Posts

Foreign Legion Fighter Reports Massive Casualties Among Ukrainian Troops

A Taiwanese volunteer soldier in Ukraine’s foreign legion on Sunday (June 4) uploaded a detailed account of the realities of fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The Taiwanese soldier, who goes by the handle “I don’t know Mount Lushan” (不識廬山), has recently returned from duty in Ukraine and Sunday uploaded an extremely detailed thread with advice to would-be volunteers considering joining the fight. Topics he covered were the expenses, physical demands, necessary language skills, combat training needed, and the mentality one should possess. . .

The volunteer advised that the lack of sleep and intense physical exertion caused by long missions are taxing. Worse, the soldier warned that the life and death situations on the battlefield, shellshock from constant bombardments, and death of team members can easily “destroy a person’s mind.”

He said that even experienced soldiers can panic and lose their judgment and ability to fight due to fear. The veteran noted that his unit had a casualty rate of 50% and 20% of his teammates were killed in action.

According to the volunteer, his platoon was “annihilated twice” and he was the only member to come out unscathed. Furthermore, he observed that his unit did not fight in the “deadliest war zone.” (Read more from “Foreign Legion Fighter Reports Massive Casualties Among Ukrainian Troops” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

White House Sounds the Alarm on ‘Full-Scale Defense Partnership’ Between Russia and Iran

Russia is providing billions of dollars in military aircraft and equipment in exchange for imports, as well as, ultimately, assistance with building attack drones for use in Ukraine, the White House said in a declassified intelligence report given to news outlets Friday.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Iran dug in supply lines to transfer the one-way attack drones to Russia through the Caspian sea, which are then provided to Russian forces to attack Ukrainian cities over long distances, according to The Associated Press. Iran has also agreed to provide materials for constructing a drone factory, and as repayment, Iran hopes to acquire Russian warplanes and air defense systems, The Washington Post reported.

“This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to Iran’s neighbors, and to the international community,” Kirby said, according to the AP.

The White House released satellite imagery of photos taken in April where the factory “will probably be built” in Russia’s Alabuga special economic zone, about 100 miles east of Moscow, according to the AP. U.S. intelligence said the plant could be operational next year. (Read more from “White House Sounds the Alarm on ‘Full-Scale Defense Partnership’ Between Russia and Iran” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Some Nations Could Send Troops to Defend Ukraine, Says Ex-NATO Chief

Some NATO countries that share a border with Russia might send troops to Ukraine on their own if alliance members, including the U.S., fail to provide “tangible security guarantees” at the upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Suppose NATO members can’t agree on a clear path forward for Ukraine. In that case, there is a “clear possibility” that some countries might take action to support Kyiv, including putting “boots on the ground,” Mr. Rasmussen said in remarks published in The Guardian newspaper.

“I think the Poles would seriously consider going in to assemble a ‘coalition of the willing’ if Ukraine doesn’t get anything in Vilnius,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “We shouldn’t underestimate the Polish feelings. The Poles feel that for too long western Europe did not listen to their warnings against the true Russian mentality.”

Current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said all member states agree that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance. During a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Mr. Stoltenberg said the most important task at hand is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent state.

“We don’t know when the war ends. But we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the future and to break Russia’s cycle of aggression,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. (Read more from “Some Nations Could Send Troops to Defend Ukraine, Says Ex-NATO Chief” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Kremlin: Putin Open to Peace Talks to End Ukraine War, but Only if West Offers Concessions

Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiations to end his country’s war in Ukraine, Kremlin officials said Saturday, though the prospects for talks remain dim amid Moscow’s insistence that any resolution includes recognition of its territorial claims in Ukraine‘s eastern Donbas region.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media over the weekend that Mr. Putin seeks a “peaceful” resolution to the conflict but signaled that any ceasefire hinges on the West offering significant concessions to Russia.

Such a scenario so far has been a non-starter for Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO.

“President Putin has been, is, and will be open to any contact in order to attain our objectives by other means than the special military operation. If it is possible, it would be preferable,” Mr. Peskov told Russia‘s Rossiya-1 TV station on Saturday.

His comments come amid continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly in and around Bakhmut, which Russian troops say they control even as Ukrainian military officials say fighting continues on the outskirts of the city. (Read more from “Kremlin: Putin Open to Peace Talks to End Ukraine War, but Only if West Offers Concessions” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

UK Endorses Ukraine’s Right to Attack Russian Territory Despite US Anxiety

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly affirmed Ukraine’s right to attack “legitimate military targets” in Russia, in contrast with American unease about such operations on the day of an apparent drone attack near Moscow.

“It’s important to remember that Ukraine does have the legitimate right to defend itself,” Cleverly told reporters while traveling in Estonia. “It has a legitimate right to do so within its own borders, of course, but it does also have the right to project force beyond its borders to undermine Russia’s ability to project force into Ukraine itself.”

