You have to hand it to the Ukrainians. Just when you think they can’t be more ridiculous:

Kiev seeking 15-year jail term for ISS crew member
Russian astronaut, Aleksey Zubritsky, is registered as a draft evader in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s records and is being sought for alleged high treason.
Born in Ukraine but currently a cosmonaut for Russia, Aleksey Zubritsky, who reached the International Space Station (ISS) this Tuesday, could potentially face a 15-year prison sentence on charges of treason if he is ever captured by Kiev authorities, as suggested by news reports.

This is one for the Guinness book: first arrest warrant in space.

Posted by: Passerby | Apr 10 2025 13:49 utc | 4

“All publicity is good publicity” said Hollywood.
Posted by: Mary | Apr 10 2025 14:04 utc | 5
————–
I do believe the current state of the “state” of Ukraine.
Disproves that theory.
They’ve attention whored their way, into national suicide.

Posted by: Urban Fox | Apr 10 2025 14:07 utc | 6

In the last 24 hours, 11 more attacks on Russian energy infrastructure were recorded:
– On April 9, at 3:22 a.m., the 500-kV Novodonbasskaya-Pobeda high-voltage power line of PJSC Rosseti Branch – Donbasskoye PMES was severed due to a cable break following an attack by a Ukrainian drone. The Stakhanov Ferroalloy Plant industrial enterprise was left without power;
– On April 9, at 10:48 a.m., the 110-kV high-voltage power line was severed following an attack by a Ukrainian drone on the Antratsit substation of PJSC Rosseti Branch – Donbasskoye PMES;
– On April 9, at 5:45 p.m., a Ukrainian drone dropped ammunition on a PJSC Rosseti facility in the city of Gorlovka;
– On April 9, at 9:00 a.m., a drone strike disrupted the high-voltage power line of the Tavria-Energo State Unitary Enterprise in the Zaporizhzhia Region due to a cable break in the support area. The mini-boiler room remained without power.
– On April 9, at 6:55 p.m., a Ukrainian drone attack on the Bekhtery substation of the Khersonoblenergo State Unitary Enterprise damaged transformers. Approximately 5,000 households in six settlements were without power.
– On April 9, at 8:45 a.m., an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces disrupted the 10 kV high-voltage power line of the Rosseti Centre-Kurskenergo branch of PJSC (Rosseti Centre-Kurskenergo) due to a wire break in the support area. More than 600 households in the Bolshesoldatsky District were without power.
– On April 9, at 6:15 p.m., a Ukrainian drone attack on the Strachevo power plant of the Bryanskenergo branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre resulted in the shutdown of an entire substation due to damage to the casing.
– On April 9, at 6:51 p.m., a Ukrainian drone attack on the Svetovo power plant of the Bryanskenergo branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre – Bryanskenergo resulted in the shutdown of an entire substation due to damage to the transformer. Households in the Sevsky District were left without power.
– On April 9, at 2:01 p.m., a Ukrainian drone attack in the town of Shebekino, Belgorod Region, damaged the low-pressure steel overhead gas distribution pipeline of Gazprom Gas Distribution Belgorod JSC.
– On April 10, at 5:29 a.m., a Ukrainian drone dropped ammunition on the 110-kV Grayvoron substation of the Belgorodenergo branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre.
– On April 9, at 12:43 a.m., a Ukrainian drone attack caused the Varenikovskaya-Dzhiginskaya 110-kV high-voltage power line of PJSC Rosseti Kuban to be disconnected due to a cable break.

Posted by: Berthold | Apr 10 2025 14:18 utc | 8

Veteran barflies don’t need to be steered into Karl Sanchez’s substack work, which I’ve found consistently invaluable for insights out of the razor-sharp mental mechanisms of Putin, Lavrov, Zakharova, and others. From my US American vantage-point, it looks miraculous — like a suspension of natural law — for there to be public officials so thoughtful and truthful, original and articulate.
Be that as it may, Karl’s most recent post is quite excellent, even by Karl’s standards. Maybe a taste here from the beginning of Lavrov’s comments (which are unmissable) to whet your appetite:

Question: My name is Vasilisa Pankova. I am in the 11th grade, and I am the winner of the Media Class in TASS 2.0 competition.
Sergey Lavrov: Congratulations.
Question: Mr Lavrov, thank you very much for finding the time for our interview.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. I am participating in the competition with the support of the National Center for Historical Memory. If we in Russia honor the memory of those who defeated the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War, then the West is trying in every possible way to “forget” and distort our history. Is it worth “shaking them up” somehow?
Sergey Lavrov: This is not the first year that we have been trying to shake them up. Indeed, long before the start of the special military operation, there was a tendency to consign history to oblivion, and quite intensive attempts were made to put the winners and the defeated on the same level, to undermine and denigrate the role of the Soviet Union.
In our contacts with German diplomats over the past seven or eight years, at least, the idea slipped through our minds more and more often (I am conveying what they told us, the meaning was this) that they had paid everyone for everything and did not owe anything else to anyone. It was a wake-up call.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/normalization-of-relations-faltering

