Question Barflies;
If you were in the midsts of launching a glorious counter-offensive, would you go on a week long tour of European Capitals ?
Thoughts ?

Posted by: Exile | May 14 2023 14:48 utc | 4

Zelensky, in an interview with WP, actually publicly announced the postponement of the elections until at least 2024. Many attribute this to the fact that Bankovaya does not strongly believe in the grandiose success of the upcoming offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We got inside about it.
But many of our sources report that Zelensky wants to leave the smoldering conflict until at least 2025, thereby not lifting martial law and holding elections. During this time, he wants to completely clean up all competitors within the country, monopolize media resources and financial flows.
His competitors are Klitschko, Zaluzhny, independent mayors, as well as regional lobby groups, Poroshenko, Tymoshenko, plus independent activists / military / volunteers, etc. They will all try to clean them up in different ways.
Literally, Ze said:
“Elections in Ukraine will not take place if there is martial law. If there is no martial law, then there will be elections. The law says that according to the constitution of Ukraine, after the end of martial law, I think, after 90 days, elections are held. It’s something like this. I don’t really remember.”

https://t.me/legitimniy/15340

Posted by: Down South | May 14 2023 14:54 utc | 6

Farmers urge the Ukrainian authorities not to return VAT on fuel – the rise in price will be for the harvest.
It should be noted that from July 1, 2023, Ukraine plans to return VAT and excise taxes on fuel, which were canceled in March 2022, to the pre-war level. So, in September 2022, in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 2618-IX, excises in the amount of 100 euros per 1000 liters of gasoline and diesel fuel were returned. But at the same time, VAT remained at the level of 7%. The second stage is planned from July 1, 2023, when excises will be restored to pre-war levels and the VAT rate returned to 20%. After such changes, the excise tax on gasoline will more than double – to €213, on diesel fuel – by almost 40% – up to €140 per 1000 liters.
It turns out that the period of the complete abolition of benefits coincides with the beginning of the harvest and increased demand for fuel from farmers.
According to the association “Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business”, the abolition of the preferential tax regime for fuel from July 1, 2023, given that the hot phase of the military conflict is still ongoing, is premature and will negatively affect the price level and financial stability of business entities.

https://t.me/rezident_ua/17750

Wheat production in Ukraine will fall by 21% in 2023. Namely, up to 16.5 million tons.
This was reported by the US Department of Agriculture in its report.
Last year, this figure was 20.9 million tons, and in the pre-war 2021 – 33.01 million (the total drop in 2023 compared to the pre-war period will be twofold). At the same time, wheat exports from Ukraine are projected to fall from 15 to 10 million tons (by 33%).
The harvest of other grain crops in Ukraine is likely to decrease by 16% (from 34.06 to 28.67 million tons).
Thus, 22 million tons of corn will be harvested compared to 27 million tons in 2022 and from 40 million tons in pre-war 2021. And the export of this crop will fall to 16.5 million tons – compared to 25.5 million last year.

https://t.me/nabludatels/30363

The fact that the harvest in Ukraine this and next year will constantly decrease, we have insided many times.
All this will affect the fact that less foreign exchange earnings will come to the country’s budget. Plus, the domestic agrarian will start going bankrupt, which will allow Western corporations to buy everything for a penny.
We are still convinced that the risk of starvation exists. The Office of the President knows about it, sometimes they themselves “speed it up”.
The next 10 years will be difficult for Ukraine and Ukrainians.

https://t.me/legitimniy/15341

Posted by: Down South | May 14 2023 14:58 utc | 8

@Exile | May 14 2023 14:48 utc | 4
If he is unsure about what happened to Zaluzhnyi, he would do that. He is clearly afraid to return to Kiev.

Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 15:00 utc | 10

MI6 transmitted intelligence to the Office of the President and the General Staff that Russia had accumulated significant reserves for the defense of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, several lines of defense were formed around the plant, and the coast near the Dnieper was mined.
According to British intelligence, there is a group of 20 thousand people in Energodar and neighboring villages, it includes tank battalions and rocket artillery.

https://t.me/rezident_ua/17751

Posted by: Down South | May 14 2023 15:01 utc | 12

Posted by: Oui | May 13 2023 20:17 utc | 42
Joe Our American Hero, Master of Interventions
He announced years ago Erdogan will fall … the July 2016 coup d’état failed.

