This is a view I've been pushing for a long time. Basic cheap night vision is almost blind without its IR illumination turned on. The more expensive stuff is pretty good with ambient light, but most people, including the majority bro-vets, will still illuminate anyway because "W3 0wN Th3 N1gHt". No, the night is heavy contested these days, even outside of war zones. Entry level night vision is enough to see someone else's IR, and the events in Ukraine have proven that old school patrol tactics, like sectors of responsibility, tail gunners, etc remain relevant even in the high technology age.
Canada's decision to grant European defence contractor Airbus a sanctions waiver on the use of Russian titanium in its equipment has drawn a sharp, emotional response from Ukraine's ambassador.
Appearing on CBC's Power & Politics, Yuliya Kovaliv held up a photo of the aftermath of a Russian Kalibr missile strike two years ago where a child was killed, which shows emergency crews in the background of an overturned stroller, saying the critical mineral is used in the manufacturing of not only the supersonic rocket but other major warplanes.
Allowing western companies to continue to use Russian titanium is only feeding the Kremlin's war machine, she said.
- Zelensky issues fresh plea for Patriots, EU accession, NATO entry
- Two Russian journalists arrested on ‘extremism’ charges
- Ukraine pulls back from three villages in east
- Two Ukrainians stabbed to death by Russian in Germany
- Turkey in talks with ExxonMobil over multibillion-dollar LNG deal
- Russia not only kidnaps children from Ukraine, but also disabled citizens
- Russia targets gas facilities that secure EU supply
- Australia to provide $65m in funding and supplies to Ukraine
- Britain estimates 450,000 Russian troops killed or wounded
I’m very tired. you probably heard that Russia destroyed the Kakhovka Dam to slow Ukraine’s counter offensive. here’s something I didn’t quite realize: since this February, the Russians operated the dam in juuuuust the right way so that as much water would build up as possible when the snow melted and spring showers started. and then they blew the whole thing up.
40,000 people may need to be evacuated. I don’t really have the energy to say anything else right now.
Hospitallers Medical Battalion: actual angels can confirm. they’re combat-zone medical services - you know how humanitarian groups like MFS and Red Cross have to pause operations due to the Russians fucking shooting at humanitarian zones? yeah, these guys don’t pause for bullets, they fucking walk into them and they bring out anyone they can.
Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation: you can choose from a number of various fundraiser projects here, if you’re feeling particularly picky. for those of you who balk at the idea of supporting anything military just please remember that things like vehicles and drones aren’t just for military use, they’re also for evacuation and finding the wounded and they’re fucking vital.
KSE Foundation: similar to the above, KSE has multiple projects you can choose from to donate to. looking at it right now, one of the projects with the lowest amounts of money raised thus far - despite being started in April - is Seeds for Ukraine, which will help Ukraine recover from the ecological devastation Russia has been wreaking (and with Ukraine, the countries that rely on Ukraine’s grain exports that Russia keeps trying to steal).
Come Back Alive: do these guys even need the introduction? they’re Come Back Alive. I’m kissing all of them.
United24: Zelenskyy’s brain child, and the official fundraising platform of Ukraine. Mark Hamill recommends the fundraisers for drones in particular.
UAnimals: Nova Kakhovka’s zoo got... pretty much completely swept away. all zoo residents except the birds have drowned. UAnimals has tried throughout the occupation to keep the animals safe, and they’ve been reporting on the status of the zoo. I don’t really know what to say except that I hope they’re able to save the pets and strays in the towns along the river.
You can find NGOs specific to evacuation efforts in this post; please signal boost it as well. I’ve listed them but am leaving the links for the op post.
You know how I know that the anti-Israel hate is deeply rooted in antisemitism, and not just "social justice" or whatever people are calling it right now?
Let me tell you a common situation I encounter:
So, being a college student away from home, I don't have a car here. This means that if I ever need to go anywhere, I need to get an Uber or Lyft or something along those lines.
I always tuck in my Bring Them Home tag, magen david, turn my "am Yisrael chai" pin to the inside of my clothes, etc. I hate doing it, but I have heard of violently antisemitic drivers, and I'd rather not risk it, considering I'm alone in the car with them.
Every time, I call my mom. It makes me safer to have someone on call. And every time, she makes the same two recommendations.
The first is to put in an address of a neighboring house for pickup, because the house I live in has my landlord's car out front, and his car has stickers in Hebrew on it.
The second is, if asked where I'm from, to say Russia. I don't get asked where I'm "really from" unless I'm with my parents usually (they both have strong accents). But it's a warning my mom repeats every time anyway. The choice of Russia isn't random, I was raised fluent and can back up the claim if need be with random knowledge. But I have never been to Russia, except for the airport once to catch a connecting flight to Israel. I was, however, born in Israel, and I've been there multiple times (unfortunately not since 2014 though). So to say I'm from Russia is a lie, and to say I'm from Israel is the truth.
