(Image by NEIVANMADE) Four quick housekeeping notes. First, this is going to be as brief as I can make it tonight as it was a long day. Second, could we possibly not argue with the Jewish commenters about when a swastika is or is not a Nazi or neo-Nazi symbol? As far as I know …
War for Ukraine Day 763: Kharkiv Once Again in the Crosshairs!Post + Comments (24)
Now the common task is to provide every opportunity for Sumy region to create jobs and ensure social protection – address by the President of Ukraine
27 March 2024 – 18:40
Dear Ukrainians!
Today we are in Sumy region. I’ve been here with the team all day. First, our military. I visited our guys who are recovering from injuries and honored them with state awards. I am immensely grateful to the doctors, nurses, and everyone who helps them recover from their injuries.
The second issue for today is, of course, everything related to the defense of Sumy region, each community, each city. It is especially difficult in the border area, which is subject to constant Russian terror. There is constant shelling, air strikes, and countering enemy subversive groups. I am grateful to all the soldiers, all the commanders of the Armed Forces, the border guards, our police, the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine – everyone who is involved. To everyone who protects us. Thank you for not allowing our land to be turned into a zone of Russian presence. Every occupier who dares to come here will be destroyed.
I held a long coordination meeting. We addressed the issues of internal security in the region – from shelters to combating crime – and all the issues of defense. We also discussed the economy and social situation in a very substantive way. Now the common task of the government, regional authorities and community leaders is to provide every opportunity to create jobs here in our Sumy region, to ensure social protection and reliable budget revenues.
For the first time, we held a regional meeting on our new economic policy program “Made in Ukraine.” There is a significant amount of funds for this year – for all regions of our country. Sumy region is guaranteed to receive it as well. There are very specific tasks for government officials, the State Property Fund, the President’s Office and the regional authorities based on the results of the meetings and discussions held here today. There are contracts signed for our defense industry. I am proud that every month more and more companies and developers come up with specific samples of weapons, shells, equipment, demining machines, and many other things that are needed at the front and that will save the lives of our people thanks to the power of technology. In particular, today there are new contracts for automated firing systems, new FPV drones with appropriate dropping systems, and simulators for mobile firing groups that will help shoot down “Shahed” drones more effectively. All this is really needed.
And one more thing. Something that is particularly inspiring.
I met with the students studying at the university here in Sumy region. They obviously want Ukraine to succeed, to win, so that they can live and thrive here, at home, in Ukraine. We will do everything for this.
Ukraine knows how to be strong. Every day we have to add to the confidence of our country and people. And please, always be grateful to those who preserve normal life in our country, in all our communities.
Thank you, Sumy region!
Glory to Ukraine!
🇺🇦🇱🇹 Together with Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi @CinC_AFU, extended our sincere congratulations to Laurynas Kasčiūnas @LKasciunas on his recent appointment as the Minister of Defense of Lithuania.
The video call was also attended by the Lithuanian Chief… pic.twitter.com/vKk5QchN3K
— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) March 27, 2024
🇺🇦🇱🇹 Together with Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi @CinC_AFU, extended our sincere congratulations to Laurynas Kasčiūnas @LKasciunas on his recent appointment as the Minister of Defense of Lithuania.
The video call was also attended by the Lithuanian Chief of Defense Valdemaras Rupšys.
General Syrskyi provided an update on the security situation in Ukraine.We discussed ways to expand our bilateral defense cooperation and thanked Lithuania for its unwavering support.
Looking forward to hosting Minister Kasčiūnas in Kyiv in the near future.
Hungary:
Viktor Orbán UNDER FIRE in corruption scandal again as thousands came out in Budapest on Tuesday demanding the Hungarian prime minister to resign after former diplomat Péter Magyar released a tape of Justice Minister Judit Varga stating how other government officials caused… pic.twitter.com/ryxde60dWv
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) March 27, 2024
Viktor Orbán UNDER FIRE in corruption scandal again as thousands came out in Budapest on Tuesday demanding the Hungarian prime minister to resign after former diplomat Péter Magyar released a tape of Justice Minister Judit Varga stating how other government officials caused evidence to be removed from court records to cover up their roles in corrupt business dealings.
We watch closely as we believe in the will and fairness of the Hungarian people tired of 14 years of Fidesz (ruling party) in power.
I’ll be curious to see if anything comes of this.
Poland:
Poland has decided to double its commitment to the Czech-led initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Riga on March 27, without providing a specific figure.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 27, 2024
From The Kyiv Independent:
Poland has decided to double its commitment to the Czech-led initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Riga on March 27, without providing a specific figure.
Czech President Petr Pavel said in February that Prague had identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside of Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative.
Czechia’s foreign minister, Jan Lipavsky, said on March 25 that the initiative may collect as many as 1.5 million rounds.
Speaking at a press conference in Latvia‘s capital alongside his Latvian counterpart, Krisjanis Karins, Sikorski praised relations between Riga and Warsaw as “exemplary,” noting the two countries are both leaders in helping Ukraine to resist Russian aggression.
