I ran the whip operations for Majority Whip Jim Clyburn… you whip rule votes if you think you could possibly lose rule votes… Bottomline YOU DO NOT LOSE rule votes! If you can’t pass a rule… you can’t control the floor. The majority party must always have control of the… https://t.co/WAVb2v0k0I — Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) …
Foreign Affairs
War for Ukraine Day 777: Air Raid Alerts Are Up, Once Again, Over Almost All of Ukraine
by Adam L Silverman| 17 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Air raid alert map of Ukraine, 8:58 PM EDT, 10 APR 2024) As you can see above, almost all of Ukraine is once again under an air raid alert. The Ukrainian Air Force is reporting at least seven russian Tu-95 bombers taking off, indicating that early this morning Ukraine is likely to be under massive …
Serial production and new models of missiles: our “defence industry” has the necessary results – address of the President of Ukraine
10 April 2024 – 20:13
Dear Ukrainians!
Briefly about today.
Today, I held a meeting regarding our missile program with the Commander-in-Chief, Minister of Defence, Minister of Strategic Industries, and heads of relevant enterprises. Serial production, and new models of missiles. The details aren’t public, but our “defence industry” has the necessary results. And the main thing is for the army to implement these results now. Today, I also discussed the current situation on the frontline with the Commander-in-Chief. There was also a report by the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
The second thing. International work.
I met with the Minister of Defence of Lithuania – this is his first visit abroad in this position, and it is important that this visit is to Ukraine. We discussed the needs of our soldiers, our cooperation – Ukraine and Lithuania – in the production of weapons. I addressed the participants of the forum in Greece: the Delphi Forum – a representative gathering, political and expert circles of Europe and America. I spoke primarily about Kharkiv, and about our other cities, our communities, which are subject to constant Russian terror. Air defence, long-range weapons, and artillery are the key priorities now. We are working in all directions of our foreign policy to get more of this strength to our state.
I also met with the head of the International Organisation for Migration.
We discussed projects to support our people who lost their homes, a program to build shelters for schools, programs to help displaced people who establish businesses and create jobs, and I am thankful for the support of our communities, especially those affected by the Russians’ destruction of the Kakhovka HPP.
I spoke with the head of the government of Ireland, and congratulated him on the start of work in his position, and we also agreed to continue our cooperation between Ukraine and Ireland: both bilaterally and at the European level. Today I spoke with the President of Switzerland, and this is a continuation of our consolidation of the international community. Every leader, every state, who wants to see the end of Russian aggression in a truly just peace, has the opportunity to join our global efforts – the first Peace Summit to be held in Switzerland in June. We are preparing the summit, and we are preparing its specific results – a clear position of the world regarding the just end of this war. The world does not have an alternative. However, for this to happen, for Russian terror to cease, all formats of our force must be involved. Physical defence against terror includes air defence, and our capabilities at the frontline, as well as our ability to achieve the necessary results in the Black Sea, and our domestic production of weapons, the economic stability of Ukraine, the pressure of our partners on Russia, and the strongest possible consolidation of the world. We have no right to make a mistake in any of these aspects.
And one more thing.
Today, Russian terrorists have attacked our communities with guided aerial bombs. In particular, in the Kharkiv region. There are victims, and as of now, we know about three people who were killed as a result of an attack, among them a child. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost their beloved ones. This is Russian terror, happening everyday and every night in our border and frontline regions. Putin will do anything possible to intensify attacks against Ukraine this year and to attempt to break us. Of course, we are increasing our capabilities such as our long-range weapons and our ability to destroy the invader. However, we need at least equal internal strength, as well as an inner understanding that only the strong ones finish the war on their terms. The weak ones end the wars on someone else’s terms. Ukraine must be strong. We will do anything possible to achieve it. I would like to thank everyone who gives more strength to Ukraine! I am grateful to everyone who fights and works for the sake of our state and our people.
Glory to Ukraine!
Bill Arnold asked the following last night in comments:
I was wondering if something like this would gain traction, re Russian treatment of non-ROC Christians in occupied parts of Ukraine, including areas that Russia might control in the future without additional military aid to Ukraine. Maybe. (The current ROC is essentially a tool of Satan, IMO.)
If Mike Johnson Won’t Fund Ukraine For Normal Moral Reasons, Maybe He’ll Do It For Gay-Hatin’ Extremist Reasons! – The enemy of my enemy is the enemy of my enemy. (Wonkette, EVAN HURST, APR 10, 2024)
The quote from Wonkette is in the rest of the comment at the link.
The answer to this is no! I’ve covered this here several times before, but it doesn’t hurt to do a refresher. Russia, working through Patriarch Kyril, who was a colleague and friend of Putin’s in the KGB before becoming a priest, have infiltrated the white evangelical Christian organizations, as well as the traditional Catholics, in the US. Putin has worked very hard to infiltrate in order to influence the white Evangelical Christian movement in the US. White Evangelical Christians also make up the largest group of Americans who support Israel known as Christian Zionists. The primary vehicle is the World Congress of Families, which is the brainchild of two Russian sociologists working through the American evangelical Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society. Jay Sekulow, who ran Trump’s impeachment defenses and is a former Jewish American who convert to the Messianic Jews for Jesus Movement under Pat Robertson’s guidance, also funds Putin linked religious lobbyists in Russia. Maria Butinaa, the Russian illegal who infiltrated and influenced both the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfasts bringing dozens of Russian oligarchs to Washington, DC for pancakes, eggs, and prayer in a semi-off the books Russian operation, was being funded by a Russian who has funded the campaigns of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
There are many more examples I could provide. Mike Johnson is not going to do anything to help Ukraine because of his own religious beliefs.
Tatarigami gets right to the heart of the problem:
The principles of democracy, liberty, and security assurances hold strong until they confront the unstoppable force of gas prices
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 10, 2024
Let's follow the logic and assume that marginal increase in oil prices will be detrimental for Biden's chances of winning. By this reasoning, Saudi Arabia and Russia control the outcome of the US presidential election, given their ability to influence oil prices.
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 10, 2024
I’d throw Bibi in their with Putin and bin Salman, but Tatarigami is spot on.
Germany:
We are grateful to our German friends for their unwavering support.
The new package of military aid for Ukraine includes:
◾️1 Warthog All Terrain Tracked Carrier
◾️2 Wisent-1mine clearing tanks
◾️6,000 rounds 155mm ammunition
◾️16 VECTOR reconnaissance drones
◾️30 RQ-35 HEIDRUN… pic.twitter.com/YAS00CD8vq— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 10, 2024
We are grateful to our German friends for their unwavering support.
The new package of military aid for Ukraine includes:
◾️1 Warthog All Terrain Tracked Carrier
◾️2 Wisent-1mine clearing tanks
◾️6,000 rounds 155mm ammunition
◾️16 VECTOR reconnaissance drones
◾️30 RQ-35 HEIDRUN reconnaissance drones
◾️30 frequency range extensions for anti-drone devices
◾️11 mobile, remote controlled and protected mine clearing systems
◾️3 mine ploughs
◾️70 IR cameras
◾️24 outboard motors
◾️1 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms
◾️680 MK 556 assault rifles
◾️50 HLR 338 precision rifles with 60,000 rounds ammunition
◾️120 CR 308 rifles
◾️5,000 detonatorsThank you, Germany!
🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪
#StandWithUkraine
@BMVg_Bundeswehr
France:
There is a new documentary out on France’s DGSE. It includes some interesting information that everyone could have predicted:
From the DGSE documentary: “Some surveillance techniques are shown. For example, one agent displays how he replaces an HDMI cable in an office with another including a small SD card that records all video coming through such as Zoom calls.” https://t.co/YXNqQIaNDC
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 9, 2024
“Defectors from the Soviet Union used to talk about the ‘French paradox’…if you surprised a Frenchman with a mistress by telling him…work for us or we’ll tell your wife, it didn’t work…he generally said: ‘Go ahead…she already knows about it’.” https://t.co/YXNqQIaNDC
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 10, 2024
From The Telegraph:
Honeytraps do not work on French spies because their wives are used to them having affairs, a television documentary about France’s equivalent of MI6 has revealed.
Intelligence agents in the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) said that their Russian enemies came to realise that blackmail over taking lovers was ineffective.
