Increased use of electronic warfare has forced both sides to use larger antennas for FPV #drones. This video shows one result. It is not clear how well this would work on a windy day.https://t.co/xfUChF5nBG pic.twitter.com/qJPX8ctNWI

DanielR  (@DanielR33187703) April 25, 2024

Head of Russian Karelia suggested paying 100 thousand rubles (about $1,000)  to female students who have their first child before 25.

He said the earlier they start having kids, the more likely they are to have a lot of them.

Putin needs his cannon fodder. https://t.co/UIGlpiyFQC pic.twitter.com/wJi0Kq0yAo

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 26, 2024

Contrary to what some people think, the 4S24 is a very weak ERA and cannot protect the BMP from tandem, At least it's something.  

4S24  Hit by a PG-9 https://t.co/RLqo5Pp2Gj pic.twitter.com/HEWVvtWvkx

— 2S7 pion (trost) MK II (@Pion_2S7) April 26, 2024

Strategic communication to whom it may concern\uD83E\uDDBE

Another jaw-breaking video \uD83D\uDC47 made by \uD83C\uDDEB\uD83C\uDDF7 French procurement agency @DGA showing the synchronized launch (and impact) of two MdCN cruise missiles from a SSN and a destroyer during trials. https://t.co/w7RSLjGjfn pic.twitter.com/6P2OnVMZQu

— M51.4ever (@M51_4ever) April 26, 2024

Video

La DGA a publié sur Linkedin (\uD83D\uDE44) cette vidéo détaillée de la double frappe simultanée de MdCN réalisée le 18 avril : pic.twitter.com/NJTZ06DPLM

Thomas Schumacher  (@PaxAquitania) April 26, 2024

Drones are soooo crazy \uD83D\uDE33 esp these types. pic.twitter.com/YmawHqSdkJ

— American Patriot\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83E\uDD1D\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDEE\uD83C\uDDF1 (@ChristLover_12) April 26, 2024

A massive fire engulfed three petroleum tanks in Omsk, Russia, on April 25, covering an area of 1,000 square meters. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and it is the third incident in 36 hours involving the Russian oil industry.

The event sparked online discussions, with… pic.twitter.com/acWz36AuIC

— Paul Healey \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6 \uD83C\uDF40\uD83E\uDDD9 (@Ukraine_Oracle) April 25, 2024

One Russian general and member of the State Duma Defense Committee lied to the Russians that there were supposedly no mobilised people left at all, because they had all signed contracts, and the rest had already gone home, and supposedly no one in the Russian army fights against… pic.twitter.com/LKzo5VxaOe

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 26, 2024

Not the standard FPV drones we have seen.  

Targeting the driver pic.twitter.com/bj7GGQOC9y

Getty  (@gettylegion) April 26, 2024

Old technology, but neat.  You can see when the end of the runway is seen by the Tomahawk, it corrects itself to be in line with the runway, the flash is a periodic aid for when the Tomahawk flew at night so it could compare the terrain it was seeing with what was in the missile memory.

DSMAC match at the very start of the runway and the camera flash at the end make this a good one pic.twitter.com/VWlrLdswqg

— Samuel Hayden (@samuel_hayden_) April 25, 2024

And yes, it is dispensing cluster munitions.


Old 1993 test footage of the same model, but capable of being flown by a human being because of a live video downlink.  The pilot is making bombing runs on simulated airfield targets.  The beeping is his altitude warning indicator.




This is 14 years old, but shows the ever increasing capability of the Tomahawk.  The below is Blk IV, we are on Blk V now.

??If \uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDF3China does not take measures to solve the problem with \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFARussian support, \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8Washington will do it, - Blinken after negotiations with Xi Jinping pic.twitter.com/AP9bJqREjx

— \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 26, 2024

NSFW.

SSO neutralizes the enemy in the Donetsk region pic.twitter.com/Iit8ecSyPw

TOGA  (@TOGAjano21) April 26, 2024

Without giving away any secrets, how effective are Tomahawks against Russian ADA? Are they stealthy? Or is the stealthy stuff a whole different missile? Whatever Israel used in Iran seemed to work pretty good assuming the S300 crew were not sleeping or at prayer...

I just dont think Blinken or any of the Xiden Admin. clowns have ANY gravitas with China or anyone else. They have given it all away cheap.

Interesting combo of kamikaze and package delivery drones. Looks to be more effective. Drop some bombs and then go dive in. The "final" or peak design evolution of these drones will be interesting. Now they are just cobbled together as fast and as cheap as possible but once the mad scientists of the MIC get to work studying what works the final products may be especially scary.

Once the drones have you, it's over. I guess it's best to just run in different directions and hope that your cardio and gymnastics skills outlast the drone battery.

There have been modifications to the Tomahawk to make them have a lower radar cross section.  Seeing the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles regularly hit Russian S-400 and S-300 sites means that the Tomahawk still has a place in being able to hit or sneak around such air defenses to hit their targets.  Plus there are other decoy cruise missiles like the ADM-160 that can help even the older missiles penetrate air defenses as we have seen done in Ukraine.

