The Kyiv Independent writes that Ukraine attacked the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat Bashkortostan oil refinery in Russia but also states that it was on the night of August 13, so it was not last night, but it is still interesting news. They also write that “Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is one of the largest oil refinery and petrochemical complexes in the Russian Federation” with an annual capacity of 10 MT (million tons). Learn more here.
It also writes that Ukraine attacked the port infrastructure in Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region. The port has a large oil terminal used for the export of oil and petroleum products. Apparently, this also happened the night before yesterday. Read more here.
Good news bears repeating! 😁
Another tragic news item from today is provided by the Kyiv Post. Russian terror attacks have killed at least 1 and injured 15 civilians in Kramatorsk and another 2 are injured in Zaporizhzhia, one of whom is a child. Read more here. Russia is a terror state.
Russian losses
Losses continue to remain at a high level. Nice figures for KWIA, artillery, and soft vehicles, but we also have quite a bit of armor, and it is always good to see air defense and special equipment on the list.
- 1470 KWIA
- 2 Tanks
- 11 AFVs
- 46 Artillery systems
- 1 MLRS
- 3 Air defense systems
- 1676 UAVs
- 14 UGVs
- 448 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
- 2 Special equipment
Ukrainian General Staff morning report
Operational information at 08:00 on August 14, 2026, about the Russian invasion
Glory to Ukraine!
The 1,633rd day of the Russian Federation’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has begun.
A total of 222 combat engagements were recorded during the past day.
Yesterday, the enemy conducted 76 airstrikes, dropping 237 guided aerial bombs. Additionally, the attackers used 10,027 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,011 shellings against communities and our troops’ positions.
The communities of Korenok, Ulanove, Vyntorivka, Jastrubshchyna, and Seredyna-Buda in the Sumy region were subjected to hostile artillery shelling. Additionally, airstrikes were carried out against areas around Velyka Chernechchyna and Tovstodubove in the Sumy region.
During the past day, the defense forces’ air units, missile units, and artillery attacked 14 areas where enemy personnel were concentrated as well as two command posts for unmanned aerial vehicles.
In the directions of Northern Slobozhansk and Kursk, our defenders stopped four enemy assault attempts during the past day. At the same time, the attacker conducted three airstrikes with four guided aerial bombs and 68 shellings against our troops’ positions and communities.
In the direction of Southern Slobozhansk, Ukrainian units repelled 15 enemy attacks. The attackers tried to advance in the areas around Starytsia and Lyman as well as in the direction of Khatnje and Kolodiazne.
In the Kupiansk direction, the enemy launched an attack towards Zahryzove.
Attempts to penetrate our defense were repelled in the Lyman direction, where the occupiers conducted ten attacks in the area around Zarichne and towards Novoselivka, Shyikivka, and Drobysheve.
In the Sloviansk direction, the enemy carried out 17 assault attempts in the areas around Kryva Luka, Zakitne, and Riznykivka as well as towards Rai-Oleksandrivka.
In the Kramatorsk direction, the occupiers conducted two attacks towards the communities of Nykyforivka and Jurkivka.
In the Kostiantynivka direction, 29 attacks were recorded. The attackers conducted assaults in the areas around Kostiantynivka, Illinivka, and Ivanopillia as well as towards Rusyn Jar and Stepanivka.
In the Pokrovsk direction, our defenders stopped 25 attacks. The enemy was active in the areas around Rodynske and Serhiivka and also conducted assaults towards Novyj Donbas, Hannivka, Shevchenko, Novohrishyne, Vasylivka, Myrne, Udachne, and Muravka.
In the Oleksandrivka direction, the attackers conducted seven attacks towards the communities of Kalynivske, Vorone, Ternove, and Berezove.
In the Huliaipole direction, the occupiers conducted 12 attacks. The enemy tried to advance towards Vozdvyzhivka, Tsvitkove, Staroukrainka, Danylivka, and Charivne.
In the Orikhiv direction, our defenders stopped an enemy attempt to advance towards Pavlivka.
In the Dnipro direction, the enemy made no assault attempts during the past day.
In the Volyn and Polissya directions, no signs of the enemy forming offensive groups have been detected.
The Ukrainian defenders continue the systematic fight against the enemy and effectively resist along all front sections.
