Every missing ship makes Russia more nervous: Sergei Shoigu has now ordered the reinforcement of the Crimean Peninsula – where the use of nuclear weapons has become possible.
SIMFEROPOL – Despite the constant threat, Russian sailors probably had no idea what was heading toward them in the dark of the night. A compilation of videos from Ukrainian intelligence sources suggests that at most a sailor opened fire at the last second. But that no longer makes any sense anyway: No Majora 5 drone Hit the left flank of Tsar Kunikov. Maybe it was a warship from Russia Hit by two drones – the ship sank on February 14 off the coast of Crimea. Another blow from the Ukrainian defenders against Vladimir Putin Black Sea Fleet.
Now Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited Crimea and called for strengthening its defenses Ukrainska Pravda He writes. Shoigu urged his subordinates to „conduct continuous training during the day and night to counter enemy terrorist attacks” and „increase the survivability of ships and the security of infrastructure in the area of state responsibility.” He also ordered the installation of additional firearms, including heavy machine gun systems Attack drones To destroy.
Crimea still has what it takes to become a decisive theater in the Ukrainian war, military economist Marcus Keogh said in an interview with The New York Times Magazine. Daily news “Crimea is not only the logistical center, but also the military strength of the entire Russian operation against them,” he said. UkraineThat is why it will be a major end to the war, perhaps sooner than some expected.” Russian efforts seem to prove this: Washington Post He wants Russian fortifications in images from a satellite service Maxar Their exact location has been determined and now adds up to more than 30 kilometers of trenches in the Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine's naval counterattack: gradual destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
According to Russian media, the army has more than 200 facilities spread across the peninsula: air bases, ammunition depots and barracks. Tens of thousands of soldiers are said to be stationed there. The port of Sevastopol is the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Everywhere, the invading Russian army appears to have suffered heavy casualties in the Storm of the Century without any enemy action. The strike targeted the patrol boat Tsar Kunikov It was also Ukraine's latest prank against the Russian Navy. Crimea is a raw wound for both sides.
However, the defenders at sea are almost making up for Ukraine's failed counteroffensive on land – with the gradual destruction of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Online time Verdict: The Ukrainian military said one-third of them were destroyed or damaged. 24 Russian warships and one submarine were disabled. Independent observers gave a slightly lower figure of 20 ships and one submarine. The Crimean Tatars are raising the price of occupying Russia with them Partisan war To almost unreachable heights.
Russia's humiliation of the Crimean Tatars: the motivation behind the rise of Atesh's supporters
Military expert Gustav Gressel, for example, said that by cutting off land routes to Crimea and attacking supply points with long-range weapons, one could try to make Russia's control of Crimea intolerable. ZDF. The conflict in Crimea began in 2014, and it could end there at some point — or it could mean a rude awakening for NATO. The partisan movement “Atysh” (“fire” in the language of the Crimean Tatars), founded in the summer of 2022, may have played a decisive role in Ukrainian successes in Crimea. The forced recruitment of people from Crimea into Moscow's armed forces has provided the nascent resistance movement with a great opportunity to undermine the Russian military from within, writes Elena Beketova of the Center for European Policy Analysis. Russia is now feeling the effects.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is under increasing pressure in Crimea. He wants to save his ambitious goals for the future: to become an international naval power and ruler of the Black Sea. The Black Sea is the interface between the Russian Federation and NATO. This is what the commander of the German frigate, Joran Swistek, wrote to the research center Science and Policy Foundation“Russia has been pursuing its centuries-old interests in the Black Sea by having year-round, ice-free, and if possible, access to vital sea routes around Europe, which supports its claim as a maritime power.” The intelligence of the partisans refutes this claim.
Putin's strengthening of Crimean occupiers by 2025: a warning signal for NATO
Long before the start of the Ukrainian war, the magazine European Security and Defense (ESD) I discussed a research paper that sought to show “how Russia, in violation of international treaties, transformed this once-thriving resort town into a modern military base and even prepared it for the use of nuclear weapons.” The 20-page document emerged as part of the Vienna-based Forum for Security Cooperation (FCS) of the OSCE (Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe).
high Environment and sustainable development In 2020, the Russian Armed Forces in occupied Crimea consisted of 31,500 soldiers, a much larger number than before the occupation of Crimea, which at that time were recruited solely from members of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. the Environment and sustainable development-The source assumed, even without evidence of a military conflict at the time, that the number of Russian forces would increase 1.5 times by 2025 to allow Putin to carry out large-scale military operations in the southwest, at sea and on the coast as well. As in the airspace over the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. In this regard, the military reinforcements could have signaled an escalation in the annexation of Crimea and could have forced NATO to act quickly.