Turkey slams Biden’s past call for U.S. to back Erdogan opponents | Reuters/Al Jazeera – Aug 15, 2020 |
Turkey has condemned remarks made by US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticising President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and calling for support for the Turkish leader’s opponents.

Nov. 2014 — Biden to meet with Erdogan as divide between US and Turkey widens | The Guardian|
Differences have arisen regarding ISIS, Cyprus and oil and gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean, leading to questions of Turkey’s reliability as an ally.

Leader of six opposition groups …

• Türkiye Deep Fake Sex Tape Election Interference co-signed by CIA and Mossad

Kılıçdaroğlu launched an unprecedented attack Russia on Twitter after İnce’s withdrawal, blaming Moscow for the conspiracy to interfere in the election. He wrote:

“Dear Russian Friends, you are behind the montages, conspiracies, Deep Fake content, tapes that were revealed in this country yesterday. If you want our friendship to continue after May 15, take your hands off the Turkish state. We are still in favor of cooperation and friendship.”

This wholly unsubstantiated statement is absurd.

Kılıçdaroğlu has Biden’s ear and will become a reliable NATO partner to detriment of Russia, its interests in the Black Sea and Caspian oil basin.
The Türkiye election is make or break moment for the US, its chance for a foothold into Central Asia. The defeat in Afghanistan and the “unsolved” deal of regime change in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a pivotal moment for Western politics …
Erdogan and Putin are as close as can be in both nations national interests. Losing ally Türkiye would be a hammer blow to the Kremlin and the SMO in Ukraine.

Posted by: Oui | May 14 2023 15:03 utc | 14

Not so funny for the fan Community:
https://roloslavskiy.substack.com/p/red-list-23-facing-down-disaster#details

Posted by: e | May 14 2023 15:08 utc | 16

Arch Bungle | May 14 2023 15:01 utc | 13
>…Zanonites
🏆🍻

Posted by: Melaleuca | May 14 2023 15:13 utc | 18

Zelensky is soon running out of countries to visit:

🇺🇦🇫🇷Zelensky is expected in Paris at the end of the day today, the BFMTV channel reported, citing sources.
This is the second visit of the President of Ukraine to Paris this year. The previous time the Elysee Palace hosted Zelensky in February.
Earlier about his trip to France reported the local AFP news agency.

https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/62707

Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 15:28 utc | 20

I read in Danish media that Bornholm (Danish island between Denmark and Sweden) was hit by an earthquake. Later it was corrected to an explosion in Poland. I wonder what is really going on. And at the other end of the world, America throws a tantrum for South Africa selling weapons to Russia.
I hope they will supply all they can to Russia. The Americans are a bunch of arrogant loud louts. Utterly despicable.

Posted by: G wiltek | May 14 2023 15:29 utc | 22

From the old thread.
Re: Posted by: Don Firineach | May 14 2023 14:01 utc | 248

The Russians don’t want a spearhead of a lame counteroffensive aimed at Kherson or Crimea, and they’d prefer Zelensky waste more Ukrainian blood in the middle of nowhere. Prigozhin is begging for a counteroffensive spearhead aimed at his forces. If the plan works, Zelensky will be exiled to Miami within a month, and Russia’s forces can roll up to Kyiv and occupy the entire east bank of the Dnieper. The Americans will beg for a partitioning of Ukraine, and Cold War 2 will be in full effect.
Joe Biden will have done his job. So will the experts at Rand. American investors in commodities from missiles to wheat to oil and gas will continue to rake in hundreds of billions, and the losers will be the people of every country in the world. Worse still, if the citizens of the United States fall for the complete media takeover and the deep state controlling their lives, nothing will be off the table for the people standing behind the politicians. There’s the game. And now, you assess how important Bakhmut is.
Phil Butler, is a policy investigator and analyst, a political scientist and expert on Eastern Europe, he’s an author of the recent bestseller “Putin’s Praetorians” and other books. He writes exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
https://journal-neo.org/2023/05/12/heres-why-bakhmut-is-the-most-important-town-on-earth/

Totally delusional.
Phil is no “EXPERT”!
So Phil seems to think that the war will be over by early June?!? June 12!
No – it won’t.
Phil is a fool.
The USA is not going to “beg” for the partition of Ukraine after Bakhmut falls!
Completely off base and delusional.
Given the rubbish Phil has written here I would avoid anything else he has to say – completely in cloud cuckoo land!