Total Russian attacker losses during the past day amounted to 1,470 personnel. Additionally, two tanks, 11 armored fighting vehicles, 46 artillery systems, one multiple launch rocket system, three air defense systems, 14 ground-based missile systems, 1,676 unmanned aerial vehicles, 448 vehicles, and two units of special equipment were destroyed or neutralized.
SLAVA UKRAINI
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
** The “governor” of Russia’s Orenburg region reports that after Ukraine’s strikes two days ago, the Orsk refinery will remain offline for at least six months while repairs are performed. This refinery is one of Russia’s largest and oldest, located approximately 1500km from Ukraine. ** Movie:
https://bsky.app/profile/stratcomcentre.bsky.social/post/3mszjobsdpp2k
** Russian warblogger ‘Fighterbomber’ addresses “what air defence doing”. The systems can operate effectively, he says, but he pleads for operators to “stop screwing each other over in every possible way and shifting responsibility onto someone else.”
‘Fighterbomber’, a Russian air force pilot, explains that while Russia (referred to here as “Laos”, a common euphemism to evade censors) does have a theoretically effective air defence system, it’s undermined by organisational and cultural problems.
His comments echo similar complaints by other warbloggers (see below for example) of how inefficiencies, poor training, scarce resources, and a lack of clearly defined responsibilities are making the system less effective than it could be.
“Let’s once again explain, syllable by syllable, how the protection of cities and facilities by the Laotian air defence system is organised today.
“Using radio-technical means and human intelligence, preparations for the launch of drones and missiles—and their subsequent launch—are detected; at the same time, crews and crews assigned to air defence tasks are placed on ‘Number 1’ alert.
“Today, these include aeroplanes, helicopters, air defence missile systems, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft guns and mobile anti-aircraft systems. These are the firepower assets.
They are assisted by electronic troops, A-50Us, radar units, combat control officers, and a bunch of other people.
“Aviation is the first to engage targets on distant approaches. They engage targets throughout their entire flight, primarily outside the SAM operating zones. Of course, each crew is ordered to shoot down two or three targets with one missile; if fewer, the crew is scolded.
“When the targets enter the protected zone, the SAM systems engage, first with missiles. Once all the missiles on board are expended, the cannons open fire.
“The last barrier standing in the way of the drones are the mobile task forces, the anti-aircraft guns, and old men with double-barreled shotguns.
“Sometimes there are also all sorts of engineering structures: hangars, fishing nets, cables, cages, barbecue grills, shit and sticks.
“And of course, all this is covered by a practically continuous field of electronic warfare. At particularly important facilities, there are dedicated air defence units, whose main task is to engage targets that pose a threat to the protected facility.
“All firepower is assigned firing sectors and zones within which they engage targets. Each crew has a commander, and above the commander, there are a host of commanders who make the decision to open fire. All work and non-work is recorded by objective monitoring.
“That’s my point. There is no such thing as “why didn’t they think of shooting down drones before they hit their targets?” Or “why aren’t they shooting them down?” They shoot them down. At least they try. With the forces and means at their disposal.
“Of course, it’s possible to shoot down better. All you need is unlimited planes, helicopters, SAM systems, anti-aircraft guns, small anti-aircraft guns, missiles, “Christmas trees” [interceptor drones], shells, money, radars, reconnaissance, trained crews, calculations, boots, brilliant and infallible commanders and equally skilled fighters, excellent communications, good weather, indestructible equipment, and a couple of dozen other factors. And that’s it. Then you’ll shoot down all your targets 100 out of 100.
“It’s all easy. You just need to type the right cheat on the keyboard to enable God mode and auto-aim.
“And the hardest part is that everyone involved in this fascinating process needs to stop screwing each other over in every possible way and shifting responsibility onto someone else. Easy as pie. Use it.
“Oh, well, go on then, use it if you like – it’s all in Laos. We don’t have problems like that here; we never have and never will. But that’s not for sure.” **
https://bsky.app/profile/chriso-wiki.bsky.social/post/3mszhrtrq742d
** Ukrainian drone brigade commander Veres: We have about two more months to do serious damage to Russia. I don’t know what to expect from Russia this autumn and winter. I hope they won’t hit our power grid. They’re waiting for something, it’s just not time yet. (More to read in the thread) ** Movie: https://bsky.app/profile/slavaukraini033.bsky.social/post/3mszfocrruc2l
** Druzhkivka Direction: The enemy continues to systematically use aviation against the southern part of Druzhkivka. High-explosive bombs are being used to strike the southernmost districts, including districts No. 7, No. 9, and the Machine-Building district. Simultaneously, activity of enemy.