The stock phrase in response was “Go ahead, my wife already knows” one agent said in the Making of Secret Agents, a 90-minute documentary that gained unprecedented access to the spy agency over several weeks. It was set to air on French public TV channel France 2 on Tuesday night.
The agent known only as Nicolas, whose voice and face were blurred, says: “Defectors from the Soviet Union used to talk about the ‘French paradox’, namely if you surprised a Frenchman with a mistress by telling him, we’ve caught you red-handed with a 22-year-old called Tatyana, work for us or we’ll tell your wife, it didn’t work.
“That was because he generally said: ‘Go ahead, show her, she’ll understand,’ or ‘she already knows about it’.”
“Senior officials whom I have met before are drawn and on edge; when they smile, they rarely do so with their eyes. And on the train, as I leave… hard-faced officers check & recheck passports to make sure no draft-eligible men are leaving the country” https://t.co/FiXrZjYndO
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) April 10, 2024
Eliot Cohen in The Atlantic:
Kyiv is, as ever, a lovely city, made more so by a brisk, sunny April. The church domes gleam, the cafés are open if not bustling, the streets are swept clean, the parks are trimmed, and the Dnipro flows majestically past the city to which it gave birth. But in the various memorials in public places, thousands of blue-and-yellow flags with the names of the fallen flutter. At Taras Shevchenko University, half of the students in the auditorium to hear a panel discussion I appear in about the war are cadets in uniform. Their young faces are grave in a way the parents of American teenagers would not recognize. Senior officials whom I have met before are drawn and on edge; when they smile, they rarely do so with their eyes. And on the train, as I leave the city for the long trip to Poland, hard-faced officers check and recheck passports to make sure that no draft-eligible men are leaving the country.
At the beginning of its third year, the war is not going well for Ukraine. The war is, in fact, at one of what Winston Churchill called the “climacterics,” or inflection points, that characterize all great conflicts. At hideous cost to themselves—measured in tens of thousands of killed, wounded, or missing men a month—Russian armies are advancing slowly. Every night Russian drones distract, expose, and deplete Ukrainian air defenses, and then the cruise and ballistic missiles rain down. Their targets are primarily the electric grid and civilian buildings. Kyiv, for the time being, is well defended, but Kharkiv, which is close to the Russian border, is taking a pummeling. On the front lines, the shell shortage is acute; the Ukrainians are ceding ground not because they are unwilling to fight, but because they lack the high explosives necessary to do so.
Worse is to come. Russia has managed, by putting its economy on a war footing, to restore its forces and then some. It has secured supplies of weapons and ammunition from North Korea and Iran, and, surreptitiously, much nonlethal gear from China. This coalition of the malevolent is cooperating ever more closely. After a groggy 18 months following the defeat of its initial invasion and the spectacular Ukrainian attacks that drove the Russians back from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, the Russian military machine is adapting. It has introduced large numbers of first-person-view drones, manufactured long-range glide bombs of ever-increasing weight, and recovered much of its previously squandered talent at electronic warfare. Having squashed dissent at home, it is mobilizing some 300,000 troops. A new offensive looms this summer.
There are limits to Russian achievement. Its Black Sea fleet has been defeated and largely driven from its Crimean bases. It has proved incapable of fielding a new generation of tanks and other systems. The shattering losses in officers and senior enlisted ranks mean that its ground forces continue to depend heavily on brutal, and often tactically primitive, means. But it feels the tide of battle turning in its favor.
As it does so, Russia has upped the psychological ante. Per Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, this is no longer a “special military operation” but a real war—not because of the Ukrainians, but because of the West. Not just any war either. The Russian Orthodox Church, a sinister tool of the Russian state, recently declared that “from a spiritual and moral point of view, the special military operation is a Holy War.” The Kremlin has made clear that it disdains negotiations with Kyiv. In this respect it is brutally honest: It intends to extirpate the Ukrainian state, returning it to a subjugated province of a restored Russian empire. Failing that, it will depopulate Ukraine’s cities, poison its fields with land mines, and deprive its remaining citizens of power, light, and heat.
For Ukraine, the immediate concern is procuring enough ammunition to feed the hungry artillery pieces that can annihilate Russia’s human-wave assaults and supply the anti-aircraft systems that fend off the severe nightly attacks on its cities and infrastructure.
The crucial question is what the U.S. House of Representatives will do, and whether a purblind minority of Republicans can be outwitted by their hesitant leadership, so that the House can deliver aid to Ukraine. Astonishingly, the GOP chairmen of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees have asserted that some of their colleagues have succumbed to Russian propaganda. The shame and disgrace that this implies cannot be expunged. It will stain the holdouts against aid permanently, and justly so.
But the Biden administration has its own responsibility for this situation, a responsibility that is nearly as heavy. It, too, has no theory of victory and has not attempted to work with Ukraine to devise one. The administration’s promises to be with Ukraine as long as it takes are vapid. It repeatedly hesitated to supply Ukraine with advanced weapons in the numbers and with the speed needed, thereby frittering away the great opportunity of Ukraine’s first counteroffensive in the summer and fall of 2022. It has not sent a military mission to Kyiv to work closely with Ukrainian planners and trainers. Its representatives have, in ways that are at best strategically illiterate, declared their tepid opposition to Ukrainian deep attacks inside Russia. At the top, the president has not, after two years, summoned the rhetorical force to explain to the American people, in a way that Franklin Roosevelt did, and that John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan would have, why this faraway war means so much for the American future.
Ukraine has reported intensifying Russian uses of chemical weapons, beginning with irritants, but with the potential for the more lethal kinds of attacks that characterized the Syrian war. Anxious allied governments, including Sweden and the United Kingdom, have publicly discussed the possibility of war between a conquest-intoxicated Russia and NATO within years. They may be right.
This does not have to be, and it will not be if the United States acts. The prompt passage of aid for Ukraine is but one step. Others include sending a military mission to Ukraine, helping that country build the training and rotation infrastructure that it needs to sustain itself, and accelerating the growth of Ukraine’s already remarkable arms industry, which now produces drones that can strike more than 1,000 kilometers into Russian territory, as well as advanced cruise missiles and artillery pieces.
Above all, the Biden administration has to tell the American people that this war threatens us because it threatens European peace, has to explain the values as well as interests in play, and has to conceive its goal not as a mixture of supporting Ukraine just enough and nagging it with fantastic fears of escalation, but as ensuring victory.
That can be achieved. Russia’s own strains—revealed in the abortive Prigozhin putsch, its shocking vulnerability to terrorist attack, and the outpouring of grief for the murdered Alexei Navalny—are numerous. Its supposed growth in GDP is an artifact of military spending that is not sustainable. Sanctions are taking a toll but can be intensified. Its army, though operationally adaptable, remains tactically crude and susceptible to being bled out. The Putin regime’s ferocious clampdown on dissent reveals weakness, not strength. The job of the Biden administration is to judge those weaknesses correctly, exploit them ruthlessly, and, with its allies, help Ukraine defeat an enemy as cruel and malignant as any in history. Unless the administration rises to the occasion, a dark spring could bring much bleaker seasons to follow.
There is more at the link!
Chasiv Yar:
Сhasiv Yar outskirts.
A destroyed Russian column attacking (what's left of) the town. pic.twitter.com/hmOW6IAsc2
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 10, 2024
Russian occupied Crimea:
A Ka-27 helicopter was destroyed in Crimea, said the spokesman of the Ukrainian Navy. pic.twitter.com/AfyJt6V1aK
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 10, 2024
Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:
/2. Geolocation of the strike. 22km from the frontline.
48.470993, 38.284881 https://t.co/pt80H92o7f pic.twitter.com/53KnqZdGZd— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 10, 2024
If you were curious as to how the information war is being waged:
It's also notable that articles on this site generally give very high scores for being AI generated on various AI detection sites, something it has in common with other fake news sites, like the London Crier.
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) April 10, 2024
It’s not just being waged in fake newspapers, it is also being waged from one of the US’s Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC):
The most unbelievable thing behind the phenomenon of such 'political strategists' is that they've been consistently and chronically wrong for years – again and again, again and again – with almost every little thing they say, particularly about Ukraine.
