Ukraine 6

[Hoodat]

"Liberators and protectors"

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1945570268086505692

[Hoodat]

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1945370553965023255

[Hoodat]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1945438621353582911

[MeganC]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1945438621353582911

A related comment is that the Lusitania may have failed to get some 150 Americans to Europe but she eventually brought two million Americans to Europe.

Russia killing American diplomats in Ukraine would be such a thing.

[Hoodat]

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1m1vmb4/the_completely_destroyed_serebryansky_forest_in/

[Hoodat]

from r/UkraineWarVideoReport

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1m0vfzd/ukrainian_68th_jaeger_brigade_continues_to/

[BobfromWB]

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 16, 2025

Excerpts:
The Kremlin is recycling several longstanding informational narratives, including nuclear threats, in a renewed effort to break the United States away from Ukraine and the NATO alliance. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed on July 16 that all provisions of Russia's nuclear doctrine, including the responsibility of nuclear countries to not “incite” non-nuclear states, remain in effect and that nuclear states must “answer” for “inciting” non-nuclear states.

Russia updated its nuclear doctrine in Fall 2024 to include a clause stipulating that Russia will consider aggression against it by a non-nuclear state with the support or participation of a nuclear power as a joint attack on Russia, likely in an effort to deter Western support for Ukraine during critical Western policy discussions in late 2024. Peskov claimed that “Europeans maintain a rabid militaristic attitude towards Moscow” ...

Peskov also called on the international community to pressure Ukraine into bilateral negotiations with Russia ­­­­­­­­­­- a reversal of Western calls to pressure Russia into meaningful bilateral negotiations to end the war - likely to falsely portray Russia as willing to negotiate while undermining Ukraine's credibility. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed on July 15 that Russia's war in Ukraine is aimed at eliminating “the threats that NATO has created” on Russia's borders.

The Kremlin ... has shifted its objective from preventing new support for Ukraine to reversing recent support and breaking the United States away from its transatlantic allies, likely in response to President Trump‘s recent demonstration of the United States’ reinvigorated commitment to arming Ukraine and supporting NATO. Trump reaffirmed in late June 2025 that the United States will uphold NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause and recently demanded that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement by September 2 or risk stringent US secondary tariffs.

The Kremlin is prioritizing informational campaigns aimed at undermining NATO unity and stoking discontent between the United States and its European allies in order to degrade Ukraine's defense capabilities and achieve its longstanding war aims that amount to Ukraine's capitulation.

Russian forces conducted a large series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine overnight on July 15 to 16, heavily targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure ...

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces downed 198 Shahed-type drones and that 145 decoy drones were “lost” or suppressed by Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) systems. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the Russian strike ... also damaged civilian, industrial, and energy infrastructure in Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the Russian strikes mainly damaged energy infrastructure and that authorities were working to restore power to Kryvyi Rih. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast officials and Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported that Russian forces launched 1 Iskander-M ballistic missile each against both Kryvyi Rih and Odesa Oblast.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces only launched 1 Iskander-M ballistic missile overnight, and Odesa Oblast officials did not report a ballistic missile strike in the oblast, so it is unclear whether Russian forces launched 2 ballistic missiles overnight. Ukrainian Center for Combatting Disinformation Head Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko reported that Russian forces continue targeting Ukrainian cities with large drone swarms.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-16-2025

[BobfromWB]

Kremlin snuffbox/Кремлевская табакерка, July 16, 2025

"Otherwise, the enemies will run around and talk about Putin's death." Russia is stepping up the fight against those who are hindering the Victory in the North-East, indulging the West and disrupting the increase in the birth rate

Many were upset by plans to fine Russians for searching and viewing extremist information, using and advertising VPNs, and so on. We reached out to sources in the Kremlin for an explanation of this initiative.

A source close to the President responded to a question about what is happening: "We are entering a difficult period. It will be accompanied by crises, pressure from the West, and the continuation of the SVO, which some unreasonable people will consider a delay. Our goal is Victory. Therefore (I am speaking quite openly) Russia needs stricter control over information flows than it has now. Without this, we will not win."

The source demonstrated the need for such tightening with an example. "Now I can go online and read, for example, about the death of our President Putin. About the death of our almost only hope that the SVO will last as long as necessary and will not end before the Victory. Do you think it is normal for enemies to continue running around and telling everyone about the death of Vladimir Vladimirovich? Therefore, it is necessary to take measures. And punish those Russians who will consume and spread harmful information. The process is not without excesses, but I hope that they will all be corrected," the AP representative said.

Another said the changes in control of the information space were part of a broader effort to address "the threats that Russia faces."