FPV drones is observed in this area, indicating a comprehensive fire attack on the urban area and adjacent positions. This intensity of strikes on Druzhkivka is also being reported in open-source information about the situation in the area.
The activity of “Rubicon” units in coordination with enemy aviation is also noteworthy. It is likely that the main purpose of such actions is to gradually exhaust the defenses, complicate movement, and create conditions for further advancement of ground forces. At the same time, there are reports of attempts by the enemy to establish a foothold in Petrovka and further advance in the direction of Rayskoye. If these actions are successful, it will create additional pressure on the southern sector of Druzhkivka. Particular attention should be paid to the Miner district.
If the enemy begins to systematically and intensively strike this area with aviation, it could be an indicator of preparations for the next stage of the offensive in that direction. In this case, the aviation campaign against the Miner district would not only have a destructive character but could also be part of preparing a route for further advancement by the enemy.
Thus, the situation around Druzhkivka is gradually becoming more complex. The enemy is simultaneously increasing its fire impact on the urban area, actively using FPV drones, and attempting to expand its zone of control from the southern direction. Against this backdrop, Petrovka – Rayskoye and the Miner district should be considered as potentially important areas for the further development of offensive operations. Muchnoy ✙ Jugend | **
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3mszb56nqvk2d
** 🇺🇦 Kupyansk Direction: Active fighting continues in the city, and the situation remains dynamic. Enemy forces are attempting to maneuver in the northern and northwestern parts of Kupyansk, using certain areas of buildings for movement, attempts to establish positions, and to accumulate personnel.
🇺🇦 In reality, the occupiers are trying to maintain the ability to move between individual areas. Some enemy groups are forced to constantly change their location, as their movements and attempts to establish positions are detected by our units. Not all enemy groups are able to reach designated points without hindrance or stay there for long.
🇺🇦 Our soldiers are identifying and striking areas where the enemy may be accumulating personnel. In particular, strikes have been observed on buildings used by the enemy for temporary accommodation, as well as on the enemy during their movement. Some strikes were observed near the bakery and near the “Stadionna Ploscha” residential area.
🇺🇦 Thus, the invaders continue to operate within the city’s built-up areas in small groups, attempting to expand and stabilize their presence. At the same time, their ability to move safely remains limited, and identified areas of accumulation and routes of movement are regularly subjected to fire.
🌑 Fighting for Kupyansk continues. The current situation should not be interpreted as resolved or as one where complete control over the city has been established. There is still a significant amount of combat work ahead, and the further development of the situation will depend on the ability of both sides to hold their positions, control key areas of the city, and provide for their units.
🇺🇦 Muchnoy ✙ Jugend |
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3mszaj5hfyc2d
** 🇺🇦Derhachi direction: Strikes were reported on the settlement of Nova Kozacha. The enemy continues to actively use air assets to attack areas where, according to their assessment, our positions may be located. It is noteworthy that the enemy is willing to use guided aerial bombs (FABs) even in areas with private residential buildings. This means that for them, the presence of civilian buildings is not a factor that limits the use of heavy ammunition. This practice has been observed repeatedly in the Kharkiv region: air bombs have directly hit residential areas and private homes.
🇺🇦This should be taken into account going forward: if the enemy is unable to accurately identify or suppress positions with less powerful weapons, they may resort to more extensive aerial attacks on entire areas. We are seeing the same thing in other areas, including Druzhkivka, where multi-story buildings are being targeted.
🇺🇦Therefore, the presence of buildings in populated areas does not guarantee safety from air strikes. On the contrary, the enemy is demonstrating a willingness to completely destroy them if they believe that this will allow them to dislodge our positions or make it more difficult to hold them.
🇺🇦Muchnoy ✙ Jugend |
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3mszanroq4k2d
** Druzhkivka direction: The situation here continues to deteriorate. The enemy is not only conducting localized assaults but is also gradually expanding its area of penetration, creating conditions for further offensive operations. According to recent reports, the Druzhkivka & adjacent Kostiantynivka directions remain among the most tense in the Donetsk region.
The main area of pressure is currently focused towards Petrivka. The expansion of the area of penetration in this region is dangerous because the Russians are trying to gradually increase the width of their presence, rather than remaining within a narrow corridor. Simultaneously, east of Tor, the enemy is attempting to advance towards the industrial zone, thereby expanding the territory under its control. If this trend continues, it could create an additional problem for our defense in maintaining the integrity of our flanks.
