Don's Weekly, 28 April 2025: Part 1

by Donald Hill (intro by Tom Cooper)

Hello everybody!

Another week is over and it’s the time for a review of the last week.

Before it’s so far, and because I’m receiving so many related questions (so also from the Ukrainian media, again and again), let me shamelessly admit: yes, I have entirely abandoned even the sheer idea of ‘trying to monitor’ Dumpf’s ‘peace negotiations’ with Pudding. I laugh when I power up my TV and then - meanwhile: by sheer accident - open one of news channels and read titles like, ‘Trump’s peace-seeking efforts…’

This entire ‘drama’ is such an obvious action of distracting away from Dumpf & Buddies (Musk, Thiel, etc.) enriching themselves at the cost of everybody else - with what would usually be called ‘insider deals’ through playing the markets, and with granting major contracts to Musk’s and other corporations owned by Buddies. Free along the motto, ‘if you’re all stupid enough to insistently look the other way, the better for us, hihi…’

If there are doubts: well, amateurish use of insecure channels of communication by a bunch of dillatants in the White House is not even that new. It’s only better covered now than in the case of certain earlier administrations. What is new is an US administration as dumb as to send its ‘special envoy’ to Moscow, without this speaking Russian, and without own translators: i.e. making him dependent on Pudding and his buddies…

What’s left to conclude in relation to Ukraine is that, no matter with what of Dumpf’s pipe dreams are ‘Zelensky & Co KG GesmbH’ (read: Yermak) trying to agree with, what do they sign etc.. the country and people need not having any kind of illusions: they’ll not get any kind of further US aid. Period.

Which, yes, is ‘bad’. On one hand. On the other, it’s - actually - good.

It’s bad because Ukraine now must expect another ‘several critical months’, like from October 2023 until April-May 2024, when it was the US Congress that blocked deliveries of US aid. It’s bad because Ukraine is thus now dependent on the Europeans increasing their aid, and these still only excelling at arranging major ‘meetings’, and ‘summits’ and making big announcements. But, and actually, doing very little.

Because, you know: we have so many other, more important things to do.

But, it’s also ‘good’. It’s ‘good’ because now both Ukraine and Europeans (i.e. Europe, including Ukraine) are forced to act, are forced into self-sufficiency.

Self-sufficiency in regards of fighting this war, and thus, actually, in almost everything they (read: us) do. This is not only incluidng the working-up own arms industry, but goes into finding technocrats that are strategists, too; it’s incluidng the re-organising our schooling systems so these start ‘producing’ people that can work in the modern-day arms industry (presently, we have a massive shortage of such people… and our kids, the so-called ‘generation Z’ seems to be busy celebrating parties and longing to become ‘influencers’); re-organising and working up not only the ‘defence sector’, but the entire IT-sector (so far, the IT-corporations were avoiding the EU, for example, because ‘it’s got too many rules’); it’s including a complete re-building of our intelligence services so these can act on their own (without the USA), etc., etc., etc…

…all of this can only happen provided our (including Ukrainian) governments are ready to admit this - all these needs and requirements - to themselves, first and foremost, then to each other, and then to the public at home and abroad. Which… sigh… still seems not to be the case. Or if, then is done only extremely hesitantly, and with one eye always at something like ‘hope, Dumpf’s going to get reasnable, after all’. At least it’s so that presently, all our governments are still limiting themselves to meeting and babbling with the aim of modelling yet another set of offers to Dumpf…

Primarily because they - the governments, the politicians - are paid to can’t, not because we all couldn’t.