"We are stepping up the fight against those who are hindering the Victory in the North-Eastern Military District, including through information. With those who indulge the West and bring us its false values. With the enemies who are disrupting our fight to increase the birth rate. I don't want to do this, but the time has come when we cannot do without tough actions. Moreover, we are mainly talking about fines. I don't understand the reasons for the panic. The same applies to the fight against extremist organizations. The problem has matured and is overripe. And let everyone stop calling what is happening repressions, it's nonsense!" the channel's interlocutor is sure.

https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/5931

[Free Vulcan]

Zelenskyy shakes up Ukrainian Cabinet, appointing a new prime minister to reinvigorate war effort



Ukraine’s economy minister and the key negotiator in the mineral deal with the U.S, Yuliia Svyrydenko, was appointed as its new prime minister Thursday, becoming the country's first new head of government since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Svyrydenko is one of a group of officials taking on new roles in Ukraine's government, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reshuffles the Cabinet in a bid to energize a war-weary nation and boost domestic weapons production in the face of Russia's grinding invasion.

https://www.ajc.com/news/2025/07/zelenskyy-shakes-up-ukrainian-cabinet-appointing-a-new-prime-minister-to-reinvigorate-war-effort/

[Free Vulcan]

Trump and NATO just changed the Ukraine war — now Putin must be forced to choose

...But to end the war without another three years of attrition, more is needed — and Trump, ironically, is uniquely suited to deliver it.

Trump has the political license to challenge his base, scorn for diplomatic convention and a certain form of credibility — however grudging, fearful and disdainful — with leaders across the political spectrum. He can make a bold offer to test Putin’s seriousness and unstick this war.

Trump should say he is willing to recognize Russian sovereignty at the current battle lines, including a narrow land bridge to Crimea through parts of Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk that Russia already holds (about one-fifth of Ukraine’s land). This would not be moral approval, but sober acceptance of military reality. Ukraine is unlikely to retake these areas without years of fighting; the Ukrainians will likely grumble, but not much more than that....

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/5402539-trump-and-nato-just-changed-the-ukraine-war-now-putin-must-be-forced-to-choose/

[BobfromWB]

Kremlin snuffbox/Кремлевская табакерка July 17, 2025

To die for Russia is the highest happiness. And Belousov or Gerasimov can set an example. Philosopher Dugin responded to the military's claims

We reported: the military harshly criticized Alexander Dugin for calling for the liberation of four new regions of Russia within the next 50 days, as well as the capture of Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev. And they accused the philosopher of humiliating our soldiers.

"I know one thing: to die for Russia is the highest happiness. To fall for it on the battlefield means to immediately become a saint. I did not want to offend any of the military, but I hope that they all remember these simple truths," said Alexander Gelyevich on this occasion.

At the same time, he admitted that he was disappointed with the command of our army. "Defense Minister Belousov, Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov ... I communicate with the military. And I have heard many different opinions that indicate that it is because of their actions that we are slowly advancing at the front and may not defeat the enemy in 50, or even 150 days. I believe (and I am not joking!) that Belousov or Gerasimov could have shown an example of that very self-sacrifice, heroically falling for Russia. Then, perhaps, our war would have been much more successful," Dugin noted.

He separately reproached the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff for the fact that Russia has still not declared a total mobilization of several million people.

The Defense Ministry and Gerasimov's entourage were surprised by the philosopher's words. But they refused to comment on what a source close to Belousov called "these fantasies of an unhealthy person."

By the way, Dugin repeated his thesis that it would be better to fight and unite around the idea of Russia's Victory, which could be "helped" by the enemy's missile strikes on Moscow and other large cities. "I wrote recently that the enemy will strike Moscow. These actions of his must be used for Victory in the war," explained Alexander Gelyevich.

https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets

[BobfromWB]

[Free Vulcan]

Russia tightens its stranglehold on Ukraine battlefield as Trump gifts Putin 50-day window



US President Donald Trump’s 50-day pause ahead of possible secondary sanctions on Russia gifts the Kremlin a window to exploit the incremental gains of recent weeks, which analysts say increasingly put key Ukrainian strongholds in the east in peril.

Russia is thought to be days or weeks away from surging into a heightened summer offensive, perhaps using the 160,000 troops Ukrainian officials have said are amassing near their front lines. But in the past two weeks, Russia has also made small but vital advances, placing its forces in a better position to cut off Ukrainian troops in three key towns – Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka and Kupiansk – on the eastern front line.

The Kremlin appeared unperturbed by the new Trump deadline, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying on Tuesday: “Fifty days – it used to be 24 hours; it used to be 100 days; we’ve been through all of this.”

