Don's Weekly, 12 December 2023: Part 2
(…continued from Part 2….)
Freedom of Russia League and the Russian Volunteer Corps
The Freedom of Russia League formed in March, 2022. Formed by defectors from the Russian armed forces and other Russian volunteers, they are opposed to Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. Their leaders have not been identified. The recruitment process consists of several interviews, a psychological test and polygraph examination, plus two months of training. They have several hundred members forming two battalions, which are part of Ukraine’s International Legion.
The Russian Volunteer Corps was formed by Denis Kapustin in August, 2022. He is a neo-nazi who has been banned by 23 EU states (the Schengen Area), and has about 200 fighters. They believe in a smaller, ethnic Russian state and use the symbols of the Russian Liberation Army, which collaborated with Germany in WW2.
The Russian Volunteer Corps conducted a raid into Bryansk, Russia, in March, 2023. Alongside the Freedom of Russia League, they conducted several raids into Belgorod, Russia since May, 2023. There are now reports that the Russian Volunteer Corps is participating in the battle for Avdiivka with Wagner and Storm Z personnel recruited from POW camps.
This article says that back in October the Russian Volunteer Corps participated in an Avdiivka engagement with both a former Wagner and a former Storm Z soldier in the unit. A spokesman said dozens are joining the unit, including a Russian lieutenant who convinced 11 other soldiers to surrender under the “I Want To Live” program…https://mil.in.ua/en/news/former-soldiers-of-the-pmc-wagner-and-storm-z-joined-the-russian-volunteer-corps/
Inside the article is a photo of a Russian POW captured by the Russian Volunteer Corps in Avdiivka dated from October…https://mil.in.ua/en/news/russian-volunteer-corps-joins-ukraine-in-avdiivka-direction-offensives/
This video published last week uses the symbol of the Russian Volunteer Corps. They were driven to the treeline in Bradley’s, which are associated with Ukraine’s 47th Brigade…
Equipment
The Swedish Archer artillery system is now operating in Ukraine…
https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1732907023061442586
Ukraine is extending the range of the Neptune missile and giving it a bigger warhead…
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1731781511408493030
Ukraine is building six 155mm guns a year right now. That rate will increase aided by the fact that they’ll build three different variants…https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a44507341/ukraine-fielding-western-caliber-artillery-vehicles/
A reliable reporter says the North Korean shells have a 50% dud rate…
https://twitter.com/CalibreObscura/status/1733222868807270510
Diplomacy
Poland continues to block Ukrainian trucks from entering Ukraine, angered by Ukraine’s cheaper rates. Vehicles with Polish plates are allowed through. Humanitarian aid is allowed through at a rate of 1-2 vehicles a day. Military cargo is supposedly let through but there are reports that some are being blocked. And volunteer groups with supplies for frontline troops, including medical supplies, are blocked. As of November 23, Ukraine has lost 400 million euros as a result. The organizer of the blockade is the leader of the only Polish party that rejects aid to Ukraine. His truck company used to do heavy business in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and now only does business in the latter two countries at lower volumes. The outgoing government has done nothing to resolve the situation. The new Polish government will take office in mid-December…https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/12/03/ukraines-economy-lost-e400-mn-due-to-the-polish-border-blockade-some-military-cargo-also-blocked-including-1000s-of-tourniquets/?swcfpc=1&fbclid=IwAR2qAL9RQ5y-VpvPX8pBgLY6Cb3aaye98q6qCKRc_-seFzQNiYwYr9UWwBQ
Slovakian truckers plan to close their borders with Ukraine. I presume they could only do so with the approval of their government, too…
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1732403493707681864
Up to 50 blockaded trucks a day will be transported by train across the border (shown in a tweet within the article). It takes eight to fourteen days to cross the blockade, reports a Ukrainian driver. The only action the Warsaw government has taken is to open up a new checkpoint after lengthy negotiations with Ukraine, allowing empty trucks to move from Ukraine to Poland…https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-poland-slovakia-border-blockade-truckers-european-union-1850327#:~:text=Ukraine's%20infrastructure%20minister%2C%20Oleksandr%20Kubrakov,Poland%20after%20%22lengthy%20negotiations.%22&text=%22The%20ultimate%20goal%20of%20the,the%20border%2C%22%20Kubrakov%20added.
