May 5 Buonsera up-date
Mariupol, Budanov, Hungary, Donor's Event, Putin's health, Special Beer, Black Magic
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.
Here are some other stories we’re following…
The BBC- Ukraine's President Zelensky has appealed to the UN for help in saving the lives of the remaining injured Ukrainians trapped in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
The Russians announced a 3-day ceasefire to evacuate the people in the Avozstal steelworks, and and have now violated their own ceasefire. (predictable)
Putin says Ukraine should order its fighters remaining in the Azovstal steel plant to surrender. (not his call to make)
Iryna Venediktova- “The first stage of the investigation into war crimes in Irpin are completed - inspection of crimes-crime scenes done and 228 witnesses interrogated.”
DW- President said EU will increase aid to Moldova in the field of logistics & cyberdefense and is looking at doing more on military-building capacities.
The latest intelligence update from the British Ministry of Defence focuses on the situation in Belarus, where large-scale military drills were taking place.
Germany is prepared to supply seven Panzerhaubitze 2000 armoured howitzers to Ukraine. President Zelensky has invited German leaders to Kyiv.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to president Zelensky, says the Ukrainian army will not be ready to start a major military counteroffensive against Russia until late June at the earliest.
An international donors' conference for Ukraine took place in Warsaw today. It was co-hosted by Poland and Sweden in co-operation with the EU, with European Commission President von der Leyen and EC president Michel in attendance. The EU has pledged $6.5B in support of Ukraine.
Russian gas giant Gazprom has announced that it will use the onshore capacity of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for Russia's domestic needs.
Russia says its forces have practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in the Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, which is located between EU members Poland and Lithuania.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate ( GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Putin’s goals in the Battle for Donbas:
What do they want to create? In the sick mind of the Russian leadership there are two ideas that they nurture. The first is the reproduction of the Tavriya province, which existed for a short time in the Russian Empire. This is the territory of the Crimea, Kherson region, partly Mykolayiv region and even a little Donetsk region and Zaporozhye, with the administrative center in the city of Simferopol. This is the idea they are pushing for now.
The second idea that is seldom heard, but it is the so-called Heavenly City. These are Odesa region, Kherson region, part of Mykolayiv region, Dnipro city and part of Donetsk region. There was such a concept. I say again: this is a sick mind.
Why do they take people from the territory of the same Mariupol to Russia?
"Please look at history," they always did. The Soviet Union did so in all territories, and Russia continues this shameful practice. Why is this being done? The first is the replacement of the indigenous population with the Russian one, in order to change the socio-demographic picture in the region. The second is resettlement. If you look where they are offered to go, these are exclusively depressed regions, where the main contingent is uneducated non-professional people.
On the stealing of grain and tractors…
They will try to make a demographic crisis, and then a humanitarian one. Only then will they be able to cope with the majority of the population. It is very easy to manipulate the mood of the population when people are deprived of everything and then offered humanitarian aid. In order not to spend millions, they will spend pennies, giving a crumb of bread.
Further reading…
AP evidence points to 600 dead in Mariupol theater airstrike
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — She stood in just her bathrobe in the freezing basement of the Mariupol theater, coated in white plaster dust shaken loose by the explosion. Her husband tugged at her to leave and begged her to cover her eyes.
Hungary- a thread by Szabolcs Panyi, investigative journalist with Direkt36
Worrying rumours circulate as Viktor Orbán is assembling his next government, which could be his most pro-Kremlin ever with multiple ministers having close Russian ties. Hungary's foreign policy, military, national security & cyber defense apparatus could all be affected.
Proekt- Investigation for Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday- Rubin, Sukharev, Maglov, Badanin
It is commonly assumed that by his 23rd year in office, the Russian president is only interested in geopolitics. In fact, there is at least one other issue that concerns Putin at least as much — his own health. It seems that the president has a lot to worry about. In the year of the anniversary of the head of the Russian state, The Project answers the most secret questions of the Kremlin — who treats Putin and from what.
No comment necessary…
Where can I get that?
Something we’ve been keeping our eye on…
WTF with Mo & Livia…the start of a new adventure
Join Livia Ponzio, disinfo expert, and I (not really an expert) on LiberiOltre’s YouTube channel on Tuesdays at 9:30pm CET. We’ve decided to bring info about kinetic and non-kinetic warfare with special guests every week to audiences here in Italy and beyond.
We’re signing off…thanks for reading…
Mo & Scott