Things like JASSM-ER are much more stealthy than Storm Shadow and Tomahawk, so those would probably be more ideal to go after Russian long range radars and other targets heavily defended with an integrated air defence system.

We are fortunate to have a wide range of tools for various targets.

The Israelis used the Rafael Rocks air launched ballistic missile, so this was a tool that works for them.  There is public documentation that these warheads can have an anti radiation capability, so a long range anti radar missile.






Two Storm shadows flying over a long range SAM site with TOR short range air defense nearby.

Non-combatant Russians that I interact with on TG (relatives, spouses friends of ChMobiks) have recently shown a high degree of concern about the need for international laws or conventions on the "humanitarian" use of FPV attack drones against unprotected foot soldiers.

It is… pic.twitter.com/0Ml9DBVtxz

— OSINT (Uri) \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8 \uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6 \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDE7 \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 \uD83C\uDDEE\uD83C\uDDF1 (@UKikaski) April 25, 2024

??\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian soldiers from the 79th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade damage two \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFARussian Armored Fighting Vehicles and infantry using FPV pic.twitter.com/Ffvfl6YH9a

— \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 25, 2024

https://bitlyanews.com/internacionales/bolivia-y-rusia-ponen-a-alba-como-contrapeso-a-la-otan-en-america-latina-es-una-alternativa-de-union/

The faster they learn that China never was or will be an ally with the west, the better.

South Korea’s military authorities have decided to procure SM-3 missiles for the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy’s Aegis destroyers to intercept ballistic missiles \uD83C\uDDF0\uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDF8\uD83D\uDE80 #BMDhttps://t.co/pUfKB2d9Cc

Naval News  (@navalnewscom) April 26, 2024

Unbelievable.

What does it mean when (for instance) NK disappears completely from the news cycle?

Domestically? IMO, you’ll only hear about NK on a slow news day, most people don’t really care.
The people who do care will report on it just about every day.


After Zhao Leji’s Visit, What’s Next for China-North Korea Relations?
Recently, North Korea’s relations with Russia have seemingly outpaced ties with China. But Pyongyang has more to gain from China than from Russia.

By Lee Sang-yong
April 26, 2024


A Chinese party and government delegation led by Zhao Leji, the third-highest ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, made a visit to North Korea on April 11-13. Zhao’s visit has attracted significant attention from the international community, with experts predicting a likely increase of cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang in the near future.

North Korea’s relations with China seem weaker compared to its relations with Russia. Pyongyang and Moscow have significantly boosted their economic, political, diplomatic, and military cooperation since the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last year.

For instance, while Russia sent Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang last year to commemorate the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, China sent Li Hongzhong, a lower-ranking official who is vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

Beijing decided to send a higher-level official like Zhao to North Korea this time, suggesting that it may intend to strengthen ties with Pyongyang.

Another factor that likely influenced China’s decision is the perception that China is manipulating North Korea within the framework of a new Cold War with the United States. As such, from China’s perspective, cozy ties between Russia and North Korea, both internationally defiant states, are a major variable, and Beijing means to show the international community that its relations with Pyongyang remain solid.

From North Korea’s perspective, the fact is that it has more to gain from China than from Russia. Even though Russia is reportedly sending rice, flour, and oil products (such as gasoline and diesel) to North Korea, China could send much larger quantities of those same products if it chose to. The same goes for tourism. While Russia accounts for a small number of tourists to North Korea, Pyongyang may see tourism from China as a great opportunity to generate funds.

Moreover, another key variable that North Korea must keep in mind is the fact that there is no guarantee that Russia’s war in Ukraine will continue indefinitely. Although North Korea is taking advantage of Russia’s “war economy” by sending weapons in exchange for food, Pyongyang surely knows that this arrangement has an expiration date. Accordingly, it can be concluded that cooperation with China is necessary for North Korea to achieve its long-term political and economic aims.

Since China and North Korea’s interests align, Beijing sent a high-level official to Pyongyang, and the two sides are highly likely to take steps to further improve relations in the near future.

Even within North Korea, some see it as entirely possible that Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping will hold a summit this year to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. There are rumors that preparations and discussions are being carried out behind the scenes in connection with a possible Kim visit to China, followed by a return visit by Xi to North Korea.

The Possibility of Wide-ranging Collaboration Between North Korea and China

What will China-North Korea relations look like moving forward?

First of all, it is highly likely that the movement of people between the two countries will increase significantly. Mutual exemptions have already been made for diplomatic visas and other visas related to official government business. When diplomatic representatives from the two countries are in close communication, they can play the role of enablers, helping expand each other’s influence in the international community.

The possibility of increased economic cooperation is also likely in the form of Chinese traders going to North Korea to discuss the establishment of joint ventures. All these forms of cooperation could be interpreted as falling under the category of official “government business.” Under this broad definition of cooperation, North Korea will actively seek to send students to China and could also use student visas as a pretext for sending not only workers but also cyber experts (such as hackers).

