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eyefocusing · 1 month

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what if.... they were kitty

#i saw a tweet. had to draw it. as you do #transformers #maccadam #aerialbots #skydive #air raid #silverbolt #fireflight #slingshot #kept their little jetpacks bc i thought jetpack kitties would be cute but then i didnt rly do anything w it in the end.. ah well #robins doodles

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mariacallous · 4 months

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This is dated 12-29-2023, for the record.

It was a nightmare scenario that Ukrainian and Western officials had feared for months. Western officials have watched as Russia stacked up precision-guided munitions to launch targeted attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure in the winter while keeping up the pace of strikes on cities using unguided “dumb” bombs.

And on Friday morning, it became a reality. Russia conducted a hailstorm of strikes across Ukraine, hitting Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv. There were at least 158 drone and missile strikes in all, which damaged hospitals, a shopping mall, and schools, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 160.

The numbers are still going up as search and rescue teams pick through the rubble. Russia fired its missiles with so much abandon that the Polish government confirmed one of the Kremlin’s projectiles entered its airspace. In the chaos that engulfed the Kyiv streets, one man tried to stop the fires from spreading by driving his burning car away from his neighbors.

The renewed barrages have Ukrainian officials and U.S. experts questioning how long they’ll be able to keep the lights on during winter—or hold territory—especially with the long tail of U.S. military aid running out, unless Congress acts soon.

Ukrainian officials believe that Russia’s capacity to strike is even greater than what it just showed off: The Kremlin can fire off about 300 Iranian-made suicide drones in one attack on Ukraine and about 150 ballistic missiles in one shot on Kyiv, said Sasha Ustinova, a Ukrainian lawmaker.

And with the Ukrainian counteroffensive stalled and fresh weapons not flowing until January at the earliest, how resilient will the Ukrainians be?

“The Ukrainians are heading for a tough winter, for obvious reasons,” Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview earlier this month. “But I think that the Ukrainian morale is much, much higher than the Russian morale. What is crucial right now, of course, is that we all will step up support.”

But that morale is now getting tested, as Ukrainians were shaken out of bed by dozens of air raid alerts that lit up their phones. And the aid isn’t coming—at least until the U.S. Congress gets back from recess in the second week of January, and maybe for even longer.

“Ukraine needs funding now to continue to fight for freedom from such horror in 2024,” Bridget Brink, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, wrote in a tweet screenshotting the numerous air raid alerts sent to Kyiv residents.

U.S. officials have seen movement across the nearly stagnant front lines slow considerably in recent weeks, a trend that is expected to continue. The weather in Ukraine has hit subzero temperatures and piles of snow have mostly halted forward movement along the 600-mile front, underscoring the prospect of several months of attrition warfare. Ukraine is already making moves to lower the draft age to get more men onto the battlefield.

Ukraine doesn’t need any silver bullets, experts say. It just needs the regular kind.

“We’re clearly past the ground counteroffensive now,” said Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at Hudson Institute. “Since it won’t get large numbers of longer-range precision fires, Ukraine probably needs to entrench and defend right now—and absent Congress passing the supplemental, even those defensive lines may not remain stable.”

Still, Jonson said the Ukrainian military has been getting some access to more long-range strike weapons, which has forced Russian ships and aircraft to move farther away from the front lines. But Ukraine has had to build its military while fending off the invasion: Jonson said that Kyiv is operating about 600 types of Western weapons systems, while ferrying fuel and spare parts across the front line. All that on roads that will be coated with sleet, snow, and ice.

Even with its limited arsenal of Western-provided long-range weapons like British-made Storm Shadows and the cluster variant of the U.S. Army Tactical Missile System, Ukraine has still made a dent, knocking out a Russian tank landing ship in Crimea on Tuesday. And experts believe that Russia’s fragile logistics system—which was never designed for continuous military operations across Europe’s second-largest country—is a good target.

“If they had longer-range weapons, they could completely wreck the logistics system,” said Ben Hodges, the former head of U.S. Army Europe. “I think they know this is a real vulnerability for the Russians, particularly in winter.”

But Ukrainians fear they are already running out of munitions—and time. Though Western-provided air defenses blanket much of Kyiv, they are not enough to defend against far-flung Russian attacks that could dot the country during winter. As much as Ukraine needs more air defenses to blunt attacks like Friday’s firestorm, Ukrainian officials have indicated that the falling temperatures have already shifted their priorities: Attrition warfare means a premium on artillery fire, and Europe is far behind on its target to produce a million artillery shells by March 2024.

“The biggest problem we’re going to run into is when they start shelling us heavily,” Ustinova said. “Because we will not have enough munitions.”

But Ukraine has been forced to cut military operations as aid has dried up. Ukrainian Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who heads up a group of forces in the southern push, told the BBC this week that Ukraine is facing particularly acute shortages of Soviet-era 122 mm and 152 mm shells, which still make up a large portion of Kyiv’s military arsenal. And if the Ukrainians want to apply forward pressure in spite of the snow, they have to clear entire minefields in front of them, only for the Russians to reseed the deadly explosives from the air.

The Russian war chest is still heavily stocked. Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian defense minister, said in November that Russia still has about 7,000 to 8,000 tanks in reserve. Meanwhile, Russia has turned its sanctions-battered economy into a war economy. The Kremlin plans to spend 6 percent of GDP on defense next year. And Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deals for drones with Iran and ammunition with North Korea have indicated to Western officials that Russia’s game is quantity, not quality.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as it fires, as long as it unfortunately kills Ukrainians, it is good for Russians,” Pevkur said. “They are increasing their production, especially ammunition. They don’t care about the quality. They care about the quantity.”

