Does it sound like a lack of confidence? "When we know that the enemy will not succeed anyway, when we understand that we can still protect our state, but we do not feel the time limits of this, we do not feel how many more blows, losses and efforts will be before we see that victory is already on our horizon."

However, content does not matter. The very look is priceless...🤢

Russian forces are gaining an advantage in eastern Ukraine as they learn from mistakes made during the earlier stages of their invasion of the country, including better coordinating air and ground attacks and improving logistics and supply lines, two US officials with direct knowledge of US intelligence assessments told CNN.

The US does not expect new weapons systems recently supplied to Ukrainian forces, including the HIMARS multiple rocket launch system, to immediately change the situation on the battlefield in part because those systems are so far being sent with both a limited range and a limited number of rockets to ensure they are not fired into Russian territory. Additionally, Russian forces have been able to destroy some of the new Western-supplied weapons, including M777 howitzers, in targeted attacks.
...
"Putin is not deterred and I don't think he will ever be deterred," Rep. Mike Quigley, a Democrat from Illinois who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN. "This war could last years," he added.

At home, US and NATO partners are beginning to see the limits of their own supplies of certain advanced weapons, including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles. These weapons systems have their own complicated supply lines, meaning it could take years to replace the thousands of such missiles already supplied to Ukrainian forces.

More weapons to Ukraine - more casualties on both sides; more profits for arms manufacturers.

M777 howitzers were used for shelling civilians in Donetsk. There is a recent report about the first use of HIMARS system: a military hospital was hit, several wounded and two killed...

For a moment in time, it looked as if reality had managed to finally carve its way through the dense fog of propaganda-driven misinformation that had dominated Western media coverage of Russia’s “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine.

In a stunning admission, Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former senior adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Intelligence Services, noted that the optimism that existed in Ukraine following Russia’s decision to terminate “Phase One” of the SMO (a major military feint toward Kiev), and begin “Phase Two” (the liberation of the Donbass), was no longer warranted. “The strategies and tactics of the Russians are completely different right now,” Danylyuk noted. “They are being much more successful. They have more resources than us and they are not in a rush.”

“There’s much less space for optimism right now,” Danylyuk concluded.

In short, Russia was winning.

Danylyuk’s conclusions were not derived from some esoteric analysis drawn from Sun Tzu or Clausewitz, but rather basic military math. In a war that had become increasingly dominated by the role of artillery, Russia simply was able to bring to bear on the battlefield more firepower than Ukraine.

French self-propelled howitzers "Caesar" in Ukraine

France transferred the first division of unique self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine back in April, when the vast majority of Ukrainian guns of this type were destroyed by the Russian army. At first, six guns seemed to be a good help, especially against the background of the destroyed Msta-S self-propelled guns and other field artillery guns. However, the first combat use of the "Caesars" took place only a month after their arrival in Ukraine. The problem turned out to be where it was least expected - the French from Thales (manufacturer of electronics for the self-propelled complex) changed the entire composition of the equipment. Instead of the latest digital fire control system (similar to the one that was supposed to be supplied from the USA with M777 guns), the Caesar was equipped with a previous generation system developed back in 1983.

The French took this step after listening to their colleagues from the German Bundeswehr. According to the Germans, they carried out such "downgrading" with PzH-2000 self-propelled howitzers before sending the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The reason turned out to be simple: the German military "peeped" the idea of "zeroing" military equipment from the United States. The Americans did not send modern guns to Ukraine and equipped their howitzers with laser rangefinder guidance, which the Ukrainian artillerymen also could not figure out.

As a result, the declared firing range of the American M777 in Ukraine was only 12 kilometres, and the range of the Caesars in good weather and in the absence of Russian aviation in the air was not 46 kilometres, as officially reported, but less than 20. At the same time, the French did not put in a kit with "Caesars" neither satellite navigation, nor ballistic computers, which facilitate the preparation for the shot. In fact, due to fears of a technology leak, the guns were delivered to Ukraine "naked" and could not be used for their intended purpose.