Moreover, with such… https://t.co/x7MsLNxrwU
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 10, 2024
Here’s all of it from the Thread Reader App:
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American political strategist, Samuel Charap (@scharap). He’s best-known for strongly arguing against the Western military support to Ukraine, and advising Ukraine to give up to imperialist Russia’s demands.
Samuel Charap is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, an American think tank largely funded by the US government. He also studied in Kyiv and at MGIMO, an elite Moscow university with close ties to Russian intelligence.
He’s also member of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank that has been described as a “Russian equivalent to Davos”, and Dutch sociologist Van Herpen wrote that the club is a soft power effort by the Kremlin in service of Russian foreign policy goals.
3/18
Throughout the years, Charap has called for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, but time has shown that a) Putin is not negotiating in good faith, and b) any treaty between Russia and Ukraine (or anyone) doesn’t hold.
Sam’s naive attitude towards the Kremlin and their trustworthiness can be seen for example in his 2019 op-ed, in which he called for Ukraine to implement its obligations under the Minsk 2, an agreement that was largely ignored and broken by both Russia and Ukraine.
5/18
In addition, Russia has violated the UN Charter, Nuclear NPT, Helsinki Accords, Belovezha Accords, Budapest Memorandum, Black Sea Fleet Treaty, Friendship Treaty, Treaty on Azov Sea and Kerch Strait, Border Treaty of 2003, Minsk agreements, and the Kharkiv Pact.
Charap’s “peace at any price” stance is always easy to defend, since most people would love to have peace. But if we don’t also talk about the costs of peace, the whole discussion is pointless.
7/18
At the 2023 Lennart Meri Conference, Ukrainian activist Olena Halushka asked Charap about the cost of Russia’s occupation, referring to mass graves, filtration camps, and mass deportations of children. Charap stated that it’s ultimately up to the Ukrainian leadership…
8/18
…to decide whether these consequences are worth the sacrifices in the battlefield. Interestingly, his op-eds and talks are always suggesting for Ukraine to “negotiate” with Russia, which would without a doubt lead to concessions and more of such horrible war crimes.
I have previously written about the consequences of Russian victory in Ukraine, and most of us can probably agree that this would be a horrible fate for any Ukrainian who is left in these occupied regions:
10/18
Also, we should also remind ourselves that the Kremlin hasn’t been willing to negotiate for a long time now. In Mar 2024, Putin himself stated that holding negotiations while Ukraine is suffering from ammunition shortage would be “absurd”.
11/18
Charap has also been a strong opponent of military aid to Ukraine. In Jan 2022, he published an article on Foreign Policy titled “The West’s Weapons Won’t Make Any Difference to Ukraine”. Take a look at the maps below and tell me if you agree with Mr. Charap.
In Jun 2023, Charap published another op-ed, criticizing the West for focusing more on providing military aid, intelligence and economic assistance to Ukraine rather than calling for the two parties to negotiate on peace.
In his Aug 2023 New Yorker article titled “The Case for Negotiating with Russia”, he suggested that Ukraine will have to make concessions to Russia, even though Ukraine has successfully liberated over half of the territories Russia occupied at some point.
All this wouldn’t worry me too much if Mr. Charap and his silly talks about negotiations and criticism of military aid were ignored. But they’re not. Charap’s a regular visitor to the White House’s National Security Council (NSC), headed by Jake Sullivan.
According to Michael @McFaul, Sullivan and Biden recently “bought into” the idea that sending too much military aid to Ukraine would cause Russia to use tactical nukes against the US. This is just speculation, but maybe Sullivan is actually listening to Mr. Charap?
But there’s nothing new with Russia’s threatening with nuclear weapons & Putin’s people have been doing it since at least 2007. Many people, including Musk & Sacks, use these empty threats as an excuse to let Russia do whatever they want in Ukraine:
To conclude, of course there should always be room for diplomacy and back-channel conversations, but one should always remember the unreliability of the Kremlin.
And just a few days ago, Peskov said that Russia and NATO are already in “direct confrontation”.
18/18
Find us also on other socials:
CORRECTION 16/18:
Wrong Michael – not @McFaul, but @RepMcCaul.
I’ve covered Charap here before. That’s not the total of his visits to meet with people at the White House/on the National Security Staff. The first one was in the fall of 2021.
Russia:
Russian sources associated with Russian military aviation report that a Russian helicopter was shot down in a friendlyfire incident. Judging by a photo posted by Russian sources the helicopter is Mi-24 or Mi-35M. Such statements from Russian sources usually appear only if the… pic.twitter.com/N76TV099sz
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 10, 2024
Russian sources associated with Russian military aviation report that a Russian helicopter was shot down in a friendlyfire incident. Judging by a photo posted by Russian sources the helicopter is Mi-24 or Mi-35M. Such statements from Russian sources usually appear only if the crew is dead.
“If the information on friendlyfire is correct, then after all such cases, was anyone punished? I understand that war forgives a lot, but for how long?”
Russian gasoline production the week of 1st-7th of April declined again to 754 400 tons and diesel production dropped further than before to 1 585 100 tons. In 2023 during the week of 3rd-9th of April gasoline production was 833 200 tons and diesel production was 1 769 000 tons. pic.twitter.com/xuZbmtuiZu
— Stanimir Dobrev (@delfoo) April 10, 2024
That’s enough for today.
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@patron__dsns :))) #песпатрон
Open thread!
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: April 10, 2024
This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs
It’s great news (as far as I’m concerned) that covid infections, per the CDC and Biobot, are dropping — for the moment — to the point where updates are a background noise rather than a non-stop battery of bad news. (Until the next peak comes along, possibly during summer vacation season, almost certainly by the …
COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: April 10, 2024Post + Comments (31)
Last night's update: 74,260 new cases, 905 new deaths https://t.co/7mb5AHCuZN
— BNO News (@BNOFeed) April 8, 2024
So far this year, nearly 3 million cases of COVID have been reported in the U.S., causing 251,851 hospitalizations and 25,311 deaths.
— BNO News (@BNOFeed) April 8, 2024
======
#LongCovid still has no cure so patients are becoming participants in clinical trials. But with key trials not yet producing results, some patients are trying to change how clinical trials are done https://t.co/rVTlBh5QLI pic.twitter.com/pJ3IUGc9jH
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) April 4, 2024
Subtypes of #LongCovid indicating specific immune/inflammation markers and pathways related to principal symptoms https://t.co/R1xkzIMeQR@NatImmunol by @FelicityLiew @ClaudEfstathiou @p_openshaw @InThwaiteImmune and their collaborators across the UK pic.twitter.com/8IJN3FkJen
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 8, 2024
More evidence for #SARSCoV2 protein persistence and its potential to contribute to #LongCovid https://t.co/WwNy4r2r5S @TheLancetInfDis @MichaelPelusoMD and colleagues pic.twitter.com/ChuC7LOwsB
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 8, 2024
#Covid test: Researchers at the Univ of Georgia unveil a faster & what they say is a more accurate test that spots #SARSCoV2 https://t.co/ZzrMWcWRW4 via @medical_xpress
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) April 4, 2024
A discovery that offers a keener understanding of how #SARSCoV2 replicates is opening the door to new antiviral therapies https://t.co/UejgqIcf39 pic.twitter.com/MiKqFiR1Aj
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) April 6, 2024
Long COVID leaves telltale traces in the blood
People with long COVID have distinct patterns of inflammation detectable in the blood, which could potentially be targeted with immune therapies.
Imperial College, Londonhttps://t.co/2sDQGvy5E7
— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) April 9, 2024
Blood donor study finds 21% incidence of long-term symptoms attributed to COVID-19
CIDRAPhttps://t.co/VqLKBChXzc
— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) April 9, 2024
Air quality in schools: How to shield kids w/ intellectual & developmental disabilities from #Covid. Researchers at Univ of Rochester in NY found that good airflow & filtration can be beneficial for these students, many are at high risk of infection https://t.co/NzjW4OKI7z
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) April 4, 2024
Can tea keep #Covid away? Study suggests certain teas inactivate #SARSCoV2 in saliva. Teas are known globally for health benefits. Scientists at the Univ of Georgia say inactivating SARS2 in the mouth & throat helps lower it in the respiratory tract https://t.co/Yx00EpGCGP
— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) April 8, 2024
======
US: Chairman Bernie Sanders Releases Long COVID Moonshot Legislative Proposal
Sanders today released a draft legislative proposal to address the Long COVID crisis that is negatively impacting the health of some 22 million Americans.