That general endorsement came as Russian media buzzed with the shock of an apparent kamikaze drone attack that “caused minor damage to several buildings,” according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Cleverly emphasized that he could not comment on the drone incident — “I don’t have details, and I am not going to speculate about the nature of the drone attacks in Moscow,” he said — but his supportive tone contrasted with the response from President Joe Biden’s administration.

“As general matter, we do not support attacks inside of Russia,” a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. “We have been focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training they need to retake their own sovereign territory, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.” (Read more from “UK Endorses Ukraine’s Right to Attack Russian Territory Despite US Anxiety” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Moscow Warns It Will Launch Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike on Ukraine if They Are Given Nukes

A former Russian President has warned the Kremlin will issue a “preemptive nuclear strike” against Ukraine and its Western allies, including the United Kingdom, if the defending nation is provided with their own warheads. Dmitry Medvedev, who was President from 2008 to 2012, between Vladimir Putin’s two autocratic rules, said during a trip to Vietnam that the West was failing to grasp Russia’s willingness to bring about nuclear war.

After the Fighter Jet coalition was announced last week, meaning US-made F-16s could be making their way into Ukraine this year, Medvedev suggested the West should refrain from escalating its support any further.

Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Putin’s security council, said: “There are some irreversible rules of war.

“If it comes to [deliveries of] nuclear weapons [to Ukraine], a preemptive strike will have to be carried out.”

Calling on the West to take his remarks seriously, he added: “It will mean that a missile with a nuclear warhead will come flying to them.” (Read more from “Moscow Warns It Will Launch Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike on Ukraine if They Are Given Nukes” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

US Officials Believe Ukraine Orchestrated Kremlin ‘Assassination Attempt’ Attack

A drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month was most likely orchestrated by Ukraine, which has conducted a series of attacks on Russian targets, U.S. officials said.

Russia has claimed Ukrainian forces attempted to kill President Vladimir Putin in the failed attack on May 3.

Two drones were used in the “assassination attempt” at the president’s residence within the Kremlin compound, but were disabled by Russian defense systems, Russia said.

One drone caused a fire and the second drone exploded. They cause little damage and no one was injured.

U.S. intelligence agencies don’t know which unit carried out the attack, and it was unclear if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine or his top officials were aware of the operation, The New York Times reported. (Read more from “US Officials Believe Ukraine Orchestrated Kremlin ‘Assassination Attempt’ Attack” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Ukraine Losing 10,000 Drones per Month to Russian Electronic Warfare: Report

Ukraine is suffering a tremendous loss of 10,000 drones each month, largely due to Russia’s electronic warfare — a “critical” component of Moscow’s military tactics, a recent report said.

Russia’s use of tech defense systems has contributed to the staggering loss of Ukrainian aerial drones — approximately 10,000 each month, according to the latest Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report.

Russia deployed a high density of electronic warfare equipment in Donbas in 2022. They have since increased their supply.

Russia now has a system every six miles along the war’s 750-mile-long frontline.

The machines are set back about four miles from the front and take down drones by jamming their frequency and sending them in different directions. (Read more from “Ukraine Losing 10,000 Drones per Month to Russian Electronic Warfare: Report” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Ukraine Admits It Assassinated Russian Propagandists

The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service has said in an interview that Kyiv has assassinated Russian propagandists.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov made the admission to the Ukrainian YouTube channel Rizni Lyudi. According to a translation by the independent Russian-language outlet Meduza, Budanov said that Ukraine had “successfully targeted quite a few people” associated with Kremlin propaganda since the start of the war nearly 15 months ago.

Budanov did not provide any names of individuals that Ukraine has allegedly targeted, but several well-known, pro-Kremlin figures have been killed or wounded inside Russia since the start of the war.

Among the more high-profile incidents was last August’s car-bomb killing of Darya Dugina, the journalist daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, an ideologue known as “Putin’s philosopher.” (Read more from “Ukraine Admits It Assassinated Russian Propagandists” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.

Sure Sounds Like Biden Has Changed His Mind on F-16s for Ukraine

President Joe Biden, while meeting with G7 leaders in Japan this week, reportedly “endorsed” plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S-Made F-16 fighter jets, according to a Friday morning dispatch from The Associated Press.

The AP’s report cited “people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s private conversations with allies” and explained that the training program would would happen in Europe, beginning “in the coming weeks.”

This significant step toward equipping Ukraine with American air power is another escalation of U.S. support for the country’s fight against Russia, though it remains unclear from which country the F-16s for Ukraine would come. (Read more from “Sure Sounds Like Biden Has Changed His Mind on F-16s for Ukraine” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.