Commenting on Moscow’s recent uptick in missile and drone attacks against Ukraine, Sikorski said: “It seems to me that some media in the West are not shocked enough by this unprecedented wave of air terrorism against Ukraine.”
Poland’s top diplomat stressed that the U.S. assistance bill for Ukraine, currently stuck in Congress, is “urgently, even desperately needed.”
“If everyone did what Poland and Latvia are doing, Ukraine would be in a much better situation,” Sikorski said.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the outbreak of the full-scale war, donating some $3.2 billion in military aid and hosting around 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
In the past few months, Polish-Ukrainian relations have been strained somewhat by the ongoing disputes over agricultural trade and intermittent blockades by Polish farmers at Ukraine’s border.
France:
🇫🇷 Les 300 missiles Mistral sol-air de courte portée prévus pour être livrés début 2025 devront être livrés à l'été 2024 indique le ministre @SebLecornu.
Les 200 missiles Aster de longue portée devront être livrés au 2e semestre de cette année et non plus en 2026 comme prévu… pic.twitter.com/wPfFbFeBWY
— OpexNews (@OpexNews) March 26, 2024
Here’s the machine translation of the tweet:
🇫🇷 The 300 short-range ground-to-air Mistral missiles planned to be delivered at the beginning of 2025 must be delivered in the summer of 2024, indicates the minister @SebLecornu.
The 200 long-range Aster missiles must be delivered in the second half of this year and no longer in 2026 as initially planned.
The ministry @Armees_Gouv expects to receive from #Nexter 55,000 155 mm shells for the guns #CAESAr starting this summer and no longer over several years.
Safran is also concerned. The group will have to deliver 600 guided air-to-ground bombs in 2024 and 1,200 the following year. #BITD
Imagine that, you can put your defense industrial base on a war footing. Who could’ve possibly conceived of such a thing?
Kharkiv:
Just received a message from a friend: Two guided bombs, one struck the yard of a residential building. Damned terrorists. One killed, two badly injured pic.twitter.com/uqbbAvMMvq
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 27, 2024
As of now, it is known that one civilan was killed and 16 were wounded in the russian attack on Kharkiv, which for the first time involved the use of a large-caliber guided aerial bomb. Among the wounded are four children, including a three-month-old infant.
📷Serhii Bolvinov pic.twitter.com/zuJwQl1vfO— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) March 27, 2024
This is precisely what I meant when I said that the russian troops are intensifying their attacks on Kharkiv Oblast. They are now dropping aerial bombs on Kharkiv, a city with a population of over one million. Ukraine needs weapons to shoot down these aircraft. https://t.co/fEYcUFHoOo
— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) March 27, 2024
Kherson Oblast:
Strike on Russian UAV operators. Oleshky forest, Kherson region. https://t.co/6Uz2HAuzje pic.twitter.com/6d5AIWHmvb
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 27, 2024
/2. Lyubymivka, Kherson region.
(46.8123161, 33.5510921)@GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/0pqS5vDWgy— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 27, 2024
Somewhere on the frontline in Ukraine:
Very unique Russian VTS “Ladoga”, military transport vehicle, targeted by FPV drone on the frontline.
It is known that no more than 4-5 similar machines were produced, including a prototype for testing. The Ladoga was built on the basis of the T-80 tank chassis. Designed to… pic.twitter.com/3HL53vHagr
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) March 27, 2024
Very unique Russian VTS “Ladoga”, military transport vehicle, targeted by FPV drone on the frontline.
It is known that no more than 4-5 similar machines were produced, including a prototype for testing. The Ladoga was built on the basis of the T-80 tank chassis. Designed to operate in conditions with high levels of radiation, chemical or bacteriological contamination. In Chernobyl it was used for radiation reconnaissance.
Perhaps the most unusual thing you notice is the interior of Ladoga, which looks no worse than a business class cabin from the mid-twentieth century. According to some Russian media, Ladoga is used in the Russian military for the “evacuation of senior command personnel”.
Somewhere in Russia:
In a newly released media clip, Putin once again dismisses Ukraine's right to sovereignty by saying that he's fighting for "his historical lands".
He says the idea that he's going to fight with NATO is "complete nonsense designed to racket money from their [NATO] population" due… pic.twitter.com/NuOCKjN8Mz
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) March 27, 2024
In a newly released media clip, Putin once again dismisses Ukraine’s right to sovereignty by saying that he’s fighting for “his historical lands”.
He says the idea that he’s going to fight with NATO is “complete nonsense designed to racket money from their [NATO] population” due to discrepancy between defence budgets.
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
There are no new Patron tweets or videos tonight. Here is some adjacent material from the Ukrainian MOD:
There is an old wisdom that says that a cat in a mortar team boosts the accuracy of every shot.
📹: Khartiia Brigade pic.twitter.com/VwdzafmoTo
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 27, 2024
Open thread!