H/t @zalalyhttps://t.co/EfyHOVNABd
— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) April 9, 2024
"The Great COVID Cover-up"
$99 Million Dollars.
Donald Trump awarded Jared Kushner’s college roommate, Boehler $100 million to procure PPE for our doctors during Covid.
Adam only spent $1 million while our doctors were garbage bags.
Who else demands an investigation? ?? pic.twitter.com/8YjNQqmZpL
— Lara reads banned books in Florida (@MadeInTheUSANJ) April 9, 2024
A delusional Trump claimed governors were happy with his efforts to fight COVID-19 and they had a “love fest.”
“They know we’ve done a great job, not a good job.”
In reality, governors flagged that lack of leadership caused PPE shortages and prices to skyrocket. pic.twitter.com/LBdFkhioAc
— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) April 8, 2024
War for Ukraine Day 776: Russia Continues to Bombard Kharkiv and Sumy!
by Adam L Silverman| 22 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) As of 8:20 PM EDT the air raid alerts are only up over Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa Oblasts, in addition to the ones that are always up over Russian occupied Luhansk and Crimea. Russia bombarded Kharkiv again! Russian forces have just struck the central part of Kharkiv with two aerial bombs, the …
War for Ukraine Day 776: Russia Continues to Bombard Kharkiv and Sumy!Post + Comments (22)
We must make every effort to protect as many of our cities and communities as possible – address by the President of Ukraine
9 April 2024 – 17:16
Dear Ukrainians!
Today I’m in Kharkiv and the region. Numerous issues related to the city and the region were addressed.
I watched the construction of fortifications. Shoring up this direction is very important. Russian terrorists must see the reinforcement of the Kharkiv region. I held a meeting with everyone responsible for the region’s protection and restoration of normal life after Russian strikes. I am proud of Kharkiv residents. I am grateful to everyone who has worked these weeks to give Kharkiv and the region more electricity, to ensure more protection from Russian strikes. There were reports on the physical protection of power facilities and the restoration of grids. All the necessary conditions are being created to reduce the electricity shortage. Kharkiv should get lighter schedules. Separately, government officials are working to help the city and the region overcome the existing energy challenges. There are some valid proposals, and we will provide the necessary funding. The government will make all the details public. I held a meeting with entrepreneurs from the Kharkiv region. I am grateful to everyone who stays in the city, who keeps jobs for people, who maintains a normal life. Russia’s goal is clear: they want to do everything possible to drive people out of Kharkiv and the region. Whatever Putin touches becomes ruins. We must make every effort, both possible and impossible, to protect as many of our cities and communities as possible from him. Here in Kharkiv, I honored our people today – representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the police, and the State Emergency Service who help save lives and protect Ukraine. I presented state awards. But in fact, the entire city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region deserve our gratitude and honor, as does every Ukrainian community and person who refuses to bow to the enemy and makes every effort to safeguard life.
All of our partners around the world must understand that trust in them and the future of the democratic free world can be achieved right now in cities such as Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, many towns in the Sumy and Donetsk regions, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions – everywhere where air defense is required and the world’s political will is needed to make decisions that will safeguard life and ensure victory over Russian terror. We have also made decisions to bolster air defense here in Kharkiv.
Life must prevail. I am grateful to everyone in the world who understands this! I thank all our people who give Ukraine strength.
Thank you, Kharkiv!
Glory to Ukraine!
Some good news!
U.S. Government Transfers Captured Weapons
On Apr. 4, 2024, the U.S. government transferred over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. This constitutes enough materiel to equip one UKR BDE… pic.twitter.com/Ydecq6OFAo
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 9, 2024
U.S. Government Transfers Captured Weapons
On Apr. 4, 2024, the U.S. government transferred over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. This constitutes enough materiel to equip one UKR BDE with small arms rifles. These weapons will help Ukraine defend against Russia’s invasion.
The government obtained ownership of these munitions on December 1, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
These munitions were originally seized by U.S. Central Command and partner naval forces from four separate transiting stateless vessels between 22 May 2021 to 15 Feb 2023. The munitions were being transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216. U.S. CENTCOM is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions.
Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel, and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities.
And a bit more!
. @StateDept 🇺🇸 authorizes an emergency Foreign Military Sales #FMS case to 🇺🇦 #Ukraine for Hawk Phase III Missile System sustainment with an estimated cost of $138 million #FMSUpdate–https://t.co/S72aDVQ1Xu pic.twitter.com/XLJYKbvFrX
— Political-Military Affairs, US Dept of State (@StateDeptPM) April 9, 2024
Here are the details from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA):
UKRAINE – HAWK PHASE III MISSILE SYSTEM SUSTAINMENT
Media/Public Contact [email protected]
Transmittal No 24-53WASHINGTON, April 9, 2024 – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine of HAWK Phase III Missile System Sustainment and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $138 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.
The Government of Ukraine has requested to buy sustainment-related articles and services for the HAWK Phase III missile system, including engineering and integration for communications and interoperability; refurbishment and system overhaul of HAWK air defense fire units; missile recertification components; tool kits; test equipment; support equipment; technical documentation; spare parts; training; U.S. Government and contractor technical and field office support; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $138 million.
The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Ukraine of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.
Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile strikes and the aerial capabilities of Russian forces. Maintaining and sustaining the HAWK missile system will enhance Ukraine’s ability to defend its people and protect critical national infrastructure.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors will be RTX Corporation, located in Andover, MA, and PROJECTXYZ, located in Huntsville, AL. Equipment will be supplied from a combination of U.S. Army stock, country donations, Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS), and new production. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require temporary duty travel of an estimated 5 U.S. Government and 15 contractor representatives to Europe to support HAWK system training and sustainment.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.
All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department’s Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, [email protected].
For those of you who thought reporters were publishing unverifiable rumors that the Biden administration has told Ukraine not to strike in Russia, Secretary of Defense Austin confirmed it today during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee:
More confirmation now from US Secretary of Defense Austin of our @FT scoop regarding the Biden Administration’s position on Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries.
Original story here: US urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries https://t.co/ObD1ENyJmB https://t.co/yjZE1UWqA7
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 9, 2024
Asked why the Biden admin is discouraging Ukraine from striking Russian energy infrastructure, Secretary Austin acknowledges that admin has concerns about how it will affect global energy markets.
“Certainly, those attacks could have a knock on effect, in terms of the global energy situation,” Austin says. “But quite frankly, I think Ukraine is better served and going after tactical and operational targets that can directly influence the current fight.”
Here’s the link to the hearings if you want to watch them.
More from Sumy Oblast:
A video that circulates on Russian Telegram channels shows an apparent Iskander strike on a weapons depot. Upon further check, the depicted artillery has been stationary since at least 2017 and unused since the start of the war, despite shortages, suggesting they may be unusable pic.twitter.com/e94XJg7LWa
— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) April 9, 2024
More from Poltava:
I am surprised that there is so little information about what happened in Poltava, in eastern Ukraine.
It's just terrible what happened there at night, the cries of people asking for help.
A Russian missile hit a residential building with civilians.
What kind of peace agreement… pic.twitter.com/PzsfXiKS4k— Katerina Horbunova (@blue_eyedKeti) April 9, 2024
I am surprised that there is so little information about what happened in Poltava, in eastern Ukraine.
It’s just terrible what happened there at night, the cries of people asking for help.
A Russian missile hit a residential building with civilians.
What kind of peace agreement can we talk about with these scum!
And that’s why I didn’t include the videos and other imagery on social media of this above the jump. It’s everywhere. It is also not accurate.
Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:
Shall we?
Yes!
9 russian IFVs have been destroyed by Ukrainian warriors from the 92nd Assault Brigade in Donetsk region. pic.twitter.com/GSxTX3ijoX— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 9, 2024
Russia bombs temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk Oblast.
A 1500 kg bomb fell off a bomber plane and landed in a shop in Yenakievo (temporarily under control of Russian formations). Very lucky it didn't lead to an explosion. pic.twitter.com/JLIHuttBpg
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) April 9, 2024
More on the turtle tank!
