The military presence of Western missions on the ground in #Ukraine is getting closer. #France is finalizing a plan to send instructors to the country invaded by #Russia, in coalition with several #NATO allies, according to several diplomatic sources.
#Lithuania has already declared that it is ready to participate and #Estonia is open to doing so, while the #UK is “receptive” to the French idea.
If you are a citizen of a European Union country, you can vote in the EU elections, even if you live outside the EU. You can use any EU country polling facilities (I haven't tested it).
In Australia, Poland is opening polling booths in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Perth on Sunday, June 9th, 7am-9pm.
#EU foreign ministers urged #Hungary on Monday to stop blocking measures to provide billions of euros in military aid to #Ukraine, as long-simmering tension with #Budapest boiled over.
#Lithuania's Landsbergis said Hungary was blocking decisions on EU military aid to Ukraine, the start of EU membership talks for Kyiv, and on #Georgia and #Armenia.
"We looked into this and apparently about 41% of resolutions by (the) EU on Ukraine have been blocked by Hungary," he said.
#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.
#Russia has declared an intention to unilaterally extend its territorial waters on #Baltic sea in a way that collides with territorial waters of #Finland and #Lithuania. Russian Ministry of Defense (!) proposed to cancel the 1985 #USSR decision of demarcation of the sea borders and redraw them according to “new geographical references”, and then declare them “internal waters”.
Obviously, this looks very much like a poorly disguised attempt to create an strategic dilemma for #NATO by unilaterally opening a territorial dispute with two NATO members without really invading anyone yet. In case of NATO inaction the next step will be Russian actually enforcing their “new territorial waters” by threatening or sinking ships sailing to Finland and Lithuania. And if the inaction continues, the next step will be likely establishing “new geographical references” on one of the land borders of NATO countries.
"A Russian Defence Ministry proposal to revise Russia’s maritime border in the eastern #BalticSea was deleted on May 22 from an official portal after creating confusion and concern among #Nato members such as #Finland, #Sweden, #Lithuania and #Estonia. According to the draft decree dated May 21, the ministry proposed adjusting the border around Russian islands in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and around #Kaliningrad
Poland has 9 suspects detained & indicted, who are directly implicated in the name of Russian intelligence services of #sabotage in Poland
They are Polish, Ukrainian, & Belarusian. They may have been recruited from criminal circles
Acts of sabotage include beatings, #arson, & attempted arson, not just in Poland but also #Latvia, #Lithuania, even #Sweden. The group planned to set fire a factory in #Poland & #Ikea in Lithuania
#Lithuania will acquire Amber-1800 radars for the Ukrainian army with a detection range of up to 400 kilometers.
This was announced by Boris #Pistorius, German Defense Minister.
According to the German Minister of Defense, Lithuania will join the so-called Air Defense Coalition, which is aimed at strengthening Ukrainian air defense, and will provide 6 Amber-1800 radars.