Jun 18 The Saturday Edition
Up-date on Ukraine, Lithuania, TikTok, brands still in Russia, Putin's hissy fit, life in the Russian illegally occupied territories, David Knott, Comrade Hitler, Patriarch Kirill, China
Catching up…
EA Worldview’s Ukraine Up-date- hop over to Scott’s amazing hourly Ukraine up-date page. I’ll fill in with some bits and bobs.
People gathered in Protasiv Yar ravine in Kyiv to commemorate Roman Ratushnyi, prominent anti-corruption activist killed in action in a battle in Kharkiv Oblast on Jun 9.
Stories we’re following…
A key highway out of the bombarded Lysychansk is now impassable due to Russian shelling, according to Luhansk's regional governor.
Russia has probably renewed its efforts to advance south to Izium in the past 48 hours, Britain’s defence ministry says.
President Zelensky says the battle for Sievierodonetsk is taking a ‘terrifying’ toll on Ukraine.
The Russian pilot of a Su-25 was shot down this morning and has been captured alive by the ZSU.
The Biden administration’s plan to sell four large, armable drones to Ukraine has been paused on the fear its sophisticated surveillance equipment might fall into enemy hands, according to two people familiar with the matter.
President Zelensky tweeted that the bravery of Ukrainians had created the opportunity for Europe to “create a new history of freedom, and finally remove the grey zone in Eastern Europe between the EU and Russia”.
Lithuania has announced that its goods transit ban to Kaliningrad will take effect today.
A banner declaring “Glory to Ukraine” has appeared at the King’s College Chapel at the University of Cambridge. The sign of support, which reads “Slava Ukraini”, appeared alongside the country’s flag, and was tied between two spires of the church.
Russian state television showed video on Friday of Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh, both from Alabama, two U.S. military veterans who went missing last week while fighting in Ukraine, confirming that the men were taken captive and raising fears about their fate.
US Republican senators on Friday asked the TikTok chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, about reports the social media site had allowed Russian state-approved media content but barred other videos. TikTok said it was looking forward to continuing to engage with members on these issues and answering their questions.
According to Yale University’s list of major Western firms in Russia, only 16 out of 39 major Italian brands are still completely open for business in Russia.
The Moscow Times, Putin called the USSR "historical Russia" and announced his readiness to use nuclear weapons
President Vladimir Putin considers the USSR "historical Russia" and is ready to use nuclear weapons in case of a threat to the sovereignty of the state.
“I spoke publicly and without any hesitation: what is the Soviet Union? This is historical Russia. It so happened, it ceased to exist,” Putin told the guests of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, among whom this year were representatives of the DPR, LPR and the Taliban.
Although the post-Soviet territories are historically Russian lands, Russia, according to the president, has always "respectfully" treated the processes of sovereignization in the republics.
"Brotherly", according to Putin, have become relations with Kazakhstan, whose President Kassym Zhomart Tokayev came to SPIEF. “The same would have happened to Ukraine” if the “military development” of its territory by the West and the creation of a “NATO bridgehead” had not begun, Putin assured.
“The West has fundamentally refused to fulfill its earlier obligations. It turned out to be simply impossible to reach any new agreements with him,” the President said. The decision to conduct a “special military operation” was forced,” he repeated, as the risks and threats rose.
In the event of a threat to the sovereignty of Russia, according to Putin, he is ready to use nuclear weapons, while not considering that they are threatened by someone.
"We're not threatening anything! - he said. “But everyone should know what we have and what we will use if necessary to protect our sovereignty” (quotes from Rossiya-24 and Interfax ).
Yale School of Management, Over 1,000 Companies Have Curtailed Operations in Russia—But Some Remain
Since the invasion of Ukraine began, we have been tracking the responses of well over 1,200 companies, and counting. Over 1,000 companies have publicly announced they are voluntarily curtailing operations in Russia to some degree beyond the bare minimum legally required by international sanctions — but some companies have continued to operate in Russia undeterred.
Life in Russian occupied Mariupol
A group of international investigators and experts have visited war-torn areas near Kyiv, including a burnt-out school, as part of Ukraine’s ongoing investigation into alleged war crimes. One expert said, “The scale of these crimes, the systematic nature of them, it very clearly appears to be crimes against humanity...it runs the whole gamut of violations of international humanitarian law”.
This is how Irpin has changed…
David Nott: The UK war surgeon teaching front line Ukrainian doctors
At a hospital in the east of the country, well within range of Russian rockets, the British surgeon calmly carries out a complicated skin graft, helping to save the leg of a woman who suffered catastrophic injuries in a Russian shelling attack. Midway through the procedure, Prof Nott turns to his assistant - a Ukrainian surgeon called Ivan and says: "Here, you do it."
Taras Kuzio, Unholy War: UK sanctions Putin’s Patriarch for backing Ukraine invasion
Britain has this week imposed sanctions on Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill for his “prominent support of Russian military aggression in Ukraine.” This dramatic step was not entirely unprecedented. The European Union similarly sought to sanction Patriarch Kirill in early June but the initiative was blocked by Hungary.
Sergej Sumlenny, ‘Comrade Hitler’ and Other Russian Fantasies
For over a decade, Russian society has been bombarded with hardcore, revanchist propaganda. The West did not take note.
A typical Russian soldier who is fighting now in Ukraine is about 20 years old. He was born under Vladimir Putin, went to school under Vladimir Putin, was conscripted, and died, or lost his limbs, under Vladimir Putin.
France gears up for new battle: Macron v Mélenchon
Please click on the tweet to play the recording of the French Legislative Elections with Jerome Clavel, Claire Berlinski, Arun Kapil and Anne-Elisabeth Moutet.
Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Simonyte in convo
On the frontlines of democracy in Europe, Lithuania has proven to be a key power in rallying global support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war to wipe out Ukrainian independence and identity. Working together with the other countries in the region, Lithuania has poured military, humanitarian, and economic aid into Ukraine not only to help Ukrainians withstand Russia’s aggression, but to win this fight.
China: a new narrative to hit a deep web channel near you!
In a Bloomberg article, China said its giant Sky Eye telescope may have picked up signs of alien civilizations, according to a report by the state-backed Science and Technology Daily, which then appeared to have deleted the report and posts about the discovery.
OMG. Aliens! I knew it! There is life in space. And so the telegram channels and deep web chat boards ignite in conspiratorial fire.
All conspiracy theories have their roots in the past, some like the Blood Libels, in 12th century Europe, while others in popular culture, as in this case. Our great space guru friend, Robert Zubrin, nails it, “It’s no big deal. They just picked up some stray transmissions from the Vegan orbital fort.
Thanks for reading…
Mo & Scott