OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/BrynnTannehill/status/1660261077026762753

Interesting thread regarding the sending/use of F-16's in/by Ukraine.

lousubcap

Good comments there but even older F-16's can hold their own in the pending battle space.  Employment will drive their effectiveness but they have got to be an upgrade over whatever the Ukrainians are flying now. 

The tail regarding training and maintenance will be critical in terms of operational flight hours. 

Legume

The best outcome may just be keeping Russian jets in the air more.

More flights=more maintenance=more need for parts and chances for failures.  Let 'em put more hours on them.

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/CinC_AFU/status/1662451731261796353?s=20

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia yesterday launched its largest drone attack on Kyiv since the war began, using a massive wave of suicide drones that also targeted other sites across Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 52 of 54 Iranian-supplied drones, which Russia deployed against infrastructure and military objects, mainly in central Ukraine and the capital. Matthew Luxmoore reports for the Wall Street Journal.

Large numbers of war casualties appear to negatively affect Russian public opinion, according to data by FilterLabs AI. FilterLabs AI has analyzed messages on the Telegram app, social media posts, and internet forums discussions to determine that views on war casualties have become increasingly negative since late February. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times. 

Russia’s air defense systems destroyed drones as they neared the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, local officials said yesterday. On Saturday, Moscow said Ukraine had struck oil pipeline installations deep inside Russia. Reuters reports. 

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said that nations who “join the Union State of Russia and Belarus” will be given nuclear weapons. The statement was made after the transfer of some tactical nuclear weapons from Moscow to Minsk had begun. It was unclear to whom Lukashenko had extended the invitation to join the Union State. Mariya Knight, Uliana Pavlova, and Helen Regan report for CNN."

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/DanLamothe/status/1663242229970862080?s=20

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia has accused Ukraine of launching early morning drone attacks on Moscow today. Officials said that minor damage had been caused to several buildings. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, says no one was seriously injured. The defense ministry claimed that all the drones were intercepted. BBC News reports. 

Russia conducted its third aerial attack on Kyiv in 24 hours. Falling debris killed at least one person and wounded at least four people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. The air raid was the 17th attack this month. Andrew Jeong reports for the Washington Post. 

Ukraine has charged four members of Russia’s National Guard with war crimes in Kherson after they beat prisoners relentlessly and tortured them with electric shocks, waterboarding and mock executions. Three people died in the custody of the Russians that seized control of a detention center in southern Ukraine last year and filled it with 200 detainees. Investigators say they have uncovered hundreds of crimes carried out under the Russian occupation in Kherson. These include executions and deaths in custody, torture, sexual violence, and beatings. Carlotta Gall reports for the New York Times. 

Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, said yesterday that a demilitarized zone of 62-75 miles should be established inside Russia along the border with Ukraine as part of a post-war settlement. Podolyak said the demilitarised zone could initially have an international presence to control it. Podolyak’s comments come after the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, called for annexing Ukraine’s Kharkiv region to stop Ukraine’s cross-border shelling. Reuters reports. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine and its allies are planning a summit of global leaders that would exclude Russia, aimed at garnering support for Kyiv’s terms for ending the war, according to a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser and European diplomats. European officials say they are working with Kyiv to rework Ukraine’s 10-point peace plan to make it more acceptable to global powers such as India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and China. No clear list of attendees has been established. Bojan Pancevski, Laurence Norman, and James Marson report for the Wall Street Journal. 

In a nod to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, South Africa will change its law so that it has the power to decide whether or not to arrest a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court, deputy minister Obed Bapela has said. Basillioh Rukanga and Wycliffe Muia report for BBC News. 

Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.), is expected to take the case for securing Ukraine’s embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to the U.N. Security Council next week. The meeting aims to “encourage the parties involved to comply with the I.A.E.A.’s nuclear safety principles,” the Foreign Ministry of Switzerland, which currently holds the council’s presidency, said in a statement on Monday. Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times.