In the future, the areas of Rayske and Rayske Druge may become important strategic points for the enemy. Their significance lies primarily in the fact that advancing towards this area will allow the enemy to gradually form a more pronounced salient towards Druzhkivka. In other words, this is not just about advancing on a specific section, but about changing the entire configuration of the front line: the deeper and wider this salient becomes, the greater the strain on neighboring sections of our defense.
This development of events will be particularly unfavorable for Mykolaipil. The settlement is already in a difficult situation, and further expansion of the area of control by the Russian forces could further limit ground transportation options. In this case, logistics will become increasingly complex, and movement along ground routes will become significantly more risky. In effect, this creates a situation where supplying units will have to be increasingly reliant on air transport, which, by its nature, cannot fully replace normal ground logistics.
That is why I would assess the situation on the Druzhkivka direction as being of a similar level of threat as the Dobropillya direction, plus or minus. In both cases, the danger lies not only in the fact of the enemy’s advance, but in the fact that the gradual expansion of its presence could create significantly more serious operational **
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3msza5f55h22d
** 🇺🇦 Dobropillia Direction: The situation in the area around the village of Matiasheve is gradually escalating. According to available information, the village is becoming increasingly saturated with enemy infantry. Our units continue to engage identified targets, but the trend remains unfavorable:
if the enemy can establish a foothold and increase their presence, Matiasheve could effectively come under their control in the near future.
🇺🇦 This creates an additional threat to neighboring settlements, as after consolidating their position on this front line, the enemy will have the opportunity to increase pressure in the direction of Dobropillia. Thus, the nature of the fighting is gradually shifting closer to the city, and the zone of constant clashes is expanding.
🇺🇦 The situation with logistics is also noteworthy. Supply routes to Dobropillia have become significantly more difficult due to enemy activity on the main routes. According to reports, on one of the routes leading to the city, the enemy is using assault groups and strike assets, including a “Shershen” strike unit known as “Irlandtsi.” This means that the movement of equipment and transport in the area can no longer be considered routine logistical activity – the routes are under constant threat of detection and attack.
🇺🇦 FPV drones, which the Russians are actively using to hunt for equipment and transport, remain a particularly dangerous factor. As a result, any disruption to logistics can have a cascading effect: difficulties in supplying ammunition, rotating troops, evacuating the wounded, and providing supplies to units directly affect the ability to hold forward positions.
🌚Comrades, vigilance regarding the situation and movement is now critically important.
🇺🇦 Muchnoy ✙ Jugend |
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3msz7r7nuas2d
Thank you for the summary, MXT.
Just a few thoughts: Ukraine is bombing a lot around the Ural Mountains now. But they are leaving Tatarstan with its capital Kazan alone. At least I cannot recall Ukraine bombing this republic. Tatarstan was an independent country between 1917 and 1920 and probably wants to be independent now as well. The Volga Bulgars or Volga Tatars are a Turkic people who follow the Muslim faith and are the largest minority group in Russia. They are not to be messed with if they get the feeling to break away from Russia. Ukraine naturally knows this.
By the way, Kazan used to be called Bulghar. There are Nordic traditions in the city since the Rus sometimes used the Volga when traveling southwards.
A very rich province as well, right?
Where has Dengamle gone? Has he also said goodbye on this blog?
And Jocke in the bathtub, if you’re still here, has life returned to normal again or how is it?
I also miss 205, hope you come back. You don’t have to agree with either Johan or MTX on everything, but I think discussing different opinions and perspectives is important and makes the blog lively. Maybe you can even have an AHA moment sometimes……
Have a nice Friday everyone!
Agree. You can have different opinions and still respect each other.
I feel a bit like bringing up an interesting domestic political issue from SvD Debatt. But probably best to refrain.
Different perspectives often enrich.
We have, after all, said that we should avoid unnecessary domestic political issues here, but right now there doesn’t seem to be much traffic/posts after the vacation.
You are welcome to post a link to the article as a reply here. I subscribe to SVD but after the vacation I am not nearly as active a reader…
Yep, people come and go, MXT posts every day 365.
One addition, you have to agree with me otherwise everything is correct 👍
Hope everyone comes back to the light
Keeping my fingers crossed that The Old One returns even though we sometimes end up in domestic politics and then do not always agree.