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 10 2025 15:06 utc | 10

There has been much discussion on the progress of Russia in the war (SMO) against Ukraine.
Poster Anonymous is focusing on the land aspect; how much land is being exchanged day by day, week by week; and this demonstrates that the progress is very slow. He does a very thorough job of this, and it is solid data. It does show one aspect of the fighting, and the direction of the war. It demonstrates which side is prevailing in the short term on the LOC (Line of contact).
Other facts that are shared by posters are the losses of the militaries on both sides in terms of people and equipment losses. These numbers are hard to get accurately, as it is standard practice in war to minimize your sides losses and maximize the losses of the other side, for morale and psychological reasons, both for the troops and the citizenry of each country.
There is the Russian MOD reports, and Ukrainian reports on the extent of these losses. Then there are the news reports in other countries to their populations.
There are also reports on the impacts of bombing via missiles, drones, artillery, air strikes, etc. which are pretty well documented at a basic level. I say basic, because many times the losses behind the scenes are hidden. How many soldiers were really killed? What ammunition dumps and equipment were destroyed? How badly was an energy plant or energy distribution center really damaged? Separating truth from fiction is hard. I believe this is where the saying that “Truth is the first casualty in War”
I propose an analogy between the deteriorating condition of a country fighting a war, and the human body fighting a disease.
The body is made up of many systems that are critical to survival. Respiratory, Circulatory, Digestive, Immune, musculoskeletal, the brain and nervous systems. Also sensory organs that give us sight, hearing, touch, smell, etc. All of these systems work together to enable one to live; hopefully a happy, fulfilling life.
Disease attacks the body in many different ways, and in many different places in the body. What are the main functions of the body to support life? Respiration providing oxygen to all parts of the body. Digestion to provide nutrition and energy for all cells in the body. The circulatory system to move oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and other messengers throughout the body to furnish what is needed to every cell in the body. Support organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas. The brain and nervous system which controls all bodily and organ functions either directly or indirectly. I’m sure I’m not covering everything, but you get the picture.
Now to compare to a country undergoing a war for it’s survival:
Respiratory and Digestive systems: Energy infrastructure, Energy transmission and distribution systems, Food production, Manufacturing systems, Product distribution centers, and retail stores.
Immune systems: Defenses, including military, borders, a system of laws and enforcement of laws to protect people from abuses and criminal activity, early warning systems that track any influx of social, human, cultural, or psychological disfunctions.
Brain and Nervous systems: The leadership teams in each country, it’s communication systems, it’s financial systems. The internet. The country’s news and media, including its propaganda systems to maintain civilian support for the war effort.
All of these items make up a “Country”
A country without any people or civilization is just uninhabited land, left to nature’s workings.
My father died of lung cancer at the age of 62, just after retiring. The rest of his body was just fine. His heart was strong; also his liver and all other organs. But he couldn’t get oxygen, so he died. 95% of his body was still good, but he couldn’t survive any more.
A neighbor in panic just came to our house yesterday. Her daughter had ripped her nice coat, and she was looking for help to get it repaired. The mother was crying. Not because of her daughter’s coat. Her son aged 42 was just diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Their family was getting together to figure out how to cope with this tragedy. He is already showing jaundice, and is not long for this world. But the rest of his body is ok, yet he will still die from it.
So it is with Ukraine and Russia fighting this war. What will be the “death” of either country who eventually will lose if the war is fought to completion. (The death of one or the other countries) It will be the loss of critical systems that provide for the life of the people of Ukraine, or Russia that will determine the end.
Each country’s people (population), energy systems, infrastructure, social and cultural systems, economy, transport systems, leadership and governance, defense systems (military and technical) within the country and with the outside world, will be the deciding factors.
The land, water, and natural resources in each country are just the foundation on which the country is formed and lives.
So tracking the exchange of land from one side to the other is limited in telling the story of who is winning and losing. It is the condition of the critical systems that make the country a living organism that is the key. When one or several of these are degraded to the point where one of the countries can no longer survive (i.e. support its people), the war will end.
What percent of the land of Japan did the US takeover before that country lost the war and surrendered?