/3. The hangar with Russian turtle-tank was targeted by Ukrainian forces based on geolocation provided by CyberBoroshno team.
Photos which were used for the geolocation attached. https://t.co/JRZlqdYVhL https://t.co/saDO3s5R4M pic.twitter.com/p6eX336SBn— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 9, 2024
Same Russian turtle tank after the Ukrainian strike on Russian base in Donetsk.
Russian tank base was geolocated by CyberBoroshno team and later targeted by Ukrainian forces based on the obtained information:
47.956743,37.613304https://t.co/JRZlqdYVhLhttps://t.co/c7ZZbnNHbX https://t.co/bElZlAsp60 pic.twitter.com/mBNm5aMACF— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 9, 2024
Novomykhailivka:
The occupiers continue to launch suicidal assaults near Novomykhailivka.
Over the last three days, soldiers from the 79th Air Assault Brigade have destroyed 18 pieces of russian armored equipment in this area. pic.twitter.com/qgVOqf7YdG— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 9, 2024
Chasiv Yar:
Updated map from @Deepstate_UA showing further Russian advances towards Chasiv Yar.https://t.co/t2cII5834T pic.twitter.com/CPfJM1Q4ca
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 9, 2024
Kherson Oblast:
/1. Strike on Russian military equipment on the gas station in Velyki Kopani, Kherson region.
46.4861285, 32.9742572https://t.co/SxuONUVDokhttps://t.co/QA6iV7quIb pic.twitter.com/t8sINn1SgO— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 7, 2024
/3. Kadyrovites providing footages of the results of the strike. https://t.co/7q5RFTX278 pic.twitter.com/EtqJpAcaPA
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 9, 2024
That’s enough for tonight!
Your daily Patron!
On #MineAwarenessDay, over 3,000 children in mine-affected areas in Ukraine learned about mine safety rules with the help of UNICEF Goodwill Dog @PatronDsns and virtual reality. @SESU_UA
— UNICEF Ukraine (@UNICEF_UA) April 9, 2024
Open thread!
GOP Venality Open Thread: Is Trump Trying to Set Up Another ‘October Surprise’?
This post is in: 2024 Elections, Excellent Links, Foreign Affairs, Republican Venality, Trump Crime Cartel
It's enough of a safe bet that Trump and other major GOP figures are actively sabotaging American diplomats seeking a hostage release that it should be treated as certainty. https://t.co/BPD9cIGwvk — zeddy (@Zeddary) April 9, 2024 Are a bear’s sanitary arrangements convenient to its woodland home? Of course he is. Is the GOP happily abetting …
GOP Venality Open Thread: Is Trump Trying to Set Up Another ‘October Surprise’?Post + Comments (119)
all we have to go on is Nixon committing treason in 1968, the now-proven 1980 October Surprise conspiracy, Iran-Contra, Trump openly hoping the economy crashes, and Trump's own extensive history of telling foreign leaders to do his bidding against Biden and other Democrats.
— zeddy (@Zeddary) April 9, 2024
Will someone please tell me what happened to this story? Seems rather important. pic.twitter.com/qkKl2qERBg
— OvereducatedAFVermin 🐀🥁🛹🍩🥀🇺🇦 (@BrandonWon2020) April 9, 2024
War for Ukraine Day 775: Russia Is Destroying Ukraine’s Energy Generation & Transmission Capacity!
by Adam L Silverman| 19 Comments
This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine
(Image by NEIVANMADE) As I begin tonight’s update – 7:55 PM EDT – all of southern and central Ukraine is under air raid alert. And as I get ready to hit publish it is only the westernmost provinces. While we’ll get to the last night’s/this morning’s butcher’s bill from Russia’s bombardment of Kharkiv and other …
The focus of attention is now on Kharkiv: on the energy situation and support for people and businesses – address by the President of Ukraine
8 April 2024 – 19:34
Dear Ukrainians!
Briefly about this day.
The focus of attention is now on Kharkiv: on the energy situation and support for people and businesses in the city and the region. We’re maximizing our efforts to thwart Russia’s plans against Kharkiv – together with our partners, we’re working to bolster air defense. Today, I held a meeting of the Staff, primarily focusing on Kharkiv and the region. Both the Commander-in-Chief and the Air Force Commander delivered reports. Of course, attention was also paid to all other areas of defense of our state and people. I am grateful to all soldiers and commanders who are doing everything possible to ensure the strength of our positions so that even with a shortage of ammunition, our units can destroy the occupier. And from this point of view, drone production, drone supply, equitable and timely logistics are key. Our army should be as technologically advanced as possible. And everyone who works to this end is doing a great job for Ukraine. The Commander-in-Chief reported on the entire frontline, on critical areas. Our actions are clearly defined.
Second. I held a meeting with government officials and the Office’s team on opportunities to support Kharkiv, other towns and communities in the region socially and economically. I am waiting for detailed and prompt proposals from government officials. Today we had a report on our ability to reduce the electricity deficit in Kharkiv and on our entire energy system. I am grateful to all our power engineers and repair crews. All those who are restoring the system, grids, and normal power supply to people are doing a remarkable job. I am grateful to everyone.
Third. Our foreign policy activities for this week and certain events in May and June. We have discussed preparations – Ukraine will become stronger. Work continues on new defense packages and new steps to exert pressure on Russia.
Now in our city of Bilopillya, Sumy region, a rescue operation is underway after a Russian attack with a guided aerial bomb that hit the city center. There is extensive damage to the urban area, and there are wounded. As of now, one person has been reported dead. My condolences. We need more opportunities to strike back at the terrorist state – military, sanctions-related, economic, legal and other opportunities. The occupier understands nothing but force, nothing but Russia’s own losses. And we must ensure this – everyone in the world who truly values peace and strives for peace.
I am grateful to everyone who helps us! I am grateful to everyone who is in combat, at combat posts, on combat missions! I thank everyone who is currently training to become part of the Defense Forces. I thank everyone who is working for the sake of Ukrainian strength.
Glory to Ukraine!
The bottom line is the Russians are targeting the power grid where Ukraine’s air defense is stretched.
2/Ukraine has 11 thermal power plants: 3 in Kyiv and 8 outside of Kyiv. Russia targeted 7/8 thermal power plants outside between March 22-29 with barrage of missiles. The only one they didn’t target outside of Kyiv was Kurakove, on the frontline in Donetsk region. pic.twitter.com/knMkcNQNWo
— Isobel Koshiw (@IKoshiw) April 8, 2024
The Financial Times has the details:
Russia has changed tactics in targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, using precision missiles to destroy power stations in areas less protected than Kyiv, some of which cannot be fully restored in time for next winter.
Ukrainian officials said that while not as widespread, the damage that Moscow had inflicted was worse than in the winter of 2022-23, with the apparent aim now being permanent, irreparable damage.
Russia targeted seven thermal power stations between March 22 and 29 — all in other regions than Kyiv, which has some of the best air defences in the country. The Russian missiles also hit two hydroelectric power stations.
Ukraine has not given details about the extent of the damage at each plant, but officials said several, including in the Kharkiv region near the Russian border, had been almost completely destroyed.
“Our goal is to restore as much as we can by October,” said Maxim Timchenko, chief executive of DTEK, Ukraine’s largest energy producer. The group lost about 80 per cent of its power generation in Russian attacks carried out in the last week of March. Five of DTEK’s thermal plants were forced to halt operations.
Timchenko said plans exist for some substations and larger power stations that were not wholly destroyed to be brought back online. “Subject to no further attacks, at least 50 per cent of damaged power units will be reconnected to the grid.”
Had it not been for the warm weather, energy imports from the EU and an increase in renewable energy generation, Ukraine would have experienced widespread blackouts, as it did in 2022-23, Timchenko said.
In the previous winter campaign targeting the Ukrainian energy grid, Russia sought to plunge cities into the dark and cold by targeting switchyards and transformers in attacks across the country, said Timchenko. But now Russian missiles are homing in on power plants in specific regions to “destroy them completely because it is not possible to rebuild power stations in a short time”.
“The same number of missiles used in the [2022-23] winter attack are now being directed at five to six energy facilities in one region,” said Maria Tsaturian, head of communications at Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s national transmission system operator.
