KYHorn

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce the Establishment of a “Coalition of the Willing” during a Speech given during the D-Day Memorial Celebrations in France on June 6th, with this Coalition expected to include Lithuania, Britain and several other European Countries that Support the Deployment of Military Instructors to Ukraine. Instructors and Trainers from these Countries would then begin arriving in Ukraine shortly after or even before the Speech, with French Training Advisors claimed to possibly already be at Facilities in Western Ukraine.

Blinken and the larger administration's messaging has been so inconsistent and unclear on this but they seem to be moving ever so slowly (their MO for the duration of this war) in the right direction (see NYT article below). Inside the White House, a Debate Over Letting Ukraine Shoot U.S. Weapons Into Russia After a sobering trip to Kyiv, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is urging the president to lift restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/politics/white-house-ukraine-weapons-russia.html#:~:text=Inside the White House%2C a,Ukraine can use American arms.

Interesting shakeup here. How many generals do they have if it's supposedly going to make a difference in their ability to provide rest to current front line troops?? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/05/24/ukraine-generals-front-line-russia-soldiers/ Ukraine to fire generals and send them to front lineMove to cut top brass by two thirds aims to boost morale among rank and file soldiers feeling the heat from Russian aggression.

Here's a real escalation Russia starts ‘tactical nuclear drills’ near Ukraine border https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/22/russia-starts-tactical-nuclear-drills-near-ukraine-border

Incoming from just across the Russian border...but Ukraine shouldn't shoot back because that will escalate things.

This is solid trolling. Well done

Lots of people saying it's confirmed. JUST IN: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi is confirmed dead after rescuers reached the crash site. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is also dead. The discovery came after a long night of searching in freezing conditions. Shortly before the discovery, Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir-Hossein Kolivand said the situation was “not good.” According to Reuters, the helicopter was completely burned in the crash.

Here's some unfortunate clarity.

3. Which Surly poster will out their fetish on this thread?

Ruh-roh. The Defense Minister was also on board. "Raisi, 63, is a hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary. He is viewed as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some analysts have suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after his death or resignation from the role. Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war. Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast, like Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah."

Well done.

Contrary to the text of the tweet below, this is a pretty unclear answer here by Blinken regarding Ukraine striking in Russia with American weapons

Very preliminary, so keep that in mind.

Former Senator Rob Portman (R) recently wrote a piece detailing a plan for victory for Ukraine in anticipation of the Biden admin's plan that is required by the recent Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan aid. I don't think it goes far enough, as it's essentially a list of weapons and systems everyone here knows about, but it's a fairly brief read that is important, if nothing else, because of the political side he comes from. https://thedispatch.com/article/a-plan-for-victory-in-ukraine/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Russia Opens Up New Front in Northeastern Ukraine&utm_campaign=The Morning Dispatch_Paid Subscribers Only_Russia Opens Up New Front in Northeastern Ukraine#comments A Plan for Victory in Ukraine Congress wants a strategy for Ukraine to win, not merely survive. The administration should embrace it. By Rob Portman

The first minutes after the attack on Robert #Fico - the prime minister's security guards evacuate him to his motorcade while eyewitnesses hold the shooter According to preliminary information from Slovak media, Fico was shot multiple times. One to the abdomen, one to the head. He's in serious condition.

https://united24media.com/latest-news/estonia-considers-sending-troops-to-support-ukraine-in-non-combat-roles-318 Estonia Considers Sending Troops to Support Ukraine in Non-Combat Roles MAY 14, 2024 15:07 Estonia’s government has engaged in “serious” discussions regarding sending troops to western Ukraine. These forces would assume non-combat, logistical roles to free up Ukrainian soldiers for frontline combat, stated Estonian National Security Advisor Madis Roll. Roll’s remarks followed statements from the head of Estonia’s Armed Forces, General Martin Herem, who previously said that there were internal military discussions months ago regarding the potential deployment of troops to western Ukraine for roles such as medical services, logistics, or air defense in certain western cities. Madis Roll emphasized their preference for a NATO-led mission “to show broader combined strength and determination”. However, he left open the possibility of collaborating with a smaller coalition. “Discussions are ongoing,” Security Advisor said. “We should be looking at all the possibilities. We shouldn’t have our minds restricted as to what we can do.” Roll, speaking on May 10, pointed out that NATO members currently opposed to troop deployment might reconsider their stance over time, saying that this scenario is “not unthinkable as time goes on”. This follows Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė expressing the willingness to send Lithuanian troops to Ukraine for training purposes. “If we just thought about the Russian response, then we could not send anything. Every second week you hear that somebody will be nuked”, said Šimonytė. The potential deployment of Western troops to Ukraine has opened the door to a debate, ignited by the French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments, suggesting such a course of action might be necessary in the future.

Full footage of the clash between Ukrainian border guards from Frozen Group and Russian invaders in Kharkiv Oblast on 10 May. A shorter episode emerged yesterday. They repelled a Russian attack on their positions and withdrew successfully, although somewhat struggled to find directions at first. Everyone survived. Added subtitles where possible.

Wasn't Amy a meme stock?

The Chinese car industry has turned out to be deadly for Russians A GAC crossover almost burned the driver alive. The incident occurred on the highway between Moscow and Orenburg. The door of the Chinese car caught fire, the seat belt jammed and the brakes failed. The man miraculously escaped from the death trap. He was hospitalized with numerous burns. Now Russians have a dilemma: should they buy a domestic Lada without seat belts or a burning Chinese car?