Since North Korea’s IT experts are being closely monitored by the international community, many will have to be replaced. Pyongyang’s plan seems to be using unknown individuals to carry out cyberattacks and virtual currency theft. North Korea’s  sprawling and illicit foreign currency-earning operations will likely expand under Chinese protection.

Also noteworthy is how China and North Korea agreed to ease customs-related quarantine measures. That is related to the “20×10 regional development policy” that Kim Jong Un has been promoting. North Korea’s goal now is to gain quick access to the raw materials and intermediate materials necessary for the construction of factories in rural North Korea.

Pyongyang seems to have concluded that taking such steps is needed to circumvent international sanctions and that relying on its “big brother” China can help it get projects off the ground. Also, given the mutual visa exemptions for government business mentioned above, it is now easier for Chinese investors to visit North Korea. As a result, Pyongyang seems to expect that the construction of factories in the countryside will be accelerated thanks to Chinese investment.

Second, we should not overlook cooperation in the cultural field. Particularly noteworthy here are the mutual translation and publication of classical works and cooperation in TV and radio broadcasting. North Korea is trying to keep a lid on South Korean entertainment and publications while simultaneously bringing in Chinese works on a large scale. That can be seen as Pyongyang’s strategy for rooting out interest in the “Korean Wave” from the minds of its citizens.

North Korean authorities seem to believe that if they can provide the public with an unlimited supply of Chinese movies translated into Korean, they can satisfy North Korean people’s desire for foreign content while nipping ideological defections in the bud. Pyongyang may also assume that China’s abundance of media centered on anti-Japan and socialist ideology could serve the dual purpose of reinforcing government-approved ideology among the masses.

As such, a large amount of Chinese media is being imported and translated under the oversight and control of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Once this work is done, the apparent plan is to upload this Chinese content to North Korea’s video streaming service “My Companion” so that North Koreans can freely watch it.

Third, North Korea and China are also likely to strengthen cooperation in surveillance and control. Since many North Koreans go to China, it is important for the North Korean authorities to figure out how best to manage and supervise these citizens. Accordingly, many North Korean security agents will be sent to China and request close cooperation with Chinese authorities to monitor North Korean workers there. (According to some reports, an arrangement has already been reached for mutual cooperation in this area).

That makes it highly likely that China’s intelligence authorities will cooperate closely with North Korea on monitoring and arresting North Korean workers in China for problematic behavior. Ultimately, the political freedom of North Korean workers will likely be violated in China, just as it currently is in Russia.

What should the international community’s role be here? The first thing is to keep an eye on when and how North Korean workers are sent to China. We also need to make note of who comes in as students and carefully examine how they are subjected to labor exploitation. Careful attention should also be paid to where North Korean IT experts are sent and what they plan on doing in the future. To keep North Korea’s actions in check, in other words, the international community must keep sending the message that it will never tolerate Pyongyang’s bad behavior.

It is also important to consider whether increasing cooperation between China and North Korea could serve as a valuable opportunity for the international community. As more people and materials move across borders, that creates more openings for communicating with North Koreans. It is surely important to make the most of that opportunity.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/after-zhao-lejis-visit-whats-next-for-china-north-korea-relations/

Microsoft Warns Windows Users Of Ongoing Russian Hack Attack
Davey Winder


Researchers at Microsoft Threat Intelligence have issued a warning that Russian state-sponsored hackers have been targeting Windows users with a custom tool used to steal credentials and even install backdoors.

APT28 Fancy Bear Hackers Behind Newly Reported Windows Attacks

The hackers, more commonly identified as APT28 or Fancy Bear but tracked by Microsoft as Forest Blizzard, are known to be affiliated with Military Unit 26165, which is part of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

Microsoft said that it has seen Forest Blizzard/APT 28 using the post-exploitation tool, dubbed GooseEgg, against government, education and transport sector organizations in the U.S., Western Europe and Ukraine. “Forest Blizzard primarily focuses on strategic intelligence targets,” Microsoft said. It would appear, the Microsoft intelligence analysts said, that APT28 has been using GooseEgg since at least June 2020 and quite possibly as early as April 2019.

Unpatched Windows Vulnerabilities Lay A Golden Exploit Egg

What, in essence, appears to be a relatively simple launcher application, GooseEgg, is actually a very dangerous tool in the hands of attackers who are exploiting a long-since patched vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service. The vulnerability in question, CVE-2022-38028, was fixed as part of the October 2022 Patch Tuesday rollout, having been first reported by the National Security Agency. GooseEgg exploits an unpatched vulnerability by “modifying a JavaScript constraints file and executing it with SYSTEM-level permissions,” Microsoft said. The extent to which GooseEgg can aid the Russian hackers was laid bare by the Microsoft Threat Intelligence report: “GooseEgg is capable of spawning other applications specified at the command line with elevated permissions, allowing threat actors to support any follow-on objectives such as remote code execution, installing a backdoor, and moving laterally through compromised networks.”