Drone attacks were thwarted over Moscow yesterday, the first time civilian areas of the Russian capital have experienced the conflict. The physical damage was minimal. However, “If the goal was to stress the population, then the very fact that drones have appeared in the skies over Moscow has contributed to that,” Mikhail Zvinchuk, a pro-war Russian blogger, wrote. Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko, and Eric Nagourney report for the New York Times. 

Ukrainian shelling killed five people in a village in the Luhansk region, Moscow-installed officials said today. Separately, a drone attack caused a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia. Ukrainian artillery also hit a Russian town close to the border for the third time in a week, damaging buildings and vehicles and injuring four people, Russian officials said. Reuters reports. "

Edit to add the the following:

"A U.S. military aid package for Ukraine that is expected to be announced this week will total up to $300 million and will include additional munitions for drones, U.S. officials said Tuesday. The drone ammunition comes after new attacks by unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow.

There has been no suggestion that U.S.-made drones or munitions were used in the recent attacks on Moscow, and U.S. officials have repeatedly said that Ukraine has agreed not to use any American-provided weapons for attacks on Russian soil. The Kremlin blamed Kyiv for Tuesday’s attack, but Ukrainian officials had no direct comment."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Biden administration does not have “specific information that tells us who is responsible” for a drone attack in Moscow this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday. Reuters reports.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for Ukraine to join NATO, as he spoke at a summit of the E.U.’s member states and 20 other European countries in Moldova today. At a separate meeting of NATO ministers in Oslo, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia could not veto Ukraine’s membership. However, Germany said it would not be possible while Ukraine was at war. John Irish and Andrew Gray report for Reuters.

The Russian Volunteer Corps, a group of anti-Putin Russian nationals aligned with the Ukrainian army, has said its “second phase” inside Russia began today. A fighter from the Russian Volunteer Corps said they were “once again fighting on Russian territory.” Olga Voitovych and Sarah Dean report for CNN. 

Russia resumed its overnight bombardment of Kyiv earlier today, launching missile strikes that killed at least three people, including two children. Meanwhile, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said at least five people were injured by Ukrainian shelling today. CNN reports. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said the refusal of Ukrainian allies to denounce the attack on Moscow this week proves that Russia’s real war is with the West. Peskov said Russia “would have preferred to hear at least some words of condemnation” from Western capitals. While none of Ukraine’s allies went so far as to endorse the drone attack, Britain’s foreign secretary said on Tuesday that Kyiv had “the right to project force beyond its borders.” Anatoly Kurmanaev reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"In order to deter Russia beyond the war in Ukraine, NATO members must grow their military spending, Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, outlining his ambitions for NATO’s future as it considers its next leader. Wallace has said that the same complacency that NATO members had vis-a-vis Russia before the invasion of Ukraine persists concerning the threats posed by China and destabilizing activity in Africa. Wallace’s comments come as speculation intensifies about who will replace NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following his expected departure this year. Missy Ryan reports for the Washington Post. 

The United States is seeking to secure supplies of explosives in Japan, as Washington sends weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, two people familiar with the matter said. While export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, Japan will allow the sale of industrial TNT because the explosive is not a military-use-only product. Tim Kelly, Nobuhiro Kubo, Yukiko Toyoda, and Kaori Kaneko report for Reuters.

Several Russian governors reported attacks on their regions today as the war spills over from Ukraine’s borders into Russian territory. There were no reports of any injuries. Reuters reports.  Related-the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said alleged Ukrainian shelling of the town of Shebekino wounded nine people and damaged buildings. Belgorod borders Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Kyiv officials of negligence after civilians were killed when they were locked out of a shelter Wednesday night. Zelenskyy warned that the situation “should never happen again” and said it was the duty of local authorities to ensure shelters are available and accessible. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said investigations into the incident are underway. Andrew Jeong and Ellen Francis report for the Washington Post. 

A growing feud between the paramilitary organization Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Russia’s two most powerful warlords, exposes the rifts in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine. The replacement of Wagner’s troops holding Bakhmut with Kadyrov’s troops could be a ploy by the Kremlin to escalate the rivalry between the two warlords, who joined forces last year to criticize the Russian defense ministry. Thomas Grove reports for the Wall Street Journal

Russia’s defence ministry said it repelled three cross-border attacks near the town, accusing Ukraine of using what it said were “terrorist formations”. Ukraine denies its military is involved in the incursions.

