Harmon Rabb
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Posts posted by Harmon Rabb
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The government parties agreed to send the motion for a parliament voting on a new military aid package containing “long range weapons”. The word “TAURUS” is not mentioned but it is obviously the core of that new military aid package. Voting should take place this week.
Reason for this change of heart is Navalny’s murder. Even members of the SPD are appalled and now ready to support the bill, in order to send a message to Putin.
The motion is also a concession to TAURUS supporters in the government parties who threatened to bring in their own notion, further straining the government coalition.
Please make it happen.
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Sounds good.
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2 hours ago, Haiduk said:
It was his choice to live in Spain. He took own former girl with him. Probably through her Russians could track him. But it can be also GUR special operation with fake death, after which this guy will dissappear like Kuzminov and will be completely other person with new face, passport and life story
While it is possible that a Ukrainian Eraser conducted this operation to fake his death and give him a new identity, I think chances are the Russian pilot is really dead.
It is in Ukraine's best interests to keep more RU pilots defecting, and if those potential Russian defectors think that the sunny West, is not safe from their former comrades in Russian intelligence (no it is not) they may not defect.
I imagine Ukraine already revived the machine he defected with as well as any intel he had, not sure GUR have much incentive to go through all this just to protect this one guy. Especially if it could deter other RU pilots from defecting in the future.
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Gonna wait for more information and keep an eye out regarding this story. Lots of mixed reports right now.
HUR Confirms Death of Russian Helicopter Pilot Who Defected to Ukraine With Mi-8 (KyivPost)
Edit: The KyivPost says that his death is confirmed. Looks like the covert war inside the European Union continues.
Here's hoping General Budanov can retaliate. We have already seen RU pilots assassinated inside Russia itself.
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Ukrainian forces will likely be able to establish new defensive lines not far beyond Avdiivka, which will likely prompt the culmination of the Russian offensive in this area.
(1/9)
2/ The Russian MoD claimed on February 18 that elements of the Russian Central Grouping of Forces completely captured Avdiivka, advancing 8.6 kilometers in depth in the area, and that Russian forces continue offensive operations to capture additional territory in Donetsk Oblast.
3/ Several RU milbloggers claimed on Feb. 18 that Ukrainian forces lack well-prepared defensive positions west of Avdiivka and that Russian forces will be able to advance further into western Donetsk behind “panicked” & “disorganized” Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Avdiivka.
4/ ISW has still not observed footage of disorderly Ukrainian withdrawals to support these Russian claims and would expect to observe such footage if the withdrawal was disorderly on a large scale given the normal patterns of Russian sources with access to such material.
5/ One RU milblogger claimed that a large-scale collapse of the Avdiivka front is “unlikely” as UKR forces withdraw to prepared defensive lines, however, indicating that the RU understanding (or presentation) of UKR defensive capabilities here differs from source to source.
6/ Available imagery, which ISW will not present or describe in greater detail at this time to preserve Ukrainian operational security, does not support claims that Ukrainian forces lack prepared defensive positions west of Avdiivka.
7/ The Ukrainian command also recently committed fresh units to the Avdiivka front to counterattack advancing Russian forces and provide an evacuation corridor for Ukrainian units withdrawing from Avdiivka.
8/ These newly committed units are likely able to establish and hold defensive positions against Russian forces, degraded by their assaults on the town, west of Avdiivka.9/ Russian forces, which have suffered high personnel and equipment losses in seizing Avdiivka, will likely culminate when they come up against relatively fresher Ukrainian units manning prepared defensive positions.Have not posted anything from the ISW for a while... Like over a year?
But just like @Grigb (By the way great to see you here again, this forum was not the same without your maps and knowledge of Russia's internal politics).
As well as @The_Capt, the ISW seems to be raining on Russia's great victory in Avdiivka.
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President Zelenskyy visits France.
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1 hour ago, Kraft said:
What a squealing little worm.
I know LotR is more popular here (for good reasons) but he reminds me of that rat of Ronald Weasely who turned out to be a cowardly traitor
I actually watched all the Harry Potter movies years ago but don't remember them that well.
Who Tucker reminds me of is Richard Thornburg from the Die Hard movies. But when you think about it even Thronburg was more moral compared to Tucker.