“They are trying to cut off large industrial regions and cities from the power supply,” she said.
Smaller substations — managed by Ukrenergo — can be shielded from attacks with protective structures. But it is “very difficult, if not impossible” to cover large power plants, which take “several months or even years” to restore, she said.
The second, important difference with the winter of 2022-2023 is that Russia is now also using expensive precision ballistic missiles, said Andriy Gerus, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary committee for energy and utilities.
Gerus said that one recent attack on a coal power plant used $100mn worth of ballistic missiles — yet Ukraine has only a handful of US-made Patriot air defence systems capable of shooting them down.
Russia is still using drones in large numbers, however, but as a cheaper way to hit other parts of the energy system such as transformers, according to Andriy Cherniak, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence.
“We expected the attacks at the beginning of the winter but we now see that the missiles they have used are freshly made,” said Cherniak. He estimated that Russia has enough missiles for one or two more big attacks in the coming weeks.
While the damage is said to be more permanent than in the winter of 2022-2023, it is more localised and the impact is being temporarily mitigated by a combination of large electricity imports from the European Union, domestic solar power stations and warm weather, said Gerus.
Much, much more at the link.
I would not expect anything to get through the House any time soon. And even if it does, it won’t be the Senate bill that was passed about a month ago. Rather it’ll be something new that Johnson has cobbled together or allowed one of the GOP majority members to cobble together. The idea is to make something that while it might pass the House with Democratic votes, won’t be able to get through the Senate when it gets sent over there because there are now enough Senate Republicans opposed to the aid to filibuster it successfully. Politico explains the dynamic without making it explicit like I just did.
What’s in an aid package: Johnson hasn’t said exactly what the House will vote on, but the indications are it won’t be the same as the $95 billion foreign aid bill the Senate passed nearly two months ago.
Rep. Don Bacon, one of the GOP lawmakers pushing to re-up support for Kyiv, told POLITICO he expects a package that focuses on military aid. Johnson has also indicated that a portion could be converted to loans and that a House counteroffer could authorize using seized Russian assets for Ukraine.
Pressure for the Senate bill: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is continuing to push for the bipartisan package the upper chamber passed. In a letter Friday laying out the Senate’s agenda, Schumer said he will “keep pressure on the House to act on the Senate-passed national security supplemental that.”
Schumer called passing the Senate bill to aid Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan “a matter of the highest urgency.”
“I believe that [Johnson] understands the threat of further delaying the national security supplemental,” Schumer wrote. “However, Speaker Johnson has to ultimately decide for himself whether or not he will do the right thing for Ukraine, for America and for democracy around the world or if he’ll allow the extreme MAGA wing of his party to hand Vladimir Putin a victory.”
Look busy while doing worse than nothing, which works to Russia’s benefit.
Kharkiv:
Zelensky, at the HQ meeting, focused on Kharkiv's defense against Russian attacks, emphasizing the need to bolster air defense and electronic warfare. Security services will develop new steps to reduce Russia's war potential. pic.twitter.com/GxashHcnqb
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) April 8, 2024
Meanwhile Russia is completely destroying Kharkiv.. and yet @SpeakerJohnson et al block $60 billion lifeline…#Ukraine https://t.co/JXqJjlIT5t
— Shona Murray (@ShonaMurray_) April 8, 2024
Today in Kharkiv was relatively calm.
And by this I mean that we had 6 air raid alerts so far.Blackouts continue. The sun and warm weather help with it, keeping residents warm even with destroyed heating system. children happily playing outside. Businesses hum with generators.… pic.twitter.com/vyK88C9e3s
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) April 8, 2024
Today in Kharkiv was relatively calm.
And by this I mean that we had 6 air raid alerts so far.Blackouts continue. The sun and warm weather help with it, keeping residents warm even with destroyed heating system. children happily playing outside. Businesses hum with generators.
An ever-present threat of undetectable, unstoppable missiles and bombs hangs over citizens’ heads.
Kharkiv lives on.
Russian propagandists openly call upon bombing of Kharkiv to terrorize and "break the will of the people." Propaganda and disinformation on Kharkiv have become even more aggressive in the last month. pic.twitter.com/IrCSbHxPm5
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) April 7, 2024
Who could’ve possibly imagined? Eez a puzzlement!
Exclusive: When President Biden proposed an additional $24 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine in August, Moscow spin doctors working for the Kremlin were ready to try to undermine public support for the bill, internal Kremlin documents show.https://t.co/ZaPhw1czuZ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 8, 2024
The Washington Post has the details:
One of the political strategists, for instance, instructed a troll farm employee working for his firm to write a comment of “no more than 200 characters in the name of a resident of a suburb of a major city.” The strategist suggested that this fictitious American “doesn’t support the military aid that the U.S. is giving Ukraine and considers that the money should be spent defending America’s borders and not Ukraine’s. He sees that Biden’s policies are leading the U.S. toward collapse.”
The documents — numbering more than 100 and dating between May 2022 and August 2023— were provided to The Post to expose Kremlin propaganda operations aimed at undermining support for Ukraine in the United States, as well as their scale and methods. The files are part of a series of leaks that have allowed a rare glimpse into Moscow’s parallel efforts to weaken support for Ukraine in France and Germany, as well as destabilize Ukraine itself.
“It is Russia’s top priority to stop the weapons, so they are throwing things at the wall to see what sticks,” said one Republican staffer on Capitol Hill. “We are seeing a broad-based campaign that has multiple lines of effort, some of which work better than others. The Russians don’t care. They are just trying to seed the environment.” The staffer and other Western officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive assessments.
The campaign has attempted to paint Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as corrupt, emphasized the numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border,called for border security to be funded over any aid to Ukraine,and described “white Americans” as the principal losers because of foreign aid, the documents show.
The strategy promotes views from the far-right wing of the Republican Party and calls for some of the messaging to be voiced by American “public opinion leaders and politicians,” one of the documents shows, but it does not name any people who could be enlisted to do that.
Many of the documents contain metadata showing they were written by members of a team working for Ilya Gambashidze, head of the Moscow PR firm Social Design Agency. The United States imposed sanctions on Gambashidze last month for his involvement in “a persistent foreign malign influence campaign” at the Kremlin’s direction, including the creation of websites designed to impersonate legitimate media outlets in Europe, part of a campaign that Western officials have called “Doppelganger.”
Neither Gambashidze nor Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a request for comment.
The campaign is part of an increasingly sophisticated strategy that has built on nearly 10 years of Kremlin efforts to elevate the voices of populist anti-establishment politicians opposed to the U.S. global role, analysts and former American officials said.
With the far-right wing of the Republican Party essentially blocking passage of any further assistance to Ukraine since August, the Kremlin’s efforts to undermine support for Ukraine may have so far gained more traction in the United States than anywhere else.
“Theimpact of the Russian program over the last decade … is seen in the U.S. congressional debate over Ukraine aid,” said Clint Watts, the head of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center. “They have had an impact in a strategic aggregate way.”
“You would never have previously heard … politicians in the U.S. saying Ukraine is not significant enough and we will not support NATO. On a digital platform, your ability to do these things works.”
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Sunday it was “absolutely true” that some Republican members of Congress were repeating Russian propaganda about the invasion of Ukraine. “We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages — some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor,” Turner said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Watts said Russia “tells audiences 80 percent of what they are already hearing and 20 percent what they want the audiences to hear. They match the demand for information and then add some of their own information, and over time, that’s highly effective.”
Plans by Gambashidze’s team refer to using “short-lived” social media accounts aimed at avoiding detection. Social media manipulators have established a technique of using accounts to send out links to material and then deleting their posts or accounts once others have reshared the content. The idea is to obscure the true origin of misleading information and keep the channel open for future influence operations, disinformation researcherssaid.
Propaganda operatives have used another technique to spread just a web address, rather than the words in a post, to frustrate searches for that material, according to the social media research company Alethea, which called the tactic “writing with invisible ink.” Other obfuscation tricks include redirecting viewers through a series of seemingly random websites until they arrive at a deceptive article.
One of the documents reviewed by The Post called for the use of Trump’s Truth Social platform as the only way to disseminate posts “without censorship,” while “short-lived” accounts would be created for Facebook, Twitter (now known as X) and YouTube.