The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a far-right paramilitary group of ethnic Russians that supports Ukraine, posted images on social media of fighters firing weapons and said a “second phase” of incursions had begun.

In a new video, Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin condemned the Russian army’s “clowns” and said his mercenary troops would take a month’s rest after leaving Bakhmut on June 5."

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/IntelCrab/status/1664646471591813122

Ouch.  LOL

lousubcap

Go big or go home right there!

The knock-on war of words will be entertaining. 

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia’s defense ministry says it has thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk, claiming to have killed 250 troops and destroyed armored vehicles. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, and Russia’s claim has not been independently verified. George Wright and James Waterhouse report for BBC News. 

Ukraine-backed troops yesterday said they crossed into Russia, seized territory, and captured two Russian soldiers. Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said fighting was taking place with enemy troops in the border village of Novaya Tavolzhanka. The Russian Volunteer Corps, one of the two groups that said they participated in yesterday’s cross-border attack, offered to release the two prisoners if Gladkov agreed to meet. It is unclear whether the release happened. Matthew Luxmoore and Thomas Grove report for the Wall Street Journal. 

The Ukraine-backed troops who launched a cross-border raid from Ukraine into Russia last week used at least four NATO-originated tactical vehicles, U.S. officials said, raising doubts about Kyiv’s commitments to secure materials supplied by Ukraine’s backers. Alex Horton, John Hudson, Samuel Oakford, and Isobel Koshiw report for the Washington Post. "

lousubcap

An interesting read regarding water and the Panama Canal:

linked here-

https://gcaptain.com/the-feds-inflation-fight-faces-a-new-challenge-a-dry-panama-canal/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-50bf391473-170052525&mc_cid=50bf391473&mc_eid=10465e83ed

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap said:

An interesting read regarding water and the Panama Canal:

linked here-

https://gcaptain.com/the-feds-inflation-fight-faces-a-new-challenge-a-dry-panama-canal/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-50bf391473-170052525&mc_cid=50bf391473&mc_eid=10465e83ed

You could have just as easily have posted that one in the climate change thread, because that is the reality.  

Botch

Hmm, I'd always assumed (ass-u-me) the canal used seawater.  Learned something today.  

HeavyG

Botch said:

Hmm, I'd always assumed (ass-u-me) the canal used seawater.  Learned something today.  

You should give David McCullough's excellent book "The Path Between the Seas" a read, Fascinating story. 

lousubcap

Latest I have seen on Russia-Ukraine today, 6/5.

"Signs that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive has begun have started to show.

U.S. military satellites — which can track artillery and missile launches — have picked up increased movement from Ukrainian positions and Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Ukraine launched a “large-scale” attack along five areas in Donetsk province’s southeast and that Moscow’s troops repelled it (a claim Ukraine denies). One DoD official also told NatSec Daily that the counteroffensive has officially started.

Some experts agree. "I think we’re seeing the opening stages," said MICHAEL KOFMAN, director of the Russia studies program at the Center for Naval Analyses and one of the top analysts of the war. He added, however, "this is not the main effort yet.""

lousubcap

The best landing zone for this from The Atlantic that I have.  Not a whole lot below but a good perspective:

John Hendrickson STAFF WRITER

Mike Pence and Chris Christie are each expected to announce their 2024 presidential candidacy this week. As the Republican primary field continues to grow, so do candidates’ awkward attempts to prove that they’re just regular people. Below, I explore the fraught nature of “dressing for the job you want” on the campaign trail.

