dr Cassandra Nojdh skrev: ↑torsdag 10 augusti 2023 18:33
Har Karin Kneissl flyttat till Ryssland? Ja, där har hon ju en danspartner om hon skulle vilja ta sig en svängom:
Austria's ex-Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl moves to Russia — with ponies flown in from Syria on a military transport plane
The Insider skrev:In a post on her official Telegram channel, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, now living in Russia, confirmed that she had brought two ponies and other belongings into the country last year, adding that the ponies were flown in on a “Russian transport flight” from Syria. As previously reported by The Insider, the animals were transported using a military-cargo Il-76MD aircraft linked to the Russian Defense Ministry's 224th flight detachment, which is under US sanctions for transporting Wagner Group equipment and personnel.
[...]
The fact that a Russian military transport plane was used to transport two ponies from a military base in Syria was first reported by Russian pro-war channel Fighterbomber on September 7. Other details of the incident were revealed thanks to a social media post by a horse club from the Leningrad Region, which reported the arrival of two ponies that started their journey in Austria and “crossed six international borders.” Notably, this publication included photos of an IL-76MD aircraft with a clearly visible flight number, but it has since been deleted.
[...]
Following her brief political career in Austria, Kneissl strengthened her connections with Russia. In 2020, she took on a columnist role for RT and joined the board of directors of state-owned oil giant Rosneft in 2021. However, with the onset of the invasion of Ukraine, she had to leave the country due to a European Parliament resolution warning of potential sanctions against EU citizens holding positions on Russian corporate boards.
Kneissl har inte bara flyttat till Ryssland. Hon lät också sina båda ponnyer flygas till Sankt Petersburg medelst ett ryskt militärflygplan - från Syrien.
Ukraine to boost defense production sevenfold in 2024 budget plan
Euromaidan Press skrev:The draft budget proposes funding for the defense sector at the level of UAH 1.6 trillion ($44 billion), which is more than half of all budget resources or 21.6% of Ukraine’s GDP.
In particular, financing the development of the defense-industrial complex, which the Ministry of Strategic Industry directly supervises, will increase sevenfold — to UAH 55.8 billion ($1.5 billion). This money doesn’t include direct spending on weapons purchase but costs specifically allocated for developing the production.
[...]
In total, the Cabinet planned Ukraine’s budget spending for 2024 at the level of more than UAH 3.3 trillion ($89 billion). Nearly 55% of the sum will be collected by taxes, while borrowings, grants, and some other minor income sources, such as the privatization of state-owned and confiscated Russian property, will cover the rest. The budget deficit in 2024 is expected at the level of 20,4% of GDP, down from 27% in 2023.
Ukraina sjufaldigar sin försvarsbudget nästa år. Det blir många drönare och missiler!
Russian lawmaker says draftees won’t be rotated out of Ukraine until war is done
Meduza skrev:Russian draftees won’t be rotated out of combat zones in Ukraine until the “special military operation” is complete, says State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov. Soldiers forced into military service by President Putin’s partial mobilization order last year still have the right to brief rest and recuperation once every six months of service, Kartapolov told journalists on Friday.
Just a few days earlier, on September 9, however, Kartapolov said Russia’s booming recruitment of contract soldiers gives the military enough manpower to consider rotational deployments without even resuming mobilization. He stressed that the Defense Ministry was close to signing as many volunteers in 2023 as the 300,000 men the Armed Forces drafted last fall.
Ännu ett tecken på att allt inte går enligt plan. Men Putin vågar inte utlysa en storskalig mobilisering innan nästa års låtsasval - en chans för Ukraina.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 15, 2023
ISW skrev:Russian State Duma Deputy and former Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District (SMD) Lieutenant General Andrei Gurulev complained about lying within the Russian military and highlighted the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses against Russian helicopters. Gurulev published a Telegram message on September 15 largely reiterating known Russian challenges, though with several notable points. Gurulev complained that the culture of lying in the Russian military is the main issue preventing a Russian victory in Ukraine and claimed that false reports are leading to poor decision-making at many levels within the Russian military.[4] Gurulev also stated that Ukrainian air defenses at the front are effective against Russian helicopters and are preventing Russian helicopters from using previously highly effective anti-tank missiles, and he reiterated common complaints about Ukraine’s ability to conduct drone strikes on Russian rear areas and insufficient Russian counterbattery capabilities.[5] Gurulev is notable for having previously leaked the audio message of former Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army (SMD) Major General Ivan Popov’s grievances over the lack of support for Russian forces on July 12, and Gurulev‘s likely senior ties with the SMD lend weight to his complaints.[6]
Det verkar inte gå så bra för Ryssland. Attackhelikoptern Ka-52 är uppenbarligen inget undervapen!
UAE Reportedly Seeking Role In South Korea’s KF-21 Fighter Jet Program
Forbes skrev:In 2017, Abu Dhabi signed a preliminary deal to work with Russia on developing an unspecified next-generation fighter. In 2021, Russia displayed a mockup of its planned fifth-generation Su-75 Checkmate at the Dubai Airshow.
However, analysts have repeatedly noted the UAE’s involvement in such programs was more to demonstrate to the U.S. that it had other options for armaments rather than a genuine effort to acquire Russian fighters for its air force, which consists of American and French jets. And, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cooperating with Moscow on such projects is more untenable than ever.
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The only problem is the first variant of the KF-21, while stealthier than the 4.5-generation aircraft currently on the market, will feature external hardpoints rather than internal weapons bays. So, while close to a fifth-generation fighter, it will still fall short of that technical classification, leading some to unofficially dub it a “4.75-generation” aircraft. Nevertheless, future variants may improve upon this shortcoming.
The timing of this purported Emirati interest in the Boramae is also noteworthy. After all, the UAE’s neighbor, Saudi Arabia, eagerly wants to join the United Kingdom-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) developing the sixth-generation Tempest fighter. Riyadh reportedly requested to join in August, mere weeks before the UAE’s reported KF-21 interest.
Gulfstaterna nöjer sig inte längre med att köpa de senaste leksakerna. Nu vill de vara med och utforma nästa generations stridsflygplan. Var är Sverige?
