[WonderMomma]

Look! It's a Budanov sighting. Here's your proof of life you've been waiting for. But I suppose the DFM is lying or faking this meeting? And the Japanese ambassador? I suppose the fact his head is shaved will be enough to grasp onto to keep pushing that he was injured.

On another note, look at his body language. Wide stance, squinted stare. I see that face a lot with him. I would classify him as someone with an RBF, like me. (resting bitch face)

"Budanov met with Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori, Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova said.

"Not a dummy, all participants of the meeting are alive and well," she wrote on Facebook.

Earlier, Russian propaganda made up a story about the intelligence chief being injured as a result of an alleged missile hitting "the office next to Budanov's." The propagandists wrote that after being wounded, Budanov was taken to a hospital in Berlin."

[WonderMomma]

"The head of the DIU, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the cooler of one of the reactors at Zaporizhzhia NPP was mined. He called it a "certain" threat because the plant is under occupation. If the cooler is blown up, "there will be significant problems."

Budanov also disclosed some details of the Kakhovka HPP explosion: half an hour before the explosion, the Russian command ordered the unit there to leave the station's territory very quickly. At the same time, a special forces group arrived at the hydroelectric power plant, "and after that, what happened happened.""

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by WonderMomma ↗

"The Hungarian government denies the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia

"Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Prime Minister's Office knew about this, and there is serious indignation in the government about this action," the interlocutors of the Hungarian service of Radio Liberty say, explaining this in particular by the unwillingness to further worsen the already very poor relations between Kyiv and Budapest.

All the sources of the publication unanimously state that the release of prisoners of war was carried out under the sole leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Semjén and his personal contacts with the Russian Orthodox Church."
Attachment 1188497

NO MEDIA: " Ukraine has returned three out of 11 prisoners of war from Hungary, Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said. They are already at home. Ukrainian diplomats are working to return the others."

====

I haven't posted anything about the whole 2024 Olympics in Paris drama... there's been a lot of back and forth about Russian athletes being banned, not banned and then the topic of them competing under a "neutral" flag. But I am sharing this bit:

"Mikhail Mamiashvili, head of the Russian Wrestling Federation, speaking on the idea to only allow Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics under neutral flag:

“If that’s what they want, our athletes should go to Paris in tanks.""

[kellyhound]

[Rikbikboo]

Russian guy gets paid 1million roubles as reward for destroying a leopard tank

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-r...putin-12541713

And Donald Trump says he’s such a rude boy he could end the war in just 24 hours cos him and PooTin are like peas an a pod. Holding each other’s dicks.

[WonderMomma]

Originally Posted by Rikbikboo ↗

And Donald Trump says he’s such a rude boy he could end the war in just 24 hours cos him and PooTin are like peas an a pod. Holding each other’s dicks.

[duntez]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyOutpost ↗

You fight with the army you have, not wish for. Plus waiting longer is a mistake. Russians had enough time to prepare already



Good question. I think this was a mistake to wait this long, too much rain/wet ground is one thing but giving your enemy ample time to prepare is a bigger mistake



They seem to have quite a few de-mining vehicles and portable systems, either UR-77, M58's and mine plows/rollers for tanks. Intercepted phone calls between Russians in Zaporizhia and OSINT community updates don't seem to indicate any lack of UA artillery there.



Because the armor is generally better but it could be added, still. ERA is mostly a Russian thing to augment lower quality armor on their machines and to cater to modern concern for the lives of the crewmen. Western tanks have ballistic compartments for ammunition, which is why you see zero Leopards with popped turrets. You can't put standard Soviet era ERA panels on M113's because their armor is too thin to withstand the detonation of the ERA panel itself.

This is a marathon, not a 100m dash.

One thing I get super annoyed with on social media is that non-military people seem to think that western tanks, or tanks in general, "should" be invincible. They're not and never will be. My biggest fears as an M1 tank platoon leader were two things:

1. Water
2. Modern ATGM's



When attacking "rush" is a given. You need that for a variety of reasons.

Ukrainians are steadily shooting down Russian air assets and Russia can't make any more of them due to so many of their important components being of western manufacture, which are heavily sanctioned. Their air power is a fraction of what it was months ago.