According to Life's sources participating in a special operation in Ukraine, as by the instructions, the Caesars should be used as part of an artillery battalion, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine divided the delivery into two parts. Three guns were sent to the northern directions, probably near Severodonetsk. Three more - to the east near Avdiivka, from where they fired at the city with 155-mm NATO shells. Partially, the fire of the "Caesars" from camouflaged positions near Avdiivka was suppressed with the help of aviation, but the story of the French self-propelled guns sent to the northwest is much more interesting.

According to some reports, the Caesars could end up in Liman due to the fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost the vast majority of the Polish Crab self-propelled guns. These guns covered the retreat of the Ukrainian army from Severodonetsk, however, at a certain moment, the RF Armed Forces actually cut a large formation in two. The part that turned out to be to the west was able to retreat, and the eastern group, armed, among other things, with French Caesars, was squeezed by the Russian military in a ring.

The Ukrainian artillerymen were let down by their own carelessness. The French "Caesars" were used one at a time, and instead of constantly changing the location of the guns, they were stored in one place and advanced to positions a couple of times a day. Volley fire by the NATO super-howitzers was also not used - the crews fired five to eight shells and then hid the equipment in the nearest hangars or cowsheds. The equipment was spotted from the air during a reconnaissance sortie - an Orlan drone with a thermal imager transmitted a picture to the nearest intelligence unit, and a night raid was organized on the positions of the Ukrainian military in Liman.

After a short skirmish between the Russian reconnaissance group and the artillerymen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine remaining on duty, one howitzer was destroyed, two more were captured in a fully operational condition - with ammunition and an officer of the Ukrainian army, who was trained at the base of the 3rd artillery regiment in French Canjue.

From a technological point of view, capturing the Caesars in the Donbass will reveal a lot about the composition of the metals and electronics used for firing. This could speed up work on its own artillery systems and give the Russian defence industry an effective tool to counter NATO weapons in future conflicts, wherever they occur.

From French source: "That was to be expected. Two of the 8 French CAESAR guns delivered to Ukraine ended up in Russian hands and are currently being examined from every angle at the Uralvagonzavod Defence Plant (which, as its name suggests, manufactures railway wagons , but also a lot of defence equipment).

Delivering state-of-the-art guns to Ukraine had caused French senior officers to break out in a cold sweat, given the risk of loss of advanced equipment by the Ukrainian army and the very strong corruption that reigns there - it is not impossible that these guns were simply sold - but the political echelon prevailed and these guns were delivered, while 40 Ukrainian gunners were trained in Canjuers."

French and Ukrainian authorities predictably denied the capturing of the howitzers, so, whether, it actually did occur - we will learn much later, if ever. However, what is a fact beyond doubt - that is no weapon supply can change the outcome of the operation, and all "Wunderwaffe" (German for "wonder-weapon" and was a term assigned during World War II by Nazi Germany's propaganda ministry to some revolutionary "superweapons") can be captured, destroyed or smuggled, sadly causing more death and destruction.

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Britain and the US, along with allies such as Japan and Canada, are set to reveal a ban on new imports of Russian gold during the G7 Leaders’ Summit on Sunday, according to a statement by the UK government.

“This measure will have global reach, shutting the commodity out of formal international markets” and delivering a “huge impact” on Moscow’s potential to generate revenue across the world, the statement reads, adding that the step is underpinned by London’s central role in the metals trade.

Shipments between Russia and London have been reduced to almost zero since the Western allies introduced unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over its military operation in neighbouring Ukraine.

While Western sanctions have largely closed off European and US markets to gold from the world’s second-biggest bullion miner, the G7’s move is expected to completely sever Russia from the world’s top two trading centers, London and New York.

According to UN Comtrade data, as cited by the agency, the $15 billion in Russian gold that arrived in London last year made up 28% of UK gold imports. Russia still has the option to sell the precious metal directly to refineries, or look for new buyers, such as China, India, and the Middle East, which have not supported the sanctions and are not part of the G7.