Western officials believe that there are 300,000 to 400,000 Russian troops on Ukrainian soil, across a swath of occupied territory that is about the size of the contiguous Baltic states. Russian casualties have totaled about that many troops in the 22 months since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion began. But experts caution that the cannon fodder won’t last forever. It might not have to last that much longer, though.

In November, Russian forces claimed to gain ground around the eastern city of Avdiivka, where Western officials believe the Kremlin is trying to make a pincer move to encircle the town, the site of a major coke fuel and chemical plant. They’ve also set their sights on the important railway junction of Kupyansk.

“They just keep pushing these guys into a meat grinder to convey the sense that they have endless resources,” Hodges said. “They don’t have endless resources.”

For now, though, absent Western aid, Russia’s focus on eastern Ukraine could lead Kyiv to cede more ground.

“That’s very painful for us, because we pay thousands of lives to get every single kilometer,” Ustinova said.

“They are already taking more territory,” she added. “Look at the map.”

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naritaika · 5 months

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Gaza updates I found (11/25/23)-

As the "truce" continues, it’s violated by Israeli army attacking the civilians trying to return home.

[image id: An Israeli sniper shoots a Palestinian in the legs whilst they were trying to move to the north and open fires at anyone who is trying to help him on the last point between the north and south of Gaza. 25.11.23 via Motaz_azaiza]

[image id: tweet from Motaz azaiza, a journalist. It reads: good morning from the middle area, I will show you the longest line of people waiting for fuel and cooking gas. Below there are videos attached showing long lines of people and cars in Gaza.]

[image id: tweet from Motaz azaiza. It reads: Israeli snipers shot a man and left him to bleed and they opened fire at anyone tht tried to go help him]

[image id: tweet from Motaz azaiza. It reads: the Israeli soldiers literally told this guy and a group of others to go help the injured man whom they shot, and when they arrived near the injured man, the same soldiers who told them to go help started shooting at them. This is the Israeli army, “the most moral army” and the “only democracy” in the Middle East.]

They aren’t resting. Many more are getting injured due to Israeli soldiers, people are still searching for things they need and they are finishing dead bodies. I’ve heard of people using this time to dig their family members from the rubble to bury them.

[image id: instagram caption from Motaz azaiza. It reads: from the gate of welcome to Gaza Israeli snipers shooting anyone who is trying to enter Gaza city]

[image id: instagram caption from Motaz azaiza. It reads: A naked man is on the ground after being shot by Israeli sniper anyone who is trying to reach him to help him they shoot him directly]

[image id: a screen shot of hind khoudary’s instagram story. She has tan skin and long dark hair, and she is hugging a taller male family member who’s wearing a green hoodie. The text reads: today I had the ability to visit my family. I spent one hour only. I hugged them a lot. They asked me to stay, I had to leave. I looked into their eyes. I told them how much I miss them. They were proud of me.]

[image id: a tweet from Dr.Omar Suleiman. It reads: Palestinians in Gaza aren’t resting. They’re walking the streets finding decomposed babies and scattered limbs while bracing themselves for what is to come. All the while, they have no idea what part of Gaza is going to be safe because the IDF has lied to them countless times. The terror is ongoing, physical, and psychological. The occupier hopes the occupied will never want to return home after they finish “mowing the lawn” and inflicting on them a trauma that one one will ever forget. They will never forget, and neither will we.]

Just because of the “truce”, doesn’t mean peace for the Palestinian people. They are resilient but are grieving severely. Don’t forget genocide is scheduled to continue right after the “truce”.

[image id: a screenshot of a instagram story. It reads: imagine losing 3 limbs, when you are just 14 years old. Hopefully we will find someone to fully sponsee and help Yazan. Behind the text is the image of a severely injured boy, having lost his hand and major parts of both legs. These are wrapped in bandages with dried blood under him. The boys eyes are closed]

[image id: screenshot of an instagram story. It reads: my cousin Yazan, he is a 14 years old child, he lost both of his legs, his right hand, and a finger from his left hand in an Israeli air raid on Al Nussirat refugee camp. Behind the text is an image of the boys severed legs, wrapped and bandages with dried blood under them.]

[image id: a screenshot from a journalists instagram story. It reads: part of the devastation caused by the Israeli occupation in the northern Gaza Strip. Behind the text there are several images of buildings that were destroyed in air strikes.]

[image id: a screenshot from hind khoudrys instagram story, it reads: the only remnant of our father, the home crafted by his hands, was destroyed by Israel. Below the text is an image of a beautiful fire place with the picture of a man sitting on the mantle]

As for the truce deal: From what I’ve gathered, Israeli denied entry of aid, Hamas then delayed hostage release in return. Then a Israeli military official said if the hostages aren’t returned they’ll start the fighting again. This would end the truce early.

[image id: screenshot from the let’s talk Palestine info group chat. It reads; Israel today delayed the entry of life-saving aid trucks into northern Gaza contrary to its agreement with Hamas. Hamas has responded by delaying the release of the second round hostages until the aid trucks enter. The timing of Israel’s second release of Palestinian hostages is also unclear.]

[image id: screenshot of the let’s talk Palestine info group chat. It reads; The cause of the Israeli delay is unclear but most reports suggest “logistical issues”. Meanwhile, Israeli forces disgustingly opened fire at people waiting outside the Ofer Prison for the second release of Palestinian hostages. A 17-year old teenager was injured by live ammunition. For no reason.]