Posted by: Julian | May 14 2023 15:30 utc | 24

Posted by: Down South | May 14 2023 15:06 utc | 17
Hopefully Russia can hit the ukro hordes hard that advanced near Yahidne and Klischeevka. We’ll see within several days whether the offensive petered out.
Video of the first hits in Ternopil:
“The work of the Ukrainian air defense and the moment of arrival of the Russian cruise missile at the object of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Ternopil. May 14, 2023.”
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/30530
🇷🇺🇺🇦 A powerful blow was dealt to Kharkiv and the region at night, a transport infrastructure facility was damaged
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/30507
One of the targets during the overnight missile attacks at Kharkov were railway tracks
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/30519
To slow down the offensive of the Russian army in the Donetsk direction, in the area of Marinka and Avdiivka, the Nazis use DM1399 mines, which are fired from the MARS II MLR
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/30539
The defeat of a Ukrainian infantry group in the direction of Bakhmut.
https://t.me/CyberspecNews/30543

Posted by: unimperator | May 14 2023 15:42 utc | 26

Erdoğan is far ahead as counting on, with almost 60% of the vote, exactly as I said in the regime change thread. I’m not saying it’s good or bad in the context of the Ukranazistani conflict, I’m just saying that this will not be an outcome that will make Warshington happy.

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | May 14 2023 15:46 utc | 28

@ Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 15:28 utc | 20
He is WAY behind the Dali Lama’s on going record, and will take decades to catch up to him.

Posted by: BroncoBilly | May 14 2023 16:03 utc | 30

Today, Andrea Riccardi, founder of the influential Catholic organization Communità di Sant’Egidio, was interviewed about the meeting between Zelensky and the Pope. Riccardi said there is no mediation by the Vatican right now, but that the Vatican is seeking to establish lines of communication with the Ukraine, Russia and other countries to start a peace negotiation. These other countries include China. However, seemingly, Zelensky showed up in Rome to say to the Pope that the Ukraine is not seeking a mediation, nor a truce negotiation, right now. In fact, Zelensky’s meeting with the Pope was announced, according to Riccardi, just two days before it happened: it was a surprise. However we do not know what Zelensky said to the Pope in their closed-door meeting, where he could have manifested different intentions, while in his public speech was quite rude and bombastic, as usual.
After that, Riccardi said that he thinks that the most probable outcome of a negotiation, that could require years if it happens at all, will be a frozen conflict, Korea-style. However, in that case Zelensky, after all his overblown declarations about pushing the Russians out of the Ukraine and Crimea, would be in a hard position, politically speaking, so that is a further obstacle to real negotiations now (does that mean that Zelensky must go?).

Posted by: SG | May 14 2023 16:08 utc | 32

@32
the pope!
notable that 13 May is the feast day of the Blessed Virgin of Fatima.
different today is the great sin is not in Russia but in the USA and eu!

Posted by: paddy | May 14 2023 16:15 utc | 34

However, in that case Zelensky, after all his overblown declarations about pushing the Russians out of the Ukraine and Crimea, would be in a hard position, politically speaking, so that is a further obstacle to real negotiations now (does that mean that Zelensky must go?).
Posted by: SG | May 14 2023 16:08 utc
It’s tempting to think that he will be eliminated by Russia’s means, but it’s far better to give the Ukrainians time to do the job themselves. The last thing the US wants is an attack by the Ukraine on the Kremlin that’s aimed at killing Putin.
In America’s eyes the war is still going satisfactorily. The Ukrainians appear to be able to stick to doing only what they’re told to do with their new ammunition.

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 16:28 utc | 36

The Ukrainians appear to be able to stick to doing only what they’re told to do with their new ammunition.

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 16:28 utc | 36
Which appears to be: stack it all in one place in order to make spectacular Telegram videos…

Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 16:36 utc | 38

Posted by: scc | May 14 2023 16:11 utc | 33

…Last year, he [President Ramaphosa] defended his nation’s stance of neutrality, asserting that they should not be placed in situations where they have to choose who their friends are.

And yet, his foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela, instead of telling the US to go suck an egg, was compelled to “explain that the country’s arms control regulator has no record of an authorized arms sale to Russia during the period in question.” Thus further anchoring the narrative that siding with Russia would be in violation of some universal law.

