Don's Weekly, 19 May 2025: Part 1

by Donald Hill (intro by Tom Cooper)

Hello everybody!

…’now to Ukraine’…

From the ‘European’ point of view, the last week was another one of our glorious zombie idiots arranging another meeting, to arrange another meeting, to arrange yet another meeting, so they can talk about talking, and appease to the left and right. We’re world champions in this discipline, meanwhile.

…of course, also with ‘hopes’ that there are going to be serious negotiations in Turkey…

Primarily because they’re all paid to think that one must- and still can appease Pudding, Dumpf, and now Pope too, and anything is better than acting on our own. And then, during one of usual press conferences following such meetings to arrange meetings amd have flashy photos shot by the media, they’ve announced ‘devastating sanctions’ against Russia… Aha. And? For what are they waiting with such sanctions for the last three (+) years? For Pudding to devastate Ukraine, first? Or is it so that now they’re taking it personally that he’s obviously considering them all for incompetent fools that do not matter? For NPCs?

But wait: the newest hope is that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is going to put Putin in his place. Read: as next Europe is going to outsource our foreign politcs, too.

Probably because it’s cheaper if made by Beijing…

The Americans were still busy feeling dumbfounded by Dumpf & Co KG GesmbH AG being publicly bribed by the Qataris. Sure: even I cannot understand how could that happen to a convicted fellon with a history of money-laundering for the FSB (via the Russian mafia), that successfully bankrupted every single of 14 enterprises he’s founded in his life. Absolutely amazing and so unexpected, can’t say. But hey: he’s invented something entirely new. It’s called ‘commercial diplomacy’: consists of concluding massive deals with (mildly expressed) dubious dictators for which nobody is sure that can be implemented, and on behalf of short-term commercial gain while overlooking security.

Stunning concept, isn’t it? And so much new, and better than before. Especially because something of that kind was never tried before. Particularly not in the Russian Federation or the PRC….

…which reminds me that the only thing I’m really wondering about whenever thinking of the orange character is: considering stringent immigration rules, how could it happen thousands of such like Mogilevich ever being granted permission to enter the USA? …and why do I have the feeling nobody else is asking that question, at least not in the public, some 15-20 times a day?

Must be consequent and systematic application of the above-mentioned immigration rules - and that over decades…

On the contrary, I doubt anybody in Ukraine was surprised or disappointed any more. There’s no reason. The incompetence of the European top politicians is well-known; that US presidents are behaving like madmen on dope is nothing new; the Russian continuous assaulting on the ground was nothing new; during the night from 17 to 18 May, the Russians released the record-braking 273 attack UAVs into the Ukrainian airspace (88 were claimed as shot down, 128 as jammed), and even that was nothing new; the air force lost yet another F-16 (fortunately, the pilot survived this time) which is nothing new; yet another distinguished ZSU commander is complaining about the incompetence of the Glavcom & Buddies (Syrsky and the Ukrainian General Staff), which is nothing new; and the people know that Pudding is NOT preparing the Russian public for any kind of a peace deal, nor for an end of war. There was simply nothing new, and there is nothing to expect…

…and, please, everybody: do not try to learn any kind of lessons from the latest episodes in the Indo-Pakistani Telenovela: especially not from India changing its strategy for 180 degrees ‘in the middle of an ongoing conflict’, or emphasising dependence on own defence sector to improve its military capabilities.

Not only is that happening ‘on the other side of the world’ - and not in Europe, and is thus ‘unimportant’ - but: why shall ‘anybody civilised’ learn anything from a ‘Third World country’…?

Sigh… Perhaps it’s better to, at this point in time, hand over to Don…

***

Kursk

A Ukrainian M577 command vehicle is destroyed 3 km from the Russian border and 7 km from Tyotkino. Six bombs hit a building complex 1500 meters south of the border.

Russians in Guyevo casually wave to a reconaissance drone, which is followed by an airstrike. 700 meters to the east, a Ukrainian incursion into Guyevo draws Russian shellfire.

The HQ of the 40th Marine Brigade was bombed by Ukraine and the deputy commander was killed.

The first 2S43 152mm SPA was delivered to the Russian army in October 2023. The first report of one being destroyed was in mid-April. The second one was a week ago.

***

Kharkiv

Zuravlyovka is a small village on the Russian side of the border. It’s held by Ukraine and a Russian attack resulted in the destruction of six armored vehicles, two ATVs plus a number of motorcycles and infantry. Another group, probably planning to attack the village from the east, was intercepted 5 km from the front lines and lost two tanks, three BMPs and two trucks.

In western Vovchansk, Ukrainian positions are bombarded by weapons with thermal warheads.

***

Kupiansk

A week ago, during Pudding’s ‘cease fire’, a Russian motorcycle assault out of Zapadne was eliminated.

***

Terny

Russia used drone bombs in Ridkodub, and Russians were bombed in Love, but the front lines didn’t move.

***

Siversk

Siversk is once again bombed and heavily shelled.

***

Chasiv Yar

Western Chasiv Yar is bombarded by rockets once again.

10 km from the front lines, the traffic signals still function in Kostyantynivka but cars don’t stop because they want to minimize their exposure in open spaces. There are no police to enforce traffic laws, in any case. Because of the curfew, people can only move about from 11 am to 3 pm.

Cluster munitions from a Smerch missile killed two people recently. About 15,000 of the city’s 67,000 people remain despite a mandatory evacuation order last summer. When someone dies, it is likely that their surviving family members have already fled the city. Those that stayed behind contact the funeral home and, with little money, choose the cheapest coffin or stop talking to the home because they can’t afford it. The funeral home buries the dead anyway.

Residents of Kostyantynivka are meanwhile avoiding the ruins of the train station because this is regularly shelled.

A 2001 census revealed that 59% of the city was ethnic Ukrainian and 78% spoke Russian. Not all of them support Ukraine. When the war began, any lines in front of a store or a group of soldiers standing around were attacked by bombs or missiles so often, nobody considered this a coincidence. Some of the older citizens blamed the bombing on Ukraine. In 2014, separatist mobs set up checkpoints and waved Russian flags. One resident tells of growing up in this city as part of the Soviet Union. His history teacher would tell him of what Stalin did and provided him with banned books. That is why he still supported Ukraine in 2014. And yet this same teacher supports the separatists and was complaining about Ukrainian fascists after the Russian attack.

The city lies in a river valley with hills between the city and Chasiv Yar. Much of the city is still intact, but a local soldier says that if the Russians reach those hills 5 km away then the town will be destroyed. He’s not sure how long it will take Russia to advance that far. A year, maybe, or less.

***

(…to be continued…)