Posted by: Norsk Borscht | Apr 10 2025 15:10 utc | 12

“Russia is known to have recruited mercenaries from around the world to fuel its fight to seize control of Ukraine. Many have come from Cuba, India, Yemen and several African countries, attracted by promises of significant cash incentives,” the triple-bylined article in the Daily Telegraph stated. Daniel Hardaker, Joe Barnes and Memphis Barker go on to say that Kiev “also relies on volunteers, including from Britain, the U.S. and France to fill its ranks. However it does not employ mercenaries.”
Note the use of the word “volunteers,” as in Kiev “relies on volunteers.” When foreign nationals end up fighting for the AFU, they do so because they are drawn to democracy’s great altar. And they certainly are not paid, because Kiev “does not employ mercenaries.” How do we know that Kiev does not employ mercenaries-? Because the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense *tells* the Regime Media in the UK that it does not, and the Regime Media acolytes swallow this hook, line & sinker.
So when Chinese men turned up scribbling graffiti on the wall of what looked like an abandoned building, according to unverified video filmed by *someone* in Ukraine, “Mr. Zelensky wasted little time in casting the men as proof that ‘one more nation’—China—had joined the war against his country.”
“In trying to win back the fading support of the U.S., Mr. Zelensky will do everything he can to demonstrate that the two theaters”—-the one in his country and the “looming titanic contest with China cannot be so easily separated.”
After all, Sec Hegseth distributed an internal memo to his staff in March, indicating a need to reorient the U.S. military towards deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Hardaker, Barnes & Barker are quick to remind us that Sec Rubio “has claimed that the actions of the Russian president will only end up being a small chapter in the history of the 21st Century, with the rest taken up by America’s contest with Beijing.”
When we hear of U.S. mercenaries—erm, volunteers—-fighting in Ukraine, we think of RFKjr’s son suiting up and heading over to fight for democracy or we think of the would-be assassin Ryan Routh, who tried to take DJT out on the golf course, and his own former *service* in Ukraine—-and we are encouraged to believe that these men are doing so on their own dime, self-funding.
In the case of Ryan Routh, however, he had no visible means of support for his many adventures in Kiev, including attempting to recruit Afghan nationals for fighting w/ the AFU, but somehow he was able to make numerous lengthy trips to Ukraine and network sufficiently to organize a fighting force of mercs—-erm, volunteers.
That Ryan Routh, in particular, tried to buy a Stinger missile in order to bring down DJT’s plane last summer, indicates the degree to which he worked his way into an extensive arms network, a portion of which may or may not have included FBI contacts.
Regarding mercs—-urm, volunteers—-we know from the philanthropic work of Gen Kellogg’s daughter in Odessa that a sophisticated and well-financed tracery of American NGOs has assisted w/ quietly transferring wounded & deceased U.S. mercs—-erm, volunteers—-from the battlefields of Ukraine—and her particular philanthropic group set up shop *prior* to the SMO, perhaps even as far back as 2015.

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 15:24 utc | 14

@ #4:

This is one for the Guinness book: first arrest warrant in space.

On the upside: his whereabouts are precisely know at this moment.
On the downside: they can’t get hold of him without the (unlikely) cooperation of the Russians … 8-p

Posted by: Chrisssie | Apr 10 2025 15:32 utc | 16

Tucker, in a sit-down w/ Alex Jones, which dropped yesterday,said, “We just lost a war with Russia, and we eliminated Ukraine, our proxy, in the process, but nobody cares, because this was a war against Russia, and they hate Russia for a whole lot of reasons, mostly spiritual. But we just lost a war with Russia, and my concern is that because no one will say that out loud that we’re overstating our power.”
My thought: heh-heh—like that never happens in the U.S.-?
Tucker likened it to the 60-year old guy who gets a Gray Divorce and then starts hitting on 20-year old women because he thinks they see him as a groovy sex partner. He still sees himself as 25 and can’t comprehend that that world, that part of his existence, is no longer within reach as it was @ age 25.
Tucker’s point: that level of delusion can of course inflict nations too—-the collective hubris of a hegemony, for example. The U.S. with its ensemble of Sec Rubio and Mike Waltz and Gen Kellogg believes it can move the needle even in their quasi- faux fig-leaf *negotiations* w/ Russia-?
Tucker said, “We should know that we were not able to win a conventional war against Russia. Period. What does that say about our power-?”
It is a 2 hour sit-down overall—but Tucker & Alex tear into the Ukraine War 45 minutes in. Good listening.
x.com/TuckerCarlson
(Also on Tucker’s Rumble site—-don’t neglect to search YouTube if neither of these work for you.)

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 15:48 utc | 18

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 15:24 utc | 14
RE: more details about Ryan Routh’s effort to get a Stinger from *weapons merchants* in Ukraine
<< This fell beneath the radar on Tuesday, because DJT's tariffs were sucking all the oxygen out of the room, but Byron York shares the deets culled from a court filing @ the Washington Examiner. Link below. Here's a taste: "Routh, communicating via the encrypted app Signal, asked the associate to send him a rocket-propelled grenade or a Stinger anti-aircraft missile. The two discussed price and shipping methods. Then Routh told the associate why he wanted the weapons: “I need equipment so that Trump cannot get elected.” The problem, for Routh, was that he could not just go to the hardware store and buy something to shoot down a 757. “Going to the local store for such an item is impossible,” Routh wrote to the associate. “However, you are at war so those items lost and destroyed daily — one missing would not be noticed. Do you think Trump will be good for Ukraine?????” Just to be clear, Routh sent the associate a photo of Trump’s jet, writing, “Trump’s plane, he gets on and off daily.” And just in case his associate missed the intent, when Routh mentioned the failed Butler assassination attempt, Routh wrote, “I wish.” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3374686/the-ukraine-link-in-a-plot-to-kill-trump/

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 16:17 utc | 20

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 15:24 utc | 14
Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 16:17 utc | 20
RE: follow-up on would-be assassin Ryan Routh & Ukraine connection
<< After Routh’s arrest, police found he had 17 cellphones, along with three computers and three tablets. “That’s a lot of cellphones, and a couple of them had some strange markings on them,” DJT said at the White House this week, in discussing the court filings relative to Ryan Routh. “So yes, I want to find out.”