Posted by: robin | May 14 2023 16:43 utc | 40

@ Oui | May 14 2023 15:03 utc | 14
Yes, that’s spot on, I’d say. Loss of the unacknowledged accord between Putin and Erdogan is the biggest strategic vulnerability for Russia at the moment. I’m sure they have gamed it out extensively and they are good (I only sometimes see their moves coming but am always impressed in retrospect).
I wonder how Biden would choose to play his new puppet if it goes that way. What would a more “rules-based” Turkey do with the occupation of northern Syria, the Russian gas pipeline investment, Cyprus and the gas fields. The problem for the puppet would be that Erdogan, from a Turkey-centric POV, did every right. Can a co-opted, treacherous, minion survive as well as leader of Turkey as they do in Europe?

Posted by: Figleaf23 | May 14 2023 17:09 utc | 42

European customs block two containers with humanitarian cargo collected by volunteer organizations to Donetsk Republic

Posted by: rk | May 14 2023 17:20 utc | 44

Oops, this link
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Eurovision.jpg

Posted by: Miguel | May 14 2023 17:29 utc | 46

@ scc | May 14 2023 16:11 utc | 33
I would hate to see RSA bending to NATO and USA, let alone some insignificant career German politician without any influence and experience in international affairs.
What could RF acquire from RSA, that it doesn’t have at home in production?
MILKOR’s 380 drone is a fine drone, but it is not so much better than RF makes at home or has at its disposal. It is better than Bayraktar, that is for sure. I am not sure that it is crucial or even needed.
40 mm launchers, maybe? It could be, but for that one requires few trucks and not a cargo ship.
As I have written before, the only thing that can find practical military/civilian use are MRAPS Casspir NG 2000. It is an iconic and a very useful 4×4 10 tonnes multi-configuration vehicle which can find its usage in traversing distances over the many minefields in Western RF republics steppe.
The second would be Marauder, and Chechens/RF have some already. Those are not weapons, really.
I do not see the issues there, and I doubt any US intelligence is correct. It is a typical bullying by the USA, also a lame attempt by Baerbock (who?) to cosy to her USA owners.
Last year, he defended his nation’s stance of neutrality, asserting that they should not be placed in situations where they have to choose who their friends are.
Well, they shouldn’t be pushed towards making a public decisions, nor they will.
A vast majority of population including White minority is inclined more to RF than towards the treacherous USA. As it is a case in almost the whole African continent.
Economically, it is true that USA is an important trading partner, as it is Germany. But, the trading partner number one is China, a way above anyone.
South African exports to Russia were just $ 282.85 million during 2022. That is close to nothing.
That is how much RF’s Geranium drones destroyed in Khmelnitsky in one go.
South Africa imports from RF are double that sum at about $ 550 million, mostly fertilizers, copper, some minerals, chemicals, and lubricants.
But the intention is to increase goods exchange with RF within the BRICS and widen the market for both there.
USA is trying and will continue to seed the poison within BRICS for sure.

Posted by: whirlX | May 14 2023 17:33 utc | 48

Not so funny for the fan Community:
https://roloslavskiy.substack.com/p/red-list-23-facing-down-disaster#details
Posted by: e | May 14 2023 15:08 utc | 16
Was a good interview up til the end.. The interviewer suddenly ultra racist and definitely took Russell by surprise.

Posted by: NJH | May 14 2023 17:37 utc | 50

Which appears to be: stack it all in one place in order to make spectacular Telegram videos…
Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 16:36 utc
The size and shape of the mushroom cloud must provide some evidence on the amount of munitions destroyed. Has there ever been a larger conventional explosion recorded?
Rather, my point is that the Ukraine doesn’t lack the ability to strike Moscow now, but are still observing the mutually agreed upon limitations. As is Russia too of course.
As to which side our sentiments support, many armchair warriors on both sides must be hoping to see either side pull out the stops and get on with real war business. I certainly am and it makes no difference on which side decides to end the game.
Wouldn’t most say that it’s playing into Washington’s agenda to keep it down to being a SMO?

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 17:51 utc | 52

G wiltek @ 51

Further to explosion in Northern Poland Saturday about 15 to 16000 not reported generally. About 2.3 on the Richterscale.

Above ground would have been impossible to hide, even an underground weapons explosion either from carelessness or sabotage would have broke through. However, Poland secret underground nuke test???