How To Mitigate The GooseEgg Attacks

Once again, this active cyber-espionage campaign by state-sponsored hackers highlights the importance of patching vulnerabilities as soon as possible. In addition to the CVE-2022-38028 Windows Print Spooler vulnerability, GooseEgg can also be used alongside exploits for PrintNightmare, which was first disclosed in 2021. Additional vulnerabilities known to have been targeted by the APT28 hackers include CVE-2023-23397, CVE-2021-34527 and CVE-2021-1675.

Microsoft urges organizations and users to apply the CVE-2022-38028 security update to mitigate this attack. It notes that Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects the specific Forest Blizzard capability as HackTool:Win64/GooseEgg.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2024/04/26/microsoft-warns-windows-users-of-ongoing-russian-hack-attack/




And also, because it’s comically stereotypical-

The European Court of Human Rights went to hell🖕

https://www.echr.coe.int/home


https://check-host.net/check-report/18918819kab



@CyberArmyCoordinator_RCAT and CyberDragon are against European lawlessness and humiliation of Russian citizens.

https://t.me/CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn/7526

https://check-host.net/check-report/18927f8fk7d4

Russian source, but this video is all over Telegram on both sides.

Russian Su-25 passes insanely close to a Ukrainian drone pic.twitter.com/WcpVjUxIfG

— What the media hides. (@narrative_hole) April 26, 2024

FighterBomber with…🤷‍♂️…reasonable commentary.

Nothing new has happened regarding this video.

The most prominent experts in aerodynamics, video filming, photoshop and copter piloting put their homework aside to pour out tons of analyzes and expert assessments in all the comments that their children's fingers could reach.
It was inevitable. This is the Internet and it is impossible to prohibit young idiots from writing crap about their opinion, which I respect immensely.

You just have to come to terms with this, or not open comments.

There is no solution yet to the problem with drones and aviation safety, at least from their own drones in the Northern Military District.
And it is unlikely that it will happen.
There are thousands of drones. Most of them are unaccounted for and superfluous.

No one will coordinate drone flights with aviation. If the collision ends in disaster, there will be an investigation, they will find that the cause of the disaster was a collision with a drone, the identity of which cannot be determined, the pilot will be posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, and that’s all until next time. Something will be done when there are many such cases.

You can only notice a quad in flight from an airplane at the moment of collision.
Aviation will not change altitudes either, because it wants to live. Drone pilots will not change them because they actually don’t have a choice of altitudes. Therefore, understand and forgive, and hope that it will pass.
But of course it is necessary to at least try to coordinate the times and levels of work between aviation and infantry.

https://t.me/fighter_bomber/16481

I take this guy’s reporting as “it probably happened, and he’s probably being a bit dramatic about it”.

\uD83E\uDDF5\uD83D\uDEA8 PART 1: Wild revelations from Vladimir Osechkin's sources on Timur Ivanov's role in Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion & demise. Arrest of Ivanov is Putin's retribution. Shoigu's fall is likely coming. pic.twitter.com/Suiy1VhZJT

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Prigozhin went nuts and attempted his coup after the MoD continued the constant squeeze on him - first withholding prisoner recruitment, then cutting off his MoD budget, and finally cutting off munitions.
Of course Putin had to kill Prigozhin for his attempted coup, BUT- pic.twitter.com/B76wNIwBVQ

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Putin had Patrushev (Security Council) and Bortnikov (FSB) conduct a post-mortem assessment [pun intended] of what really caused Prigozhin to go loco, as he was one of Putin's most trusted & loyal people.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

They discovered how Ivanov & Shoigu did gradually choke off all MoD support from Prigozhin, just as Prigozhin was saying was happening but Putin wouldn't listen to him.pic.twitter.com/sh3tz9dYBB

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Then after Putin had Prigozhin killed for the rebellion, Ivanov, with Shoigu's blessing, sent a significant team (Redut PMC) from the MoD to Africa and started to systemically steal Prigozhin's assets there including gold mines and oil & gas fields.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

As a result, Patrushev and Bortnikov realized that this was Deputy Defence Minister Ivanov's premeditated plan - to destroy Prigozhin one way or another to steal all his assets - billion of dollars. A plan that was enabled by Shoigu but executed by Ivanov, and hidden from Putin.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Putin now blames Ivanov for provoking Prigozhin to betray Putin with the June 23 2023 rebellion and his 'March on Moscow.' The artificial shell famine that Prigozhin complained so much about was traced directly to Timur Ivanov at the MoD.
(Video from May 2023) pic.twitter.com/vnUsk8rnqm

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Shoigu is now also in grave risk of retribution from Putin for what happened to Prigozhin.
So far unclear how he will be dealt with, but quite possible Putin will use his upcoming inauguration and the new 6-year term as an excuse to replace Shoigu as Defence Minister.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

PART 2 is arguably even crazier:https://t.co/mrunHaQuZ0

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

\uD83E\uDDF5 PART 2: Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov was in charge of financing construction projects for the MoD. Osechkin learned that Ivanov & Shoigu's corruption may have influenced the timing of the invasion of Ukraine. But first, how the embezzlement scheme worked - https://t.co/6VztDH0ZzI

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Unfinished Production (???) is a budgetary category of construction projects in the MoD that were not completed for whatever reason. The incomplete construction projects are handed off from the original contractor to someone else, so the total cost to complete is higher.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Example: If a new construction (0% complete) is budgeted for $5M, the completion of Unfinished Production construction is more expensive, and the allocated budget is 1.5 to 2 times higher. A 20% complete construction above could have a budget of $8M, making the total $9M (1+8).