Posted by: steel_porcupine | Apr 10 2025 16:36 utc | 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUCO_M3M3dY
Don’t know if anyone has posted this brutal clip but it’s a good example of how the drones have been integrated, becoming another ‘tool in the tactical solutions box’, whilst artillery still retains its reputation as the chief-fucker-upper, on the battlefield.

Posted by: Milites | Apr 10 2025 17:09 utc | 24

Posted by: Norsk Borscht | Apr 10 2025 15:10 utc | 12
Following the analogy, Ukraine at this point is incapable of surviving without external support. Even if the war ended today, Ukraine could not survive going forward without being propped up, as it is a wrecked country – demographically, production of necessities for its people, failed government, whatever metric you choose. It depends on external inputs to run its government, sustain its military, feed and support its people, run what’s left of its industries. Most of its systems are dysfunctional and cannot sustain themselves without outside support. Even worse, it’s infected with a virus – a malign ideology that has taken control of its processes. This fascist element is supported by the West. The West keeps Ukraine on life support while it supports the factions that are destroying it, essentially trapping Ukraine in a torture chamber. It truly sucks to be a friend of the US.

Posted by: Mike R | Apr 10 2025 20:24 utc | 26

Another notable “Fucker-upper” is a discontented population in one of the belligerent nations:

Ukrainians started talking about the day of anger: The completely arrogant Zelensky is strangling us
A new round of socio-economic crisis and a drop in the standard of living of the population is beginning in Ukraine. And with renewed vigor, “there are rumors that everything will go up in price absolutely, and especially table salt.” However, these are not just rumors, but a daily depressing reality.
Sociological services state that Ukrainians are spending more and more, and buying less and less. Prices sometimes rise by leaps and bounds. Social networks are full of complaints and outrages about the fact that often in the morning in stores there are some numbers on the labels, and by lunch there are other, higher ones. Moreover, such price “rotations” are happening more and more often.
In general, according to the monitoring services, the prices of basic products (eggs, bread, meat) have increased by 75% – 200% in 3 years. According to experts, this is a consequence of the absolute political insolvency of the Z-regime, coupled with malicious intent (planned genocide of its population), managerial helplessness and boundless corruption.
— In the morning I went to the supermarket to buy some groceries, — says our old acquaintance, a Russian from Kiev and a former accountant Valentina. — We ran out of butter. At the beginning of SMO it was 65 UAH, and last March it was already 100. This morning I saw it at 115 UAH and decided not to rush to buy, wait for a discount or promotion. After all, the pensions we have with the old man are scanty, at 3000 UAH per month. Of these, we give more than half for a “communal apartment”, which is getting more expensive all the time. If my son hadn’t helped, I don’t know how we would have survived… we take only the most primitive food set from the products. This oil was eaten for three months, a drop at a time… So, in the evening of that day it was already 130 UAH! And so it is with many goods, the simplest, from the most modest consumer basket.

~~~
More here: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2025/04/09/ukrainians-started-talking-about-the-day-of-anger-the-completely-arrogant-zelensky-is-strangling-us

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Apr 10 2025 20:32 utc | 28

If Dima’s most recent update is accurate, the Russians are starting to really escalate along the whole front line with the Ukrainian lines buckling. What would be expected, escalations in April to shape the front well for the Spring offensive. It does look as if the Ukrainians just don’t have enough troops to fill all the holes that the Russians are creating. Losing all those men and tons of equipment in those failed counter-attacks, many of them the best soldiers, may come back to haunt the Ukrainians now.

Posted by: Roger Boyd | Apr 10 2025 20:52 utc | 30

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 10 2025 15:06 utc | 10
I, for one, will never forget the sacrifice made by the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War; nor will I forget or forgive the unequalled atrocities of the Germans/Nazis in that war. Or indeed, in this SMO.

Posted by: horseguards | Apr 10 2025 22:26 utc | 32

Posted by: aristodemos | Apr 10 2025 16:31 utc | 21
The “husband, father, grandson, nephew, friend and neighbor” are also killing innocent civilians, as they have since before the start of the SMO.

Posted by: horseguards | Apr 10 2025 22:44 utc | 34

^
Latest rumored use of a Kinzhal was many months ago: on an airfield possibly hitting an F16 and/or it’s pilot (the one that so-called-ukraine couldn’t decide on which way to spin his obituary).

Posted by: boneless | Apr 10 2025 22:52 utc | 36

Whatever happened to Graham Phillips, the english reporter in the donbas. He made some good videos between 2014 and 2019, then vanished.

Posted by: HERMIUS | Apr 10 2025 23:02 utc | 38

Daily DS map drop:
https://deepstatemap.live/en#6/49.4383200/32.0526800
Overall: Better day for the bad guys (teasing), with the RFA taking 15.1 kmsq. This is still less than the NOV2024 pace of 23.5/day. But better than the sub-10 average of 2025 so far. At least we are in double digits!