[image id: screenshot of a journalist’s instagram story. It reads: urgent|the division brigades decide to delay the spare parts for the second batch of families until the isolation adheres to the conformity provisions for the distinctive relief vehicle for the north, and not to adhere to the agreed upon standards of the separatist group. A senior Israeli military official: if Hamas does not hand over the kidnapped people by midnight, we will return to fighting immediately]

[image id: a screenshot from a journalists instagram story. It reads: thus, humanitarian aid and traveler are brought into the Gaza Strip and the wounded are transported to Egyptian territory. Behind the text, and image of a bus traveling through a gate is shown]

Bisan’s numbers for the damage the genocide has done; day 50: 20,000 killed 7000 under the rubble. 8000 children Even in the truce there are still overwhelming suffering in the hospital due to the previous weeks of bombardment.

https://t.co/7zWBlBR6kj

Not to mention the stories coming out of the Palestinian hostages while Israel tries to prevent what their hostages tell the media…

[image id: “she was 16 when they snatched her from me, she’s 24 now. I couldn’t watch her fall asleep for 8 long years, tonight she’s sleeping in my arms. She’s still my little baby. Time stopped for me.” The mother of Marah, who was released today in the hostage swap. Below is an image of the mother and the released hostage (her daughter)]

People waiting for hostages to be released have also been shot. Tomorrow I will try to do a post gathering the hostage stories.

[image id: tweet from Muhammad Shehada. It reads; Israel is planning to put todays released hostages in separate wards at hospitals and assign them “supervisors” to instruct them what to say and what not to say if they get interviewed in the media to make sure they wouldn’t harm Israel’s PR and narrative about Gaza! Below is a image of an article, the highlighted section reads “however they and expected to receive close supervision and they will be instructed on what is true to tell in the media and what’s not”]

Please remember to keep pushing for a full ceasefire and a free Palestine. Do what you can to spread awareness, pressure your government, and donate. Palestine will be free, they haven’t given up and neither should you.

Remember to not become desensitized. These people are more than numbers. Here’s some ways to help donate:

https://x.com/man_bro_dingo/status/1726466549190721753?s=20https://x.com/man_bro_dingo/status/1726466549190721753?s=20

Note: I have all this saved to my phone incase of censorship

#from the river to the sea palestine will be free #signal boost #palesources #stand with palestine #free palestine #awareness #please boost #cw: gore #cw blo0d #signal b00st #gaza strip #free gaza #worldnews #palestine #genocide

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ukrainenews · 1 year

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Daily Wrap Up April 25-26, 2023

Under the cut

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of doing “everything to destroy [Ukraine] completely,” following a Russian missile strike in Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, which left two people dead and 10 injured.

The Ukrainian military said Moscow is concentrating its forces on the assault in the battered eastern city of Bakhmut — and consequently reducing offensive operations in some other areas.

Russian forces have emptied out a key base in northern Crimea, recent satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows. The facility, near the village of Medvedivka and close to the border of Kherson, housed a significant number of Russian armor.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months. Zelenskiy, describing the hour-long phone call as "long and meaningful", signalled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russia's most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing.

Forty-two Ukrainian military personnel and two civilians have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity in another prisoner swap, Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak reported on April 26.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of doing “everything to destroy [Ukraine] completely,” following a Russian missile strike in Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, which left one person dead and 10 injured.

"So far, it is known about the dead employee of the museum and ten wounded. There are still people under the rubble,” Zelensky tweeted Tuesday.

The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy [Ukraine] completely," he added. “We have no right to forget about it for a single second,” Zelensky said. “We must bring [Russia] to justice both on the battlefield and with fair court sentences to the terrorists.”

Russian forces allegedly used an S-300 surface to surface missile to target Kupyansk, according to the Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff, Andrii Yermak.

Earlier Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, said on Telegram that it was the Local History Museum that was hit.

-via CNN (A later update brought the death toll to 2 and the number of injured stayed the same.)

~

The Ukrainian military said Moscow is concentrating its forces on the assault in the battered eastern city of Bakhmut — and consequently reducing offensive operations in some other areas.

Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on Ukrainian television that the situation in Bakhmut "changes from time to time, and there is a positional war going on."

"The enemy is concentrating all its forces on Bakhmut, and in fact is not conducting such powerful combat operations anywhere else in our operational area of responsibility," Cherevatyi said. In Bakhmut over the past day, he said, the Russians "attacked our positions 23 times, fired 280 times with various types of artillery, and carried out four air raids. There were 85 attacks and 20 firefights in the Bakhmut area alone. One-hundred-and-seventy-five occupiers were killed in action, 213 were wounded."

Cherevatyi’s figures cannot be independently verified.

He said that Wagner fighters were no longer carrying out independent missions in Bakhmut.

"Both airborne units of the occupying army and special forces are increasingly being used. Therefore, we realize that the enemy's losses are very significant," he said.

Cherevatyi said that Ukrainian artillery was constantly engaged in protecting supply routes into Bakhmut, while engineers were doing all they could "to ensure that there are several routes of communication."

Unofficial pro-Russian Telegram channels claim that the Ukrainians are continuing to retreat from parts of Bakhmut and have destroyed the communications tower on the western side of Bakhmut.

CNN is unable to verify the claims.

-via CNN

~

Russian forces have emptied out a key base in northern Crimea, recent satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows. The facility, near the village of Medvedivka and close to the border of Kherson, housed a significant number of Russian armor.

Imagery from the European Union’s Sentinel 2 satellite from January 21 shows a large footprint of Russian equipment. Higher resolution Maxar images from February 11 reveals dozens of armored vehicles, including tanks and artillery pieces.

Newer imagery taken by the EU’s Sentinel 2 satellite reveals most of those vehicles are no longer present at the base.

