Stephen Walt, Professor of International Relations at Harvard University:
"If you are alarmed by the appearance of a Chinese base in Cuba, then you may begin to understand why Russians from different political circles view Ukraine's accession to NATO as a threat. This does not make the invasion any less tragic, but it helps to understand why it happened."

When a Harvard professor begins to say things that are obvious to you with an intelligent look, you involuntarily begin to feel proud of your country, for your heredity and for the education that we have received. Thank you, Motherland!!!

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Ukraine plays “Light Brigade” with British advice
Asia Times

American and European military observers in Ukraine described the Ukraine Army’s efforts of the past two days as a “suicide mission” that violated the basic rules of military tactics. “If you want to conduct an offensive and you have a dozen brigades and a few dozen tanks, you concentrate them and try to break through. The Ukrainians have been running around in five different directions,” complained a senior European officer.

“We tried to tell them to stop these piecemeal tactics, define a main thrust with proper infantry support and then do what they can,” the officer added.

“They were trained by the British and they’re playing Light Brigade,” the officer added, referring to the 1854 disaster at the Battle of Balaclava when misreported orders sent British cavalry into massed cannon fire.

Ukraine’s tanks charged directly into minefields without deploying mine-clearing vehicles first, contributing to the loss of 38 tanks during the night of June 8, including numerous of the newly delivered Leopard II tanks.

“A couple of Ukrainians tried to pull off a Guderian,” another military source said, referring to German General Heinz Guderian’s breakthrough at Sedan during the 1940 Battle of France. “But Guderian had 3,000 tanks, and these idiots have just gambled away the 30 they have.”

“And without air superiority,” the source added, “it’s a suicide mission.”

Russia’s KA-50 and KA-52 attack helicopters each carry enough missiles to kill 20 tanks, and can do so at a standoff distance of 10 kilometres. Ukrainian air defences have been degraded by repeated attacks with cheap drones that force the Ukrainians to expend their limited inventory of S-300 and Patriot missiles. Of the 14 Leopard tanks Germany has provided to Ukraine, 3 have been destroyed, along with several of the Leopards provided by Poland.

The Ukrainian high command’s principle military advice has come from British officers embedded at headquarters in Kiev.

A Ukrainian concentration of forces remains possible as to date only three and possibly four Western-trained brigades have been used in Zaporoshye. That would require competent military decisions, not decisions motivated by political desperation.

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The direction is Matchmaking.

Arrival of a kamikaze drone on an APU tank in the Svatovsky direction.

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More Flint

‼️🇷🇺Flying death: the "arrival" destroys the enemy in the trenches in the battles at Kremennaya.
Soldiers of the Pskov Airborne Division, before the offensive, work on the enemy positions with FPV kamikaze drones, destroying firing points and dugouts of the AFU with precise strikes.

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A year ago, America warned Russia against using banned cluster munitions, saying it would be a war crime.

Yesterday Joe Biden signed a document on the transfer of American cluster munitions to Ukraine for use against Russia.
So Biden is a war criminal and it's time for him to go to The Hague?

Zloy Proof
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President Joe Biden explains why he believes it's premature for Ukraine to join NATO.

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
Nothing specifically new, apart from confusing Russia and Ukraine in one instance. He is not suicidal, so NATO is not going to fight Russia for Ukraine. The remaining option is a proxy-war until the last Ukrainian. It is signed and sealed. There can be no peace without a convincing Russian victory on the terms from Moscow. Otherwise they will use any peaceful break to join NATO and restart it again...
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Shooting battle through the eyes of the enemy

The Ukrainian military from the 518th battalion of the 1st special forces brigade attacked the Russian stronghold in the Kremennaya area. During the battle, a group of Ukrainians was destroyed. A serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine filmed his own death on a go-pro.

The camera has become a trophy of the Russian military, exclusive video is published by @peromishpagoi

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has decided to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to help its military push back Russian forces entrenched along the front lines.