…all of which is playing straight into Dumpf’s hands, because the more they’re all distracted from what is he actually doing, the more money is flowing into his pockets. And the more they all - ranging from ‘good people of the USA’, to all the ‘good people in Europe’ - are getting upset about all of Dumpf’s actions, the more are his own ‘MAGA’ voters supporting him. They are delighted at, they’re burning for more of what they see as ‘establishment being upset’. They can’t care less how much damage is Dumpf’s nonsense causing to themselves. All that matters is that ‘the others’ are getting upset about it. And, the more the merrier…

This is meanwhile reaching such proportions that similar ‘movements’ are continuing to grow ever more popular in Europe, too. What a surprise when the local political landscape ‘here’ is meanwhile organised something like this (and really, it doesn’t matter in what of European countries):

• classic centrist/’conservative’, slightly right-wing parties: babbling about their worries for everybody, while administering in interests of super-rich;

• classic centrist, slightly left-wing parties: babbling about their worries for society, while administering in interests of ‘their’ rich;

• classic left-wing parties: having absolutely no ideas how to get out of problems into which they’ve manouevred themselves (so much so, they can’t even figure out they’ve lost their popular support precisely because they can’t care less about the society), and

• classic and/or new right-wing parties: profiting from all of this through attracting voters by making ever bigger promises, while actually aiming for their own designs (usually consisting of a mix of administering for the super-rich, and establishing dictatorships).

…while the majority of voters is still casting their vote by the colour of each party - or the colour of eyes of top politicians…anything, just not by soberly informing themselves about what are these politicians actually doing.

The ‘best’ part of that story: the same voters are still expecting entirely different results….

Somewhere, the conclusion is unavoidable that, yes: we all do get governments we deserve. Nothing more, nothing less.

That’s why - perhaps ironically - the hope is slim, but remains, that at least Ukrainians might kick their corrupt and incompetent government’s backsides high enough for this to start acting. In turn, sort of ‘enforcing’ similar reforms further west. Through moving the country towards self-sufficiency, in turn prompting or forcing the rest of Europe in the same direction. Which is the ‘only way out’ of the predicament in which we all are struck.

Arguably, some of that Europe is already doing that. The problem is that such efforts are largely ignored by the ‘biggies’: why should anybody in Paris, London, Berlin care about what are Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Talinn, Riga, Vilnius… sometimes ‘even’ Warsaw doing… - when it’s so much more opportune to stage another glorious summit and thus have yet more opportunities for flashy press-conferences..

And so, until it’s (hopefully) so far, one must hope that both free spirits and enterpreneurs (both in Ukraine and further West) might continue finding the ways to by-pass the corruption and incompetence - for the sake and in interest of all of us (and without developing their own megalomaniac designs as result, too). Like, just for example, when the Ukrainian production of UAVs continues suffering shortages of optical equipment, because the SBU (illegally, and by force) assumed the control over the biggest manufacturer of the same, and now dozens of ‘minor’ companies are struggling to find a solution… But hey: it doesn’t matter. The SBU is so good at distracting by assassinations of yet another or Pudding’s top generals.

Look that way, please: since when should you, Mr and Mrs. Everyday People care about how are wars really fought…?

That’s the ‘executive summary’ of the Bardak in which we all are living…and ‘for’ the survival of which are Ukrainians fighting…

…sigh…

…good luck, everybody.

***

Kursk

Russia was able to push Ukraine closer to the border but there was no movement near Basivka. Ukraine bombarded Guyevo. The Russians claimed the Ukrainians ‘broke the cease fire’ and took the monastery. In any case, the Russians bombed it and hit it with rockets, artillery and drones before reoccupying it.

Ukraine established a network of roads protected from drones by nets in the Sumy region. Russia says these nets highlight Ukraine’s logistical routes. On the other hand, if Russian drones can observe the nets covering the roads, they’d be able to observe any vehicles using the roads.

A logistics base was detected by a Shark drone (guess what Shark drone…) and attacked.

A house in Tetkino was used by the Russians to launch drones and the post said 20 Russians were killed.

The Russian assault bus destroyed in Kursk was not the first time a bus has been used.

Russians used scooters for a time west of Bakhmut and now they are being used in the Kursk.

***

Belgorod

Russia took Demidovka and then continued attacking through the woods to the west, but the 225th Regiment showed the Russian dead from trying to cross the road. Popovka was heavily pounded by rockets, artillery, drones and airstrikes but Ukraine still holds it.

500 meters east of Myropilske Russia used thermobaric rockets near the border. 1700 meters to the north of the village the Russians drop a bomb, as well as five more closer to the village.

***

(…to be continued…)