But as you write, how else are you supposed to learn something new.
I also believe that it can sound harsher sometimes than it actually is.
Have a nice Friday!
MXT you hold the flag high with honor 👍
Several interesting posts.
Is it the Gävle IF pennant or the top hat?
The art project “Pennants in the city”.
On Fridays, maybe “ice fishing in town”.
🍻
Gävle Good Templars.
👍
I bow and thank you!
(Unfortunately, I have had difficulty keeping up the pace after the end of the vacation, but I hope it will sort itself out soon.)
This was commented on yesterday and now also in the MSM.
I also posted text from a newspaper that was not locked.
“Ukrainian drone units defeated the American military earlier this year in a joint exercise, reports the Wall Street Journal.
According to the newspaper’s sources, smaller Ukrainian units could “easily” locate and take out American troops and armored vehicles using cheap drones.
The exercise shows how the development of drones has changed the battlefield in recent years.
– It is crucial that the US masters this and so far, unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case, says Eliot Cohen at the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.”
https://omni.se/a/q6Vbnw
It was worse than that – the brigade had their own drones, anti-drones, and EW with them during the exercise 😳
They did everything right but were simply behind in handling.
That would probably be confirmation that we have learned
Important lesson though.
Better to get it in black and white with skilled Ukrainian fighters as B force than a live situation with the Russian bastards.
Yep.
But dangerous dangerous now, Rubicon is over 100,000 strong and learning from Ukraine every day
It is at least good that they have actually acquired such equipment. Then I can understand that the learning curve during a burning war over 4½ years is significantly steeper than for any contracted American soldier without other future plans, where the equipment has landed in their lap within the last 12 months.
Ukraine is probably the sharpest in the world right now. (Unfortunately, the Russians are probably actually second.)
Or the Chinese are sitting on Russian raw data as thanks (or rather a demand) for providing such dual-use equipment as drones, which makes them number one or two in the world.
https://youtu.be/SvMQB_n_Hf4?is=y8KLu6rkzUzvCDhL
Seems to continue today?
Yesterday there were about ten incidents in the hybrid war and now I found three.
Feels like the dam has burst, willingness to report paired with increased intensity?
Completely crazy 😳
Novorossiysk stung Putin and will accelerate timelines but this is unrelated.
RU is increasing the pressure.
and everything we haven’t heard before is now being released by our own.
Yep. The plug is pulled and accelerating. However, everyone I talk to still smiles a bit sheepishly, just like they have in recent years whenever the topic comes up for discussion.
Very few who care.
Then if the Baltics are attacked, everyone shrugs “too late” or “no point, Russia cannot be stopped”.
That’s probably how war starts, in a sea of arrogance.
Today you have to rush to the maps when I come into Jobnet, lots of info above 😀👍
👍
Off topic USA, it’s starting to get a bit sweaty on Scott Bessent’s forehead.
“USA is borrowing at the highest interest rate in 25 years.
An American auction of 30-year government bonds worth 25 billion dollars on Thursday resulted in an interest rate of 5.22 percent, the highest since August 2001.
This was reported by the Financial Times with reference to the US Treasury Department.
The auction had a coverage ratio of 2.39. This is higher than the average for the last six auctions, according to Vail Hartman at BMO Capital Markets.
The 5.22 percent interest rate at Thursday’s auction can be compared to 5.06 percent at the previous 30-year issuance in July, and 4.91 percent just before Trump began his second term in January 2025.
The increase in borrowing costs comes at the same time as the US national debt has grown to nearly 40 trillion dollars, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio toward a historically high level.
“Overall, this is problematic for the Treasury. They have to finance the government at more expensive terms,” said Gennadiy Goldberg at TD Securities.
The bond sale follows an auction of 42 billion dollars of ten-year bonds on Wednesday. These were sold at the highest interest rate since 2007.”
https://www.di.se/mobil/live/usa-lanar-till-hogsta-rantan-pa-25-ar/
That is very interesting.
The FED owns about 30% now and can, if they want, write off 30%?
MENA and their security – which Trump has worsened, forced purchase of national debt with security?
There are probably a couple of tricks left
Lower EUR with the help of Russia so everyone runs to USD?
As said, will choose currency for salary at the turn of the year
Krasnov and his entourage are burning bridges one after another.