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | May 14 2023 17:57 utc | 54

Posted by: G wiltek | May 14 2023 17:40 utc | 51
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | May 14 2023 17:57 utc | 54
This site: https://earthquakelist.org/poland/ shows that earthquakes below magnitude 4.0 are surprisingly common in Poland. I’m filing this under ‘red herring’ unless something more substantive emerges.
~~~

Wouldn’t most say that it’s playing into Washington’s agenda to keep it down to being a SMO?

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 17:51 utc | 52
Far from it, the current pace of the SMO is giving time for wider global issues to develop that are definitely not on Washington’s agenda.

Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 18:08 utc | 56

Above ground would have been impossible to hide, even an underground weapons explosion either from carelessness or sabotage would have broke through. However, Poland secret underground nuke test???
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | May 14 2023 17:57 utc | 54

One of the two Aegis Ashore sites is right there across from Bornholm (the other is in Romania).
However, one would think that if they felt it that much in Bornholm, everyone in Gdansk (let alone Slupsk) would have been in total panic, and yet this is the first you hear about it 24 hours later.
Possibly fake news.

Posted by: shadowbanned | May 14 2023 18:10 utc | 58

It’s been a few decades since I’d visited Europe and I wanted to see what it was about the new EU that the Ukro-Nazis were so in love with. I figured with as much screen space as Eurovision was taking up in the news aggregators that by viewing it I could really get an accurate impression of the new Europe’s “soul”, if you will.
I apologize, but I could not stomach viewing more than the briefest clips of the contenders. These hardly even qualify as songs to me. The videos are just bland and banal commercial products with performers doing little more than transitioning between static poses doubtless chosen by committees of marketing department “choreographers”.
I suppose that really does reflect the soul of contemporary Europe, but what a barren waste that soul is.

Posted by: William Gruff | May 14 2023 18:23 utc | 60

shadowbanned@7 Zelensky has more to fear from nato in the assasination game than Russia. We all know this. Why dont you?

Posted by: Tannenhouser | May 14 2023 18:33 utc | 62

LightYearsFromHome | May 14 2023 17:57 utc | 54
@ G wiltek | May 14 2023 17:40 utc | 51
whirlX | May 14 2023 18:16 utc | 59
Isn’t this the general area where the last Nordstream 1 pipeline is that wasn’t destroyed?
Wouldn’t it be full of natural gas??

Posted by: Jerr | May 14 2023 18:39 utc | 64

It looks like Erdogan will fall short of the 50% required to secure a win on the first ballot. I have been refreshing this page every 10 mins or so since it was first posted at a few minutes after 1800 GMT. Every single refresh has reduced Erdogans percentage; What began at 56% has now been reduced to 50.83%

Posted by: sabretache | May 14 2023 18:46 utc | 66

Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 18:35 utc
Maddow tomorrow evening on MSNBC will reveal any positive progress by America, [b] but otherwise she will turn to other domestic issues. [/b] Bad news from her mouth isn’t permissable.
That’s one of the most reliable barometers of the war’s progress, or lack of progress! Lately Maddow seems to be telling it the way she’s told, straight from the horse’s mouth!

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 18:48 utc | 68

Posted by: sabretache | May 14 2023 18:46 utc | 66
There’s active commentary on Turkish elections in this thread:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/05/regime-change-watch.html#comments
~~~
Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 18:48 utc | 68
MSM coverage is a barometer here in Britain as well. The amount of coverage is directly correlated to the amount of Ukrainian ‘success’.

Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 18:57 utc | 70

Posted by: whirlX | May 14 2023 18:16 utc | 59
Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 18:24 utc | 61
Interesting points.
So an actual explosion in Poland is unlikely due how loud it would have been near point of origin, and air pressure observations possibly more consistent with the transit of a supersonic aircraft or missile?

Posted by: anon2020 | May 14 2023 19:02 utc | 72

MSM coverage is a barometer here in Britain as well. The amount of coverage is directly correlated to the amount of Ukrainian ‘success’.
Posted by: West of England Andy | May 14 2023 18:57 utc |
Yes, it’s very reliable and revealing. AT lest until they’re ordered to turn to a pure war propaganda footing which then becomes lies vs facts which becomes useless as a barometer.

Posted by: Up North | May 14 2023 19:06 utc | 74

@anon2020 | May 14 2023 19:02 utc | 72

So an actual explosion in Poland is unlikely due how loud it would have been near point of origin, and air pressure @ observations possibly more consistent with the transit of a supersonic aircraft or missile?

Or perhaps more likely a large explosion much closer to Bornholm.

Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 19:11 utc | 76

Graph:

🇷🇺🇺🇦 In Khmelnitsky, after the explosion of an ammunition depot, an increase in gamma radiation was recorded.

https://t.me/intelslava/47715

Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 19:14 utc | 78

@ William Gruff | May 14 2023 18:23 utc | 60
Visiting EU, huh?
Well, there are very few countries where you will not see police without automatic and/or long barrel weapons.
In France, in front of almost any synagogue, public place of interest and such there might be a small armed police or military unit of 2-6 patrolling the area or at the best sitting around some military (with tyres, not yet tracked) truck or jeep or a riot vehicle. Armed police walking through main shopping streets.
Brussels, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam etc. airports, train stations, everywhere else a noticeable presence of armed police patrols.
Even the Disneyland entrance is guarded by mean looking automatic weapons armed units. Children must be thrilled.
However, that is the situation for the last 3 years and then growing some more fear around, lately.
Hungary seemed rather calm, usual police presence here and there, so was Czech Republic, I didn’t even see the police in Slovenia or Croatia on the streets, in a car only.
Some usual Carabinieri in Italy, but also military here and there.
I am talking about my sightings over the last year or so.
So our ‘garden’ is a bit gone wild, without its caged citizens even noticing it. Frau Uschi von der Leyen had disgraced EU totally through her arrogance and incompetence, being very actionable in killing otherwise positive ancient EU as a common market without import duties idea. Eurovision Song Contest is a cultural disgrace, too.
Prices have gone up and suddenly nobody knows why, or everybody pretends that a reason is Russia and a war.
Common population that is a bit literate in Eastern Europe is a bit less negative towards Russia while those on the West are, well, same old, same old.
The only good thing that happened to EU ever was getting rid of a direct UK’s economic, cultural and political influence in EU aka Brexit. I still hate Thatcher a lot.
Europe to me looks like old whore dying of syphilis, while being on a raunchy ride by the USA not knowing of her infection.
I also miss my Russian friends that used to visit me and my family once a year.

Posted by: whirlX | May 14 2023 19:16 utc | 80

Current low level winds are blowing towards Poland and Belarus. That’s a damn shame.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/ua/national/wind-flow
Of course the dust may be way up in the upper levels and it happened 24-48 hours ago, so a real meteorology expert is needed to see where any fallout would end up.

Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | May 14 2023 19:20 utc | 82

Stormshadow Missiles already drawing a long (blowback) shadow?
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/46091
Cables cut in alleged sabotage in HMAS ship building contractor shipyard…
Added to the other potential own goal, where apparently Depleted Uranium ammunition supplied by the UK got blown up in Western Ukraine before ever reaching the front:
https://t.me/intelslava/47715

Posted by: Et Tu | May 14 2023 19:31 utc | 84

Both uranium and depleted uranium, and their immediate decay products, emit alpha and beta particles and a small amount of gamma radiation.
That is as expected.
Good hit Russians!
Oldengineer, from Google

Posted by: Oldengineer | May 14 2023 19:52 utc | 86

This latest large explosion…
Is this the western created false flag atack, dirty nucular bomb that everyone has been speculating could happen. Going back a year or more ?
If so we can expect a deluge of dirty bomb misinformation and propaganda about to erupt from the west media directed at Russia.

Posted by: Mark2 | May 14 2023 19:57 utc | 88

Headline – “Zelensky hints at postponing elections No vote will be held in the country while it remains under martial law, the Ukrainian president has said”
At this point I’d be more worried of the Ukrainian military. They probably have had way more than enough.
(an ethical, human-costly shame Russia lets this Nazi go unchallenged. A real shame.)

Posted by: Elmagnostic | May 14 2023 20:01 utc | 90

Posted by: Norwegian | May 14 2023 19:11 utc | 76
Yes, the “strange pressure, sound, booms, bangs, the clinking of walls, windows and glass … spread throughout the afternoon yesterday, primarily between 3 and 4 p.m“ could have been an initial explosion followed by the rumble of gas escaping from the ruptured pipe and the rush of water into the pipe.
Gazprom would notice a loss of pressure in the last remaining Nord Stream 2 pipe. If this report does correspond to an attack on the last undamaged portion of Nord Stream 2, I wonder why they haven’t said anything publicly but, then again, there is currently an almost surreal level of obscurantism in international affairs, to which I presume Russia it not completely immune.

Posted by: anon2020 | May 14 2023 20:03 utc | 92

Tom-Q-collins @ 91
Yes well it would be wouldn’t it.
Proves my very point.