Specific changes, S to N:
1. Very small (minor) advance in fields near Uspenivka (the DP front one, country has too many towns with same name!)
2. Bulk of the 15.1 is from a large advance in the fields around Oleksandropil and including the town capture. This is pocket filling between the NY/Toretsk salient and the E Pokrovsk flank. Sometimes I call it the N of Ochertyne front. Has been static for months. DS seems to be catching up to what other maps did previously, mostly gray zone conversion. There also may be more activity itself going on here, not just cope concession. (Some of each, I think, and on a monthly time frame, mostly real gains.)

Posted by: Anonymous | Apr 10 2025 23:28 utc | 40

As a side note, I’ve just realized that Russia hasn’t used a hypersonic weapon in forever. Their cruise missiles evidently reach anywhere they want above ground, but no bunker strikes in a while.
Posted by: boneless | Apr 10 2025 22:47 utc | 37
Latest rumored use of a Kinzhal was many months ago: on an airfield possibly hitting an F16 and/or it’s pilot (the one that so-called-ukraine couldn’t decide on which way to spin his obituary).
Posted by: boneless | Apr 10 2025 22:52 utc | 38
No, there were a couple of them on staging areas, but now for boneless, yes, many things that haven’t happened lately at the “normal” rythm.
It’s as if the apetizers are now being ignored as the main dish is about to be served…
——————
Posted by: boneless | Apr 10 2025 22:47 utc | 37
###################
With a war with NATO looking inevitable and the mendacity of the Americans (who continue to fly reconnaissance flights over Eastern Russia), it is wise to conserve munitions.
The next World War could go on for a long time, and every weapon could matter.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 10 2025 22:54 utc | 39
And there you go, feels like it. The other day I was wondering why RF would be slowing things down and what would 2 million bayonets by start of 2026 would be needed for…
And it’s not only bayonets, nor even trained and seasoned soldiers, it’s all the rest of the material being pumped into storage…
As a very rough approach the RF now has an army with twice the resources it had back in 2022 , but most important cleaned of major issues, experienced and with a solid industrial base behind it.
The trump team was right on one thing, on their side of the ledger there are no other countries that are powers capable to compete with RF.

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 11 2025 0:17 utc | 42

Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Apr 10 2025 23:14 utc | 42
The West was going to loose the war because the they designed a strategy that accentuated their weaknesses, weakened their strengths and did the reverse for their opponent. Long logistics lines are a staple part of US doctrine, using hurriedly trained troops without over-whelming air support is not, that’s traditionally the role of their opponents.
The US will continue to prosecute these long-range conflicts because it has the capabilities to do so, is dominant in them and picks strategic opponents who struggle to counter them. Rumour has it that the Iranians are about to let the Houthis hang out to dry because they cannot stop the US from systematically destroying and attriting the network they established, ditto with their Hamas and Hezbollah ‘investment’.
Bottom line, people do things because they can and because there is a reward, people normally loose when either or both of these statements isn’t true.

Posted by: Milites | Apr 11 2025 0:24 utc | 44

Rumour has it that the Iranians are about to let the Houthis hang out to dry because they cannot stop the US from systematically destroying and attriting the network they established, ditto with their Hamas and Hezbollah ‘investment’.
Bottom line, people do things because they can and because there is a reward, people normally loose when either or both of these statements isn’t true.
Posted by: Milites | Apr 11 2025 0:24 utc | 47
########
Episode 1 of “Westerners do not understand the ROW but think they do”.
Iran doesn’t control the Houthis. That is not how people organize in West Asia.
But hey, keep dreaming. LOL
Trump and Bibi don’t have any cards.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 11 2025 0:32 utc | 46

Bottom line, people do things because they can and because there is a reward, people normally loose when either or both of these statements isn’t true.
Posted by: Milites | Apr 11 2025 0:24 utc | 47
True, but he reward part is now (maybe) a bigger problem than the “they can”
I have said often enough that the us is just the current steward of the late british empire and the price is not worth the effort, compared to a more concentrated sphere of influence. (even though the us tried being empire without the official title and cost of ownership)
Can I ask you a favor? The numbers are the official ones, the map is a bit more prone to yo-yo movemnts than others but interesting for some previews (only time it got late compared to others was during the pipe attack that ended the AFU ppe dream in kursk)
What do you think of it? Can you (or anyone) see where to get km2 variations or it doesn’t have the function? Any alternatives you might suggest?
https://mskvremya.ru/article/2023/1473-kontr-nastup-interaktivnaya-karta-boevyh-deistviy-na-ukraine

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 11 2025 0:37 utc | 48

Resource scarcity, debt defaults. Treasury bonds will blow up. The timeline isn’t knowable but why is Trump in such a rush to bomb Iran?
Posted by: Ghost of Zanon | Apr 11 2025 0:42 utc | 52