Almost makes you think the goal is to drive the USA into the ground.
Aha, protection money, good point there. Buy our city debt and you will get protection from the war we started.
Yes, and apparently Trump has sent out a questionnaire to every NATO country to evaluate the country’s right to receive help from the USA.
USA to investigate Sweden
Sitting and writing in the wrong thread 😳
On August 12th, I’ll be hanging around if you’re bored 😐
😂
Stop living in the past!
As mentioned, I don’t like last-minute election influence and Expressen’s one-year-old news about V was no exception.
The right question at the right time, whether fabricated or true, can make a difference and the bar keeps being lowered. Good idea with a truce two months before an election.
Excellent with the criminal justice package – pros and cons.
Here we have one of the most important issues for broad voter groups and a resounding clear YES – NO.
Extremely good that each side takes a clear stance.
No election pork, no campaign promises they do not intend to keep, but clear, definite, factual statements from all eight parliamentary parties.
Excellent – sensible politics and no room for Russian-planted traps.
Don’t know when the meeting was but Europe has now decided to call a spade a spade.
Come what may come.
The shower of information right now is magnificent.
We are taking the verbal fight anyway
Are we awake ✊✊💥
The letter is coming soon 👍
🫡 Attention
I probably shouldn’t have thrown out that ball above about the debate in SvD on “sharia courts” since I’ve been a bit busy.
KD wants to ban sharia courts.
https://www.svd.se/a/aJaqkE/kd-svarar-jurist-shariadomstolar-ska-forbjudas
(See also the link to the article that started the discussion)
Note that this concerns civil law agreements and disputes, and we have freedom of contract in the country. In principle, people are free to enter into any agreements they want. Of course, Swedish law applies in criminal cases and some other contexts.
I am not a lawyer. The sharia court in question is supposed to function as an arbitration court. If one party in a contractual relationship does not accept the arbitration court’s ruling (even though they agreed to refer disputes there), the other party can go to the Enforcement Authority and request that it enforce the ruling. Here the really interesting question arises. Where is the limit for the state’s coercive powers when it comes to enforcing a possible ruling from an arbitration court if the agreement can be considered to conflict with Swedish legal tradition (and the arbitration court is of the sharia court type)?
Interesting question. Talking about a ban seems to be taking the easy way out.
Election times 😀
Now we have probably had “Sharia courts” for quite a long time in the country and in some groups there is also usually an elder who resolves disputes and then it’s a bit like when you yourself have a big family feud and a meeting is called?
What happened now was probably that the lawyer wanted to try to formalize it with an agency and civil law?
There and then you start to sniff around our legal tradition and since some groups have low confidence in our legal system and a different view on the matter in some issues, one probably shouldn’t encourage it?
The second it slips over into anything other than just the issues now being marketed, we have a parallel legal system and the times the alternative councils have been exposed it has been precisely because they slipped into things that were punishable under Swedish law.
If one is an optimist, one might think that the distinction between what is allowed and not allowed for a “sharia court” to deal with becomes clearer if it is brought to light.
When it comes to crimes under the Penal Code, anything else is completely unacceptable for a Swedish court. For example.
There was probably such a case in Malmö a few years ago where Roma people had their own trial. In the municipality’s premises, no less. And some local politician who did not consider it appropriate to intervene.
The municipal councilor Frida Trollmyr (S) is the chairperson of the cultural committee – and the Roma council. She has denied any knowledge of the Roma trial and its connection to municipal employees.
But Kvällsposten also has a secret recording of a phone call where Frida Trollmyr says that she would commit political suicide if she were to act on the information.
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/skane/efter-avslojande-om-romsk-rattegang-trollmyr-maste-avga
Hey guys, a serious suggestion.
Instead of complaining about how the defense does or does not handle the drone weapon and waiting for them to possibly get their act together, wouldn’t it be smart if we civilians acquire cheap drones, practice a bit, and set them aside to bring out when needed…?
If, for example, we here on the blog each get one or two cheap ones, practice a bit with them and keep them in shape, then there will thereby be X number of drones to either hand over to the defense or set up a civilian drone unit with, if – when the shit hits the fan?
It may seem small and insignificant… but we’ve learned from Ukraine not to underestimate “housewives” and their builds… even if it seems small and silly.
Thoughts?
Smart 👍
Completely agree. I have myself come so far that I have bought a real “controller” but only practice via simulator so far.