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders are holding “very constructive” talks about a potential cap on the price of Russian oil imports, Reuters reported ahead of the group’s summit on Sunday, citing a German government official.

“We are on a good path to reach an agreement,” the official said.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen proposed a cap on Russian oil prices in order to mitigate global inflation and fuel price hikes in the West, as well as reducing Moscow’s oil revenue.

The US, Canada, and Britain have already banned Russian oil, while the EU imposed an embargo on Russian oil imported by sea.

Well, I am not a specialist in global economics, but how on Earth they can set a "cap" on price in deals, where they are no byers, nor sellers? Between India and Russia, for instance? Will they order to whip the sea next? (There was a historical precedent).

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Ukraine controlled Zaporizhzhya: women undergoing basic combat training...

#TransFormatorBuzzes: 💤🛠
(for advanced subscribers only 😉)

Reading between the lines and from behind the line…

Well, for the people of Russia, especially for the generation, whose perception of the mass media has been formed in the Soviet Union - that is a normal way of collecting and analysing information. We used to read “Pravda” and verify it against BBC Russian service (which at those times used to be much more objective…).

That is why we are very cautious about that report of capturing “Caesars” howitzers; whether it did happened as described or at all.

Another example - the report of the first use of HIMARS rocket system. Ukrainian sources are claiming that a HQ of Russian Army was hit, while our respectful source states, that the strike was carried out on a hospital, which also was accepting civilian patients (though even a military hospital is not a justified target to hit). Most likely explanation is that they both were located in the same compound.

The recent strike on Kiev was presented by Ukrainian side like a barbaric annihilation of an apartment building, while another trustworthy source states that it was a military plant “Artem”. Most likely, the target was the factory and/or a warehouse, however, some local residents were unlucky to live nearby. After writing that I have found a message, claiming that the building which was hit is abandoned since April… Immediately and mysteriously, Anton Gerashchenko (official advisor to the Ukrainian President and a former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose name associates with many fakes and provocations) appears on the spot and miraculously finds an expired Russian passport of a resident of this house. So, after all, it appears that Ukrainians are more frequently caught on an insolent lies and fakes.

All that only strengthen our point, that there is no such a thing like “unbiased” reporting especially during a wartime. Thinking reader should have access to a variety of sources to make his own judgement. That right was denied to the Western audience by blocking Russian media in Western info-space. Well, that's why we are buzzing here. 💤🛠

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Ukrainian Armed Forces made yet another unsuccessful attempt to strike at Snake Island
MOSCOW, June 26 - RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian military again unsuccessfully tried to strike at Zmeiny (Snake) Island, the Russian Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun system shot down an enemy Su-25 aircraft and 12 rockets, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
"The enemy once again made an unsuccessful attempt to strike with aircraft and multiple launch rocket systems on Zmeiny (Snake) Island. As a result of repulsing the attack by the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun system, a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force and 12 rockets were shot down," — according to the report of the Russian military department.
"There are no casualties among the personnel of the garrison and no destruction," the Russian Defense Ministry emphasizes.

MOSCOW, June 26 - RIA Novosti. The Russian Aerospace Forces attacked the training centres of Ukrainian troops in the Chernihiv, Zhytomyr and Lvov regions, the Defence Ministry reported.
"High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Caliber missiles inflicted a massive strike on the territory of the 169th training centre of the ground forces near the village of Desna in the Chernihiv region, the 199th training centre of the airborne assault troops in the Teterevka region of the Zhytomyr region, as well as the 184th training centre of the armed forces of Ukraine in the Starychi district of the Lviv region," the ministry said.

As a result of the attack, the 65th, 66th motorized infantry brigades and the 46th airmobile brigade from the strategic forces of the Ukrainian troops, which were completing training at the training grounds, completely lost their combat capability. Thus, the Russian military disrupted the transfer of these formations to the combat zone.

Group of Seven leaders will commit to providing indefinite support to Ukraine for its defence against Russia’s invasion, according to the text of a draft statement from their summit in Bavaria.

