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Russian Volunteer Corps and Free Russia Legion are back in Ukraine and giving interviews.
They claim losses were RVC: 0 dead, 2 wounded; FRL: 2 dead, 10 wounded.
And they kept their new toy!

The big US drone is back over the Black Sea


Any comments from the air watchers?
Has this been back long?
Has it always been there but IFF-dark?

Could this be called craping in your own nest?

Hindustan Times , 'nuf said.

.

Hindustan Times , 'nuf said.""

About on a par with CNN or perhaps MSNBC, would you think? or perhaps not as bad.

Here is one American news outlet that is closer to the truth than most.

An informative analysis of the air situation in the early stages of the war. https://wavellroom.com/2023/05/24/russi ... ce-menace/

Invasion of Ukraine by Russia Day: 3 456
Invasion of Russia by Russia Day: 4

BOAC - that's a great article, many thanks.

Bits and pieces.

Russia apparently has a nuke warhead storage depot near where the RVC invaded a few days ago. They are reportedly frantically trying to empty it.

Evidence that Russia has moved some VDV troops from the Svatove-Kreminna area to the Bakhmut area in the last couple of weeks, in order to reinforce the flanks.
Wagner is reportedly pulling out of Bakhmut within a week.

South Korea is exporting half a million 155mm shells to the USA.
South Korea is forbidden by its own laws to export to countries at war.
Doubtless the USA will send half a million of its own shells to Ukraine.

The South Koreans probably need less of them since the North Koreans are exporting ammo to Russia!

The number of false claims and reports circulating has increased hugely in the last week. A combination of deliberate confusion and over-enthusiasm, I think.
I am attempting to verify everything I can before posting, but please read the caveats and take everything non-verified with a huge bucket of salt.I am ignoring anything that I don't think will have a significant effect on the counterattack.

Doesn't look like the Russian defences will last long

Russian propaganda through official and proxy channels is back on three themes:
1. Staged video of Russian forces' "successes", both military and FSB.
2. Increased nuclear rhetoric.
3. NATO is attacking Russia

Looks like the previous month of ignoring it isn't working with the Russian people.
Nobody in the west (except prospector) appears to believe a word of it any more, so they appear to have given up aiming propaganda at the west.
There's never any attempt to provide convincing evidence.

Nice to see the Chally 2 doing what it was built for. This (rhetorical) question would fit nicely in the Trivia Question of the Day. Which is the only main battle tank fitted with a water boiler? The Chally 2 of course! So while the boys are removing the copelerones, they can have a brew!

My remaining contact in Ukraine (all the others have left), tells me that overnight there were a lot of rockets in the Lviv area, but almost all were neutralised. Because she is a doctor, she is not allowed to leave the country. If she applies for an exit visa, they put her on a list of medical workers to go to the front, and since she has previously worked for MSF in Donbas, she is the ideal candidate. Apparently, her boss applied for a visa and found herself in Donbas within a week. Because so many doctors and other medical professionals are working with the troops, there is a shortage in the rest of the country and she is currently working a six-day week. Although officially a cardiologist, she is also spending a lot of time patching up people who were injured by bombs

As I mentioned last week, the US was probably also blocking training Uke pilots on the Swedish Gripen because it has a US engine.

Well, having decided to allow the F-16, it wouldn't make any sense to keep blocking the Gripen, so....



Remember that Gripen is designed to have routine servicing/rearming done by local militia using kit that fits in a small trailer, on rough strips.
It can also fire/drop any of the weaponry Ukraine has been asking for, like AMRAAM and the Small Diameter Bomb.

Latest from the Ukrainian Ministry of Accidental Russian Fires

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Big secondaries in Berdyansk



Several other places in Zaporizhzhia targeted tonight, including Tokmak.

The Russian Air Force letting a lot of empty fields in Russia know who's Boss



I'd just like to point out that their best bomb is more than twice the miss distance of my worst bomb!

And I got sent to air defence!!

Their aim isn't too bad....... they scored a direct hit on the green bit.

Whatever they hit, they call it the target!

I can hear the voice of Ray Passfield debriefing my film even now

"OK.. bit high, bit slow...correcting down..now too fast, yoicked the nose up to correct that and the pitch and height are now off. You went dry on this run, of course..(pickle flag)
You don't listen to a word we tell you, do you?

What was the score?"

"72 feet at 12"

"Well, you're lucky, I'll give you that"

n.b. Iceland has no armed forces, so cannot donate weapons.

Oooh, and they donated their chant, too!

Posts regarding far-eastern political/military alliances are now here

What, no green paint? That is colour is advertising not camoflage.