Posted by: Mark2 | May 14 2023 20:08 utc | 94

Whoops!
I thought that my last comment hadn’t been posted properly
My bad.

Posted by: Elmer Fudd | May 14 2023 20:10 utc | 96

Added to the other potential own goal, where apparently Depleted Uranium ammunition supplied by the UK got blown up in Western Ukraine before ever reaching the front:
Posted by: Et Tu | May 14 2023 19:31 utc | 84

People don’t quite appreciate how extraordinary these strikes were.
This appears to be an old Soviet ammo dump, with many individual storage spaces separate by earthen embankments and then one even bigger embankment, etc. Of course the Russians knew about it from the start. But it hasn’t been touched so far. Which is precisely the kind of thing that has generated so many complaints so far. And the fact that the Ukies stored so much ammo there confirms the validity of that outrage — clearly they felt secure enough to do so, not expecting it to get blown up.
Now there might be noble reasons for it — so far Russia has generally refrained from making big booms and doing really ugly strikes near and inside population centers. A couple administrative buildings were blown up in Nikolaev, Kharkov, etc. early on in the war, then there were no strikes in city centers until after the Kerch bridge bombing, when there were some spectacular (but not really seriously destructive) hits in Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk, and then they stopped again. Infrastructure strikes were against facilities just outside cities, and mostly generated smoke. But now we had multiple explosions (Pavlograd, Khmelnitskyi, Ternopol yesterday was pretty big too) that had the visuals of a small nuclear blast, and certainly blew out a lot of windows too. Which admittedly isn’t a good look in terms of optics — “it’s an SMO, not a war”, “we’re not like that”, “we don’t want to hurt civilians”, etc., but here is this 1-kiloton (even if conventional) blast, enjoy.
So something has clearly changed in the Kremlin’s approach. Maybe after the DU, the assassination attempts on Putin, the attempted mass drone strike on Victory Day, and now the ALCMs, the gloves will come off, simply because there is no choice left any more.
P.S. People also still don’t seem to appreciate what the ALCMs mean. Very few countries have cruise missiles, and there are various treaties on limiting the spread of such missiles, and there is a very good reason for it — it is the second most destabilizing thing after nukes. Specifically for Russia, cruise missiles are one the most sensitive issues, because NATO’s plan for a first strikes centers on those — a massive attack with nuclear ALCMs, nuclear Tomahawks from ships and submarines, and also perhaps some depressed-trajectory SLBMs. So if Russia accepts ALCMs being launched against it, it has basically invited NATO to do a first strike — so far it was two launched on one day, and another one or two the next, but presumably it will be a large salvo when they seriously use them, and it may well be a large salvo against mainland Russia too, not just Crimea and the Donbass (not that Crimea is not already bad enough itself). The MALD missiles having been sent (without any official announcement) is extremely ominous too, because the main purpose of those is suppressing air defense during a large first strike — conventional uses are secondary. So if Russia does not stop this, the next thing that will happen is all their early warning systems lighting up with a hundred cruise missiles flying against central Russia, with no idea what kind of warheads actually are on them. This is precisely the kind of situation that has been discussed endlessly, including by Putin himself, as the thing that will bring the end of the world, because it means Russia has to launch an all-out second strike in response. Or be defeated.
But the mindless Z-ombie cheerleaders on the internet are talking about how SCALP missiles are no big deal because Russian AD will shoot them all down…

Posted by: shadowbanned | May 14 2023 20:14 utc | 98

@Arch Bungle | May 14 2023 15:01
“This nonsense about “Russia doing nothing” while NATOstan crosses it’s “Red Lines” has been puzzling me for a while:
– A chunk of Ukraine is now under Russian control and will never go back.
– The Ukrainian economy and industrial output is an obituary.
– The Ukrainian state is on life support kept alive on Western fiat.
– The Ukrainian military and it’s infrastructure goes up in mini-mushroom clouds on a daily basis.
– Putin has almost single handedly reconfigured the global energy markets and flows …”
You’re spot-on! “The Zanonites” puzzle me as well. Like you rightly pointed out in your comment, crossing the Russian’s redline has been an unmitigated disaster, not only for Ukraine but for the collective West as well. Sometimes I think of “the Zanonites” as a jeering crowd, a cheerleading band for the opponent.

Posted by: Steve | May 14 2023 20:27 utc | 100