The Biden administration is expected to announce on Friday that it will send thousands of them as part of a new military aid package worth $800 million, according to people familiar with the decision who were not authorized to discuss it publicly before the official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move will likely trigger outrage from some allies and humanitarian groups that have long opposed the use of cluster bombs.

IS USING THEM A WAR CRIME?
Use of cluster bombs itself does not violate international law, but using them against civilians can be a violation. As in any strike, determining a war crime requires looking at whether the target was legitimate and if precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties.

“The part of international law where this starts playing (a role), though, is indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians,” Human Rights Watch’s associate arms director Mark Hiznay told The Associated Press. “So that’s not necessarily related to the weapons, but the way the weapons are used.”

A convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries, which agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they’ve been used. The U.S., Russia and Ukraine haven’t signed on.

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
So, how long it would take to find this ammunition being used on civilian population of Donbas? Amazing hypocrisy.
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The Russian military defeated another armoured group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of ​​Novodarovka

With precise artillery strikes, a column of American armoured vehicles and T-72M1 tanks was turned into scrap metal.

The result of the "offensive" is almost two dozen destroyed armoured vehicles.

The number of liquidated Ukrainian military is unknown.

The frames are published by @voin_dv.

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Telegram has become a window into war
The messaging app has become a key channel for news about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But the government’s relationship with it is complicated.

As Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, was marching toward Moscow in late June, all eyes were on one platform: Telegram. Bloggers, citizens, and the government relayed the news through the messaging app to millions of followers while global media outlets scoured it for any information they could relay to the world. Prigozhin himself dramatically narrated his revolt through voice messages to his 1.3 million followers.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Telegram has gained an outsize influence on one of the world’s most watched conflicts. “Telegram is fantastic for many, many reasons and for the fact that we’ve managed to see what is happening at such a crucial point in history,” says Jordan Wildon, digital investigator and founder of open-source intelligence (OSINT) agency Prose Intelligence.

But despite its unique historical role, the platform, founded by Pavel Durov, presents a challenge. Its founder’s emphasis on privacy and hands-off moderation has protected its users from surveillance but has also allowed Telegram to become a tool of misinformation and manipulation — with users struggling to decipher the reality in the flood of information coming from their phones.

“The good news is everybody gets to have an outlet but the bad news is – everybody gets an outlet,” says Wildon.

In Russia, Telegram has become sometimes the only source of information amid stifling government censorship. Across the border, the platform has become a lifeline for Ukrainians trying to keep safe from Russia’s attacks and track troop movements. And for the rest of the world, Telegram has become the window into a war that has destabilized the world.

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Read the complete version here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

The arrival of the UAV in the enemy Leopard with the subsequent ignition.

Video from "PROJECT BARS"

Translated from Svodki
#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
Just to make sure, that this is yet another one (out of many).
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"They will kill peaceful Ukrainians for years": the West spoke out about Biden's decision to supply cluster munitions to Kiev

American writer, lawyer and journalist Glenn Greenwald:
The United States has no goal to protect Ukraine or Ukrainians. The United States wants to sacrifice Ukraine in order to weaken Russia (as it was with Syria). These cluster bombs will kill peaceful Ukrainians for years.

✒️ American journalist and writer Max Blumenthal:
The Biden administration's decision to send cluster munitions to Kiev is dictated by despair over the failure of the counteroffensive. And considering how the Ukrainian Armed Forces use banned Petal mines, it can be argued that cluster bombs will fly at civilians in Donbass.

✒️ Canadian journalist and writer Aaron Mate:
It seems that the proxy war [with the Americans] is going right as it should. What else will they come up with?

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From Ukrainian propaganda channel:

The commanding officers of the regiment "Azov" and 36 brigade of marines returned to Ukraine.

Denis Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Sergey Volynsky, Oleg Khomenko, Denis Shlega.

Translated from Ukrainian propaganda channel
#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
Well, as far as I remember, Erdogan promised, that they would stay in Turkey until the end of hostilities???
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Ukrainian MP Mustafa Dzhemilev, who calls himself the so-called "leader of the Crimean Tatar people."

