hanse_mina

hanse_mina, 8 days ago to Ukraine

#Putin said he had appointed #Belousov, who was dressed in a civilian suit, due to rising defence and security spending which he said would amount to 8.7% of gross domestic product or a little more. That is still below the Soviet level of 13% in the mid-1980s.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-russian-forces-are-advancing-all-fronts-against-ukraine-2024-05-15/

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 8 days ago to Russia

Russian authorities have moved to seize the #Russia-based assets of a major vodka producer whose Ukrainian founder was previously accused of funding #Kyiv's armed forces.

The Kommersant business daily, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Russian authorities want to transfer the shares and stakes of the distillers to the state, as well as to ban their owners from working in Russia.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/05/15/russia-moves-to-nationalize-major-vodka-distiller-over-extremist-activities-a85128

#Ukraine

hanse_mina, 8 days ago to Ukraine

Dmytro #Kozatskyi, call sign "#Orest," is a Ukrainian soldier who formerly headed the press service of the #Azov regiment. In this video, Kozatskyi breaks down his famous photographs and shares his memories about the Russian siege of #Mariupol.

https://kyivindependent.com/mariupol-defender-breaks-down-his-famous-azovstal-photos/

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 8 days ago to Ukraine

Diplomats are focusing on a narrow set of goals in preparation for a summit on #Ukraine’s peace plan in #Switzerland next month to ensure #China and other nations of the so-called Global South attend the meeting.

German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz set the scene for the gathering on Tuesday: “Nobody should have exaggerated expectations,” Scholz said in an interview published on Tuesday. “We are not negotiating the end of the war there.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-14/ukraine-peace-plan-summit-eyes-minimal-goals-to-woo-skeptical-global-south

#EU #Russia #Germany

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Russia

#Raiffeisen Bank International was warned by the #US Treasury in writing that its access to the U.S. financial system could be curbed because of its #Russia dealings, according to a person who has seen the correspondence.

While the deal linked to Oleg #Deripaska was ditched by Raiffeisen days after the letter arrived, the source said that the U.S. Treasury's concerns over the Austrian bank's business in Russia remain.

https://www.reuters.com/business/us-warned-raiffeisen-access-dollar-system-could-be-curbed-over-russia-source-2024-05-15/

#Austria #EU #Ukraine

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Bulgaria

Slovak Prime Minister Robert #Fico suffered life-threatening injuries when he was shot and wounded in an attempted assassination on Wednesday, the government office said.

Fico, 59, was rushed to hospital in the central city of #Handlova after holding a government meeting there, and was being transported by helicopter to the city of Banska Bystrica for urgent treatment, it said.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/shooting-after-slovak-government-meeting-tasr-agency-reports-2024-05-15/

#EU #Ukraine #Russia #Slovakia #NATO

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to microsoft

#Microsoft has opened access for Russian users to updates for #Windows and #Office, the #Russoft association told Izvestia. For example, Windows 11 23H2 is downloaded again on computers without a VPN, the situation is similar with Office. Previously, such updates could not be installed on computers from Russian IP.

In addition, Microsoft did not block Russian IT companies from accessing the software, although it promised to do so after March 20.

https://iz.ru/1693723/ivan-chernousov/zagruzochnye-dni-microsoft-razblokirovala-obnovleniia-dlia-polzovatelei-iz-rf

#Ukraine #Russia #US

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Bulgaria

"There's now 13 #EU sanctions packages on #Russia and this is the reality. Russia's invasion of #Ukraine has shone a light on how the EU works and it's bad. The EU doesn't need grand visions for the future. It needs people who make it transparent and accountable in the here and now."

• Robin Brooks, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1790381588255002998.html

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Ukraine

Olga #Loiek has seen her face appear in various videos on Chinese social media - a result of easy to use generative AI tools available online.

“I don't want anyone to think that I ever said these horrible things in my life. Using a Ukrainian girl for a face promoting Russia. It's crazy.”

“I could see my face and hear my voice. But it was all very creepy, because I saw myself saying things that I never said,”

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c25rre8ww57o

#Ukraine #Russia #China #AI

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Germany

Danish Prime Minister Mette #Frederiksen has called on other European countries to follow #Germany's example and provide #Ukraine with more #Patriot air defense systems. “We need five or six more Patriot systems,”. These systems are in Europe. It is better to have air defense systems in Ukraine than in NATO countries. The fighting in Ukraine was not going in the right direction. “The Ukrainians need more,” she says, also referring to ammunition.

https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker/liveblog-ukraine-montag-368.html#Daenemarks-Ministerpraesidentin-Frederiksen-Deutschem-Beispiel-folgen

#Russia #Denmark

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Bulgaria

The #EU’s unprecedented effort to penalize #Russia’s lucrative gas sector is already crashing into a familiar sanctions foe: #Hungary.

Unlike other EU countries, Hungary has refused to voluntarily divest from Russian gas in the wake of the war in #Ukraine. It has even struck new deals with #Moscow’s state fossil fuel giant #Gazprom to increase supplies during peak demand.

https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-veto-eu-russia-gas-sanctions/

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Ukraine

The Australian government has committed to providing #Ukraine’s defense forces with #Sentinel 830R rigid-hulled inflatable boats (#RHIBs) as part of a A$100 million ($66,27 million) military aid package.