Both are countries at war. Russia, unlike Israel, actually started the war. Unlike Israel, Russia actually does have a history of colonialism, genocide, imperialism, and worse.
So why is it safer for me to lie about being from an aggressor country than to tell the truth about being from a country caught in a war it didn't want?
Antisemitism. Anti-Russian hate crimes globally didn't spike, Russian women haven't been raped as "justice" for Ukraine. Russian businesses weren't commonly vandalized simply for being from Russia. Meanwhile, all of these things were done to Jews as a result of a war Israel did not start.
If this global response to the war wasn't antisemitism it would be equally safe or unsafe for me to give either answer.
But in reality, it's safer for me to lie about being from Russia than to tell the truth about being from Israel.
The girls singing in this video were killed in a missile attack on Zaporizhzhia an hour after the performance 💔
Svitlana Semeikina and Kristina Spitsyna were performing to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their parents are now also defending Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia sector.
The girls were only 19 and 21 years old. On August 9, they were killed by a Russian missile.
What is the best way to financially help Ukraine? Is it better to go through organizations or gofundmes or something else I'm not aware of?
Thanks for asking, nonnie. That's very kind of you. If you or anyone else has some spare change and wants to give, here are a few ideas:
United24 is the official fundraising platform established by President Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian governmental members and directs money to all areas of the country.
The Olena Zelenska Foundation is primarily focused on medical, humanitarian, and educational aid across the country and was founded by the First Lady.
Stand for Ukraine gives you a range of charity options, depending on whether you want to donate directly to the military, or you would prefer to fund non-lethal or humanitarian aid, etc.
Come Back Alive is the main fundraising platform for the Ukrainian military. You can choose to donate to air defense, heavy weapons, demining, medical aid, overall combat equipment, etc.
Donate to Ukraine's Defenders also offers various (carefully vetted) links and options to donate to rebuilding projects, private medical assistance programs, initiatives for democracy, and others.
To be honest, I can't believe it. It's already 10 years of war and 730 days of full-scale invasion.
I have not much to say, 'cause this war turned my life and the lives of other Ukrainians into a completely new reality. I am not sure I would ever "heal" from this all. Is it even possible?
Today, 24 February 2024... I wanna say thank you to the people who still support us in any way possible.
I wanna say thank you, to Ukrainians, who are dealing with it, doing all possible. I wanna say thank you to our defenders.
And... Please, if you have a possibility, light up the candle in memory of the ones, who won't ever meet new day. In memory of our civilians and heroes.
Imagine your city is fucking gone. Really sit with that thought. Let it germinate within your mind.
It's no longer there. The streets you lived in, where you played with your friends as a kid, where you fell in love. Gone. It's a pile of smoking rubble. It's not there. You can't go back there. It's not there. It no longer exists.
This is what russia did to Avdiivka. This is what they did to Bakhmut earlier, and to many other cities and towns.
All because Western aid is being stalled. Because a lunatic religious fanatic is the Speaker of the House, and his party is full of self-serving traitors to the country. Because Polish farmers are blocking transit of important military aid at our border. Because all of you drank up russian psy-ops like thirsty wanderers in the desert. Because we gave away the weapons that could've prevented this to the perpetrator of this, in exchange for a deal to "guarantee our sovereignty" which one of the signatories broke and the other two are afraid to fulfill.
So sit with that thought now, and draw conclusions, and be better, and do whatever is in your power to prevent it from happening in the future, because if they aren't stopped in Ukraine, they won't stop with Ukraine. Do everything you can, so that the thought is a hypothetical, not a premonition.
Consequences of an attack by Russian drones of the "Shahed" type on a hotel in Mykolaiv. 14 rescuers and three emergency vehicles were involved in extinguishing the fire that arose as a result of the attack.
I'm alive for two years of this war now, thanks to Armed Forces of Ukraine. Thanks to everyone who joined, helped, and supported my country. I know we will win, but there's a lot of weird and terrifying sh*t ahead. Who knows, I may not get through it alive at the end, but if I will... Damn. That would be awesome.
Тримаймося, мої любі котики. Знаєте, мені якось ще в 2014 наснився сон про те, як війна скінчилася. Як ми всі поверталися додому. Ми були дітьми, що воювали проти велетня. Але ми перемогли. А велетеня розчленували. Лишилася тільки голова, яка мала страждати 100 років. Дивний то був сон. Та тепер я знаю про що він.