Having difficulty deciding which technology to choose for “goggles” and video transmission.
Analog is best for range but has poorer image quality and unfortunately it is not cheap so you don’t want to buy all variants to evaluate either.
Before that, it is also no point in building drones.
Good idea 👍
We have an old drone that is quite dated, but I have actually been thinking about getting a new one.
Well written about the Trustor scandal on Netflix.
Finance Twitter was completely ecstatic about Jisander by the way, says quite a bit about them 😀
Posener was interesting, survived several years in a favela in Brazil.
Crime doesn’t pay was what I took away, if Posener had put that competence into legal work he would probably have had a good life today.
https://www.expressen.se/debatt/debatt-har-ar-missarna-i-nya-trustorfilmen/
It should not pay off to commit crimes and above all, it is WRONG!
That Jisander is being praised is sick.
If you like kleptocrats, you can move to Moscow.
Alexander Ernstberger (Allra) is unanimously praised by a lot of younger men who want to get rich quickly. And both Posener and Ernstberger became rich quickly and also at a young age. The fact that it happened through illegal maneuvers where they stole other people’s money seems secondary.
Yes, it is dangerous when the dream is no longer a house, a dog, and a Volvo but instead a gang criminal or a financial mastermind…
Alright then.
A call to readers here on JohnaNo1:
Get yourself any cheap drone (not a toy drone) with a camera.
Practice flying it, keep it trimmed, and consider it as part of the total defense.
If the defense is not enough, we civilians will have to compensate…
I support that idea!👍
It has been a while since I checked the rules, but as soon as the drones get a bit bigger, a license (proof that you know the rules) is required. If you don’t fly in densely populated areas, the risk of being detected is probably minimal, of course, but you don’t want to make mistakes.
Don’t know what the Home Guard is doing, there should be room within their operations to train with drones.
Which model?
I have been thinking about getting a DJI Neo 2.
Who cares, as long as it flies….?
DJI I think is excellent for reconnaissance. Good camera etc. That is actually the most important function of drones.
Otherwise, I am a bit into building something myself. Now drone-dropped grenades already seem to be outdated, but if you want to deliver something explosive you have to add a bit more control. If you also want to add some AI for, for example, target acquisition, you probably have to build it yourself.
.
It is never too late for drone-dropped wing grenade.
Winged words, dropped from Johan.
We fly silently and in the shadows….
Can also be practiced indoors….
Gets an association to a book title that was popular some decades ago: “The drone flies at dusk.” Although now I have slightly distorted it.
There is probably quite a bit of experimentation going on to control flying insects. Tiger beetles might eventually provide a drone advantage.
True. A good idea is actually to get a mini drone. The physics won’t be quite the same, but it’s good training regardless.
Anyone who invents silent drones will have an unbeatable advantage.
Off topic about Elmo’s dizzying deals.
Since several news stories about the Russian devils’ war in Ukraine are spread via Twitter, it does have some relevance.
“The social network X has changed its name, owner, and line in the accounting. While they have retained their position with the authorities, new figures show that revenues have plummeted like a stone. But the owner Elon Musk has a new plan.
Björn Jeffery
Published 19:57
It has been difficult to know how X – formerly Twitter – is really doing. Now a door has opened.
When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he took the company off the stock market and transparency decreased. Since then, the service has changed its name and been moved between several of Musk’s companies, finally ending up with his now publicly listed space company Space X. And suddenly it is possible to see what is happening behind the scenes.
The figures not only show how the social network is doing. They also give a clue as to what Musk intends to use it for.
Under Musk’s leadership, the social platform has become a more radical service. The tone is harsher and almost no posts are removed anymore. End of censorship, some say. Others think the radicalization has made the service unpleasant and have chosen to delete their accounts.
That a major change has occurred is also clearly visible in the figures.
During a stage hearing in 2023, Elon Musk said he would not yield to “financial blackmail” from advertisers who were unhappy with how the platform’s content was developing. Those who boycotted X could “go to hell,” Musk said during the interview.
Many advertisers seem to have done just that.
In 2022, X (then Twitter) had around one billion dollars in revenue during the second quarter of the year. Comparing that with the same period this year, the corresponding figure is 367 million dollars. A decrease of 66 percent over four years. Looking at the entire first half of the year, the decrease is basically just as large.
Two-thirds of all advertising revenue has thus disappeared from X. A normal company would probably not survive that. But nothing is, as known, normal in Elon Musk’s world.
