“Ukraine – Russia”

Yesterday afternoon, tens of thousands of Czechs gathered in Prague calling for the resignation of the government and a “180-degree turn” in the country’s foreign policy.

… Like last time, this protest will almost certainly be portrayed by the media as overtly “pro-Russian”. But the reality is more complex — and perhaps even more troubling for the West.

… Indeed, for the first hour or so Ukraine was hardly mentioned. Speakers mostly focused on the cost-of-living crisis, with one listing price increases for potatoes, eggs and other everyday items. Nonetheless, the war was ever present through a group of pro-Ukraine counter-demonstrators standing at the top of the square.

And if there was one overriding concern, it was not support for Russia, but loathing for the western international order. Many flags and placards called for exit from the EU and NATO; others included calls to “stop censorship” and “stop green poverty.” One attendee said the goal is for the Czech Republic “to leave NATO and stop serving American interests.”

Not Pro-Russian but anti-western order. I wonder how closely aligned the man on the street in Prague is with the man on the street in Berlin etc. Nothing in Canada’s MSM about this.

From the NYT – Protests in Prague Signal a Troubled Winter Ahead in Europe

Tens of thousands gathered in the Czech capital for the second such protest in a month, spurred by an energy crisis and rising prices that are affecting countries across Europe.

PRAGUE — Thousands of protesters flocked into Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of the government of the Czech Republic as an energy crisis stoked popular unrest that will be closely watched in other European capitals.

Despite a rain-soaked start, demonstrators hoisting Czech flags and chanting, “Shame! Shame!” turned out for the second time in a month to rally under the slogan “Czech Republic First.” They were a hodgepodge of figures with a broad range of causes, including Kremlin sympathizers and those who said they are fighting a “global elite.”

At the outset of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin believed in a quick victory that did not come to pass. How strong is Russia’s army really?

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow did everything it could to maintain its status as a superpower — including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. When it became clear that Russia could not claim a right to the spot as an economic power, it instead defined its greatness in military terms.

Over the decades, Russia’s army has been touted as one of the strongest in the world. Indeed, a nuclear-armed military. As if to remind the world of this fact, President Vladimir Putin has regularly treated both Russians and the world to perfectly choreographed parades and military exercises.

BERLIN — Two days after a pair of explosions under the Baltic Sea apparently ruptured giant natural gas pipelines from Russia to Germany, the consensus hardened on Wednesday that it had been an act of sabotage, as the European Union and several European governments labeled it an attack and demanded an investigation.

Experts said it could take months to assess and repair the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which have been used as leverage in the West’s confrontation with Moscow over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. News of a possible attack on the lines heightened already intense fears of painful energy shortages in Europe over the winter.

But the central mystery remains: Who did it?

In phone calls to friends and relatives at home, Russian soldiers gave damning insider accounts of battlefield failures and civilian executions, excoriating their leaders just weeks into the campaign to take Kyiv.

#Ukraine: Extremely rare footage from the South showing two Ukrainian Su-24M strike aircraft in action; four parachute-retarded bombs are dropped from each aircraft, most likely the Soviet 250kg OFAB-250ShN/ShL fragmentation bombs.

A Russian tank is seen destroyed. pic.twitter.com/518TaFKCFD

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 27, 2022

“If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on the 25th of this month, referring to threats to use nuclear weapons. “The United States will respond decisively.”

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin’s latest warning that he is ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia amid the war in Ukraine has made a troubling question much more urgent: Is the former KGB spy bluffing?

Putin cautioned it was no bluff, and Western politicians, diplomats and nuclear weapons experts are divided. Some say he could use one or more smaller, tactical nuclear weapons to try to stave off military defeat, protect his presidency, scare off the West or intimidate Kyiv into capitulation.

#Ukraine: SBU SSO (Special Forces) using a FPV Kamikaze drone against a Russian tank- although the tank is unlikely to be seriously damaged, this represents quite an interesting development as more and more FPV drones are used in in such a role. pic.twitter.com/36atpvDwky

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 27, 2022

British police are “working closely” to ensure that weapons from the Ukrainian war do not reach the UK and find their way into the hands of terrorists.

Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Matt Twist said the conflict was one of several “international challenges” affecting security in the UK.

Speaking at the International Security Expo in London on Tuesday, he added: “Whatever the outcome of this awful conflict, it is clear that over the medium term there will be huge amounts of weapons and ammunition in the region, which will take some time to stabilise and normalise when the phase of outright war ends.

OTTAWA — For decades, Prestwick Airport was the only airport in Scotland offering transatlantic flights — hundreds of thousands of Scots flew to their new home in Canada from the west-coast hub.

Now, Canadians are going the other way. In March, the military set up a facility at Prestwick to receive and redirect cargo aid to Ukraine. This week, Defence Minister Anita Anand said the detachment would be expanded to 55 Canadian Forces personnel and a third aircraft added to transport equipment. The facility now proudly boasts a piece of A4 paper with the words: “Welcome to CFB Prestwick” printed on them.

#Ukraine: The utterly disintegrated remains of a Russian 9A310M1-2 TELAR of the Buk-M1-2 air defense system in Izium, #Kharkiv Oblast.

It's unknown what caused such serious damage. pic.twitter.com/fvOTqCnqTU

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 27, 2022

Western leaders have blamed ‘deliberate’ sabotage after the Nordsteam pipe from Russia suffered ‘unprecedented’ damage off Sweden – causing 3000ft-wide bubbles in the Baltic Sea and causing prices to spike.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said her government believes the leaks were caused by ‘deliberate actions’, adding that the gas supply pipeline will be out of action for around a week.

She said this evening: ‘It is now the clear assessment by authorities that these are deliberate actions. It was not an accident. There is no information yet to indicate who may be behind this action.’

Since Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s first mobilisation since the second world war last Wednesday, povestka, or draft papers, have been delivered to people across the country.

As husbands, brothers and sons bade emotional farewells to families before they left to fight in Ukraine, others were scrambling to find a way to leave Russia, spurred by reports that some conscripts were being sent directly to the frontlines without training.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A series of unusual leaks on two natural gas pipelines running from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany triggered concerns about sabotage Tuesday, overshadowing the inauguration of a long-awaited pipeline that will bring Norwegian gas to Poland in efforts to bolster Europe’s energy independence from Moscow.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the events “an act of sabotage,” while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she could not rule it out after three leaks were detected over the past day on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which are filled with gas but not delivering the fuel to Europe. An energy standoff over Russia’s war in Ukraine halted flows on Nord Stream 1 and prevented them from ever starting in the parallel Nord Stream 2.

#Ukraine: An attack formation of Russian vehicles was destroyed by Ukrainian engineering troops – two MT-LB armored personnel carriers, a BMP-1 IFV, a tank and an IMR-2 military engineering vehicle blew up on anti-tank mines, presumably in #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/IJWzTlifOu

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) September 26, 2022

One of the British prisoners who was captured whilst fighting in Ukraine has revealed how he was forced by the Russians to listen to ABBA and Cher on repeat.

Shaun Pinner, a 48-year-old army veteran, spoke of how he was forced to listen to the music 24 hours a day, as well as being stabbed and subjected to electrocutions.

While in captivity he was forced to listen to the soundtrack of Mamma Mia and only given stale bread and dirty water to consume.