It wasn’t immediately clear why Moscow relocated the equipment or where to, but earlier in the month, Russian-installed officials in Crimea signaled that they expected a Ukrainian counteroffensive to target the peninsula.

“I think the decision to build defensive structures in Crimea and on the approaches to the peninsula was correct and justified,” the Russian-appointed Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said on April 11.

Maxar imagery from February 11 to February 16 shows a large concentration of defensive structures near Medvedivka, including a network of trenches and wedge-shaped anti-tank concrete barriers known as dragon’s teeth. One Maxar image from January 3 shows the fortifications were much smaller at the beginning of the year.

“In general, I can say that our armed forces have built a modern, deeply echeloned defense,” Aksyonov said. “This does not mean that they will necessarily be used for their intended purpose.” “We had to prepare for any scenario, and we did,” he added. In light of Aksyonov’s comments, experts have suggested the withdrawal of Russian military equipment from the base in Medvedivka may be related to defensive operations ahead of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

-via CNN

~

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months.

Zelenskiy, describing the hour-long phone call as "long and meaningful", signalled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russia's most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing.

Xi told Zelenskiy that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported.

Zelenskiy said in an evening video address that there was "an opportunity to use China's political power to reinforce the principles and rules that peace should be built upon."

"Ukraine and China, like the absolute majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity," he said.

Zelenskiy also said Xi had expressed "words of support" for the extension of a deal to export Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports. Moscow has said the pact will not be renewed beyond May 18 unless the West removes obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports.

Xi, the most powerful leader to have refrained from denouncing Russia's invasion, visited Moscow last month. Since February, he has promoted a 12-point peace plan, greeted sceptically by the West but cautiously welcomed by Kyiv as a sign of Chinese interest in ending the war.

China will focus on promoting peace talks, and make efforts for a ceasefire as soon as possible, Xi told Zelenskiy, according to the Chinese state media reports.

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, we will neither sit idly by, nor pour oil on fire, still less seek to profit from it," Xi said.

The White House welcomed the call but said it was too soon to tell whether it would lead to a peace deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron's office said he had pushed Xi to hold the call with Zelenskiy during a visit to Beijing this month.

-via Reuters

~

Forty-two Ukrainian military personnel and two civilians have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity in another prisoner swap, Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak reported on April 26.

The Ukrainian prisoners of war who were released included soldiers, navy personnel, border guards, and national guardsmen, said Yermak. Among them were 36 privates and sergeants, as well as six officers.

According to the report, the former POWs took part in Ukraine’s defense of Mariupol, including the Azovstal plant, and fought against Russian troops in Kherson Oblast and the east.

Some of the exchanged POWs were wounded and tortured by Russia in captivity, added the official. Among them were also two men whose wives had been previously released from Russian captivity.

In the previous prisoner exchange, 100 Ukrainian POWs were released on April 10.

According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, more than 2,000 Ukrainians have returned home from Russian captivity.

-via Kyiv Independent

#Daily Update #Ukraine #Russia #War in Ukraine #China #Bakhmut #Crimea #Kharkiv

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female-malice · 5 months

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BBC Apologizes for Reporting That Israel Targeted Medics, Arabic-speakers in Gaza Hospital

The BBC aired a clarification saying the error 'fell below our editorial standards' and attributing the mistake to its own misquoting of a Reuters report

Haaretz | Nov 15, 2023

The BBC apologized Wednesday for earlier reporting that "medical team and Arab speakers were being targeted" in the Israeli army's raid on Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital.

The BBC said in an aired clarification that it had "misquoted a Reuters report," adding that it should have stated that "IDF forces participating in the raid included medical teams and Arabic speakers."

"We apologize for this error that fell below our editorial standards," the BBC said.

The IDF had previously announced that “medical teams of the IDF together with Arabic speaking soldiers” are present in the field.

After the initial, mistaken report, the Board of Deputies of British Jews demanded a public apology from the broadcaster.

In a tweet, the Board of Deputies said that it was "absolutely appalled” by the mistake, which it contented "shows a staggering lack of care when reporting on a highly volatile situation, which can have a knock-on effect all over the world, including in Britain, where antisemitic attacks have risen by more than 500 percent since October 7th.”

"Incidents like this make a mockery of the BBC's oft-stated dedication to professionalism and impartiality. The Corporation must issue a public apology without delay for this egregious reporting,” it stated.

—

Spreading misinformation does not help Palestinian people. There is zero overlap between misinformation and conflict resolution. Misinformation will only ever prolong conflicts.

News corporations in the late capitalist era make their money by sensationalizing conflicts. Peace is bad business but outrage is good business.

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battlecrazed-axe-mage · 2 years

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regarding the recent ffxiv ...stuff. one of those posts mentioned bartenders who get paid and im losing all three of my marbles trying to fit this concept into anything resembling sense. what the actual possible activity could someone be doing that they are being *paid* as a *bartender* in an horny rolelplay faction in an *mmo*???????

I read a tweet thread by one of the former employees, and their job description was apparently to do the /beesknees dance emote for hours on end, flirt back with anyone who sent a tell, and provide erp services if asked--but the only time they were asked it was a joke by their raid leader. I honestly couldn't tell you what that entails because like. The game engine is deeply, at its core, not made for characters to physically interact. I /embrace my partner and my character hugs the air in front of her. I /pet G'raha Tia (oh c'mon like everyone hasn't) and she waves her hand vaguely in the air. How do you get sexy with this. Like no shade to anyone who does, I'm not here to judge, I just don't get it

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usafphantom2 · 1 year

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For the first time, French Rafale fighters are deployed in Lithuania for Baltic air policing

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/02/2022 - 08:30 in Military

The Polish Air Force, which strengthened the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic States from Lithuania, took over the leadership of the Hungarian mission on December 1. The reinforcement has a first detachment of four Rafale fighters, the most powerful fighter in France, never deployed in Lithuania before.