Dzhemilev and other individual representatives of the ethnic community are currently a resource the West needs, which is beneficial to periodically get out of the box to demonstrate the "unity" of the Crimean Tatars against the "occupation" of the Russian Federation.

📌 As for the Turks, the conduct of a policy, let's call it "multi-vector", in the issue of interaction with Ukraine and Russia is a feature of the Erdogan administration. The Turkish leadership is no longer sitting on one or two chairs, trying to achieve preferences from everywhere.

Erdogan calls himself a Russian friend, while he himself transfers weapons and equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Recently, a new batch of Bayraktar UAVs was handed over, and in Ukraine they started talking about new Turkish MLRS.

Erdogan’s statement of support for Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars at the meeting with Zelensky is yet another confirmation of the already obvious fact that the Turks are “friends” with us as much as it is beneficial for them and as long as it is beneficial.

Translated from Rybar
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UK requests for taking extreme care of 'Challenger 2' tanks make them useless for Ukrainian army
...
The UK command is now seeking "guarantees" from the Kiev regime forces that will "ensure" no UK-supplied "Challenger 2" MBTs (main battle tanks) are destroyed or captured by the Russian military. Apart from the effectively impossible ROE (rules of engagement), London wants the Neo-Nazi junta to follow other strict requirements that also apply to their every movement even in western parts of Ukraine, which is hundreds of kilometres away from the frontline. This includes special requests for storage to prevent long-range strikes, which effectively makes the "Challenger 2" the most pampered weapon system in the conflict.

"Imagine the propaganda coup of a captured, intact Challenger 2 being paraded in Red Square in Moscow! It doesn’t bear thinking about," British Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford told the British Daily Express a few months back.

It seems the UK is now "expressing frustration" at the way its MBTs are being used, complaining that the "guarantees" given by the Kiev regime forces are "simply insufficient". Afraid of heavy losses, as demonstrated by the disastrous performance of German MBTs, long considered the best in NATO, London is looking for ways to limit their usage by the Neo-Nazi junta forces in order to prevent a similar fate for its prized MBTs. Interestingly, Washington DC seems to be doing the exact same thing, as it has also been strangely quiet, a stark contrast to the previously boastful pledge to send its M1 "Abrams" MBTs.

Back in January, I argued that Western heavy armour, including the British "Challenger 2", American M1 "Abrams" and German "Leopard 2" are simply not suitable for the Kiev regime, as they weren't designed to either fight in such terrain or under such conditions (complete lack of air superiority and extremely limited or even non-existent CAS (close air support)). The same goes for the US-made "Bradley" armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) and French AMX-10 wheeled tank destroyers. Western-made tanks are infamous for their size and weight, being up to 30% bigger and heavier than their Soviet/Russian counterparts.
...
With this in mind, fielding the much heavier Western-made tanks such as the "Challenger 2" (and other NATO-sourced armour) has proven to be not only militarily useless for the Kiev regime, but also quite deadly for countless forcibly conscripted Ukrainians that have been pointlessly killed during recent counteroffensive operations against the Russian military.

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Read the complete version here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Translated from Ukrainian channel:

Our source in the OP (Office of President — Ukrainian) told how it was possible to extract the commanders of Azov.

For three weeks, the Russian Aerospace Forces methodically destroyed Turkish proxies in Syrian Idlib.

Erdogan could not prevent this by military means, from which he was very angry with the Russians.

Having learned about this through intelligence sources, the Office of the President came out with a request to hand over the Azov people. The stars successfully converged — and the captured commanders from Azovstal go home to raise Zelensky's rating before the obviously indiscriminate NATO summit. Moreover, under AZOV they launched a campaign of 500 days of heroic resistance, on Bankovaya they are slowly transforming the meanings from the liberation of Ukrainian lands to heroic defence/protracted war.

Translated from Ukrainian channel

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤

Well, that is another version. There is also a view, (supported by MIG and Podoliaka) that it all has happened in the framework of the initial agreement — do you remember "operation extraction"... But it does not explain, why Erdogan has ignored his "personal guarantee" (or is it just another myth?).