Is he? That is the big question.
What percentage of difficult to replace assets would the us lose even if it achieved it’s objectives?
Not saying it won’t attack , but if it does it seriously it will deplete the ability to do it next time.
When I mean seriously I mean in the sense that what I discussed earlier “use or lose” becomes a thing.
Can it “punish” iran and give it a reason to make an half-assed knee bending? Sure!
But if it’s serious serious? How many tomahawks spent? how many fighters? B2s? even some carriers?
How long (if at all) for the us to rebuild a credible worldwide “dissuasion”? You can stop a crowd with a fully loaded pistol, but if you start using the bullets seriously the crowd is still more or less the same size and you’re about to look ready to run out… not saying anyone will volunteer to try to take the gun and get shot, but if they are already being directly threatened they might.

Posted by: Newbie | Apr 11 2025 0:54 utc | 50

Maybe Trump is bombing Europe via Yemen!
Ships now have to go around Africa!

Posted by: Blind Bridge Troll | Apr 11 2025 2:06 utc | 52

Maybe Trump is bombing Europe via Yemen!
Ships now have to go around Africa!
Posted by: Blind Bridge Troll | Apr 11 2025 2:06 utc | 55
############
That’s not far from the truth. Yemen was letting European ships pass, but now they are blocking everyone.
This is from Pepe Escobar, the effect of the blockade while Europeans commit a genocide.
https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status/1910228607982768436

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 11 2025 2:56 utc | 54

Posted by: boneless | Apr 11 2025 0:36 utc | 50
So are Iskander missiles hypersonic? Early on in the SMO, many people said they were, iirc. Maybe it was just moar cheeleading. I have been assuming they were hypersonic all this time.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 11 2025 3:22 utc | 56

“I’m not a weapons nerd.”
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Apr 11 2025 3:28 utc | 60
Nor am I. But I have seen reports that Iskander missiles have been used quite recently by Russia. Boneless said that Russia hasn’t used any hypersonic weapons “like forever”. Milites is a weapons nerd so it would be good to see what he says.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 11 2025 3:48 utc | 58

@LoveDonbass | Apr 11 2025 3:28 utc | 60
Russia has missiles that get over Mach 5 so technically they would be hypersonic but only for a part of their flight. They also have small missiles for helicopters which are Mach 5+, I don’t remember their names but were never used in Ukr, they were announced to be deployed in the Baltic area a few years ago. The missile that US keeps testing, and failing, will be Mach 5 so it will be in hypersonic range but only ballistic and still far from Mach 9+ which is old news today. The only way for US to test hypersonics is during end flight of icbm which falls from orbit at hypersonic speeds. The other way is to fake it in simulations, which currently President Camacho does to create news for his fans.
Real hypersonics currently in use are are Kinzhal and Zirkon, which now started to also fill submarines ( tass.com/defense/1935365 ) I haven’t read about recent strikes in Ukr with hypersonic but that means nothing. Many times Ukr propaganda says hypersonic but no hypersonic was used. They also claim to shoot down most of them so reading it is just a waste of time, unless you’re the green hair diversity hire from UK that writes it. It’s very hard to even detect when they’re used, Nato are mostly looking for Migs known to carry them as indication of use, for shorter range they have no idea what is happening.

Posted by: rk | Apr 11 2025 7:05 utc | 60

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 11 2025 3:48 utc | 61
Nor am I. But I have seen reports that Iskander missiles have been used quite recently by Russia. Boneless said that Russia hasn’t used any hypersonic weapons “like forever”. Milites is a weapons nerd so it would be good to see what he says.
AFAIK Kinzhal is an Iskander modified to allow air launch (from MIG 31 I believe). Obviously this increases the range,which would be important for attacking naval targets, but also certain land based targets beyond normal range of Iskander.
The development of this system was probably due to the phase out of IRBM’s as per some treaty-probably now defunct.
t the end of the Cold War the USSR (ie the RF) had a fairly big inventory of a very versatile IRMB known in the west as SS20. Most of these were de-commssioned and apparently destroyed, but I read somewhere that the Orishnik missile is a development of the SS20. Makes sense given the reputed two stage-solid fuel- construction of the missile and range of 5,000 km +. Of course the warhead used could be “tailored” for a particular target.
If I am correct here, then Orishnick would replace air launched Kinzahl in some situations.

Posted by: Barrel Brown | Apr 11 2025 7:21 utc | 62

A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames by Lars Menk
Ritter Ritterband Ritterbandt Rittler Hilter were all German Jew names.
Posted by: Mr Brown | Apr 11 2025 7:35 utc | 67
So anyone who calls the name “Ritter” Jewish really has absolutely no idea about heraldry, Jews, or Germany.
And they’re just talking rubbish for the sake of talking nonsense, or even to say anything at all.
.
Origin of the surname Ritter
The surname Ritter comes from the Middle High German word rit(t)er, meaning “rider.”
In the 12th century, the word riddere was borrowed from Dutch, which in turn is a loanword from the French word chevalier.

Posted by: Bertold | Apr 11 2025 7:52 utc | 64

