territorial defense. These brigades are located near Bakhmut and Svatovo, and, judging by the intensified work of Lviv military recruitment offices, they urgently need to replenish their losses.

(Posted yesterday the 15th)

 
This is interesting:


By Tanmay Kadam
January 13, 2023

In a recent interview, a Ukrainian fighter pilot described Russia’s long-range R-37M air-to-air missile as a dangerous weapon employed by the Russian Air Force.

On January 9, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in an assessment that Russia is “almost certainly” deploying its most powerful warplane, the Su-57 Felon, in operations against Ukraine in a way that minimizes the risks to the aircraft.

According to the UK MoD, the Su-57s were probably restricted to flying over Russian territory and firing long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine to avoid getting detected and shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems.

While Russian media reports have been claiming the use of Su-57s in the ongoing Ukraine war since May 2022, and the latest assessment from the UK MoD corroborates a report by the Russian state-owned TASS news agency, which said that the Su-57s have been operating “outside the zone of active destruction by enemy air defense systems.”

Among the long-range weaponry of the Felon, the long-range R-37M air-to-air missile is of particular concern to the Ukrainian pilots, according to an American media outlet, which cited a Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot describing it as “f*****g dangerous.”

R-37M Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile (AAM)

The R-37M is a long-range air-to-air missile (AAM) capable of hitting high-speed air targets from more than 300 kilometers.

It is also known as the AA-13 in the West or the RVV-BD, a designation used for Russian-developed variants of the R-series that were earlier manufactured in Ukraine. The RVV series is said to be more advanced and consists of Russian components only.

The missile is the product of the famed Russian research and production company Vympel, responsible for all Russian AAM families. It is derived from the Soviet Union’s R-37 AAM, built in the 1980s for the MiG-31M Foxhound. The development of the missile began in the late 2000s.

The R-37M was initially intended to be carried by MiG-31. It was later decided to upgrade the weapon to make it more compatible with the Russian fourth-generation Su-30, Su-35, and fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jets. Experts believe the missile has the potential to improve fighter aviation performance significantly.

A dual-pulse solid propellant rocket motor powers the missile. It is guided toward its target by an onboard dual-band active radar seeker, while an inertial navigation system receives mid-course updates from the launch aircraft.

According to the manufacturer’s claims, during the terminal phase of the missile’s engagement, the seeker onboard can lock on to a target with a 54-square-foot radar cross-section at around 40 kilometers or more.

Similar to the R-37, the R-37M can reportedly carry a nuclear warhead for destroying larger formations of aircraft or missiles.

The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) began using the R-37M against Ukraine last summer. Since then, the Ukrainian fighter pilots have been concerned, as the long-range missiles threaten Ukrainian aircraft even when fired from inside Russian airspace.

While the Ukrainian Air Force has developed tactics to minimize the threat posed by the R-37M, those tactics have only restricted the ability of the Ukrainian fighter pilots to conduct their missions.

“Because we understood their tactics during the engagement of this missile (R-37M), we created our techniques to help to avoid that. But still, it is limiting our capabilities to conduct our missions. Of course, if you’re maneuvering, we cannot provide an airstrike or something else, so the game is still very, very, very tough in the air and very risky. If you’re not aware of the missile launch, you’re dead,” a Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot with the call sign ‘Juice’ told The Drive.

In combination with a Su-57 which has stealth features, this missile becomes even more deadly. Western experts believe the missile is tailored to defeat airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and other high-value assets.

The AWACS in Poland and Romania operating in 24/7 mode allegedly failed to detect the Russian fifth-generation aircraft, according to a EurAsian Times report in October which resulted in a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter being shot down by an R-37M missile fired from a Su-57, marking the first air-to-air kill by a Felon.

Nevertheless, reports of Su-57s operating from the safety of Russian airspace suggest a minimal role for Russia’s first stealth aircraft and the only fifth-generation fighter jet that Russia touts as an airplane that surpasses the F-22 and F-35.

Experts commented that if the Su-57 is as stealthy as its American peers, the aircraft can be expected to fly undetected inside the Ukrainian airspace to suppress enemy air defenses.

“Su-57 is not survivable in a high threat SAM (surface-to-air missile) environment at this point in its development, so would not be deployed within range of any Ukrainian SAMs,” Billie Flynn, a former F-35 Lightning II Senior Experimental Test Pilot, previously told EurAsian Times.

A loss of even a single Su-57 to a Ukrainian SAM would provide Ukraine with a huge PR gain and raise doubts about the stealth characteristics of the Felon.
 
Short (6 minute) video. Subject: Saturday’s Russian attack on Ukraine.

The speaker for the air force of Ukraine states that an attack from the land, sea and air was missed by the United States. That is to say, not Ukraine’s fault.