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Ivanov's scheme, in which of course Defence Minister Shoigu himself was also involved:
Initially contract an MoD construction to a naïve but capable company, selling them hopes of lucrative future contracts for successful completion. Ivanov would give an advance payment of 20%.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

The construction contractor is excited to have the Ministry of Defence as the client, and aggressively works to get the construction completed properly.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

But at 90% completion, Ivanov at MoD would pull the rug from under the contractor and only 'accept' the work completed on the advance that was paid, which was just 20%.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

The mark (contractor) is then discarded, or if he doesn't 'get it,' and tries to fight the injustice, he is either killed or thrown in jail on fabricated charges, where the prosecutors / investigators are conveniently part of the Ivanov/Shoigu mafia.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

So now, Ivanov has a nearly complete construction (90%), but according to accounting, it is only 20% complete. Ivanov then contracts his own construction partners, one of whom has now been arrested - Alexander Fomin of OlympCityStroy. pic.twitter.com/OgB5U8AXWr

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

In just 2023, Alexander Fomin's company OlympCityStroy had a revenue of over ?65 billion ($706 million), most of which came from Defence Ministry contracts handed out by Ivanov. Fomin has been flipped and is now cooperating with the investigation to bury Ivanov. pic.twitter.com/wWzFSchJZw

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Example - a 90% complete $5M project fraudulently listed as just 20% complete on the MoD books is handed off to Fomin by Ivanov, with double the budget for the remaining 80% that needs completion - $8M. Fomin completes the remaining 10% and they steal the rest - $7M.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

The current investigation against Ivanov is likely to lead to mass arrests and charges & won't be about just for corruption but for racketeering by an organized criminal organization. Over 1,000 contracts were part of this Incomplete Projects scheme with countless victims.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Now this gets crazy: Timur Ivanov was interrogated as part of an investigation into this scheme in the summer of 2021 when several of the 'marks' (contractors who got scammed) were thrown in jail by Ivanov but became cooperating victims/witnesses for investigators against Ivanov.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

This 2021 investigation became a huge problem for not just Ivanov but also Defence Minister Shoigu himself, who has been profiting off of this racketeering scheme, as well as for Tsalikov, another Deputy Defence Minister. They desperately needed to stop this investigation. pic.twitter.com/qVfCXuBj7b

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

\uD83D\uDEA8 According to Osechkin's sources, in 2021 Shoigu made Military Intelligence under the command of the General Staff fabricate countless reports for Putin which painted an apocalyptic picture: in the coming months NATO ground forces would enter Ukraine to de-occupy Donbas.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

The false reports to Putin about NATO to instigate a crisis and a war to halt the investigation into their corruption worked, facilitating the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Shoigu and his mafia urgently needed this war.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

Shoigu knows Putin well, and he was convinced Putin would not change horses midstream if they started a war against Ukraine. Not only did Shoigu manage to get rid of the 2021 corruption investigation against them by manipulating Putin, his MoD budget skyrocketed with the war.

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 26, 2024

The Ministry of Defence of Estonia, in coordination with Denmark, has announced the delivery of two patrol boats to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/zds4zOJRwz

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) April 26, 2024

Long-range fixed-wing kamikaze, but needs meatballs on the wings.

It appears that, whether intentionally or not, Putin and his crew have triggered a slow-motion Russian "Gottdammerung".  We can all see how this ends, with a Russia eclipsed on the world stage and facing massive internal and economic instability; the question becomes whom Russia takes out on the way down and how much the cake is already baked.  Regardless, whether in 18 months or 18 years, Russia is in for some very hard times.  Both the Chinese and the Russians seriously underestimated how much they were reliant on the global system they were trying to overturn. The system is now critically (if not terminally) damaged, and they are finding that they have a lot more vulnerability to the spiraling 2nd- and 3rd-Order Effects than they imagined.  As their putative "allies" in western "leadership" (corporate, governmental, diplomatic, and academic) whom they seriously screwed over are now concentrating on fighting for survival of both their power and worldview (and skewering their credibility in the process), China and Russia cannot be anything but anxious about what comes next.  The "great reset" that many International Bright (formerly young) Things advocated for is already spinning out of control, and they are falling back on narrative, ideology, and their inner fascist/communist to try to keep things going, and they are now willing to "cut sling" on China and Russia (as well as Venezuela, Cuba, and a lot of other places) in order to try to maintain control in the European/Anglophone world.  Thing are fixin' to get quite sporty!

80s weapon porn synthpop!!!  