Americana Cosplay Former Vice President Mike Pence rolls into Des Moines, Iowa on a Harley-Davidson, June 3, 2023. (Scott Olson / Getty) View in browser One of the most memorable scenes from HBO’s political satire Veep is an unsettlingly realistic campaign spot. Jonah Ryan, a WASPy, weaselly Capitol Hill aide, attempts to rebrand himself as an everyman when he runs for Congress. In lieu of his navy blazer and khakis, Jonah dons a flannel shirt and a puffy vest, and chops wood (poorly). He looks uncomfortable merely holding the axe, let alone swinging it. I thought of Jonah this past weekend as former Vice President Mike Pence rolled into Des Moines, Iowa, straddling a Harley-Davidson. Pence mugged for the cameras in a black leather vest, jeans, and cowboy boots. To be fair, Pence was the only presidential candidate who actually rode a motorcycle to Senator Joni Ernst’s annual “Roast and Ride” charity glad-handing event, so he deserves a little bit of credit. But the photos were, well, quite funny. Pence has spent years cultivating a distinct personal image—that of a stoic, soft-spoken churchgoer who never has a hair out of place. Picture Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider, then imagine his exact opposite: That’s Pence. Still … at least he didn’t autograph a Bible! Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida was also in Iowa this past weekend, and he graciously signed someone’s copy of the good book. (His wife, Casey, was photographed in her own motorcycle leather, adorned with an image of Florida, a gator, and the phrase “Where Woke Goes to Die.” She and her husband took an SUV, not a hog, to the event.) As his campaign gets under way, DeSantis is also undergoing a Jonah-like evolution. He holds degrees from Harvard and Yale, yet he’s still learning basic retail-politics skills. My colleague Mark Leibovich recently observed DeSantis up close on the trail in New Hampshire. While working the rope line at an American Legion hall, DeSantis “smiled for the camera like the dentist had just asked him to bite down on a blob of putty; like he was trying to make a mold, or to fit one,” Leibovich wrote. To be sure, the performative “I’m just like you” campaign pitch is by no means a purely Republican phenomenon. Remember in 2015, when Hillary Clinton informed us that she was “just chillin’ in Cedar Rapids”? Or way back in 2003, when John Kerry tried to court Philadelphia voters by visiting the divey cheesesteak mecca Pat’s and doomed his campaign by asking for Swiss cheese instead of Whiz? In the last presidential election cycle, after being dogged by accusations of hiding from the coronavirus pandemic in his basement, Joe Biden released his own how-do-you-like-me-now campaign ad. As an electric guitar strummed in the background, Biden revved the engine of his convertible Corvette Stingray, then tore off down what looked like a very safe private road, ostensibly in support of an electric-vehicle future. The spot unintentionally called to mind the 2009 Onion headline “Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am in White House Driveway.” I asked my colleague Amanda Mull, who spent 10 years in the fashion industry and writes about consumerism, why presidential candidates lean into the same form of über-Americana year after year. “Politics is a strange industry full of fundamentally strange people who mostly don’t quite realize how odd they are,” she said. She went on, “This working-man Americana cosplay is, on some level, an acknowledgement that politicians exist separately from regular people, and it’s an attempt to bridge a gap on an aesthetic level that they are incapable of bridging interpersonally. But they’re weird guys, so the end result is the exact opposite—they look so uncomfortable, so uncanny in their little jeans and boots, that they might as well have just landed from outer space.” The current Republican front-runner, Donald Trump, skipped Iowa altogether this past weekend, but rest assured, he’s been busy doing his own pandering. Last week, Trump proposed a yearlong “Salute to America 250”party to be held at the Iowa state fairgrounds in celebration of the country’s coming semiquincentennial in 2026. “Together we will build it, and they will come,” Trump proclaimed. You could virtually smell the rising corn.""

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/CherylRofer/status/1665910020989685760

This isn't good.

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1665940031381594112

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine has received enough weapons to begin its counter-offensive against Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said yesterday. Kuleba added that the operation would give Ukraine the necessary victory to join NATO. Max Hunder reports for Reuters. 

Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant on the Dnipro River near the front line in Ukraine have been destroyed today, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia and called for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. The governor of nearby Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said the water would reach “critical levels” within hours and urged residents in Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region to evacuate immediately. Rachel Pannett, Ellen Francis, and Adela Suliman report for the Washington Post. 