This report assumes that Russia has the ability to blind the US satellites and airships. (Well done video)

"RUSSIA BEGINS TO USE IT'S SECRET WEAPON"

 
People are freaking out from all sides.
Here our "snappers" tried to jump out of their pants.
The West "delivered" 2000 Bayraktar TB2 drones to Ukraine, but there is a nuance
Strange figures on the supply of foreign weapons to Ukraine were found in Victory Park in Moscow.

Russian journalists drew attention to strange figures on one of the stands in Victory Park, which tells about the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. The reason for the doubts was the rather unusual indicators of the transferred weapons, which, in fact, have not even been produced in such quantities yet.

A picture taken by Russian journalists unexpectedly revealed that Ukraine has received about 580 tanks since 2014, although deliveries of these weapons to Ukraine were recorded only in 2022 and in much smaller quantities. No less questions were raised by the figures with the supply of more than a thousand artillery installations and more than 100 units of aviation equipment. However, perhaps the strangest thing is that it is stated on the information stand that the West has handed over to Ukraine more than 2,000 Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Mini attack and reconnaissance drones.

The reason for doubt in these figures was the fact that to date no more than 400 drones of this type have been produced (according to data from March 2022, 300 Bayraktar TB2 drones have been produced (at the same time, Turkey was the largest operator of such weapons, – ed.), in connection with which such deliveries are virtually impossible.

Among other things, the fact of the transfer of more than 100 units of aviation equipment to Ukraine caused no less questions, although today only a few dozen helicopters and airplanes are known to have been delivered to Ukraine.
Запад "поставил" на Украину 2000 беспилотников Bayraktar TB2, но есть нюанс

Here is the grandmother, who did not be able live in peace.
78-year-old pensioner tried to take out of Russia microchips and chips used to create weapons
A 78-year-old pensioner tried to take military microchips and chips to Ukraine in a thermos with compote.

Vigilant guards drew attention to a suspicious pensioner who was quite nervous. Despite the fact that the pensioner was carrying several food containers and a thermos of compote with her, the guards decided to scan the woman's belongings and were amazed when it was found that she was trying to take 175 military microchips and chips to Ukraine through Poland, which can be used to create weapons.

It is known that the 78-year-old pensioner is from Kiev. Exactly how a woman could get military chips remains to be seen, however, the fact that the export of military products was carried out in this way raises suspicions that such a case may not be the only one.

It is not specified for which specific military products contraband chips can be used in Ukraine, however, the woman faces criminal punishment, the severity of which, in all likelihood, remains to be seen, since the pensioner could well have acted as part of an organized group.
78-летняя пенсионерка попыталась вывезти из России микросхемы и чипы, использующиеся для создания вооружения

Люди чудят со всех сторон.
Вот наши "щелкоперы" попытались выпрыгнуть из штанов.
А вот бабушка, которой не жилось спокойно.
 
In Dnepropetrovsk, an air defense missile has traditionally flown into a residential building.
Not a single stage of calibration since October has been without anti-aircraft missiles hitting residential buildings.

😨😨😨

View attachment 69459
View attachment 69460


Aleksey Arestovich, adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine, announced that he had resigned.

On January 14, Arestovich said that part of a house in Dnepropetrovsk had collapsed due to a missile shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. After that, he was sharply criticized by the Ukrainian public. On January 16, Verkhovna Rada deputy Aleksey Goncharenko announced the start of collecting signatures for the dismissal of Arestovich. The parliamentarian accused him of treason for his words about the cause of the collapse of part of the house in Dnepropetrovsk.

Further, what is being discussed in the Russian media and telegram channels.

All this looks very strange, because the deployment of air defense systems in the city is a true crime against the population and the criminal is Zelensky.

When I first saw the photo of the destruction, it seemed doubtful to me that an air defense missile could inflict such damage. I thought that a Russian missile could do such damage. This was confirmed by Arestovich.

However, there are other versions of such a plan that it was a planned blowing up of the building by the Ukrainian side, of course, in order to accuse Russia of attacking civilian objects. It sounds terrible, but this is exactly what the militants of the nationalist battalions have been taught since 2014 - not to spare the lives of civilians (Mariupol, and indeed all of Ukraine, how many victims at the hands of nationalists?).

In any case, this tragedy coincided with the surrender of Soledar, which plays into the hands of Zelensky (information noise) and the upcoming NATO meeting at the Ramstein base.

The Russian side stated that it does not strike at civilian infrastructure.

I think we will find out the truth. What ideas?
 
The Russian side stated that it does not strike at civilian infrastructure.

I think we will find out the truth. What ideas?

It seems true that Russia does not target civilian infrastructure, and why would they? Such buildings have no military advantage, unless occupied by AFU. As for the missile, Arestovich's claim, that a AFU missile defence system hit a Russia missile and caused it to hit the building, seems to be confirmed by video evidence showing two fires in close proximity at the site. That is to say, both the Russian and Ukrainian missiles fell to the ground and caused damage and injuries/deaths
 
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