I’m calling this a disinfo op by the FSB to absolve themselves and Putin.  Yes I’m sure that Shoigu and Ivanov were just as corrupt as stated, but IMO the rest is just grafted on.  It is somewhat interesting because this source is directed at the west, not internally.
First, the Ukrainians reported that Prigozhin’s claims of “shell hunger” were always a lie, and Wagner had several times the shell allotment of anyone else at the front.
Second, I strongly doubt that Putin invaded Ukraine based on “information” that came from the Army.  Putin has the SVR and the FSB for that, and they aren’t going to buy into a risky situation that could blow up in their faces, just to protect Shoigu’s grift.  They would even have an incentive to undercut Shoigu on the basis of obviously untrue reporting.  And I will categorically state that in 2021, LITERALLY NO ONE inside the Russian power structure would believe that NATO was about to intervene in East Ukraine.  The whole idea is ludicrous.  NATO was fat, dumb, happy, and asleep.
Third, the Ukraine project obviously and provably extends back 20 years at least and comes directly from Putin, who is on record setting the trajectory of Ukraine’s “non-entity” status at least as far back as 2008.  The whole arc of Russian actions and rhetoric against Ukraine points to the end goal of invasion.  The 2014 war was  intended to take the country or large parts of it then, but the Russian proxies lost and they had to pull in the Army just to stabilize the situation.  Alleging that it all started from nowhere in 2021 to cover up an Army grift is just complete horse shit.

Lol.  OK Russia, send your entire artillery park to the smelter and then we’ll talk about drones.

I think a lot of the cake is already baked.  As long as Ukraine can make it through the summer, Putin’s gambit of outlasting support has failed.  The West isn’t going to fold, and every day that goes by, the West makes progress in shaking itself awake and towards dealing with Russia the way they need to be dealt with.
With ATACMS now landing on valuable Russian shit with some regularity, the “escalation” taboo is fading.  If there ever was a taboo.
Westerners almost universally don’t understand how insular Russia is.  They will project normality to the outside until the wheels come completely off, at which point nearly everyone in the West will be shocked.
The post-World-War-Two order is finished, we just don’t know yet how bad things will get.  My opinion is that it’s worst-case-scenario for Russia and that they don’t survive the next 25 years in their current form.

With so many variables and unknowns here, it's difficult to game out how all of this will end. Putin craves power and wanted nothing more than to go down in Russian history as the greatest leader since Peter the Great. If his military had been half as competent and well equipped as he had been led to believe, he would have steamrolled to Kyiv and decapitated the leadership within a month or two, earning the praise and admiration from his people he anticipated. I doubt the West would have calculated conflict with Russia was worth restoring Ukraine at that point. Instead, he became the person who grossly miscalculated practically everything. Even if he wanted to end the conflict tomorrow, how would he? The "sunken cost" at this point almost forces him to push his chips all in. Reparations, war crime trials, etc. are all Russia can look forward to if they sue for peace. A modern day 1917 revolution or Putin's death is the only way I can see this end.

Seems complicated but plausible.
Dont forget the "errant" missile fired by the Russian MOD that nearly killed Prig. a short time before he went rogue. He was trying to get Putin's attention, was being ignored, then tried too hard with his march on Moscow. I think all the corruption, grift, theft, etc is all SOP for Russia. I bet in their pre-Op plans, they had Ukraine carved up like a turkey with various corrupt "rebuilding" projects for the cronies who were lining up. I hope all the assholes kill each other in the upcoming in-fighting.

WOW! Some drone operator nearly got some medals and R&R...

As said, video shows the arson of a Russian Ka-32 helicopter at one of the airfields near Moscow, tonight. https://t.co/plWjtfGQvh pic.twitter.com/PAHc3Z03PR

— Special Kherson Cat \uD83D\uDC08\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@bayraktar_1love) April 26, 2024

The Ukrainian intelligence service GUR burned down a Russian Ka-32 multi-purpose helicopter located at Moscow's Ostafyevo International Airport. This helicopter was used to provide logistical needs and evacuation operations of the Russian army. https://t.co/Rxm4YOrvGY

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) April 26, 2024

Very interesting. Thank you as always.

Not my favorite source, but the info is what it is.

just a PSA pic.twitter.com/5PGgdMY1uj

david D.  (@secretsqrl123) April 25, 2024

A simultaneous Ukrainian cluster munitions ATACMS strike on every railway marshaling yard  in occupied Ukraine will collapse Russian military logistics in there until repaired.

The Western Allies did this to the Nazi railways in Feb-Mar 1945.