Pushing content every single day
The Kremlin turned in earnest to undermining American support for Ukraine in January 2023. Sergei Kiriyenko, the Kremlin’s first deputy chief of staff, called in the team of political strategists already working on campaigns to weaken backing for Kyiv in Europe, including Gambashidze, and asked them to expand their efforts, the documents show. The strategists employ dozens of troll farm employees and translators.
The Moscow spin doctors were soonordered to create media content for Americans that would promote corruption allegations involving the Ukrainian leadership — “the sale and theft of weapons” given to Ukraine, one document shows.
The strategists were told to cultivate an environment in which “Americans are not ready to sacrifice their well-being for the sake of the conflict in Ukraine,” as well as representing Russia’s increasingly close relationship with China as a new threat “created by the U.S.’s own activities.”
When Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a leading opponent of aid to Ukraine, warned of “a dangerous bipartisan consensus that is leading us into war with Russia” and slammed Washington’s initial $40 billion aid package for Kyiv in 2022 as coming “while Americans go without baby formula,” the Russians singled it out for their trolls as an example of the kind of message that should be amplified.
“It’s important to note that for effective work we need to keep fakes to the minimum and realistic information to the max,” one of the proposals by Gambashidze’s team of strategistsstates. “A constant refrain should be: ‘this is what’s really happening, this is what the official media are not telling you about.’”
A spokesman for Gaetz, Joel Valdez, responded to Kremlin strategists invoking the congressman’s statements by noting that Gaetz had been personally sanctioned by Russia in April 2022. Hundreds of House members were sanctioned at that time.
Social media posts and comments were to be created as well as YouTube videos that would stoke racial and social discord in the United States and amplify the themes of “universal poverty, record inflation, a halt to economic growth … the risk of job losses for white Americans, privileges for colored and degenerate people and invalids,” according to the proposal, the metadata of which shows it was written by a member of Gambashidze’s team.
The posts would promotefears that overspending on foreign policy had been to “the detriment of defending the interests of white people in the U.S.” and the idea that “America will lose, despite Biden’s efforts, that we will be drawn into war and our guys will die in Ukraine.”
The strategists wrote numerous recommendations for articles or social media posts, the documents show. One sought to compare the level of homelessness in America with that of Russia and states that the United States is starting to increasingly resemble a “Third World country.” A recommended social media comment from a fictitious American in response to the article states: “I am overcome with anger when another Ukrainian aid package is distributed right before my eyes into the pockets of American and Ukrainian officials. Indeed, it is hard to understand such gestures of ‘help’ when one’s own homeless sit at the feet of passersby [and] sleep under bridges.”
The drafts proposed by the strategists reflect themes and narratives visible on the Recent Reliable News network and other related outlets — sites that remain online and that the documents show are controlled by the Kremlin officials working with Gambashidze and other strategists. The texts published were different, according to Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, which reviewed a sample of the comments and articles created by Gambashidze’s team. Microsoft and the social media intelligence company Graphika said it was possible the draft articles were published on Doppelganger sites later taken down and blocked by social media platforms. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, joined social media research companies to first expose the Doppelganger campaign in September 2022.
As the Kremlin spin doctors worked, they closely monitored opinion polling in the United States and a decline in support among Americans, especially Republicans, for Ukraine. They also conducted twice-monthly surveys with a mechanism they called “river sampling” — conducting internet polls through online advertising and social media networks such as Facebook andTikTok. The results, showing small declines in support for Ukraine, seem wholly unreliable but were passed along to the strategists’ Kremlin masters as measures of success.
Fake news articles alleging Zelensky’s corruption pushed out by Russian-linked websites during the congressional debates on assistance for Ukraine in the fall have resonated. One of the most successful claims was disseminated by DC Weekly — a respectable-seeming internet outlet, which disinformation researchers at Clemson University traced back to domains affiliated with a former American police officer, John Mark Dougan, who has reinvented himself as a pro-Russian journalist in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Through DC Weekly, a fake news story alleging that Zelensky had bought two yachts with American aid money went viral in November. The claim — patently false and denied by Zelensky’s government — was picked up by far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who linked to a story about the rumor on X.
One pro-Ukraine senator, North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, told CNN that the debate on aid had been halted in part because some politicians said they were concerned about the corruption allegations and the notion that “people will buy yachts with this money.”
Imagine that!
More at the link.
Zaporizhzhia:
❗️Three direct hits against the main reactor containment structures at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – head of @iaeaorg @rafaelmgrossi.
"Today, for the first time since November 2022 and after I set out the 5 main principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with… pic.twitter.com/4nMlDkS38S
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 7, 2024
❗️Three direct hits against the main reactor containment structures at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – head of @iaeaorg @rafaelmgrossi.
“Today, for the first time since November 2022 and after I set out the 5 main principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with radiological consequences, ISAMZ confirmed that there were at least 3 direct hits against ZNPP main reactor containment structures,” he wrote.
Ukrainian Defense Intelligence reports that Ukraine is not involved into any armed provocations at the nuclear power plant.
Attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant significantly increase accident risk, IAEA head says https://t.co/Ymeb01JyXJ
— Massoud Maalouf (@Massoudmaalouf) April 8, 2024
From the AP:
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog agency on Sunday condemned a drone strike on one of six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, saying such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident.”
In a statement on the social media platform X, Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed at least three direct hits against the ZNPP main reactor containment structures took place. “This cannot happen,” he said.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack, but the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency didn’t attribute blame. Kyiv officials made no immediate comment.
He said it was the first such attack since November 2022, when he set out five basic principles to avoid a serious nuclear accident with radiological consequences.
Officials at the plant said the site was attacked Sunday by Ukrainian military drones, including a strike on the dome of the plant’s sixth power unit.
According to the plant authorities, there was no critical damage or casualties and radiation levels at the plant were normal after the strikes. Later on Sunday, however, Russian state-owned nuclear agency Rosatom said that three people were wounded in the “unprecedented series of drone attacks,” specifically when a drone hit an area close to the site’s canteen.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that its experts had been informed of the drone strike and that “such detonation is consistent with IAEA observations.”
In a separate statement, the IAEA confirmed physical impact of drone attacks at the plant, including at one of its six reactors. One casualty was reported, it said.
“Damage at unit 6 has not compromised nuclear safety, but this is a serious incident with potential to undermine integrity of the reactor’s containment system” it added.
More at the link.
Chasiv Yar:
Tatarigami has a new assessment of the battlefield situation in Chasiv Yar. All of it from the Thread Reader App:
Battle for Chasiv Yar. Analysis, Implications, Projection
🧵Thread:The battle for Chasiv Yar is a litmus test for both sides. Losing control of it will have dire results for Ukraine. Failure to capture Chasiv Yar on time would raise doubts about Russia’s ability to seize Donbas
2/ Chasiv Yar’s geography makes it a good defensive position, particularly compared to Bakhmut, blocking Russian progression toward key cities in the Donbas. This is evident on the elevation map, with warmer colors marking higher altitudes and colder colors indicating lower ones3/ The road linking Chasiv Yar and Bakhmut has multiple bridges over the water channel, which runs through the eastern part of the town, creating a natural defensive barrier. With proper resource allocation, Chasiv Yar can be a formidable obstacle to advancing Russian troops.4/ If Ukrainian troops retreat from the eastern side, the bridges will probably be destroyed. Though the canal is not deep, it can impede vehicles, shifting the battle to infantry-centric. Orange-marked areas lack water channels but are divided by pipes, as seen in the photo5/ Traditionally, Russians use airborne forces in key directions. While current airborne units resemble regular infantry, they are more mobile. The use of regiments from the 98th Airborne Division and 11th Air Assault Bde proves the importance of this direction for their command6/ The probability of eventual Russian advancement into the Kanal district remains high, especially considering the destructive power of KAB bombs, which obliterate defenses and buildings, and the advantage in artillery, complicating the defense of the area.7/ The assault on April 4th by Russian troops resulted in high casualties and the loss of numerous vehicles among the assaulting troops, as evidenced by a video released by the 67th Brigade. However, despite the initial success, this recent assault has raised some concerns.8/ Frontelligence Insight analyzed videos and satellite imagery to reconstruct the armored column’s route. It traveled the dirt road to Chasiv Yar without encountering minefields, allowing them to enter the Kanal district without facing mines. It can indicate a major issue9/ Russia deploying four SU-25 aircraft for Close Air Support missions near Chasiv Yar is another sign of a bigger problem. It shows the gravity of Ukrainian air defense problems and shortcomings in SHORAD capabilities. Russians are likely to exploit this vulnerability further10/ In our assessment, the situation is difficult due to several issues: delays in fortification construction, and lack of personnel from delayed mobilization. There’s an obvious shortage of supplies from the West, especially in ammo, artillery, and air defense systems11/ The terrain alone is not enough to halt advancing Russian forces, heroism and skillfulness of defenders can’t be the only pillar of defensive tactics, hence Ukraine needs to have a comprehensive defense approach that accounts for potential weaknesses and previous mistakes.12/ Meanwhile, the widening advantage of Russian forces over Ukrainian forces is expected to peak this year unless Ukraine and the West take emergency measures. Aid from North Korea, Iran, and China ensures Russia’s capacity to sustain tactical advancements for a year or two.13/ If you have found this thread valuable, please consider liking and sharing the first message of the thread. Additionally, we kindly ask for your support, as we do not have any funding outside of your donations and subscriptions
Krasnohorivka:
DeepState about todays Russian attack on Krasnohorivka:
«The enemy attacked Krasnohorivka from the south this afternoon with 9 AFVs
🔥 The column included 3 tanks and 6 BMPs. The 80th Brigade of Ukraine met them with battle, the result is still unknown.
