TheOldGuy @TheOldGuy@social.cleverlibre.org

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Royals-Pickleball-Murder-Mystery/dp/B0C9RWW2XN/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1688761774&sr=1-1

Rest in Eternal Peace Vladislav Savelyev

He was supposed to defend Ukraine on the F-16, but did not wait: the story of pilot Vlad Savelyev

We tell readers @Pravda_Gerashchenko about the senior pilot of NOMAD - Vladislav Savelyev

The most "westernized" Ukrainian pilot
2021 was probably the most significant year for Vlad. Firstly, the wife gave birth to a daughter, Kira, and secondly, Saveliev was sent to study in the USA for two years. Vlad absolutely loved studying in the States, taking flight training on the T-6A Texan II turboprop trainer and enjoying frequent flights.

However, from the first days of the invasion, he rushed to Ukraine to his own ... In the final month, he even crossed out days on the calendar.

Should have studied for the F-16
Two days before his death, Vlad received a high score on the retraining test and was supposed to be training to fly the F-16. But on June 2, 2023, in the sky near Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, his plane received a fatal fire defeat.

He managed to deliver “gifts” to the Russians in the form of JDAM guided bombs, but an enemy shell from an enemy anti-aircraft gun got him. The brothers hoped to the last that the Nomad ejected and managed to escape. But the miracle didn't happen.

More F-16s = Fewer Burned Pianos
American pilots have a tradition of burning pianos in memory of dead pilots while on a mission. This is how Vlad's brothers honored his memory. Before that, there was a formation, an official farewell, a pair of MiGs made a low-altitude pass right above the coffin and rose sharply.

One of the best Ukrainian pilots went into the sky forever very young. He was only 26 years old. Vlad loved traveling and bequeathed to scatter his ashes over the fjord in Norway. This request was fulfilled by his wife Lyubov together with her little daughter.

Just what we don't need.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/17/1194237181/yellow-legged-hornet-georgia

This was morning. It's evening now and Tramp won't be debating.
https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/im-your-man-donald-trumps-delusions-just-took-a-turn-for-the-utterly-berserk/51648/

If they run him as their candidate, they lose bigly.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/donald-trumps-numbers-of-doom/51634/

Tramp is running scared. My 91 year old aunt gave me that name for him.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/hes-just-begging-now/51643/

The new Russian smartphone. https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/9430

http://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/aug/18

Ron DeathSantis analysis

https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/ron-desantis-is-a-twenty-megaton

❗️ Occupiers tighten repression in Crimea, fearing for their own safety

Agent "ATESH" reports that the administration of the "Crimean Railway" with the staff were instructed by the FSB. Representatives of the Russian intelligence service called on the employees of the enterprise to increase vigilance in identifying pro-Ukrainian sentiments and statements.

According to the representatives of the FSB, they, allegedly, have already been able to carry out a number of arrests on signals from cashiers working on trains. In the cash halls and in the salons of suburban electric trains, in addition to video surveillance, sound recording is carried out. The staff was advised to carefully look into the gadgets of passengers, carefully listen to the conversations between them. If they hear anything, immediately report to the representatives of transport security or the police.

These instructions have been handed out for almost a week now, at cashiers' and controllers' meetings at all railway stations in the occupied Crimea. Probably, there are such events for heads of enterprises in other areas ...

Join "ATESH" - fight for a free future! atesh_fire

🚫The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has added the Chinese group of companies Alibaba Group Holding Limited to the list of international sponsors of war

The group of companies of Alibaba Group Holding Limited includes: Cloud Intelligence Group, Taobao Tmall Business Group (Taobao, Tmall, Taobao Deals, Taocaica\i, 1688. com), Local Services Group (Amap, Ele. me), Global Digital Business Group (Lazada, AliExpress, Trendyol, Daraz, Alibaba. com), Cainiao Smart Logistics, Digital Media and Entertainment Group (Youku, Alibaba Pictures).

💢In particular, attention was drawn to the online commerce platform AliExpress, which is operated by the Russian subsidiary of the Alibaba group, LLC "Alibaba. COM (RU)"

💬According to the NACP website, "as of 2023, the company continues to do business in Russia, providing an international platform for the sale of foreign goods. The profit of Alibaba.COM (RU) LLC for 2022 amounted to 16.3 billion rubles (about $160 million)."

💭"In April 2023, Reuters reported that the Chinese company Quzhou Nova purchased at least 3,220 tons of copper alloy for a total of $7.4 million from the Debaltseve Metallurgical Engineering Plant (controlled by the russians) between October 8, 2022 and March 24, 2023. According to customs, the copper alloy was shipped from the plant through the port of Novorossiysk. The company uses the copper exported from the occupied territories to produce goods that it sells on Alibaba's platforms. It is worth noting that Alibaba also resorts to censoring Ukrainian content on its platforms related to the russian war. In March 2022, Alibaba blocked the profile of a Ukrainian streamer who had more than 268 thousand subscribers on AliExpress for posting about the war. At the same time, pro-russian posts on the platform are not deleted," the statement said.