Ukrainian forces have advanced around Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has said, describing the eastern city as the “epicenter of hostilities.” Jaroslav Lukiv and James Waterhouse report for BBC News. 

Ukraine has cultivated a network of saboteurs inside Russia and has begun providing them with drones to stage attacks, multiple people familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter have said. Two U.S. officials told CNN there is no evidence that any drone strikes have been conducted using U.S.-provided drones. Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, and Kylie Atwood report for CNN. 

Paramilitary organization Wagner group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has posted a video he says proves his claim that Russia’s defense ministry is targeting his troops. The video showed Lt. Col. Roman Venevitin, a captured commander of a mechanized infantry brigade, confessing to firing on Wagner forces and apologizing for his actions. Matthew Luxmoore reports for the Wall Street Journal. "

lousubcap

More information regarding the dam break mentioned above:

"A large dam on the Dnipro River ruptured on Tuesday morning, draining water from a key reservoir and flooding towns downstream in both Ukraine- and Russia-controlled territory. Both sides are accusing the other of breaching the dam, which has been under Russian control for months.

Evacuation and rescue efforts are underway for tens of thousands of people in affected areas, which include the port city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. NPR's science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel has written a detailed backgrounder explaining the stakes of the dam's collapse, via Twitter, here.  

The reservoir created by the dam, which held roughly as much water as Utah's Great Salt Lake, supplies much of Crimea's population and agriculture. Already, "the canal which has traditionally met most of Crimea's water needs is receiving drastically less water," Reuters reported, citing Kremlin statements.

The water is also used to cool the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been all but shut down during the war. Experts told The Guardian that the lone operating reactor at the plant has enough cooling reserve to last several months, but that the loss of the reservoir may affect the ability to bring the other five reactors out of cold storage."

StillH2OEgger

Nothing to really add here, but is anyone else really pissed at the PGA Tour right now?

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1666209981505363981

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Thousands of people are being evacuated downstream of the Kakhovka dam that has collapsed in Russian-held Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 80 towns and villages may be flooded. Some have said the incident poses a catastrophic flooding risk to the city of Kherson. Alex Binley and Paul Adams report for BBC News. 

Ukraine and Russia have traded blame over which side destroyed the Kakhovka dam. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of blowing up the hydroelectric power plant from the inside. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the damage was “a deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side” to deprive Crimea of water. “…this sabotage is related to the fact that the Ukrainian armed forces, having started the offensive two days ago, are not achieving their goals now,” Peskov added. Samantha Schmidt, Isobel Koshiw, Natalia Abbakumova, and Serhii Korolchuk report for the Washington Post. 

A deliberate explosion inside the Kakhovka dam most likely caused its collapse yesterday, according to engineering and munitions experts. Experts said structural failure or an attack from outside the dam were possible but less plausible explanations. Ihor Syrota, head of Ukrhydroenergo, the state hydroelectric company, said, “A missile strike would not cause such destruction because this plant was built to withstand an atomic bomb.” James Glanz, Marc Santora, and Richard Pérez-Peña report for the New York Times.

A drone attack in Moscow last week appeared to target the homes of Russian intelligence officers, a senior U.S. official and a congressional staffer with knowledge of the matter said. At least one of the apartment buildings hit in the drone strikes has ties to Russia’s SVR, the Foreign Intelligence Service, according to Strider Technologies, a strategic intelligence startup. Ken Dilanian, Dan De Luce, Courtney Kube, and Carol E. Lee report for NBC News. 

Paramilitary organization Wagner group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed Russia’s claims to have inflicted heavy losses on Ukraine when Kyiv attempted offensive action. Russia’s defense ministry claimed Ukraine suffered over 3,700 casualties. Prigozhin said the claim was “simply wild and absurd science fiction.” This is the latest row between Wagner and the Russian armed forces. Matt Murphy reports for BBC News. "

lousubcap

A couple of brief writings on potential Russia-Ukraine end game scenarios:

"In the eyes of some, this phase of the war might well be determinative. The Economist outlines three potential scenarios, informed by conversations with Western officials and experts: A romping Ukrainian success, in which much land (perhaps including Crimea) is retaken, possibly resulting in Russian President Vladimir Putin losing power; “more limited Russian losses” that embarrass Putin nonetheless; and a battlefield “stalemate,” entailing the risk of an even-more-protracted war. 
 