📋 Russians have set… https://t.co/bElZlAsp60 pic.twitter.com/G3dFwEAtQv— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 8, 2024
DeepState about todays Russian attack on Krasnohorivka:
«The enemy attacked Krasnohorivka from the south this afternoon with 9 AFVs
🔥 The column included 3 tanks and 6 BMPs. The 80th Brigade of Ukraine met them with battle, the result is still unknown.
📋 Russians have set themselves the task of entering the city from the south and starting city battles, while from the east, on the positions of the times of ATO, periodically there are attacks that contain a distracting nature.»https://t.me/DeepStateUA/19194
Repelling of todays Russian attack on Krasnohorivka. The tank from the attached post can be seen starting from (2:03). The tank managed to retreat from the battlefield. https://t.co/eccxh3bJSQ https://t.co/bElZlAsp60 pic.twitter.com/n7narar2oP
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 8, 2024
/2. Same tank. pic.twitter.com/9tCl5NE56b
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 8, 2024
Terny, Kreminna front:
Consequences of the Russian attacks on the Terny, Kremenny front, which had been going on for many months.https://t.co/RIILNleoKE pic.twitter.com/RWmMSktttK
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) April 8, 2024
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
A new video from Patron’s official TikTok!
@patron__dsns Як же я мрію, щоб усі тваринки знайшли своїх «Каху»…
Here’s the machine translation of the caption:
I wish all the animals could find their Kahu…
Open thread!
Repub Venality Open Thread: Mike Johnson’s Malignant Incompentence
This post is in: Excellent Links, Foreign Affairs, Republican Venality, Republicans in Disarray!
Speaker Johnson with Ukraine aid is doing the same sort of thing as Judge Cannon with Trump’s classified docs trial, creating delay after delay in service to an anti-American cause, but with just barely enough resemblance to normal procedure to thwart cut-the-BS-already counters. https://t.co/zHBV0EYoBZ — Nicholas Grossman (@NGrossman81) April 5, 2024 It is a fact …
Repub Venality Open Thread: Mike Johnson’s Malignant IncompentencePost + Comments (68)
4. A shutdown would hurt Republicans politically.
Some interviewers asked Johnson why Republicans shouldn’t shut down the government. He explained that shutdowns have always hurt the GOP because people suffer and get angry when federal paychecks stop, flights get canceled, and other functions—agents patrolling the border, for example—are halted or curtailed. He pointed out that polls show Republicans would again take the blame. But this is a hard message to sell to right-wing audiences because they live in their own mediasphere. They don’t understand how different they are from the broader population…10. The kingdom of heaven is coming.
Through the centuries, religious leaders have encouraged believers by promising joy in the afterlife. Johnson is telling right-wing audiences that they, too, must be patient, because all the woes of this broken world will be healed in the 2024 election. “I’m trying to be an ambassador of hope on Easter Sunday,” the speaker told Gowdy…TWO MOMENTS FROM THE APOLOGY TOUR are particularly disconcerting. One happened on Newsmax, when Bolling asked Johnson to address a rumor. “I’ve had two congressmen . . . call me, saying there’s someone on the Democrat side that’s paying off some of these [Republican] members to leave, to leave you with less of a majority,” said Bolling. Johnson said he didn’t think the rumor was true. But the circulation of this conspiracy theory among Republican lawmakers—and the fact that Bolling took it seriously, or at least thought his audience would—shows the extent of the party’s illness. Instead of facing the real problem—Republican lawmakers hate their jobs so much that they’re abandoning Johnson and the conference—the Republican base is sinking deeper into paranoia.
The other exchange took place in Johnson’s interview with Kirk. The speaker worried that a shutdown would go on for a long time because lawmakers who think they way he does would refuse to end it. “I come from the conservative movement myself. I’m a hardliner myself,” Johnson told Kirk. “A bunch of my friends would never join in the vote to reopen the government.”
That’s how derelict and dangerous the House GOP has become. The speaker is afraid to leave the fate of the nation to people like himself.
Mike Johnson again cancels voting on the US aid to Ukraine.
The date has been postponed again for several more weeks. Speaker Mike Johnson is coming up with new excuses, saying that he is trying to 'soften opposition' from radical Republicans.
1/n pic.twitter.com/9bxPsaLVsN
— Roman Sheremeta 🇺🇦 (@rshereme) April 4, 2024
2/ If put to a vote, the bill is expected to pass with a large majority in favor, just like in the Senate. But Johnson, who has accepted russian campaign money in the past, refuses to put the aid bill to a vote.
3/ This delay for over 6 months has already cost Ukraine thousands of Ukrainian lives. I am truly ashamed for these representative of the Republican Party. And I am even more ashamed for some Ukrainian Americans who will actually be voting for these pro-russian advocates.
4/ The US is showing itself to be an unreliable partner on the world stage.
House Speaker Mike Johnson can probably out-manuever MTG and keep his gavel until November. But his survival as Speaker after Election Day 2024 depends on which party controls Congress and the White House. https://t.co/4XCCkuhSqP
— Intelligencer (@intelligencer) April 5, 2024
All we sane people can do is work for change come November. Ed Kilgore, at NYMag — “Don’t Get Too Attached to Speaker Mike Johnson”:
Like his defenestrated predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, House Speaker Mike Johnson is caught in a perpetual squeeze between what’s necessary to keep the country operating and what the wackier members of his conference want. And as Politico reports, it’s a real buzzkill:
To hear Mike Johnson tell it, he’s not having much fun as speaker. He has complained about the long hours and constant travel, according to those who have recently spoken to him, and a series of escalating internal clashes have made the job a joyless slog.
… The bigger question is Johnson’s longer-term survival as the top House Republican. But he might as well un-furrow his brow, because the decision may be beyond his control. Odds are high that the November election will greatly affect Johnson’s status. One such scenario is by definition curtains for Speaker Johnson, and likely for Leader Johnson, as Playbook suggests:
Many Republicans privately concede that they’re unlikely to keep the House this fall. And if they don’t, there will be pressure on Johnson to step aside from leadership completely, as has happened to GOP speakers who have lost the majority since the 1950s.
[One Republican asked:] “What’s he going to say? ‘Oh, shucks, guys … I ran everything through suspension and lost the majority, and I still want to be your leader’? That’s not going to be tolerated.”Johnson would then be free to return to the back-bench obscurity from whence he emerged…
The most complicated post-November situation for Mike Johnson is probably the least likely: the status quo ante. It’s unclear what exactly the failure to flip the Senate and the White House would do to the psychology of the Republican Party. But at the very least, Speaker Johnson would more than ever remain the extremely unlikely top Republican in Washington, and quite possibly a sitting duck for those demanding a change in party leadership.
His life may seem difficult right now, but it could be a lot worse. In any event, voters hold Mike Johnson’s future in their hands.
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