#Poland Ministry of Defense presented proposed design of fortifications on the border with #Belarus and #Russia. The first slide is a high-level design for the 50 km zone, the second is direct vicinity of the border. Note the use of natural barriers, such as swamps and tree lines in the latter, but the Polish word “zabagnienie” (“enswampification”) indicates an such zones created intentionally - beavers are going to love it 😉
The turtle tank’s name as painted on the “turtle shell” is really ГРОМОЗЕКА (Gromozeka) from a Soviet cartoon, not ГОМОЗЕКА (Homozeka). The original name Gromozeka is about thunder (гром) but on the tank it’s still likely a word play (read below). The name twisted as ГОМОЗЕКА is a word play too and it’s much more complex than “haha tank gay”. Гомосек (homosek) is Russian for “homosexual”, but it’s masculinative word and spelled differently (-zeka versus -sek). And зека (zeka) is a word on its own, more precisely an phonetic for acronym ЗК (ZK) or заключенный meaning “locked up person” or simply a prisoner. And Russian army uses prisoners on mass scale, forming whole Storm-Z units of them, where Z also denotes the use of “zeks” (prisoners). And #Russia military circles are indeed totally obsessed on male homosexual practices which is seen both as a popular insult and phobia, but also as an unavoidable part of social life in prison and army, where whole social hierarchies are built on who submits to whom. So the tank name is likely a tongue in a cheek insult some Russian soldiers made towards others or just self-ironic.
P.S. an advanced quiz for those interested in etymology of Russian language: why modern Russian writes Г (G) in foreign words and names that start with H, like Гитлер for Hitler, гомосек for homosexual, гомеопатия for homeopathy etc?
Russia steps up sabotage operations in Europe to undermine Ukraine aid, intelligence officials say.
U.S. and allied intelligence officials have noted a growing number of low-level sabotage operations in Europe that seem to be a part of Russia's effort to undermine assistance for Ukraine, the New York Times (NYT) reported on May 26. #AureFreePress#News#press#headline#Ukraine#Russia
“Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, I have a serious injury, I have become disabled.....they deceived me.....they didn’t pay me....they threw me away.....with respect to you...” #AureFreePress#News#press#headline#Ukraine#Russia#Putin
The drone of the GUR Ministry of Defense attacked the Russian over-the-horizon radar "Voronezh-M", having flown more than 1,800 km, in the city of Orsk, Orenburg region - UP with reference to sources in the GUR #AureFreePress#News#press#headline#Ukraine#Russia
A man in the Moscow region ran over (on video) his girlfriend with a car after she decided to break up with him. According to Mash, the victim died in the hospital. #AureFreePress#News#press#headline#Ukraine#Russia#Putin
#Spain plans to send #Patriot missiles and #Leopard tanks to #Ukraine as part of a 1.13 billion euro ($1.23 billion) weapon package announced last month.
Spain will hand over a dozen crucial Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine and 19 second-hand German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks and other Spanish-made weapons, such as anti-drones gear and ammunition.
Here in #Finland, the last 24 hours have been geopolitically unusual.
Reports from #Russia suggested a unilateral desire to modify their maritime borders in the Gulf of Finland and near #Kaliningrad. The Finnish government learned about this through the media.
Russians now dismantling the buoys separating Estonia from Russia.
A golden era for all enemies of democracy is here.
Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, backed by the resources of a rapidly growing list of African nations is sliding into the power vacuum of a democratic world that refuses to respond even when Ukrainians were willing to do all the fighting.
Estonia's foreign ministry said it had summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires and it was treating the move as a "provocative border incident". It had demanded the "immediate return" of the buoys. It comes after the Russian defense ministry briefly published a proposal to revise its maritime border in the Baltic Sea this week. Russia is a terrorist state. #ArrestPutin
In a secret location outside #Lviv, in western #Ukraine, a very special conference was held this week. About twenty representatives from different sectors of the russian opposition They met on May 22 and 23 to outline a new unitary political platform.
Ukraine wants to destabilize the aggressor country by giving wings to the weak opposition to #Putin.
#US and allied intelligence officials are tracking an increase in low-level sabotage operations in Europe that they say are part of a Russian campaign to undermine support for #Ukraine’s war effort.
The covert operations have mostly been arsons or attempted arsons targeting a wide range of sites, including a warehouse in #England, a paint factory in #Poland, homes in #Latvia and, most oddly, an Ikea store in #Lithuania.
"#Ukraine is exposed to an unprovoked and illegal war of aggression by #Russia. According to international law, Ukraine has the right to defend itself by means of hostilities aimed at the territory of the adversary as long as the hostilities comply with the laws of war. Sweden stands behind international law and Ukraine's right to defend itself.”
The #Vladivostok-based travel agency Vostok Intour is negotiating with partners from North Korea to send Russian schoolchildren to the Sondowon children's camp for the summer holidays.
A Russian who, as a teenager, visited Sondowon twice in 2015–2016, told, that the camp was accompanied by severe restrictions on movement and daily propaganda activities in which children were forced to sing songs in honor of Korean leaders and clean their monuments.
#Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia #Meloni reiterated Sunday her opposition to the use of weapons supplied to #Ukraine on #Russia soil, after the #NATO chief reportedly suggested letting #Kyiv strike targets beyond its border.
"I don't know why #Stoltenberg said such a thing, I think we have to be very careful," Meloni told Italian television, while adding that "I agree that NATO must remain firm, not give the signal that it is giving in."
#Russia is producing artillery shells around three times faster than #Ukraine's Western allies and for about a quarter of the cost.
The research on artillery rounds by Bain & Company, which drew on publicly available information, found that Russian factories were forecast to manufacture or refurbish about 4.5 million artillery shells this year compared with a combined production of about 1.3 million rounds across European nations and the #US.