Previously, the French Ministry of Defense had said that Paris would deploy four Rafale fighters in Lithuania from November 25 as part of NATO's military reinforcement to protect airspace over the Baltic countries.

"The importance of NATO's air defense today cannot be exaggerated. Countries agreed to intensify deterrence and defense, including in the air domain, in Madrid. We recognize that air defense capabilities should play a stronger role in ensuring security in the Baltic region,” Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defense, Vilius Semeska said at the inauguration ceremony.

French multifunction fighters will protect Lithuania's airspace by intercepting and identifying suspicious aircraft in the airspace of the Baltic States. Launched in 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO, Baltic Air Policing is intended to protect the three countries from air raids and provide support in the event of air emergencies, since these countries do not have their own air capacity.

The Hungarian exit rotation led the mission with four JAS39 Gripen fighters and approximately 150 military personnel - pilots, medical technical personnel, support, communications personnel and other specialists.

The four Rafale jets of the 30th Fighter Squadron landed in Lithuania to reinforce NATO's defensive and deterrent posture on the eastern flank of Europe. Its mission will be to participate in the surveillance and defense of the airspace of the Baltic states, the French Air Force tweeted.

Meanwhile, France will send Leclerc tanks and infantry combat vehicles to Romania as part of NATO's military reinforcement on its eastern flank, confirmed the French defense minister.

Sebastien Lecornu said in a statement that the reinforcements would include a reinforced armored infantry company and a Leclerc tank squad. He described the mission as "defense, deterrence and protection".

In addition to the Rafale fighters to Lithuania, France is also sending a light infantry company to Estonia. The implementation will be in phases and will continue until November.

The mission will cost France between $588-686 million this year alone, estimates the French Ministry of Defense. He described the accumulation of labor and military equipment on the border with Russia as "non-scalable".

The reinforcement of the NATO Air Policing Mission of Estonia's Amari Air Force Base is provided by the German Air Force Detachment with four Eurofighter fighters.

Tags: Armée de l'air - French Air Force/French Air ForceMilitary AviationDassault RafaleNATO Baltic Air Policing Mission

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. It has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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stupidblogtomessagewifey · 2 years

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I can definitely see him with a cat, but also consider this: Dog owner.

Now it can go both ways, he could definitely own a big dog, since he’s more or less a small guy (on average), but imagine him with a SMALL DOG.

Like he’s been looking at these tiny ass rats that descend from wolves for most of his life and thinking they’re just privileged people’s pets. He ain’t that kind of life. Yet one night he hears something like tippy taps across the floor, and he goes to check it out, only to find a dirty cottonball of a puppy walking across HIS floor like it owns the place.

Twitter blows the fuck up after he tweets with a picture or a short video of the dog “Yo how the fuck did you get in my house? Fucking rat-“ captioned: ‘I think a fucking dust bunny gained sentience.’

Initially he planned on sending it away to an animal shelter or for someone to take care of it, but the little shit is so tiny it can hide underneath everything. It yaps every three milliseconds and it pisses on every corner of the goddamn floor. He literally couldn’t sleep for the next few days because the thing was too small to climb the stairs and was howling for him to come pick it up during the night.

When the puppy is inevitably taken away finally, at first he’s like: “Holy shit, it’s finally over.” Only to realize he already misses the dumb thing within two minutes of it being gone.

Or, third option: he gets a Shiba. This man loves memes (even if he doesn’t get half of them) and a Shibe literally breaks the internet by doing anything. He breaks the internet, his dog breaks the internet, perfect match.

Except, he forgets that those things scream like it’s being murdered every day.

Interviewer: So, tell us about your new upcoming album you just announced.

Em: Yeah, sure. So-

*Air raid sirens in the background*

Interviewer: …what was that?

Em: The sins on my conscience turned into a fucking dog.

- 🔪

Calling it a rat sent me omg 🤣

#lana’s anons #🔪 anon

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sero-pairo · 1 year

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Crossed

by Sixela1317

It wasn’t supposed to go this way, you know.

I needed you more than air. I still do. And every day you’ve been gone has been like trying to breath under water. Drowning in a sea of my own despair. I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t reach out my hand to grab you and pull you in. Pull you close to me and keep you safe.

How ironic that a man with no hands could be the one to take you.

That he could be the one to kill you.

After all the trouble we went through to destroy him, his followers, and his reputation, one loyal survivor remained. The puppeteer still had his strings on one more ally.

The day you left, we mourned the death of the hero: Dynamight. And faced the realization of the villain, the puppet: Ground Zero.

Or: Kirishima’s POV of losing Bakugou to a villain pair from his past. Years after the raid. Years after the arrests. Nearly a decade after surviving the war of all ages, something suddenly snaps in Bakugou and he fades away slowly, then all at once.