The German railways could not ship… https://t.co/kTfEMdWS4j

Trent Telenko  (@TrentTelenko) April 25, 2024

As previously reported by Bellingcat, two ships, the Mikhail Nenashev and Matros Shevchenko, sailed from occupied Sevastopol directly to Iran, seemingly holding stolen grain. pic.twitter.com/1Am4nBiJa1

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Bellingcat can now reveal that in recent months, the bulk cargo ships Zafar and Zaid have also joined the grain-plundering fleet, sailing under the Russian flag. Open source information allowed us to follow their voyages to Iran last year at every step. pic.twitter.com/28Zf6tV6Cv

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

The Zafar and Zaid turned off their AIS transponders near the Kerch Strait for several days. This is known as ‘going dark’ and is considered a deceptive shipping practice. Thus it can show that a vessel has something to hide.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

We found satellite images showing the Zafar and the Zaid docked at a grain terminal in Sevastopol during their ‘dark periods’ when the AIS was turned off. Their hatches were open; it appears that they were loading grain.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Both ships transited the Bosphorus, where our co-author @YorukIsik photographed them apparently full of cargo: pic.twitter.com/eUjosCpHZq

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Both ships transited the Bosphorus, where our co-author @YorukIsik photographed them apparently full of cargo: pic.twitter.com/eUjosCpHZq

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

AIS data then showed that the Zaid and Zafar docked at Bandar-e Emam Khomeini, a major port in Iran on the Persian Gulf. We also found satellite imagery of the Zafar at the port during this period. The same route was taken by Mikhail Nenashev and Matros Shevchenko in 2023.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

The change in the ships’ draught indicates that they unloaded cargo at the Iranian port. The draught is the vertical distance from the waterline to the baseline; a change in the draught generally means a change in the ship’s weight and cargo. pic.twitter.com/fQ6YfZEqaW

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Documents published by Ukrainian activist websites Myrotvorets indicate that both the Zafar and Zaid also shipped grain to Syria from occupied Sevastopol.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

The certificates published by Myrotvorets name a Russian company called Pallada LLC as the exporter of “soft bread wheat in bulk” to Syria. pic.twitter.com/GwPgLKmaSk

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Bellingcat was able to verify the authenticity of these documents via the QR code included in the bottom right-hand corner, which links to a confirmation page on the website of a Russian state agricultural watchdog.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

When the Zaid ‘went dark’ in the Black Sea around the time these voyages to Syria may have taken place, we looked to the Avlita terminal in satellite imagery and found it loading grain there. This date when the Rosselkhoznadzor document was issued coincides with this ‘AIS gap’.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office recently issued warrants for the captains of the Zaid and Zafar for illegal entry and exit to the harbours of occupied Crimea.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

The appearance of more ships at the grain terminal shows simply that Russia “is stealing more”, Ukraine’s Prosecutor for Crimea told Bellingcat. He added that it is not feasible that the large quantities of grain being exported from Sevastopol originate from Crimea.

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-15/surging-crimea-shipments-point-to-stealing-of-ukrainian-grain

Indeed, surging shipments of grain from Crimea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 potentially indicate the theft of grain from newly occupied Ukrainian territories. https://t.co/5kXNewlsNo

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

Find out what else we discovered with our partners @LloydsList and view all of our data by reading the full investigation here https://t.co/WzJEaFKero

Bellingcat  (@bellingcat) April 26, 2024

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04/23/from-crimea-to-iran-two-more-ships-join-russias-grain-smuggling-fleet/

Belgium has decided to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine already in 2024. Previously, deliveries were planned for 2025. The planes are delivered as soon as possible while the exact amount is still undisclosed. https://t.co/pxDGudR0OR

— NOELREPORTS \uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@NOELreports) April 26, 2024

\uD83C\uDDE7\uD83C\uDDEA Belgien wird dieses Jahr schon F16 liefern \uD83D\uDE4F pic.twitter.com/492wlCKWA1

— DBerber \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@BerberDoris) April 26, 2024

??\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 "F-16 squadrons with pilots and service personnel trained by members of  Ramstein Contact Group will begin arriving in Ukraine this year", - Lloyd Austin pic.twitter.com/OLm8yFperS

— MAKS 23 \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83D\uDC40 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) April 26, 2024

\uD83C\uDDE7\uD83C\uDDEA\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 Belgium will transfer missiles for air defence systems to Ukraine from its own stocks, - Minister of Defence

\uD83D\uDC40 Belgium will also allocate 200 million euros to Germany's initiative to find air defence systems for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/abl9eK76oK

— MAKS 23 \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83D\uDC40 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) April 26, 2024

\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 Canada will allocate $2.1 million for the production of drones to Ukraine, — MoD of Canada.

\uD83E\uDD1D Canada will transfer another 100 "Teledyne FLIR" drones and will additionally allocate $9.2 million to the Czech initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/5JhrrulkCW

The Ukrainian Review  (@UkrReview) April 26, 2024

Biden Administration Announces Historic New Security Assistance Package for Ukraine

April 26, 2024 |  


Today, as we commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group led by Secretary Austin, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a historic new security assistance package to address Ukraine's ongoing battlefield needs and demonstrate unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine. This package, provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) using funding appropriated by the national security supplemental which the President just signed into law, includes equipment to augment Ukraine's air defenses, fires, and artillery, and to sustain capabilities previously committed by the United States.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown Authority, which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, including through the $1 billion package announced on April 24, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from U.S. industry or partners. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to acquire  additional priority capabilities for Ukraine.