Analysts said the new time frame boded well for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals. Keir Giles from Chatham House wrote Tuesday that it also provided space for Moscow on the diplomatic stage. “The deadline of 50 days gives Russia plenty of time to concoct its own alternative plan, and once again outmanoeuvre Washington through a diplomatic ploy which Trump may well accept willingly… Trump’s latest extension of his notional deadlines for Putin extends Ukraine’s suffering for the same arbitrary period.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/europe/ukraine-russia-frontline-summer-offensive-intl

[BobfromWB]

The Russian leadership has not just seen the light at the end of the tunnel of continuous problems, but rather has been blinded by a spotlight.

The reason for the sudden joy and hope for the hawks was the Chinese comrades, who this week approached the Politburo with an offer of unprecedented generosity. Beijing is offering a serious loan on preferential terms, and also assures that if the United States introduces the sanctions announced by Donald Trump, they will be ready to secretly provide direct military assistance.

The Politburo was impressed by the proposed loan amount, but even more so by the offer of possible military assistance. Representatives of the Russian leadership inquired about what types of weapons and what volumes were being discussed, and received the answer: supposedly, we will agree if Trump introduces sanctions.

In fact, China is provoking Russia to continue the war, taking on part of the financial obligations and offering military support at a fundamentally new level. It is not yet very clear how honest the Chinese are in their promises, nor is it clear whether a loan will be provided in the event of a truce between Russia and Ukraine. If Beijing links the provision of a loan on preferential terms to the continuation of the war, and the European Union refuses to lift some of the sanctions against Russia in response to a possible truce, the positions of the hawks in the Politburo may strengthen somewhat.

https://t.me/generalsvr/3300

[MeganC]

Chinese Diplomat Defects, Leaks Secrets, Putin Enraged! China Fears, Tanks Roll Into Beijing


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTTSvKejWdw&t=314s

"Yuan Hongbing, a famous Australian legal scholar, recently revealed to the media that in late May this year, a senior official from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, upset by upper-level suppression, defected to Russia with top-secret documents, directly seeking refuge with Putin. The documents exposed that the CCP had already prepared two plans in case the Russian regime collapsed during the war in Ukraine. It is said that Putin was furious upon seeing the documents and almost fainted."

China's primary plan if Russia fails to conquer Ukraine is to invade Siberia up to the Ural Mountains, install a puppet Communist government and then occupy and defacto annex Siberia.

I have been saying this for years that China will invade Siberia long before they invade Taiwan. Taiwan is just a distraction so the Chinese can cover their eventual preparations to invade Siberia with a classic Sun Tsu misdirection. 

And this is the case. 

[BobfromWB]

Chinese Diplomat Defects, Leaks Secrets, Putin Enraged! China Fears, Tanks Roll Into Beijing

"Yuan Hongbing, a famous Australian legal scholar, recently revealed to the media that in late May this year, a senior official from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, upset by upper-level suppression, defected to Russia with top-secret documents, directly seeking refuge with Putin. The documents exposed that the CCP had already prepared two plans in case the Russian regime collapsed during the war in Ukraine. It is said that Putin was furious upon seeing the documents and almost fainted."

China's primary plan if Russia fails to conquer Ukraine is to invade Siberia up to the Ural Mountains, install a puppet Communist government and then occupy and defacto annex Siberia.

I have been saying this for years that China will invade Siberia long before they invade Taiwan. Taiwan is just a distraction so the Chinese can cover their eventual preparations to invade Siberia with a classic Sun Tsu misdirection. 

And this is the case. 

Invading Taiwan would involve major casualties for the PLA & quite possibly trigger an overthrown of the CCP; taking the Russian Central & Far East would be minimal PLA casualties and is an acceptable loss for Chinese families.
 

[Free Vulcan]

I seriously doubt China could take and hold Siberia, much less manage it. They simply aren't equipped to do so, and why would they want to anyway?

Taiwan could be taken much easier by infiltration and subterfuge.

I know carving up Russia is a fever dream of some here, but I'm not sure they'd like the consequences.

[Hoodat]

Anton Gerashchenko
@Gerashchenko_en

Medvedev proposed launching preventive strikes against NATO countries.

In an interview with TASS, he stated that Russia needs to strike first, rather than wait for attacks from the Alliance, because the West "still has not only treachery 'running through its veins' but also a sick, deeply outdated notion of its own superiority."

"And we need to behave accordingly. Respond in full measure. For Western elites, an independent, strong Russia has always been a historical anomaly. And a very convincing refutation of their 'civilizational superiority.' What is happening today - a proxy war, but in essence a full-scale war, sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarization of Europe - is yet another attempt to destroy the 'historical anomaly' hated by the West. Our country - Russia," he said.