Based on a tweet from Kozi (@kozidraws on Twitter) https://twitter.com/kozidraws/status/1643565597983412228?s=20 and the song "Star Crossed" by Ethan Gander

Words: 584, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: Multi

Characters: Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki, Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia), Kaminari Denki, Shinsou Hitoshi, Original Characters, Toyomitsu Taishirou | Fat Gum, Hakamata Tsunagu | Best Jeanist

Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Kaminari Denki/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Ashido Mina/Sero Hanta, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Amajiki Tamaki/Toogata Mirio

Additional Tags: Heavy Angst, Amputation, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Kidnapping, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Mutual Pining, Temporary Amnesia, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, Kirishima Eijirou is a Ray of Sunshine, Kirishima Eijirou is a Good Friend, Kirishima Eijirou is Bad at Feelings, Kaminari Denki is a Dork, Tags Are Hard, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, no beta we die like sir nighteye

from AO3 works tagged 'Ashido Mina/Sero Hanta' https://ift.tt/AIJ1e9E via https://ift.tt/2JsqBep

#seromina #minasero #mina ashido #sero hanta #bnha fic #mha fic #bnha #mha #ao3 feed #sero x mina #mi

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mariacallous · 1 year

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During the first months of the Russian invasion, in one of the frontline villages in the southern Kherson region, I met several firefighters – ordinary Ukrainian men in their 40s or 50s. Their prewar tasks involved putting out fires in the local wood or occasionally buildings.

Since the Russian invasion, they save houses burning from missiles and retrieve their dead neighbours. One of the men began to cry during our conversation. He left embarrassed, but shortly returned. I comforted the firefighters, explaining that even governors and mayors sometimes sob during interviews.

In the following months, I travelled from one frontline town to another. I met doctors, policemen, railway and communal workers, journalists, electricians, civil servants, government officials whose relatives are fighting and dying in the army. They escaped or are still living under Russian occupation, their houses and apartments destroyed. They acknowledged that they were emotional, often angry, horrified, but driven by a sense of duty. In the end this would help them move forward, and even be proud of what they did.

Russia invaded Donbas and Crimea in Ukraine in 2014; the country already knew what the war was. But since 5am on 24 February last year, all citizens have learned how to survive when a foreign army uses its might to destroy the peace. They have discovered how to act during an air-raid warning; how to live and work through blackouts; that they should not walk at night because of curfews. They have learned to forget about planes, as airports are closed, and how to be separated from family. People have adapted to many things, and also learned how to deal with emotions: that tears are nothing to be ashamed of. The initial shock and sadness have transformed into a bigger confidence and determination.

As for today – besides hope in victory, national pride, solidarity and compassion, which you see on the surface – one of the prevailing feelings among Ukrainians is guilt that we are not doing enough. In non-frontline towns and in Kyiv, life has returned to a kind of normal. We are preoccupied with thoughts of those who live under constant shelling or occupation. Those who are not in the army think of those who must fight daily; soldiers who survive think of the fallen. Those who left the country feel guilty about those who stayed.

I recently visited a standup comedy performance in a suburb of Kyiv. Self-depreciation is back following months when society was unable to joke about the war. One of the most popular gags is from a comedian comparing his efforts to those of soldiers and veterans. After Ukraine’s victory, he jokes, he would tell his children he spent the war sitting in an Odesa basement, tweeting that Nato should help by “closing the sky”.

Thousands of crimes have been committed by Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil. The Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office says it has registered at least 71 000 violations of the customs of war. Since then it has become harder to talk to Russian colleagues. By colleagues I mean not propagandists, but just journalists who oppose the Russian invasion and Putin’s regime.

I still communicate with them, but many exchanges end with excuses about why Russian society can do nothing. They think that those who are against the war have nothing to do with the actions of their state. I do believe guilt is not collective, but shared responsibility exists.

Before Russia’s invasion I reported on totalitarian countries: Iran, Syria, China, Belarus. I understand how dangerous it is to protest in a state that is ready to kill its own citizens. The Ukrainians fought against this in revolutions in 2004 and 2014. In the end we built a government that defends its citizens.

It feels paradoxical that Ukrainians, who defend their homeland and are under attack, feel guilty for not doing more. Meanwhile, Russians who are opposed to war are uncomfortable speaking about personal responsibility, stressing that nothing depends on them. This can be explained not by a lack of empathy or bitterness, but by disempowerment and the detachment of Russian citizens. This is something the Kremlin wants from Russian society. Russians who oppose the war must transform their lack of empowerment into action, and find their strength.

Ukrainians have defended their country for 365 days without a break. They have saved many lives from Russian troops. Our task now is to transform a sense of guilt into a sense of duty. We need to preserve our strength.

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tastydregs · 1 year

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Yikes, the U.S. is Now Using Facial Recognition Rigged Drones for Special Ops

Image: Getmilitaryphotos (Shutterstock)

Flying killer robots used to be a nightmarish sci-fi fantasy—something that only existed in James Cameron movies or Michael Crichton novels. These days, not so much. Not only is drone warfare close to two decades old, but innovations to this lethal technology are being developed all the time.

Case in point: New Scientist magazine recently unearthed a contract between the U.S. Air Force and a little known defense firm that shows the government is using reconnaissance and surveillance drones equipped with facial recognition to aid in special operations missions. While the magazine notes that those smaller drones aren’t typically armed (unlike, say, their big siblings, the Predator and the Reaper), they clearly present dizzying new possibilities for America’s most shadowy and deadly cadres. The Air Force’s provider is a Seattle-based firm, RealNetworks, which sells a platform dubbed Secure Accurate Facial Recognition, or SAFR. The government paid $729,056 for SAFR, which will be deployed “on an autonomous sUAS for special ops, ISR, and other expeditionary use-cases,” according to the contract. While not a ton is known about how the U.S. is using this technology or how long it’s been using it, one thing is certain: it’s creeping people out.

“Big huge NOPE to everything here,” tweeted Jake Wiener, a lawyer with the digital privacy organization EPIC, in response to the news.