Hermius 41 he is on telegram. Had a lot of ++++ to deal with eg UK government seizing all his assets and virtually declaring him a terrorist…at least a supporter of such as Russia.like the German journalist who had to flee…the ex Austrian Foreign minister lady, now of course politicians add Georgescu Romania, opposition in Moldova.. Georgian current governing party etc etc.

Posted by: Jo | Apr 11 2025 8:00 utc | 66

Posted by: Berthold | Apr 11 2025 7:53 utc | 69
Yep. Plenty of Germanic surnames are also Jewish surnames. I’m a Yank with a Germanic surname from Switzerland. I was told by a nice Jewish lady once that the surame is pretty common amongst Jewish people. My direct ancestors are mostly farmers. Yiddish language is largely derived from German language too, right? The Ritter-hate has gotten so bad now that trolls are calling him “a Jew”.

Posted by: Spectator | Apr 11 2025 8:07 utc | 68

@ boneless 37, 38
Absolute bunk, boneless, that Russia hasn’t used hypersonic missiles in forever.
In fact, I was almost certain I’d just read of their use but couldn’t quite remember the specifics. While I can’t say for sure if this was the strike I was thinking of, the Bulgarian military calls out your b.s, saying it was on April 6, 2025, that six Iskanders targeted Kiev (and all six hit their targets). Here’s the link, if that’s allowed around here: https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2025/04/06/russia-unleashes-high-tech-ballistic-weapons-on-ukraines-capital/
Note, I also doubt their use is at all rare but rather commonplace these days.

Posted by: jimbo2 | Apr 11 2025 8:20 utc | 70

Posted by: Blind Bridge Troll | Apr 11 2025 3:11 utc | 58
Doesn’t Trump support Israel too? Does it not make him in league with the Zionist Europeans?

Posted by: joey_n | Apr 11 2025 8:40 utc | 72

Some weird logic here
Mr Healy UK guy
Calling for allied forces to put more pressure on Putin, he said: ‘We cannot jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the war.
‘The daily reality for millions of Ukrainians continues, drone attacks, missile strikes, brutal fighting on the front line, so we must put more pressure on President Putin to end his war and we must step up support for Ukraine both in the fight and in the push for peace.’
The meeting, co-hosted by Mr Healey and his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, was intended to continue planning for the ‘reassurance force’ that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement.
He continued: ‘We advance the momentum of that planning here today, planning to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to protect its sovereignty and to deter any further Russian aggression.
‘While today’s discussions will be private, our planning is real and substantial.’
He added that the coalition had ‘clear objectives’ for Ukraine, including ‘safe skies’, ‘safe seas’, peace on land and a strengthening of Kyiv’s armed forces.

Posted by: Jo | Apr 11 2025 8:54 utc | 74

as a german, all i can say is that lukashenko, whose title of “last dictator in europe” was successfully stolen by that ukrainian zelenskijyjiiyjyjiv, is 100% correct:

‘This is their policy, imposed by the USA…the Germans went downhill. We didn’t forget because we didn’t want to forget; they wanted to forget it and they forgot’

Posted by: Justpassinby | Apr 11 2025 9:15 utc | 76

Some weird logic here
Mr Healy UK guy
Calling for allied forces to put more pressure on Putin, he said: ‘We cannot jeopardise the peace by forgetting about the war.
Posted by: Jo | Apr 11 2025 8:54 utc | 78
===================================================
Some of us have long memories and remember questions being raised when Healey was selected for a safe Labour constituency in South Yorkshire.
He was very reticent to answer questions about why his name was included on the list of members of Ronald Reagan’s “BRITISH AMERICA PROJECT FOR THE SUCCESSOR GENERATION”.
Perhaps this explains his appointment as UK Defence Secretary and his Russophobic belligerance.

Posted by: Engineer-John | Apr 11 2025 9:31 utc | 78

UK at Ramstein heading the meeting with Germany says sending to Ukraine 350 million now frontline equipment etc as part of the 4.5 billion already budgeted Norway 100…Germany 19 million (a year??))til 2029
So no UK Macron live fest today? No it’s Defence Ministers . Germany Piscorius confirmed continuing in government post yesterday.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) is meeting today at NATO Headquarters. For the first time, the meeting will be co-chaired by the Ministers of Defense of Germany and Great Britain. About 40 countries will be represented, and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and US Secretary of Defense Gesset will participate via video conference

Posted by: Jo | Apr 11 2025 10:17 utc | 80

Ukraine and World Affairs: Weekly Update, 11th April 2025: May be useful to some: https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-and-world-affairs-weekly-94b

Posted by: The Busker | Apr 11 2025 10:30 utc | 82

@ jimbo2
No need to get anyone’s panties in a twist over a semantics inconsistency, which was broken down well in a post above. Though I am a layman, thus I do apologies for any confusion.
Regardless, the only reliable source of Russian missile use is Russian MoD (and some precious decent quality civilian footage of arrivals). Not Belguim officials, nor UK or Romania. Zircons were never confirmed to be used once, only rumored.
I’ll reiterate my point that no fancy toy strikes have been announced by RuMoD nor spun by Banderastan in a while. My citation is me paying attention as best I can if anyone’s wondering.