In a Foreign Affairs essay, Samuel Charap advances a very different line of thinking: that despite Western hopes, even a staggering series of Ukrainian battlefield victories won’t end the war.
 
“(I)nterstate wars generally do not end when one side’s forces are pushed beyond a certain point on the map,” Charap writes—noting also that analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, of data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program on interstate wars since 1946, found that when wars last longer than a year, “they extend to over a decade on average.” Regardless of what happens this year, Charap argues, Russia and Ukraine will both still be strong and will be able to threaten each other into the future, which means hostilities are likely to continue. 
 
In Charap’s view, it’s time for the West to start thinking about endgames. The likeliest, Charap writes, is an armistice: an end to fighting but not, technically, to conflict—something like what has existed between North and South Korea since 1953, wherein a demilitarized zone separates the two combatants, and active conflict has ceased, but the war never technically ended. The US and its allies, Charap argues, “could begin to try to steer the war toward a negotiated end in the coming months. Or they could do so years from now. If they decide to wait, the fundamentals of the conflict will likely be the same, but the costs of the war—human, financial, and otherwise—will have multiplied.”"

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Damage to the Kakhovka dam has resulted in the flooding of 29 towns and villages along the Dnipro River, Ukraine’s interior minister has said. BBC News reports. 

Russian forces are shooting at Ukrainian rescuers trying to reach survivors trapped in flooded areas of occupied Kherson, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Pointing to the fact that the dam has been under Russian forces’ control since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy said the Kremlin was to blame for the dam’s destruction that caused the flooding. Paul Ronzheimer and Zoya Sheftalovich report for POLITICO.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said Ukraine had not launched its anticipated counteroffensive, and when it does, it would be clear to all.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said the town of Shebekino was hit by dozens of shells from Ukraine.

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said troops advanced from 200 to 1,100 metres (from 218 to 1,203 yards) in parts of the front around Bakhmut."

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/AndrewSErickson/status/1666774381085749248

It's always baffled me why we never fully normalized relations with Cuba decades ago. So now a Chinese military base is at our doorstep - this will be fun.

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Ukrainian military’s long-anticipated counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces has begun. Ukraine’s troops intensified their attacks on the front line in the country’s southeast. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Ukrainian forces tried to break through the lines of the Russian army in the Zaporizhzhia region, using up to 1,500 troops and 150 armored vehicles. Shoigu’s claim could not be immediately verified. Samantha Schmidt, Adela Suliman, Leo Sands, Rachel Pannett, Claire Parker, Sarah Dadouch, Isobel Koshiw, and Ben Brasch report for the Washington Post.

Russian forces shelled the flooded city of Kherson yesterday, striking close to an evacuation point where rescue efforts are underway. Witnesses said that Hundreds of people gathered near an evacuation point at Ship Square, in the heart of the city, scrambled for cover when explosions rang out. The shelling occurred only hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the city to witness the destruction of a dam on the Dnipro River. Marc Santora and Maria Varenikova report for the New York Times. 

KYIV, June 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's domestic security service said on Friday it had intercepted a telephone call proving a Russian "sabotage group" blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric station and dam in southern Ukraine.

The destruction of the facility on Tuesday unleashed mass flooding, forcing thousands of residents to flee and wreaking environmental havoc.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) posted a one-and-a-half minute audio clip on its Telegram channel of the alleged conversation, which featured two men who appeared to be discussing the fallout from the disaster in Russian.

Reuters could not independently verifying the recording. Russia, which has accused Kyiv of destroying the dam, did not immediately comment on its content.

"They (the Ukrainians) didn't strike it. That was our sabotage group," said one of the men on the recording, described by the SBU as a Russian soldier. "They wanted to, like, scare (people) with that dam.""