This is war. Tanks are knocked out, aircraft get shot down, infantry get shelled. People die, especially during offensive operations. But neither side will stop until the other is militarily defeated, and from my take on all this it seems obvious Russian MoD did not foresee how this would work out, they have US Vietnam casualties almost x4, USSR Afghanistan casualties x14 in only a year and a half. If I was anyone within the upper levels of the Russian MoD, I would have some very serious, dire concerns and I'd probably be making some sort of plan to leave the country with my family at the earliest opportunity.

1. You fight with what you have when there is no one to back you up. In this case 30+ countries helping you out. Airplanes are promised. Why not and wait and do it right. Might save you a couple of thousands soldiers .

2. Few yes…I saw them. It’s just looks like that’s not enough at all.

3. Media marketing on western equipment was crazy. I bet half Ukrainians thought 10 leopards once they start moving forward will stop only on the beaches of Krimea


Not sure about Russians are not able to build choppers or w/e. Rockets were supposed to be finishes a year ago due to the same problem. There are always India, Turkey, China maybe Kazakhstan at least to help them with staff like that and more.

[Roosta]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyOutpost ↗

Of all things that's your opinion on this.

Take your deluded opinion and shove it right up your ass

I second that motion !


Reuters

GE stops servicing gas power turbines in Russia - Kommersant

Story by Reuters • Yesterday 2:56 pm

(Reuters) - General Electric has stopped servicing gas turbines at thermal power plants in Russia, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday, citing sources in power generating companies.

General Electric suspended its operations in Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine, with the exception of providing essential medical equipment and supporting existing power services in the region.

Kommersant reported that General Electric "without explanation" stopped servicing gas turbines at Russian thermal power plants on Monday.

[duntez]

Originally Posted by Roosta ↗

Reuters

GE stops servicing gas power turbines in Russia - Kommersant

Story by Reuters • Yesterday 2:56 pm

(Reuters) - General Electric has stopped servicing gas turbines at thermal power plants in Russia, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday, citing sources in power generating companies.

General Electric suspended its operations in Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine, with the exception of providing essential medical equipment and supporting existing power services in the region.

Kommersant reported that General Electric "without explanation" stopped servicing gas turbines at Russian thermal power plants on Monday.

Only now? Lmao

[Guns N' Coffee]

Originally Posted by Roosta ↗

Reuters

Kommersant reported that General Electric "without explanation" stopped servicing gas turbines at Russian thermal power plants on Monday.

Well, this isn't helping:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business...ern-companies/

Putin moves to seize assets of ‘naughty’ Western companies fleeing Russia
Kremlin move would make it harder for companies to leave Russia

Vladimir Putin has signed a secret decree to seize the assets of Western companies and make it harder for them to leave Russia.

The Kremlin last week signed an order that will allow officials to appropriate “naughty” Western assets at cut-price rates and is also considering measures to fully nationalise businesses, the Financial Times reported.

The move would give the Russian state priority rights to buy any Western asset for sale at a “significant discount” so they can ultimately be sold at a profit.

It will also require all private buyers of Western companies to either be fully Russian-held or in the process of axing all foreign shareholders.

Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, told the Financial Times that Western investors and companies were “more than welcome” in Russia but added that others had stopped paying salaries entirely or had moved to leave the country at a huge loss.

He added: “If a company doesn’t fulfill its obligations, then, of course, it goes in the category of naughty companies. We say goodbye to those companies. And what we do with their assets after that is our business.”

It comes after a number of Western corporate giants chose to stay in Russia despite Putin’s war against Ukraine.

Philip Morris International, the tobacco giant which makes Marlboro cigarettes, recently said it would “rather keep” its business in Russia despite lining up three credible buyers.

Unilever chief executive Alan Jope has said exiting the country “is not straightforward” and refused to “abandon” approximately 3,000 employees in Russia or let its assets fall into the hands of the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Heineken said in February that it is grappling with “the very real risk” of Russia nationalising its local business.

The Dutch brewer has been warned by Russian officials that suspending or closing its local operations would be deemed “intentional bankruptcy”, a criminal offence which could see the Kremlin appoint external managers for the business.

French companies have come under particular fire for remaining in Russia, with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, last year accusing a series of businesses in the country of “sponsoring the Russian war machine”.