Moscow's flagship Moskva: former spearhead of nuclear armament in Crimea
Consequently Environment and sustainable developmentDefense correspondent George Mader referred to this early document as evidence that “air and sea means of delivery Putin's nuclear weapons They were transferred to the Crimean Peninsula, while the old infrastructure of Soviet-era camps near Feodosia and Sevastopol is supposed to be renovated” – for example, Bahrov Airport near Kerch. In this context, Mader points out that the Russian Federation has completed Unilaterally the 1997 agreement with Ukraine on the status of the Black Sea Fleet. According to Article 5 of this agreement, the Russian Federation pledged not to acquire nuclear weapons from the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation stationed on the territory of Ukraine. Moscow can still say that Crimea It is no longer part of Ukraine.
However, given the geopolitical situation in Crimea, the potential strengthening of the armed forces with nuclear weapons fundamentally calls into question the multilateral ban on nuclear weapons and puts NATO under pressure to act – and corresponding threats from the Russian side have now been made to the extent Enough. Russia has long deployed various delivery systems and other means by which nuclear weapons can be delivered to Crimea. These included the now sunken cruiser Moskva with the Vulcan missile system, the guided-missile destroyer Smitloy equipped with the Rastrup-B launch system, and the Su-24M bomber unit capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons. Other Russian aircraft that have been stationed in Crimea for some time for training purposes include Tu-22M3 medium-range bombers and Su-34 long-range tactical bombers.
The danger of using nuclear weapons is no coincidence – with the sinking of the Tsar Kunikov the fuse for Russia could have been lit – and Shoigu's angry speech about the porous defense of the Crimean fortifications can be taken as an indicator of this. In fact, experts continue to debate when this might happen Possible use of tactical nuclear weapons via Russia; They also consider Secret Service documents up to 20 years old to be valid evidence of the Russian military's behavior in subsequent battles in the Ukraine war, says security expert Ulrich Kuhn of the university's Institute for Peace and Security Policy Research. Hamburg said ZDF He expressed; That is, little has changed in the basic considerations of Russian military strategists to this day.
“The moment the front collapses, things get difficult,” Cohen says. In this situation, Russia uses the threat of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to influence its opponents. In his opinion, the reoccupation of Crimea could be a starting point that could lead to the use of nuclear weapons. (Priest)
Israel sees a „last chance” for a hostage deal before the attack on Rafah
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In Tel Aviv, negotiators are discussing the possibility of releasing Israeli hostages in Gaza. Various media outlets in the region reported that the chances are good. An Islamic state wants to pressure Hamas.
IAccording to media reports, Israel sees the latest efforts at a ceasefire and hostage agreement in the Gaza war as a „last chance” before the planned attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli official said talks between Egyptian and Israeli representatives in Tel Aviv on Friday were “very good” and focused.
It seems that the Egyptians are ready to pressure the Islamic movement Hamas to reach an agreement. Progress was made in all areas in the talks, The Times of Israel cited related reports late Friday evening. The state-owned Cairo News Channel had previously reported significant progress.
The Israeli official was quoted as saying that Israel will not allow Hamas, especially its leader in Gaza, Jihya Sinwar, to delay the hostage deal to prevent the planned military attack in Rafah. A few days ago, the army mobilized two additional reserve brigades.
Initially, a limited agreement was reached with Hamas
Sinwar is considered the planner of the massacre that Israel witnessed on October 7 of last year, as a result of which about 1,200 Israelis were killed, and about 250 people were displaced to Gaza. It is believed to be located in tunnels under Rafah.
The Times of Israel quoted the unnamed Israeli government official as saying: “This is the last chance before we go to Rafah.” “Either an agreement in the near future or Rafah.” Israel wants to destroy the last remaining Hamas brigades in the southern Gaza City bordering Egypt. According to Israeli media, Egypt wants to reach an agreement to avoid the attack in Rafah. Egypt fears that Palestinians will cross the border in large numbers.
On the other hand, Hamas said that it had received an official response from Israel to the position of the extremist Palestinian Islamic organization in the ceasefire talks. Deputy Head of the Hamas Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Hayya, said in a statement that the letter will be studied and a response will be provided.