We, here @TrFormer, think, that it may be a clumsy attempt by Erdogan to persuade Russia to continue the "Grain deal", or rather an act of desperation because it will not be prolonged. We will see soon.
We think, that the continuation of the "Grain deal" was already under serious threat recently, but just to support "dear friend Erdogan" during the elections it was prolonged without any benefits for Russia.

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It was extremely easy to avoid the situation with the return of the commanders of Azov from Turkey — last year not to arrange very, very cunning schemes with the transfer of prisoners to a third country, which, all the more, was in allied sympathy for Russia has never been seen before.

You can, of course, blame Erdogan for his non-compliance with the agreements. And we will suggest recalling Syria with the now-familiar “de-escalation zone agreement in Idlib” of 2020, which Ankara (like many other promises) is in no hurry to fulfil to this day. Against this background, what is happening today can be characterized simply: what you sow, so you reap.

📌 Someone is now pointing out that such actions of the Turkish leader are connected with the impending withdrawal of Russia from the “grain deal”, which is extremely beneficial for him, which has recently been often discussed in cabinets. We will not deny such a development of events, although against the backdrop of repeated extensions of the initiative, we will not be surprised to the contrary.

Well, how happy the Azov commanders themselves are to change the golden cage for the clear prospect of participating in the “meat assault” near Bakhmut or Orekhov is completely unimportant: in this case, they are just chips in a chopped forest.

Translated from Rybar
#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
That cautiously confirms our version...
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On the return of the commanders of the terrorists "Azov" to Ukraine from Turkey

Kotenok @voenkor:
They had previously been handed over to Turkey as part of the exchange that gave Moscow Medvedchuk, and were to remain under Erdogan's care until the end of the war.

However, after negotiations with Zelensky, "friend Rejep", for the sake of whose re-election Russia extended the "grain deal", decided that it would be nice to make a nice gesture towards his Ukrainian colleague, and the Azov people simply flew to Kiev with Zelensky.

Kots: @sashakots
It's pointless to even comment on this. It is possible to extend the grain deal.

Romanov @romanov_92:
This is a strict observance of the traditions of Khasavyurt.

Belarusian security official @belarusian_silovik
According to my information, this is one of the trading conditions at the end of the Ukrainian crisis.

Postovoy @Postovo:
It's pointless to even comment on this. Damn you all, creatures!

@ruspanorama:
What's next? [Erdogan] Violate the Montreux Convention?

Kolyasnikov Sergey (Zergulio) @SergeyKolyasnikov:
I don’t even know what to say, so as not to get under criminal prosecution.

Front bird @frontbird:
Commenting on this is not something that is difficult — it's just a complete farce! Who are we at war with? And in truth, against cooks and drivers...

@designersmil propagandist's notebook
The rest of the killers will also immediately be included in the fight against Russia. The murderers who shot civilians in Mariupol escaped legal punishment for their crimes. Unfortunately, this war is replete with such failures. The failures of those who carelessly reacted to the conflict of fraternal peoples.

BRIF MOSCOW (not to be confused with liberals) @rusbrief_moscow:
We have a question: is Medvedchuk returning to Ukraine?

Talipov online @talipovonline
What is denazification? What is the purpose of denazification? How will the return of the leaders of Nazi Azov to the front affect the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

Turned in the war @voenacher:
Well, it looks like the Sultan has been ruined by a lucrative grain deal and has begun to squeeze his leverage. Let's see where it leads, we'll see. In any case, he will not put them back, which means that the bridges have been burned.

True Truth @Pravdivaya_pravda:
Have we been dumped again? What is the value of exchanging Azov for Medvedchuk? So many questions and few answers.

Rybar @rybar:
It was extremely easy to avoid the situation with the return of the Azov commanders from Turkey — not to arrange very, very cunning schemes last year with the transfer of captives to a third country, which, all the more so, had never been seen in allied sympathies for Russia.

Battle_🅉 _Sailor @BattleSailor_13:
Another "victory" in 404 and a nervous weekend in Russia. Friends, remember that Russia has only two allies: the Army and the Navy.