⭐️List of International Sponsors of War

Teaching Ibises a new migration route
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/18/world/europe/johannes-fritz-ibises-migration.html

https://newrepublic.com/post/175056/florida-republicans-seek-fine-abortion-clinic-bankruptcy

Russia is unhappy because Poland is strengthening it's border defenses.

https://t.me/liveukraine_media/12882

NEXT PHASE IN THE SOUTH

Ukraine’s General Staff formally announced the capture of Urazhine yesterday afternoon so the question now is where next?
The obvious south bound target is Zavitne, but there won’t be a headlong dash at the village.
Zavitne is considered even by the Russians to be largely untenable - and you know how they have that soviet era need to hold every settlement. The reason it’s so difficult to hold because it lies in a flat open valley with quite steep high ground either side that opens up in an inverted V shape. It’s the high ground the Ukrainians will aim to seize so they can isolate the village in a salient and drive the Russians out without a fight. For once the Russians are aware of the vulnerability, and they may well choose to retreat to the primary trench line south of here and wait, preparing for what must surely come.
There’s been Ukrainian activity east of the current area they control at Urazhine where they know ATGM crews have a stronghold - indeed they captured part of it yesterday which may well lead to more Russian pullouts. However this needed to be removed in order to access the high ground inverted V on the eastern side of Zavitne.
Over at Robotnye the Ukrainian 47th is taking a lot of prisoners - suggesting morale has collapsed in the Russian units facing them. This is an area where the Russians had success with mixing VDV elite and mobiks together. It’s a bit like watering down one to strengthen the other but the median is stronger.
However the VDV troops were already reduced and under strain and I can only speculate that their numbers have dropped significantly and the mobiks just don’t have the will - or the motivation - to fight. It’s an interesting psychology. The VDV troops would have inspired/motivated and even frightened the mobiks, but they would still have lead the fight. Mobiks were likely around 3:1 in the majority. Once the VDV realised they were being used to push cannon fodder it would demotivate them, they still carried most of the fighting but with third rate support from the mobiks, VDV gets killed, mobiks think if he gets killed what chance do we have? So they stop fighting.
If the 47th carries on gaining the 200-500m a day that they are, Robotnye is done by early next week. Another Russian retreat to the trenches is likely.
Russian forces are starting to enter the headless chicken phase.
This where they just run around with no real plan trying to block every hole in the front with fewer and fewer forces, stretching them thinner and thinner.
The whole thing is starting to unravel and it’s becoming obvious now they need to do something to slow things down.
That something should be an organised withdrawal to the trenches.
I’d they don’t do this in an organised and unified way, the trenches as going to be nothing more than a hole in the ground rather than a defence line. Frankly I think they’re past the point of being able to make them as viable as they could have been. I also don’t think they have the experience and command presence to withdraw in an orderly fashion anymore.
There’s no news from Kherson. So much OPSEC is in place the Ukrainians are not saying anything more than we can guess at, past what we think we might know.
The HIMARS struck again at training areas and a small naval facility on the Crimean north west coast.
The spit they hit last time they hit again, the Russians carried on using it the same way - again - and wonder why it gets targeted - again!
And the former head of Ukraine’s occupation force died aged 57 in a hospital in Russia. One year short of the average life span for Russian men. Nobody is saying if it was balconyitis but you can never tell.

Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦!

California gets serious about racist cops.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/17/california-fbi-arrest-police-officers-racist-texts-antioch-pittsburg-san-francisco

The wives of the fallen
https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/9387?single

Rest in Peace Victor Udod

https://t.me/WarriorsUkrainian/9373

The SBU detained propagandists who, on the order of the Russian Federation, "dispersed" up to 70 fakes about the war in Ukraine every day

The enemy's henchmen worked for the Russian Oleksandr Zenin, the editor-in-chief of the pro-Kremlin portal "Vsya Tver". According to his instructions, the defendants distributed up to 70 fake messages about the war in Ukraine every day in the Ukrainian segment of popular social networks and Telegram channels.

First of all, unemployed women residents of Kyiv massively "dispersed" disinformation about the progress of hostilities at the front and tried to discredit the Defense Forces.

To do this, they created and independently administered a network of pro-Russian Telegram channels and Facebook communities, and for successfully completed tasks, the Russian propagandist sent his wards up to 10,000 hryvnia equivalents.

So far, the investigators of the Security Service have notified both defendants of the suspicion under Part 6 of Art. 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (collaborative activity).

An investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime. The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property