While both Tucker and Thornburg are sleazy journalists who put their ego and careers over human life, at least Thornburg actually reported the facts in Die Hard 1 and 2. That's better than I can say for Tucker, who is just flat out lying to his audience for views.
This just in, Russia is a better place to live compared to The United States!
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News from Finland.
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25 minutes ago, Haiduk said:
CNN claims Russian recruited 15 000 Nepalians to Russian army: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/10/asia/nepal-fighters-russia-ukraine-families-intl-cmd
The package included at least $2,000 salary a month and a fast-tracked process to obtain a Russian passport.
After analyzing the TikTok profiles of 10 Nepali men who travelled to Russia to join the army, CNN used satellite imagery to geolocate them to the Avangard training center, a military academy outside of Moscow.
The soldier described his fellow academy cadets as coming from across the global south. He cited Afghan, Indian, Congolese and Egyptian classmates, among others. Class photos from Avangard posted on social media show dozens of what appear to be South Asian soldiers with native Russian instructors.
And here is likely "classmate" of Nepalians - the mercenery from Sierra-Leone was captured by UKR soldiers of 46th air-assault brigade on Maryinka direction
Except countries named above there were spotted a precense or were captured merceneries from next countries Somalia, Syria, Palestine, Myanma, Lybia, China, N.Korea (though they could be confused with other S.Asian nationality)
I thought his nationality was kind of interesting. I know foreign mercenaries played an important role in the civil war in Sierra Leone. One of the most well known PMCs from that war was Executive Outcomes.
Anyway, never thought I would see Mercs from Sierra Leone showing up and fighting in a war in Europe.
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Russian Telegram channels reported that the interview with Carlson and Carlson himself was not to Putin's liking, and the interview itself was considered a failure:
"The Kovalchuk clan sharply criticizes the idea of an interview with the American journalist Carlson. They say that the problem is the unpreparedness of the interview arrangement - it was Gromov's and Peskov's mistake. Putin should have talked about conservative values, the creation of a conservative alliance, and moving on - but he went into history and platitudes about Ukraine. Naryshkin, who allegedly planted ideas with documents of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and nonsense with Poland, also played a negative role here. He set Putin up to the fullest. Medinsky would not allow such a thing."
According to reports, Putin didn't like Tucker Carlson - "a snob and a useful idiot who got a meaningful fee, but was lazy and lacked creativity."
Kovalchuk family believes they could have done better with Tucker Carlson, but "everything was wasted." There's a wave of complaints in the Kremlin.
As @Haiduk thought me a long time ago, I should not trust everything that Anton Gerashchenko says. But if this is true, I guess Putin should have kept the message simple. Instead of going into esoteric historical details.
Disappointment in the interview from Russia's elites?
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I think most of us here are familiar with the 3rd Assault Brigade, with some of the incredible combat footage we have seen them in.
Looking forward to seeing them put Bradley IFVs to good use.
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40 minutes ago, LongLeftFlank said:
...Maybe post some TikToks while stroking a Persian cat.
I did some quick research on Google, and found out Boris Johnson is way ahead of us.
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18 minutes ago, David Jaros said:
This is quite a shocking video and it was mentioned in that interview with Carlson It is unbelievable
This event in the Canadian parliament was already discussed here at length when it happened.
Did Tucker by any chance ask Putin about the countless killed Ukrainian civilians and kidnapped children? I did not watch the interview so I don't know.
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I'm trying to avoid talking about "that guy", but some of these twitter memes related to the interview are hilarious.
For the record I did not watch it, I don't want to spoil the Super Bowl weekend with that trash.
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Honestly, I don't know if I would call it "anxiety" but I have had nights where for hours I have been awake thinking about this war.
I understand how important this war is for the direction this world can go, and I will keep following it until it is finished and will keep supporting the good guys in this war no matter how long it takes.
Personally I do recommend once in a while disconnecting from the internet and spending some time with family, go on a hike in the woods or something.
But ultimately compared to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines, I really have nothing to be anxious about.
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Alright this will be my last post regarding this guy for a while, I'm frankly getting tired of seeing his face. Don't think I'm the only one who feels this way by now.
Here is the Newsweek article Jonasz and the KyivPost are referencing.