In Rafah, hundreds of thousands sought refuge to escape the fighting in the rest of the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media, the recent talks between Egyptian and Israeli representatives were initially about a limited agreement with Hamas, under which only some women, the elderly, and the sick hostages would be released.
Hamas rejected an American proposal to release 40 of those kidnapped. According to her, there should not be a large number of hostages who fall into these categories alive. Hamas calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which the Israeli government rejects.
For days, NATO countries have been outpacing each other in arms shipments to Ukraine. Leopard 2 tanks will soon be among them again.
KYIV – They're rolling in the Ukraine war again: the one of great importance US arms supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces They are on the way forward. Thanks to $61 billion, military aid from other NATO countries is beginning to accelerate again.
Leopard 2 tank: Ukraine receives supplies from “Leos” against Russia
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) rejects the launch of the Taurus cruise missile. While the little one Lithuania gave its last fighter plane to the Ukrainians The British send Paveway IV infrared-guided glide bombs and powerful medium-range ATACMS missiles on their way to the devastated country from the United States.
Now supplies have arrived for the squadron Leopard 2 tanks Ukrainian army. Like the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais Madrid will soon deliver ten of a total of 19 Leopard 2 A4 tanks to the Ukrainians, it was reported on Friday (April 26). It's the next signal of support: Kiev can urgently use every Western battle tank to defend the country against the Russian invading forces of Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine losses: Many tanks remained facing Putin's Russian army
Because: like that New York Times (New York Times) As recently reported, the Russians have, among other things, disabled five of 31 US Abrams tanks delivered in the past two months. According to the open source intelligence website oryx, which documents military losses using photographs and maps. For example, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had lost a total of 796 tanks by April 20 – including 30 German-made Leopard 2 tanks. According to estimates, Kiev received approximately 140 tanks from the West. Many of them failed to fight against the army Russia He has already returned to the battlefield, as evidenced by numerous photos and videos from bloggers on social media such as Telegram.
Recently, Ukraine has had to rely more heavily on old Soviet-era tanks again Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) It stated that some of the newly formed brigades were no longer supplied with tanks at all. In addition to the Spanish tanks, work is currently underway on supplies: Munich tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), which has been producing „Leos” for decades, is currently preparing an additional 14 Leopard 2 A4 tanks from German industrial stocks on behalf of For and at the expense of the Netherlands and Denmark.
Weapons delivery to Ukraine: Spain provides Patriot missiles
how El Pais However, the Spanish arms package should be available to Kiev by June 30. The deliveries also include an unspecified payload of Patriot missiles, but Madrid has concluded that it does not wish to deliver a complete anti-aircraft system. This is exactly what Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said (SPD) last in Answer-Broadcasting „Maischberger“If a country has, for example, six Patriot systems, or four, and is not on the front line to the east, they can easily hand over a Patriot system,” other NATO partners asked.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) even wrote letters with similar requests to their counterparts. When Sandra Meischberger asked whether he meant Spain and/or Greece, the Defense Minister replied: “We are currently talking to them.” For its part, Athens publicly announced on Friday that it would not provide the Patriot air defense system. According to unconfirmed reports, the Greek Air Force is said to have 36 so-called Patriot bombers, that is, launchers.
Leopard 2 Ukrainians: Putin seized tanks that demonstrated in Russia
As for the “Panthers”: In recent months, the Russian army has been conducting a real hunt for Panther tanks in Ukraine, and this has been documented through pathetic posts published by Russian military bloggers on social media. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed a captured Leopard 2 A6 tank while transporting the tank on a low-loading truck across western Russia to the capital, Moscow – with offensive comments on social networks. Now Ukraine gets more from Assad again against Putin's imperialism. (evening)
In the United States, the H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading among cows, and even milk from supermarkets is affected. Researchers fear that the Mo flu could get out of control.
In March, cattle ranchers in the US states of Texas, Kansas and New Mexico noticed something disturbing. Something was wrong with her cows, they looked sick. Some of the animals gave less milk than usual, the milk was thicker, and the animals appeared to have lost their appetite. A few days later it was clear: they had contracted the bird flu virus H5N1 Experts detected it in their milk and, in one case, in a throat swab. Since then, more and more farmers in the United States have reported cases of infection in their herds. Recently, the American authorities found Genetic effects of the virus in pasteurized milk From the supermarket. New samples indicate The outbreak is likely to be largerwhich the official figures indicate.