The capabilities in this announcement, which totals up to $6 billion, include:

Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;
Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
Equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine's air defense systems;
Counter-UAS equipment and systems;
Munitions for laser-guided rocket systems;
Multi-mission radars;
Counter-artillery radars;
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
155mm and 152mm artillery rounds;
Precision aerial munitions;
Switchblade and Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
Tactical vehicles to tow weapons and equipment;
Demolition munitions;
Components to support Ukrainian production of UAS and other capabilities;
Small arms and additional small arms ammunition; and
Ancillary items and support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

This USAI package highlights the strong and unwavering U.S. commitment to meet Ukraine's most pressing immediate and longer-term capability needs to fight Russian aggression as part of the global coalition we have built with some 50 Allies and partners.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3757794/biden-administration-announces-historic-new-security-assistance-package-for-ukr/

Not gonna argue any of that, I have no idea.

But, interestingly...


...this just popped up.

Rumors pic.twitter.com/L8W81cwA2w

ayden  (@squatsons) April 26, 2024

If true, it suggests at least some level of plausibility to the idea that Surovikin just got exonerated.

Russian assault group on MT-LB hits an anti tank mine. Avdiivka front. https://t.co/2xzbRuSoZu pic.twitter.com/Ff8TG6CmIM

— Special Kherson Cat \uD83D\uDC08\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@bayraktar_1love) April 26, 2024

Initially it's tough to tell what's going on here. At ~4:00 you get the first clear view of who our protagonist is.

Pretty stunning footage from the front in Ukraine, showing a Ukrainian hero escaping captivity from Russian terrorists...\uD83D\uDC99\uD83D\uDC9B
Overlooked by a drone from the 47th Mechanized Brigade.#ArmUkraineNow pic.twitter.com/AIos5hzGOY

— Kvist.P \uD83C\uDDE9\uD83C\uDDF0\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@kvistp) April 26, 2024

\uD83C\uDDE7\uD83C\uDDF7Brazilian volunteer of the International Legion engages \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFARussian forces with a «MG3» machine gun in the Kreminna Forest, Luhansk Region. pic.twitter.com/UOmJupV494

— Cloooud |\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6 (@GloOouD) April 26, 2024

26.04.24

Destroyed \uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFAunknown MBT near the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk region

Source:https://t.co/rQGmr7qUEC#UkraineWar #UkraineFrontLines #warfootage #lost_warinua pic.twitter.com/LDHIG51n06

— lost_warinua (@lost_warinua) April 26, 2024

More air to air combat.

sky joust https://t.co/vItKn2qJ4J pic.twitter.com/hXsRYcO11M

Andrew Perpetua  (@AndrewPerpetua) April 26, 2024

A record (?) 8 pairs of Ship-to-Ship transfers totaling 16 million barrels of Iranian crude oil worth $1.4 billion (pre-discount) were visually identified today in the Riau archipelago in the South China Sea; all bound for China.

This is happening on the back of a recent record… pic.twitter.com/PXBMMnEjEa

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) April 26, 2024

China is providing safe harbor in the port of Zhoushan to a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship Angara implicated in transporting thousands of containers filled with munitions & weapons from North Korea to Russia over 11 trips. The US Department of State appears quite unhappy. pic.twitter.com/lxvD9fWDva

Igor Sushko  (@igorsushko) April 25, 2024

??\uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukraine will receive 12 \uD83C\uDDF9\uD83C\uDDF7T-155 Firtina howitzers and 155 mm artillery ammunition

This week, a senior US official said Washington may buy 155mm artillery ammunition from Turkey to supply to Ukraine. US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told CNN Turk that Washington… pic.twitter.com/3i4aMMwPun

— \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 26, 2024

Source: https://t.co/XifETfTy37

— \uD83C\uDDFA\uD83C\uDDE6Ukrainian Front (@front_ukrainian) April 26, 2024

🇷🇺 More than 22,000 people were evacuated from the Tyumen and Orenburg regions due to floods - Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation

The agency reported that due to threats after the flood in the Orenburg region, 17,800 people were evacuated. More than 11,000 homes and 17,000 pieces of land were flooded in the region. More than 5,100 people were evacuated in the Tyumen region. There are 581 people in temporary reception centers, of which 201 are children. 180 residential buildings, 523 country houses, 2,844 domestic plots and 19 road sections were flooded. In total, 22,900 people were evacuated from the Orenburg and Tyumen regions. In the Kurgan region, 2,106 residential buildings, 6,849 country houses and 11 road sections were flooded.

 In the photo and video: Ishimsky district of the Tyumen region

\uD83C\uDDF7\uD83C\uDDFA More than 22,000 people were evacuated from the Tyumen and Orenburg regions due to floods - Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation

The agency reported that due to threats after the flood in the Orenburg region, 17,800 people were evacuated. More than… pic.twitter.com/Ajbub8xpW9

Jesse Pinkman  (@ictusconfirmed) April 26, 2024

That MTLB ambush was smart.  They knew where their mines were and registered an AGS on the road 25 yards behind it to shred the infantry when they tried to flee.
The first burst was probably to distract the driver from the mines.  This is a tactic I’ve seen before going way back.  Kudos!