Exclusive: Tucker Carlson Could Face Sanctions Over Putin Interview (NewsWeek)
QuoteTucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin could see the conservative pundit targeted by European Union lawmakers, current and former members of the European Parliament have told Newsweek.
Carlson visited Russia this week, and on Tuesday revealed he would "soon" be releasing an interview with the Russian leader.
Carlson's work in Russia could see the former Fox News host in hot water with the EU, Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament, told Newsweek.
The lawmaker—who has called for the EU to explore imposing a "travel ban" on Carlson—described Carlson as "a mouthpiece" of former President Donald Trump and Putin, adding: "As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well."
Newsweek contacted the Tucker Carlson Network by email to request comment on Wednesday morning. This article will be updated if a response is received.Explaining his motive for the interview, Carlson said in a video statement on Tuesday: "Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine or what his goals are now."
"We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin....We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it. You should know as much as you can."
The EU's External Action Service (EAS) is the bloc's diplomatic arm, responsible for foreign policy. For an individual to be added to the EU's sanctions list, evidence must be presented to the EAS for review. If deemed sufficient, the EAS can then present the case to the European Council—the body made up of EU national leaders—which takes the final decision on whether to impose sanctions.As such, any hypothetical sanctions for Carlson may be some way off, even if the move has sufficient support among European lawmakers and heads of state.
Luis Garicano, a former MEP, told Newsweek he agreed with Verhofstadt's stance. "He is no longer a newsman, but a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security," Garicano said of Carlson.
The content of Carlson's interview with Putin is not yet clear but, given the pundit's long-time defense of aspects of Russian policy, critics expect it to be sympathetic to Moscow.
"First of all, it should be remembered that Putin is not just a president of an aggressor country, but he is wanted by the International Criminal Court and accused of genocide and war crimes," MEP Urmas Paet, who previously served as Estonia's foreign minister, told Newsweek.
"Carlson wants to give a platform to someone accused of crimes of genocide—this is wrong. If Putin has something to say he needs to say it in front of the ICC. At the same time Carlson is not being a real journalist since he has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Russian regime and Putin and has constantly disparaged Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression.
"So, for such propaganda for a criminal regime, you can end up on the list of sanctions. This concerns primarily travel ban to EU countries."Tucker Carlson speaks at the Turning Point Action conference on July 15, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida. The former Fox News host is expected to soon release a new interview with Russian President Vladimir...
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that the interview had already taken place. "His position is different from the others," Peskov said of Carlson on Wednesday. "It is in no way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian, it is pro-American, but at least it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media."
Carlson's interview will make him the first member of the Western media to question Putin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they're implicated in and we have the right to tell them about it," Carlson said in his video statement.
He added that he had also requested an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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AFU is getting a new branch focused on drones.
Ukrainian military to have dedicated drone branch (Yahoo.com)
QuotePresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered the Ukrainian Armed Forces to establish a separate branch dedicated to UAVs, the president said in his Feb. 6 evening address.
Read also: Ukraine may become global player in UAV market – AZDIC CEO
Zelenskyy instructed the Cabinet, in collaboration with the General Staff, to work out the details of establishing the drone force within the structure of the AFU.
“Unmanned systems—drones—have proven their effectiveness [in combat] on land, in the air, and at sea,” said Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine has significantly shifted the balance of force in the Black Sea thanks to drones. The repelling of assaults on the ground is largely the work of drones. The large-scale destruction of enemy troops and their equipment is also due to drones.”
He added that it is now necessary to establish dedicated units for operating UAVs in battle and organize effective training and systematize experience sharing, as well as scale up drone production and attract the best engineers to the industry.
Read also: Monument honoring Russian military attacked by Ukrainian UAV in Belgorod
Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram that the decision "will serve as a powerful impetus for the technological and innovative development of the Armed Forces." He said that combat drone companies at the brigade level were established a year ago, and drones have dramatically changed the situation on the battlefield. Fedorov also noted that Ukraine's first naval drones "completely changed the rules of waging war at sea."
Read also: Russian night UAV strike results in infrastructure damage, no casualties
“With the Brave1 [UAV development] cluster, we are actively working on the development of ground drones that can partially replace gunners or make their jobs safer, advance into attacks, evacuate the wounded, or deliver ammunition to the frontline,” the minister said.