Russia spent tens of millions of dollars to discredit the Maidan in 2014. So far, they have spent $1.5 billion to forment a revolution in Ukraine in the last two years…https://www.kyivpost.com/post/24775?fbclid=IwAR21GpRv91LlX4fGodAm7WG4bgLlzLkrJ2bhDrTqwVRm7w2H2whfUX099Tc
The US will have access to Swedish bases. There is some question regarding nuclear weapons…
The Bulgarian parliament overrode their president’s veto to send 100 BTR’s to Ukraine…
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1733176396883574818
Japan will give $4.5 billion aid…
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1732838695949021533
330,000 155mm shells in Ukraine came from South Korea…
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1732821233786401090
There are a few countries that Putin can visit without being arrested…
https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1732344267178192928
It wasn’t a low-key visit, either. I imagine the UAE airforce creates the flag of all visiting leaders…
https://twitter.com/nedalalamari/status/1732362637822894453
On to Saudi Arabia…
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1732473975077302515
While the MAGA Republicans do not wish to aid Ukraine most Republicans do. The difference now is that they are joining with their MAGA colleagues in holding Ukrainian aid hostage with an unrelated issue: the case of immigration to the USA. Democrats agree in general to make immigration more difficult but reject the very restrictive Republican proposals. It doesn’t mean that aid won’t be passed after more posturing…https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/us/politics/senate-ukraine-aid-bill.html?te=1&nl=the-morning&emc=edit_nn_20231207
Ukraine’s defense minister was interviewed…https://www.foxnews.com/video/6342426831112?fbclid=IwAR3B0_j-C5yWKd0aRlrUArSKEybwr5OtsUhrebJSK4uVbdY3K5gwQ8xgUPY
The head of the Polish National Security Bureau, said in a post on social media X late on Tuesday that Poland would send military advisers to its NATO ally Finland, in response to "an official request for allied support in the face of a hybrid attack on the Finnish border". Russia said that any concentration of Polish troops on their border with Finland would be viewed as a threat. Finland's Border Guard and the interior ministry both said they were unaware of any plan to bring Polish military advisers to Finland's eastern border…https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-reported-polish-plan-send-troops-finnish-border-says-it-will-stoke-2023-11-29/
Around October 7-8, a Chinese ship drug a 6,000 kg anchor for over 180 km, damaging a gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, and also damaging two telecom cables between Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The container ship Newnew Polar Bear is returning to China and both Finland and Estonia have asked China if they could send representatives to investigate the returning ship. No one has admitted responsibility…https://www.politico.eu/article/balticconnector-damage-likely-to-be-intentional-finnish-minister-says-china-estonia/#:~:text=An%20investigation%20by%20Finnish%20authorities,the%20cables%20and%20gas%20lines.
For decades the relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been characterized by historical territorial disputes, bitter fighting and little desire to negotiate peaceful resolutions for any of those disputes. Armenia had the military advantage early in the conflict but Azerbaijan’s oil and gas revenues helped it create a superior military that allowed it to take total control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region with little opposition. With its dominance, it seemed poised to insist on a corridor through Armenian territory to connect with Azerbaijani territory on the other side of Armenia. (A map is within the article). Russia’s failed promises of protection resulted in a Russian-Armenian relationship at an all-time low. And western accusations of Azerbainjani genocide created frosty relations between them.
Against this backdrop, both Armenia and Azerbaijan called for international backing to build “mutual trust” and “positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.” It is a surprising development backed by trust-building gestures. Two Azerbaijani prisoners will be exchanged for 32 Armenian prisoners. Both nations were bidding to host the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP29). Armenia not only withdrew its bid, it is encouraging other nations to back Azerbaijan’s bid.
The US helped facilitate the negotiations. Russia has offered its services in future negotiations but both Armenia and Azerbaijan seemed inclined to use EU and US services. Azerbaijan was recently favored by Russia as Armenia let its disappointment with Russia be known. While Azerbaijan may or may not have been open to Russia as a facilitator, Armenia decidedly was not. Azerbaijan also has gas and oil deposits that are being bought by the EU as a partial replacement for Russian oil and gas. Another unknown factor is what role, if any, Russian troops stationed in both countries will play…https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/12/08/armenia-azerbaijan-breakthrough-signals-end-of-russias-south-caucasus-influence/?fbclid=IwAR1w5uYVBK1xkWyI0_Z9AHOyufbQSX6bCsG2ArUa8clGrqUsvRs48afeySk
The International Olympic Committee decided as a matter of human rights that Russian and Belarussian athletes can compete in the Olympics as neutral athletes without a flag. Ukraine said it would drop its threat to boycott under those terms. Teams with Russian or Belarussian passports will not compete. The individual athletes cannot express support for the invasion and cannot have a contract with military or security services…https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/67663582
Miscellaneous
A Russian woman in Belgium displays her support for the invasion of Ukraine…
https://twitter.com/victoriaslog/status/1732160045880623367
Zelensky takes a morning stroll in the neighborhood…
https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1732342212862636038
Whatever the rodent problem in a trench might have been, it’s worse in the winter when they seek both heat and food. Cats aren’t the only animals deployed against them: https://twitter.com/AndrewPerpetua/status/1731012757355438222
A Russian tries to communicate with a Ukrainian drone operator…
https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1732862260760940716
Just some people in Lviv who want to live their lives…
In 2017, French truckers protested against concurrence from East EU countries, including Poland, Slovakia, etc. see https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-protests-truckers-idUSKBN1DL1GO/
Makes me wonder if someone will ask Polish drivers about thier opinions about blockade.