Posted by: boneless | Apr 11 2025 10:36 utc | 84

Posted by: Brown | Apr 11 2025 9:17 utc | 81
Hey Mr Brown, in the 60’s some would have told you this place is not for “colored people”. So , are you a DEI hire ?
(I’m trolling the trolls just for lulz)

Posted by: Savonarole | Apr 11 2025 11:12 utc | 86

All ballistic missiles are hypersonic, but they follow a ballistic trajectory. When people use “hypersonic” to describe a missile they mean one that does not need to follow a ballistic trajectory to be hypersonic. The easiest way to do this (which the US is working on) is a gliding reentry vehicle that gets the natural hypersonic quality of a ballistic trajectory but isn’t confined to it. The Russian Kinzhal and Zirkon are hypersonic without ballistic trajectories.

Posted by: Lex | Apr 11 2025 11:23 utc | 88

Mike R @26: “Even if the war ended today, Ukraine could not survive going forward without being propped up, as it is a wrecked country – demographically, production of necessities for its people, failed government, whatever metric you choose.”
In fairness, the Ukraine has been in steep decline and heading for failed state status for a long time; since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The country has done absolutely nothing for itself or its population since 1991. It has been coasting on the economic momentum left over from being in the USSR. They have sustained themselves with the dream of the US and EU coming in and paving their streets with gold, and since that is where they believed they were headed there was no reason to put any effort into maintaining the infrastructure the hated Soviets left for them. It was OK to let everything go to shit because the West was going to step in “Any day now!” with the magic of capitalist market forces and turn the whole country into Disneyland.
It is difficult to feel sorry for a people with such mass-delusion and mass-stupidity.

Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 11 2025 12:07 utc | 90

Berthold will also tell you that “Rosenberg” is not a Jew name because…. The surname Rosenberg comes from the Middle High German rosen berg, meaning “rose mountain”.
And look; both Rittler and Hitler are Jew names and even rhyme.
Posted by: Brown | Apr 11 2025 9:17 utc | 81
As I said…you’re a nutcase!
Your example of “Rosenberg” is stupid because it’s obvious to everyone that it’s a Jewish name.
So your argument regarding “Ritter” is that of an idiot…
Not even “Hitler” is Jewish…even if people with your IQ would like it to be so, so that it fits their worldviews.
Such people are dangerous when they meet…although even 10 of them would have to share an IQ of a bucket of water.
It just doesn’t work according to the motto “I make the world the way I like it.”

Posted by: Berthold | Apr 11 2025 12:32 utc | 92

The more Ukros die the cheaper it gets for Nato, so it will continue to exist as a zombie country to attack Russia (or anyone else, look at their activities in Africa) forever. There are no threats for Nato, no sanctions, no money problems. Moving their factories to US will make them less vulnerable to attacks in Europe. At least for as long as RF maintains this style of smo that only hurts them and no one else (I ignore the kamikaze zombies intentionally). I doubt they have money for more than the 5 soldiers of the smo. Putin says he can’t even dig in the ground for gold anymore, asks for US investors’ help and dollars ( en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/76331 ).
We’ll see the next step in about a week. The unilateral ceasefire should be extended or canceled around 18th.

Posted by: rk | Apr 11 2025 12:48 utc | 94

LoveDonbass@49…..Trump and Bibi are not playing with cards…..they are playing with bombs, bombs that kill people and send them to their own personal paradise…..you do see the difference…wanna play Rock, Paper, Bomb?
Cheers M

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Apr 11 2025 13:32 utc | 96

Oops
Now, as some here have predicted regarding “tariffs.”
The euro only knows one direction: up.
Germany has just taken on a trillion euros in debt, and as the EU’s paymaster, it also bought all bankrupt EU states another reprieve.
But… Everything was calculated with a weak euro that was just idling, and interest of around 32 billion had to be paid starting in 2026. With a strong euro, it could rise to 40 billion.
The problem is, no one in Germany has these billions. They hope that the economy, which has been converted to a war economy, will generate these billions?
But no company is making any effort to convert production because there are no long-term contracts. Apart from raw materials and skilled workers.

Posted by: Berthold | Apr 11 2025 13:34 utc | 98

We knew the English and the French would be at the front of the queue.
“Only six Western nations have pledged to send troops to Ukraine after the hostilities between Kiev and Moscow end, AFP has reported. Most of Ukraine’s supporters are reluctant to make any promises, according to the agency.
The report comes after the latest meeting of defense ministers from the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Brussels on Thursday. The group of some 30 nations, predominantly composed of EU and NATO member states, appears to remain split on a potential deployment. Its members are questioning the goals and mandate of the proposed mission.
Thus far, only six nations, including the UK, France, and the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – have promised to contribute troops.”

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Apr 11 2025 14:01 utc | 100