“We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the text of a draft statement seen by Bloomberg said. The wording is important because members of the alliance are concerned about the war dragging on and some, including Germany and France, have hinted that they may be more open to the idea of a negotiated cease-fire.

The G-7 leaders are also weighing the possibility of using revenues from tariffs on imports from Russia to support Ukraine, according to the document.

Earlier, leaders discussed how to coordinate action to tackle soaring inflation and ward off the threat of recession, as well as how to keep up the pressure on Russia. With the war raging about 1,200 kilometres (746 miles) to the east of Schloss Elmau, where the summit is taking place, German Chancellor and host Olaf Scholz is also leading talks Sunday on addressing climate change and on infrastructure and investment.

That means: "Until the last Ukrainian" ‼️

MOSCOW, June 26 - RIA Novosti. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova believes that the British authorities should demand from the Ukrainian embassy in London to clarify the recruitment of UK nationals to participate in the fighting in Ukraine before making threatening comments against Russia because of the death sentence passed in the DPR on two Britons .
“And they wondered how many applications the Ukrainian Embassy in London received for recruiting mercenaries, among the so-called volunteers from among the British? Maybe they would have asked how many subjects they registered there? No, they weren’t interested?" - she said on the air of the program "Sunday Evening".

According to her, not only Britain, but also other Western countries that suddenly find out that their citizens or subjects are in captivity and under arrest, need to clarify the parameters of the activities of Ukrainian embassies on their territory.
As Zakharova stressed, when Moscow posed a similar question to Western countries, "the answer was very clear - they (Ukrainian diplomatic missions) are doing normal work, there are no contradictions."

“Well, if they are doing a normal job of recruiting your citizens and sending them there, what other questions can there be? After all, you yourself contributed to this,” she concluded.

On June 9, in Donetsk, British citizens Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as Moroccan citizen Saadoun Brahim, who were captured in Mariupol, were sentenced to death. All three pleaded guilty to Ukraine's armed aggression aimed at seizing power in the DPR. The head of the republic, Denis Pushilin, said that Great Britain and Morocco have not yet applied to the Donetsk authorities about the convicted mercenaries.

DONETSK, June 24 - RIA Novosti. British mercenary Aiden Aslin, convicted in the Donetsk People's Republic, said that the shelling of the centre of Donetsk opened his eyes and asked for forgiveness from the people of Donbass and Russia for serving in the Ukrainian troops.
“After everything I went through yesterday, all I can say to the people of Donbass and Russia is: I apologize for being part of the Ukrainian forces...God is my witness – I’m really sorry. I think he let me live for for me to see the truth... After what I saw yesterday, I can't say much except how devastated I am... I spent the whole day yesterday on the floor because we were hit by artillery. in the centre of Donetsk. There are no military facilities here. They (Ukrainian troops. - Ed.) hit the prison. They beat so close that I felt the blast wave and heard fragments falling outside," - Aslin said in a video message recorded from prisons in Donetsk.
Aslin added that what he used to take for enemy propaganda turned out to be true, and complained about the silence of the Western media about the shelling of the cities of Donbass by Ukrainian troops, which "the guys from the DPR have been talking about for eight years."
“If I had known before what I know now, I would have stayed away from everything connected with Ukraine,” - Aslin said. To comments that he was intimidated and afraid, he replied that he was most afraid of Ukrainian artillery, and added that everything he fought for turned out to be a lie, and he was deceived.

On June 9, in Donetsk, three foreigners who fought on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mariupol were sentenced to death: two British citizens Sean Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as a Moroccan citizen Saadoun Brahim. All three pleaded guilty to Ukraine's armed aggression aimed at seizing power in the DPR. Aslin also pleaded guilty under the article "Training in order to carry out terrorist activities." According to the laws of the DPR, the verdict can be challenged within a month.
The official representative of the Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, said that the mercenaries who arrived in Ukraine are not combatants and "the best thing that awaits them is a long term in prison."