Read also: Zelenskyy wants to replace ‘range of state leaders’, not just Armed Forces chief Zaluzhny
On Feb. 1, amid rumors of the impending dismissal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, CNN published his article discussing changes in the approach to conducting war and the main tasks for the Ukrainian military in 2024. In the article, Zaluzhnyi emphasized that the development of unmanned weapon systems is a driving force in the war, and that drones, along with other types of modern armaments, present the best way to break the stalemate on the battlefield.
In other news as has already been brought up, we now know what Mr.Carlson is doing in Moscow. Can't say I'm shocked. Tucker has been parroting the Kremlin's talking points for years, now he can just sit down relax and have Putin make the same talking points without Tucker even needing to open his mouth. Thankfully Mira of Kyiv has posted a drinking game we can play while watching the interview.
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New video of Ukrainian SOF activity in Sudan.
I think I did spot a mistranslated in this video, the POW clearly say CAR which is short for Central African Republic, and would geographically make more sense. But the translation in the video was South Africa.
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54 minutes ago, Kinophile said:
Sorry, but did we talk properly about this? First sinking of a significant at-sea naval asset by purely USS?
Note that at 1.02 the boat is striking into the exact same spot as previous hits. No ship can resist that kind of stacked effects punching repeatedly into its hull volume.
Add some MLRS onto the drones (done), and carry some UAS to strike the bridge during the fight.
@The_Capt functionally there is already an Unmanned Service Arm - the UKR Navy.
Russia destroying the UKR surface fleet was the best thing that could ever happen to it. It wiped the slate clean, disconnecting all the outdated thinking and personnel from future operations. Whomever is leading the Ukrainian Unmanned Navy is worth their weight in gold.
Agreed, we are seeing naval history being made in the Black sea right now.
Also, weight in gold is a good expression but according to this tweet, Ukraine has some specific numbers for how their success in the Black sea is helping the overall war effort.
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Exports through Odesa ports reached pre-war levels
During the six months of operation of the Ukrainian corridor from the ports of Great Odesa, 661 ships exported more than 20 million tons of cargo to 32 countries of the world. This was announced by Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine — the Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine.
14.3 million tons are products of Ukrainian farmers. Ukraine continues to ensure world food security.
Ports of Greater Odessa are increasing cargo transshipment. In January, 6.3 million tons were exported, which is almost equal to the pre-war level.
The ports are waiting for the approach of another 104 ships, which are supposed to take out more than 3 million tons of cargo .
The UN sponsored grain deal did not achieve that much... -
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Really busy week did not have time to read this forum.
Did I miss anything happening in the Black Sea?
Anyway, just quickly leaving this here. Was all over my Twitter (sorry Elon I will never call it "X") feed.
Mr.Carlson joins his fellow travellers Steven Seagal and Scott Ritter in making his pilgrimage to Russia.
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I saw this news a few days ago but forgot to post it here. The M270 looks so damn cool!
Happy to see more of these put to good use in Ukraine.
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My take regarding Ukraine and corruption.
While I think most people here know I firmly support Ukraine and its just war against Russian aggression. I know that corruption is still an issue in Ukraine.
I think it was one of the posters living in Ukraine who explained it best to me on this forum. Basically corruption was used as one of the tools by Putin to keep Ukraine in Russia's sphere of influence. Ukraine's oligarchs knew that if Ukraine was serious about joining the European Union it would need to clean up its act regarding corruption, and that could mean possible jail-time for some of those oligarchs. Who were happy that Ukraine be tied to Russia and the status quo preserved.
Corruption or not I still hope Ukraine is granted NATO membership soon after this war is over so this nightmare that the Ukrainian people are going through does not repeat itself.
As far as the EU goes I hope Ukraine will take it's efforts to battle corruption as seriously as they are battling the Russian military on the battlefield right now. I'm optimistic about Ukraine's chances because if other former communist countries in Europe were able to improve in this regard, I don't see why Ukraine cannot also improve.
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1 hour ago, Blazing 88's said:
Sounds like they could use a MRBC - Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission!
An independent supranational organization that serves as the Sphere-wide official registrar for all legal mercenary units. Google it.
Why should I Google them? I already know my company is highly rated by the MRBC in BattleTech (2018).
How Hot is Ukraine Gonna Get?
in Combat Mission Black Sea
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Bra jobbat Sverige!