Another critic, Nicholas Davis, of the University of Technology Sydney, told Newsweek: “There are innumerable ethical implications, from the way such devices might redistribute power or threaten groups within a society, to the ways in which they threaten established international humanitarian law in conflict zones.”

Skeptics have dutifully noted the horrifying nature of this particular integration. Given the fact that special operations units are most well known for their clandestine and lethal activities (read: assassinations and raids), the deployment of an AI-powered airborne robot affixed with face recording tech means America’s goon squads now have a powerful new tool to carry out their dark deeds. Motherboard notes that such drones could easily be used for “intelligence and target acquisition,” meaning that anybody being trailed by these little contraptions is probably in deep shit.

G/O Media may get a commission

The scariest thing about this development, frankly, is that it’s clearly only the beginning of the race to make drones faster, smarter, more sophisticated and, potentially, more lethal. From the Navy’s planned drone swarm warfare to the surge in drone use in the Russo-Ukrainian war, to the specter of flying robots that could come equipped with chemical or biological payloads, get ready for your worst sci-fi nightmares to come true.

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allyn211 · 1 year

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Have some #warcoffee

Have some #warcoffee Yaroslava Antipina’s normal, ordinary life was shattered on February 24, 2022. That was the day Vladimir Putin’s Russian troops fired the first shots in their war against Ukraine. They were supposed to win in three to four days. It’s nearly 11 months and the Russians have not won yet. Not long after the war began, Yaroslava began writing what she called a war diary on Twitter. She would post pictures of her coffee cup, full of coffee, and invite us to have #warcoffee with her. The idea caught on, and many Tweeters from around the world – including myself – began posting pictures of their #warcoffee to share with Yaroslava. She’s an ordinary Ukranian who lives in Kyiv, worked until recently in an office, and who has learned to cope with air raid alerts, bombing, power outages, and the other horrors of war that I cannot begin to imagine. One of her tweets read: “Hi, air raid alert. It’s not a pleasure to welcome you in the capital of the brave.” “Hi, woman from Ukraine. I’m tired so much to warn you about threats. I’d love to have some good news instead.” “My dialogues with the war.”As I write this, it’s a little after five p.m. in Kyiv, and they’ve just heard the “all clear” siren after another attack. Yesterday, the Russians attacked Dnipro. Yaroslava’s tweet read: “You probably saw the pictures of Dnipro. These rubbles covering people. Some damn missile took lives, hopes, maybe sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, grannies. We will win. And we will never forget.”But between the events of bombings and air raids, Yaroslava shares her life with us, her visits to her family and a walk in the woods near their home, a “one-minute walk” around Kyiv she’s recorded and posted to Twitter, photos of the view from her home. These are glimpses into a life that is affected by war and of a spirit that will not be crushed or quenched because of an enemy. Yaroslava’s office job ended recently, and she has decided to devote herself to her writing. She intends to write and publish a “war coffee diary”; much like Anne Frank and other wartime diarists have done. (Two other war diaries worth reading are Zlata’s Diary, written by a young girl during the war in Sarajevo, and The Diary of Nina Kosterina, written during the 1930’s and early ‘40’s by a girl living in Moscow.) Yaroslava is a normal person living in abnormal circumstances who chooses to live one day at a time, enjoy simple pleasures, and her #warcoffee friends. I know that many believe Elon Musk has killed Twitter. But Yaroslava Antipina is worth following. Look for her name or for the hashtag #warcoffee. She also blogs over at buymeacoffee.com. Look for the name Yaroslava. You will know you have the right person when you see under her name the words “is having war coffee”. If you can’t buy her a coffee, have some #warcoffee with her. Or, if you drink coffee, drink coffee in her name and in the name of the people of Ukraine. If you don’t drink coffee, drink some #wartea or #warwater and remember the people of Ukraine. Out of curiosity, I looked up the meaning of the name “Yaroslava”. It means “fierce and glorious”. This fierce and glorious woman would probably not think of herself as such. But in these times, not only the time of war in Ukraine, but these times of anger and polarization throughout the world, we need more Yaroslavas willing to share their #warcoffee with us. Go join her. Slava Ukraini. Just my. 04, adjusted for inflation. via Blogger https://ift.tt/lAbDX3S January 14, 2023 at 12:06PM

#IFTTT #Blogger

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ukrainenews · 11 months

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A drone attack that targeted Moscow on Tuesday exposed glaring breaches in its air defenses and underlined the capital’s vulnerability as more Russian soil comes under fire amid expectations of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The attack, which lightly damaged three apartment buildings, angered Russia’s hawks, who scathingly criticized President Vladimir Putin and the military brass for failing to protect the heart of Kremlin power more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the front line.

Five of the eight drones that took part in the raid were shot down, the Defense Ministry said, while three others were jammed and forced to veer off course. Some Russian media and bloggers alleged a larger number of drones were involved, but those claims couldn’t be verified.

The attack followed a May 3 drone strike on the Kremlin that lightly damaged the roof of the palace that includes one of Putin’s official residences. Other drones have crashed near Moscow in what Russian authorities described as botched Ukrainian attempts to attack the city and infrastructure facilities in the suburbs.

Last week, the Russian border region of Belgorod was the target of one of the most serious cross-border raids since the war began, with two far-right pro-Ukrainian paramilitary groups claiming responsibility. Officials in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar near annexed Crimea said two drones struck there Friday, damaging residential buildings. The attacks also drew calls for bolstering Russia’s borders.

Ukrainian authorities rejoiced over Tuesday’s drone attack but customarily avoided a claim of responsibility, a response similar to what they said after previous attacks on Russian territory.

