Russia invades Ukraine *** READ RULES IN POST 6 BEFORE POSTING ***

[Sarek]

I'm seeing press articles that Prigozhin was on a jet that crashed. Is he dead?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/23/europe/russia-wagner-prigozhin-plane-crash-intl/index.html
Putin killed him?
I don't know what happened, but seems shady!
What say you!

 

[nobody]

I'm seeing press articles that Prigozhin was on a jet that crashed. Is he dead?
https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/23/europe/russia-wagner-prigozhin-plane-crash-intl/index.html
Putin killed him?
I don't know what happened, but seems shady!
What say you!

It fits Putin's modus operandii, but it's not the most sensible. It's more erratic like he's losing it.

Unless it's a ruse. It's certainly shady.

 

[triplets_93]

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transc...ce-brig-gen-pat-ryder-holds-a-press-briefing/

As it relates to Ukrainian pilot F-16 training in the U.S., we are prepared to support a training effort here in the continental United States if capacity is reached in Europe. I don't have any specifics to provide right now in terms of which bases that training could occur at.

 

[triplets_93]

8:54pm: Pentagon announces F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the United States would begin flight training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft in October.

Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the training would begin after the Ukrainian pilots received English language training in September. The flight training would take place in Arizona, Ryder added.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230824-🔴-live-russia-and-ukraine-trade-drone-attacks

 

[triplets_93]

9:13pm: Pentagon dismisses missile strike theory for Prigozhin plane crash

The US Department of Defence said Thursday there was currently no information to suggest that a surface-to-air missile took down the plane presumed to be carrying Russian mercenary leader Prigozhin.

Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, offered no further details or evidence as he made his remarks at a Pentagon news conference.

Reuters had reported earlier on Thursday that the United States was looking at a number of theories over what caused Prigozhin’s plane to crash, and cited two US officials saying a surface-to-air missile likely hit it.

 

[triplets_93]

Ryder said the U.S. decided to join European allies in the training to avoid bottlenecks in bringing Ukrainian pilots up to speed.

The U.S. training would accommodate “several” Ukrainian fighter pilots and dozens of maintenance people for the jets, he said.

For experienced pilots, training can range around five months, Ryder said. He sketched out courses covering the basics. In addition to flying the advanced craft, they include formation flying, operating weapons, air combat and suppressing air defense systems, on top of centrifuge training on the ground to help pilots withstand the g-forces of an F-16 cockpit.

https://apnews.com/article/f16-ukraine-pilot-training-arizona-d72b03e45b35d2b0edf979724a249a8d

 

[triplets_93]

U.S. military officials stress it takes years of training to be able to field F-16 squadrons, limiting the impact the aircraft will have on Ukraine’s defense for the near future.

“This is about the long-term support to Ukraine,” the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters in Washington. “This is not about the counteroffensive that they’re conducting right now.”

The training will take place at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Arizona. The pilots will first undergo English instruction at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, to bring their fluency up to the level needed to operate the aircraft, starting next month, Ryder said.

 

[triplets_93]

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...gin-training-ukraine-f-16-pilots-in-september

Russian investigators said Friday they had recovered flight recorders and 10 bodies from the scene of the plane crash presumed to have killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin two days ago. Earlier Friday, a Kremlin spokesperson said "speculation" the crash had been ordered by the government was an “absolute lie”.

 

[VaqueroTD]

 

[triplets_93]

I watched the video "Modern Conflicts: The Battle of Bakhmut" on the Nebula Channel. It was posted originally on August 18, 2023. It's part of the Real Life Lore Series. Some Real Life Lore videos appear on YouTube, But others, like The Battle of Bakhmut do not, for various reasons.

Here is a description of the video: For over a year, the Russian and Ukrainian armies threw just about everything they had into a massive battle for control over the small city of Bakhmut in the east of Ukraine. The fight for the city gradually evolved into the most significant and most catastrophic battle fought in Europe since the Second World War, with tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks committed by both sides.

This is the link where I watched the video:
https://nebula.tv/videos/reallifelore-modern-conflicts-the-battle-of-bakhmut

 

[triplets_93]

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...n-exporting-port-ahead-of-putin-erdogan-talks

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that defence minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week with Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker.

Zelensky made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed. Later in his nightly address, Zelensky said he believes “that the Ministry needs new approaches and different formats of interaction both with the military and with society".

Resnikov’s removal comes after a scandal around the ministry of defence’s procurement of military jackets. In August, Ukrainian investigative journalists reported that the materials were purchased at a price three times higher than normal and that instead of winter jackets, summer ones were ordered.

In the customs documents from the supplier, the jackets were priced at $29 per unit, but the ministry of defence paid $86 per unit. Reznikov denied the allegations during a news conference last week.

Umerov, 41, a politician with the opposition Holos party, has served as head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine since September 2022. He was involved in the exchange of prisoners of war, political prisoners, children and civilians, as well as the evacuation of civilians from occupied territories and was part of the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with Russia over the UN-backed grain deal.

 

[triplets_93]

Russia’s Putin says there will be no new grain deal until the West meets his demands

https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...rdogan-sochi-ac41cb453a6d6c597d543873850414eb

He also said that Russia is close to finalizing an agreement to provide free grain to six African countries. The Russian leader added that Russia will ship 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons) of cheap grain to Turkey for processing and delivery to poor countries.

 

[triplets_93]

As expected... No surprise here:

As Russian students headed back to school this year, many were given updated history textbooks – part of an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to reaffirm his chosen narrative of Russia’s place in the world. The new books include a glorified account of Russia's history, derision aimed at its enemies and justifications for the invasion of Ukraine.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...ory-books-textbooks-ukraine-rewriting-history