Medvedev said that Moscow, having started the war with the aim of 'demilitarizing' and 'denazifying' Ukraine, gave it "a chance to stop being a pawn" in someone else's "bloody geopolitical games," adding that it's also necessary to conduct "deparasitation" in Ukraine.



11:03 AM · Jul 17, 2025  ·  18.1K Views

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1945861967052415353

[Hoodat]

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1945659528835436765

[MeganC]

I seriously doubt China could take and hold Siberia, much less manage it. They simply aren't equipped to do so, and why would they want to anyway?

Taiwan could be taken much easier by infiltration and subterfuge.

I know carving up Russia is a fever dream of some here, but I'm not sure they'd like the consequences.

Russia only has about twelve million people living east of the Urals and they've gutted their Far East forces for the Ukrainian war effort. If ever China would be able to retake Siberia it is now.

[MeganC]

I know carving up Russia is a fever dream of some here, but I'm not sure they'd like the consequences.

Defending Russia again. Noted. 

[Free Vulcan]

Defending Russia again. Noted. 

Still on Z's payroll I see.

[Free Vulcan]

Russia only has about twelve million people living east of the Urals and they've gutted their Far East forces for the Ukrainian war effort. If ever China would be able to retake Siberia it is now.

Why do you want to start wars and have nations carve up Russia? How are nations like China  or Iran any better?

Do you think that because you don't (so you say) want American troops dying there that somehow it's ok to warmonger with every other country's troops?

[Canuck Conservative]

Why do you want to start wars

You're wrong, nobody here wants to start a war, you must be thinking of Evil Putin

He's the only one who's attacked & invaded a sovereign country for no reason, starting a war

[Free Vulcan]

You're wrong, nobody here wants to start a war, you must be thinking of Evil Putin

He's the only one who's attacked & invaded a sovereign country for no reason, starting a war

I assume then you would consider China taking Siberia the same thing, or any other country trying to get a piece of collapsed Russia.

[Canuck Conservative]

Putin's reasoning for invading Ukraine was that "if a country owned the land in the past, then it can claim it now"

So, using Putin's logic, then China has right to re-take the Amur Lands, Japan has a right to re-take the Kamchatka Peninsula & Sakhalin Island, Finland & Sweden can re-take the Karelian Peninsula, etc.

Do you accept Putin's logic?

[DefiantMassRINO]

A lot of nations have prior standing claims to Russian territory.  So, if Putin wants to go there ...

What about the Mongol Empire?  They used to own quite a bit of Russian real estate.

Poland and Lithuania used to own some and Belarus and Russian territory.

The French have a claim to Moscow after Napoleone Bonaparte occupied it.

The Turks used to own the much of the Caucasus region.

[Free Vulcan]

Putin's reasoning for invading Ukraine was that "if a country owned the land in the past, then it can claim it now"

So, using Putin's logic, then China has right to re-take the Amur Lands, Japan has a right to re-take the Kamchatka Peninsula & Sakhalin Island, Finland & Sweden can re-take the Karelian Peninsula, etc.

Do you accept Putin's logic?

Apparently you do, which saddens but doesn't surprise me Cap'n Queeg.

I mean hell, let's take every territorial dispute around the planet and let's just go to war. Cuz Russia did it! Light it up!

[Canuck Conservative]

Personal insults? Go to FR, you'll be right at home there.

Actually, I oppose Putin's logic, which is why I continually oppose & criticize Russia.

On the other side, YOU have never criticized Putin's invasion, which suggest that you are the one that agrees with his twisted thinking.

[Hoodat]

I know carving up Russia is a fever dream of some here, but I'm not sure they'd like the consequences.

Defending Russia again. Noted. 

I don't see that statement as "defending Russia".  Actions have consequences.  I certainly wouldn't want China making a land-grab in Siberia.

[BobfromWB]

A lot of nations have prior standing claims to Russian territory.  So, if Putin wants to go there ...

What about the Mongol Empire?  They used to own quite a bit of Russian real estate.

Poland and Lithuania used to own some and Belarus and Russian territory.

The French have a claim to Moscow after Napoleone Bonaparte occupied it.

The Turks used to own the much of the Caucasus region.

And Ukraine has a claim on the name 'Rus' which was stolen by Peter the so-called Great from the Kivian Rus' Empire.

[BobfromWB]

Personal insults? Go to FR, you'll be right at home there.

Actually, I oppose Putin's logic, which is why I continually oppose & criticize Russia.

On the other side, YOU have never criticized Putin's invasion, which suggest that you are the one that agrees with his twisted thinking.

He's just another Martin Armstrong shill - to be ignored.