Selection translated from Two majors

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
Everything was said. No more comments — and also no official explanation/clarification from Kremlin yet.
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Conspiracy theory — why did Erdogan suddenly let the Azov people go?
The key to understanding is the timing of action. One week before the end of the Grain Deal.

How could events develop?
At first, Erdogan realized that the Grain Deal, which is very important to him both politically and economically, would not be extended by Russia because the West was not fulfilling it.

Then, Erdogan realizes that he will be accused by his rivals, that he is not respected, that despite the fact that Turkey has done so much for Russia, Russia will liquidate the Grain Deal.

Further, in order to get away from this future campaign of shame, Erdogan decides that it is beneficial to "show his teeth", that is, to insult Russia first, so that later Russia's refusal from the Grain Deal will be presented as a response from offended Russia to his, Erdogan's, bold independent step.

Thus, by releasing the Azov people first, Erdogan appears in the eyes of Turkish and world public opinion as a courageous politician who is not afraid to challenge Putin himself.

Translated from Markov's Logic
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Translated from Ukrainian channel:

Zelensky flew to Turkey and the Azov people are going back with him.
Most likely, this was agreed in advance. Some gesture from Erdogan. Whether it was agreed with the Kremlin, we think, this is not particularly important for Turkey in order to achieve its goals. The Turks can hide behind the fact that they are promoting the theme of peace, but this is a kind of bribery of Ze, as they previously handed over "gifts" to the Kings, as a gesture of goodwill.
How will this affect the military case? In general, no way, but the morale of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be increased — this is a fact.
How Kremlin may answer? Nothing specific. Just start to conduct a real information agenda, without jingoism. Yes, and start working, and not try to hide everything around with beautiful reports. Repeating the strategy of the same (Ukrainian) Office with the creation of an information vacuum.

A case on the development of UAV production in Ukraine is a signed memorandum. In simple words, a piece of paper about intentions. Millions of such papers are signed and only 3% are sold afterwards.
There is no win here, except for information.

PR campaign is won again. The guys from the 95th quarter know how to situationally create a beautiful picture and mega wins from scratch.

Watching…

Translated from Ukrainian channel
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The Kremlin called the return of the leaders of "Azov" a violation of the agreements
Peskov called the return of the leaders of "Azov" from Turkey to Ukraine a violation of agreements

MOSCOW, July 8 — RIA Novosti. The return of the leaders of Azov from Turkey to Ukraine was a violation of the terms of the existing agreements, spokesman for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti.
"The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the conditions were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side," he stressed.

According to the terms of the agreement, they were supposed to stay in Turkey until the end of the conflict, Peskov said.

He also noted that no one informed Russia about the transfer of militants.
In September last year, the acting head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that after the exchange of prisoners with Kiev, 56 people were released, of which 55 were military personnel: five of them were from Donbass, the rest were Russian troops. 215 people were handed over to Ukraine, among whom were the leaders of the Azov terrorist regiment.
Erdogan also reported on the exchange. In January, the newspaper Hurriyet, citing sources, wrote that the "Azov" were still in Turkey, which, as noted, was a demand from Russia.

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤

Now it is official. So what?

"The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the agreement, the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, these conditions were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side. Nobody informed us about this. Under the terms of the agreement, these leaders, these indicated persons were supposed to be on the territory of the Republic of Turkey until the end of the conflict. Unconditionally, the decision to extradite the leaders of the Azovites to Zelensky and, in violation of existing agreements, return them to Ukraine, is certainly directly related to the failures in the counter-offensive, the failures that the troops of the Kyiv regime are now facing every day.
Of course, preparations are underway for the NATO summit, and in the context of this preparation, great pressure was exerted on Turkey. And Turkey itself, of course, in this way, being a member of NATO, shows its solidarity with the North Atlantic alliance. We all understand this very well, but, of course, such a violation of existing agreements does not make anyone look better." — Peskov.

So, its OK, we can understand it? Or can we?

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