The Sentinel 830R vessels, built by Sentinel Boats, feature a high-density polyethylene hull designed for strength, impact resistance, stability and reduced vibration compared to aluminum alternatives.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/05/14/australia-pledges-high-speed-sentinel-830r-boats-for-ukraine-in-66-mn-package/

#Russia #Australia

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Russia

Ukrainian officials are making a new push to get the #Biden administration to lift its ban on using U.S.-made weapons to strike inside #Russia, saying the policy kept them from attacking Russian positions as they prepared for their major march toward #Kharkiv.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/14/ukraine-weapons-russia-00157970

#US #Ukraine

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Bulgaria

#Moldova and the #EU are set to deepen their defence co-operation to unprecedented levels, as #Chisinau defies warnings from #Moscow that closer western integration could see it face #Ukraine’s fate.

Under an EU proposal, set to be agreed next week and seen by the FT, Moldova would increase its intelligence sharing, carry out joint military exercises and be included in the bloc’s joint weapons procurement

https://www.ft.com/content/e696f2db-7f7f-484a-b985-a4d299cccc7f

#Russia

hanse_mina, 9 days ago to Ukraine

The #Biden administration is working to send an additional Patriot air-defense battery to #Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said, as the #US and its allies scramble to meet the country’s demand for more air defenses to repel an intensified Russian assault.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-15/us-considers-sending-another-patriot-missile-battery-to-ukraine

#Russia

hanse_mina, 10 days ago to Russia

#Budanov sees stabilization signs in #Kharkiv Oblast hostilities.

"It is definitely not true to say that #Russia has had a significant success (in Kharkiv Oblast). At the same time, we must remember that the situation is quite tense and changing very rapidly," Budanov said on television.

https://kyivindependent.com/budanov-sees-tendency-to-improve-the-situation-in-kharkiv-region/

#Ukraine

hanse_mina, 10 days ago to Bulgaria

The #EU Council approved on May 14 the #Ukraine Plan, a document that sets out the Ukrainian government's plans for recovery and reconstruction and is a necessary step for the implementation of a 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) assistance program.

Today's approval of the plan will allow the EC to disburse up to 1.89 billion euros ($2 billion) in an additional pre-financing tranche before the start of regular payments tied to the implementation of reforms.

https://kyivindependent.com/eu-approves-kyivs-plan-for-ukraine-facility/

#Russia

hanse_mina, 10 days ago to Ukraine

The government of #Estonia is “seriously” discussing the possibility of sending troops into western #Ukraine to take over non-direct combat, “rear” roles from Ukrainian forces in order to free them up to fight on the front, #Tallinn’s national security advisor to the president told Breaking Defense.

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/estonia-seriously-discussing-sending-troops-to-rear-jobs-in-ukraine-official/

#Russia #NATO #EU

hanse_mina, 10 days ago to Russia

President Joe #Biden signed a ban on Russian enriched uranium into law on Monday, the White House said

The ban on imports of the fuel for nuclear power plants begins in about 90 days, although it allows the Department of Energy to issue waivers in case of supply concerns.

#Russia is the world's top supplier of enriched uranium, and about 24% of the enriched uranium used by U.S. nuclear power plants come from the country.

https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-signs-ban-imports-russian-nuclear-reactor-fuel-into-law-2024-05-14/

#US #Ukraine

hanse_mina, 11 days ago to Ukraine

The European Union has drawn up pledges of long-term security support for #Ukraine, assuring #Kyiv of more weapons, military training and other aid for years to come, according to a draft document.

In the event of "future aggression", the document says the #EU and Ukraine intend to consult within 24 hours on Kyiv’s needs and "swiftly determine" next steps in line with the commitments.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-draws-up-long-term-security-commitments-ukraine-2024-05-13/

#Russia

hanse_mina, 11 days ago to Ukraine

New week—new destroyed russian aircraft.

The warriors from the 47th Mechanized Brigade shot down a russian Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter in the Avdiivka direction. The Ka-52's unit cost is approximately $16 million.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1789949418491289708.html

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 11 days ago to Ukraine

The Russian air defense military base on Mount Ai-Petri was damaged as a result of the morning missile attack on #Crimea. The commander of the military unit died

https://t.me/astrapress/55362?single

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 11 days ago to Ukraine

Russians dropped another FAB on their own side of the border as a FAB-500 got dropped in the village of Razumnoye-54, #Belgorod Oblast.

https://t.me/bazabazon/27733

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 12 days ago to Ukraine

New joint investigation returns to ‘#Putin’s palace’ with hidden camera for updated tour of Russian president’s billion-dollar hideout

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/05/06/new-joint-investigation-returns-to-putin-s-palace-with-hidden-camera-for-updated-tour-of-russian-president-s-billion-dollar-hideout

#Ukraine #Russia

hanse_mina, 12 days ago to Ukraine

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 12 May 2024.

#Ukraine #Russia #UK #IntelligenceUpdate