In a sarcastic tweet, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that “even artificial intelligence is already smarter and more far-sighted than the Russian military and political leadership.”

The Russian military pummeled the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other cities with cruise missiles and exploding drones for the past three nights, a significant spike in such attacks that have been regularly launched since October. The Ukrainian military said it shot down most of the missiles and remained coy about reporting damage from the strikes.

Putin cast the attack on Moscow as a Ukrainian attempt to intimidate its residents. He said Moscow’s air defenses worked as expected, but admitted that protecting a huge city is a daunting task.

“It’s clear what needs to be done to beef up air defenses, and we will do it,” he added.

Military watchers said the drones used in the attack were relatively crude and cheap but could have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers (over 620 miles). They predicted more could follow.

Some of the drones seen flying toward Moscow were the Ukrainian-made UJ-22s, capable of carrying explosives; others spotted in the skies near Moscow were similarly small vehicles.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program, noted that part of the reason why drones could make it all the way to Moscow undetected was because Russian air defenses are mostly focused on fending off attacks by more sophisticated weapons.

“They are oriented on missiles, ballistic missiles, regional missiles, aircraft, bombers, but not short- range drones, you know, which might be flying very low over the ground,” Cancian told The Associated Press. “The Russian air defense was just not designed to do this.”

The Russian military will likely move some of its air defense assets away from the front line to help protect Moscow, Cancian said, a move that would weaken Russian troops in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“That’s good for the Ukrainians in the sense that they’re pulling these systems away from other areas where they could be used maybe from front-line units,” he said.

The Kremlin’s muted response to the attack irked some hawkish commentators and military bloggers in Moscow, who had criticized the Russian leadership for failing to mount a stronger response.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the maverick millionaire head of the Wagner private military contractor that plays a key role on the battlefield in Ukraine, scolded the Russian military leadership and denounced them as “scum” and “swine” for failing to protect Moscow.

“You, the Defense Ministry, have done nothing to launch an offensive,” Prigozhin said in a statement released by his office. “How dare you to allow the drones to reach Moscow?”

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of the Russian province of Chechnya who sent forces from the region to fight in Ukraine, urged the Kremlin to declare martial law nationwide and use all its resources in Ukraine “to sweep away that terrorist gang.”

Some Kremlin watchers noted that Putin’s calm reaction that contrasted with angry statements from Russian hawks reflects his belief that the public won’t be unsettled by the attack.

“Putin has talked repeatedly about the Russian people’s remarkable patience and tenacity,” Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Endowment said in a commentary. “No matter how defiant another Ukrainian attack is, Putin doesn’t think that it could provoke public discontent with the government.”

She noted that while playing down the strikes makes the authorities look “embarrassed and helpless,” it fits Putin’s course to drag out the conflict.

James Nixey, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, said Tuesday’s attack signaled a growing Ukrainian determination to launch strikes deep inside Russia and predicted more will come.

“This is not the first and it’s not the last,” Nixey told AP. “The Ukrainians are in various respects flexing their muscles, seeing what they’re capable of hitting back. It is one more part of the Ukrainian play to ensure that they are not just playing defense, but they can play some offense as well.”

Despite the loud calls for revenge, the Russian military can’t do much more than what it has been doing since starting the war, Nixey noted.

“The reality is that Russia does have limits in what it can do. It’s got limits on manpower, limits on its finances, limits on its artillery munitions, missiles, drones, everything,” he said. “They’re already expending all their efforts, all their monies, all their treasure, all their blood if you like on prosecuting their war in Ukraine.”

#war on ukraine #russia #ukraine

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graywyvern · 1 year

Photo

( via / via )

Theses on the Techlash.

"Since every tweet could be my last, I want to make every one count.

(Looks around apartment nervously)

Uh, I had pringles with lunch." --@tomtomorrow

Louisiana Swamp on Halloween Night.

Bargains in Diamonds

The rainbow promise of the mushroom cloud, of the neon bridge, of the freeway rivers--

there is nothing that will not be taken from you.

Falling Star.

"A friend from Odesa, Ukraine writes that per mayor’s request the city’s turned off all electricity starting 7pm. People fill bathtubs with drinking water. She says her family sat in the dark room, wrapped in blankets, reciting poems to each other.

Such are today’s news." --@ilya_poet

Does anyone know how to use this thing?

"My uncle from Odesa, Ukraine writes:

'Yes, they are sending bombs & electricity is turned off periodically. Yes, I am ill, but it is impossible to get to be 83 without some illnesses. So I put on my hat and go to the farmers market to buy vegetables while air-raid siren moans.' " --@ilya_poet

Guardian.

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usafphantom2 · 9 months

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Taiwan tracks 15 Chinese military aircraft in its ADIZ

Diego Alves By Diego Alves 08/03/2023 - 16:00 in War Zones

Shenyang J-16

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked at least 15 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday (02) and 6 a.m. on Thursday (August 3).

Of the 15 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four Shenyang J-16 fighters and a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft entered the southwest of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait during this period.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, warships and used ground-based missile systems to monitor the activity of PLA planes.

Shaanxi Y-8

So far this month, Beijing has sent 19 military aircraft and 17 naval ship raids around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased incursions into ADIZ, "forcing" the number of military aircraft and warships operating in Taiwan in the area.

Tactics are defined as "an effort or a series of efforts beyond the deterrence and guarantee of steady-state that tries to achieve someone's safety goals without resorting to the direct and considerable use of force".

Tags: Military AviationPLA - People's Liberation ArmyPLAAF - China Air ForceShenyang J-16War Zones - China/Taiwan

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Diego Alves