Space X does not separately report the social network in its accounting, but there is a line for advertising revenue which is basically the same thing. Everything is listed in the category “AI revenue,” which is at least optimistic.
Classifying ads in the X feed as “AI” says less about what the service is today – and more about what Musk wants it to become in the future.
In the space company’s prospectus ahead of the stock market listing, X is described as a “freedom of speech platform.” Selling ads is indeed mentioned a couple of times, but the social network seems to serve a more important function than that. X is to become a data source for – and distributor of – AI services. It is a way to get users for them, simply put. In the same way that Meta uses Facebook to get users for Meta’s AI services, and Google likewise with its respective operations.
Noteworthy, however, is that the market leaders Anthropic and Open AI do not have any corresponding services to use to get new customers – and they are by far the largest anyway. The method of hitching a ride on other popular services is not obvious.
One can also wonder how the content on X affects potential AI customers.
As a private individual, it can be entertaining to read about marmots who are on Only Fans or Italian bank loans to farmers who have Parmesan cheese as collateral. In between, more unpleasant things like the occasional Nazi. A generous description would be to call it “eclectic.” But it is easy to understand why many no longer want to participate.
Precisely for that reason, the step to want to associate one’s company with a platform with this content is not as obvious. It can even become counterproductive. Advertisers have already fled from there because they do not want to be seen in the content environment.
And it is precisely the companies that Musk and Space X need to reach with their AI services. So far, few private individuals pay for AI. The purchase of the coding service Cursor is an example of how they invest in specialized services that companies might be willing to pay for. The new service Grokbot launched this week is described as a “colleague,” an AI service that works on behalf of your company.
X works well to increase awareness of these new products – but that is not enough. There must be paying customers for the logic to add up.
Much therefore indicates that many of X’s acquisitions and transfers within Musk’s corporate portfolio were more about finances than strategy. Musk was the buyer – but he had many loans from others with him to be able to complete the deal.
These loans have now been able to be resolved and converted into shares in completely different companies. That is an achievement in itself. Billion-dollar loans taken to buy an overvalued company like Twitter have now gone up in smoke. And compared to that, the advertising revenues for X are a very small problem to solve.
What was once one of the world’s most important social networks has become a side note in Musk’s enormous corporate empire. It is simply not very important anymore – neither for him nor for the space company at large.
Musk has his sights set on bigger challenges these days. We are talking about a company whose goal is to build human colonies on Mars. There he has a bit to do.”
https://www.svd.se/a/Gx5j9q/x-intakter-rasar-har-ar-musks-nya-plan
Unfortunately, Twitter is nowadays a bit like Truth Social. I had hoped that the poor economy would make him give it up, but controlling the “narrative” is probably more important than making a profit.
That’s why I go and hope that Bluesky or some other alternative will take over.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to let go of something where you know a large part of the audience is, even if you are dissatisfied.
All major accounts would need to leave.
(There I see LW as a role model, he didn’t care that he lost audience).
Yes, X was probably enough to win elections and opinion, the cost secondary.
I was the best in the class and chose Bluesky, a black hole.
All valuable information one gets is unfortunately from X.
I would gladly have switched from that swamp.
Has he completely lost it?
So the USA should arbitrarily be able to claim any area as its own?
Do you know what that reminds me of?
Yes, when Putin declares Ukrainian regions as Russian. In case you wonder who he got his inspiration from.
Unfortunately, the world has not reacted strongly enough against Russia, so unfortunately the USA will probably also get to do as they please.
“Donald Trump intends to declare the Strait of Hormuz in Iran as American territory. He said this in a speech at the David S. Mack Center police training center in New York on Friday, according to Reuters. – Very soon I will declare the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. That is true, he says according to AFP. He says it will happen ‘after the USA has defeated Iran.’ Trump also urges Americans to accept higher gasoline prices as a cost to prevent ‘a very evil country’ from having nuclear weapons, according to Reuters. – We are doing the world a favor, not just ourselves, he says, adding that he would never apologize for attacking Iran on February 28.”
https://omni.se/a/9pxnol
We have three crazy people now 😳
Nice that you are always so positive, I have many more on my list.👍😂
If he wants to bury himself in a land of eternal war, then that is probably a smart move.
Lex Krasnov
Well, there are a few options.
He trusts Putin, and lacks the mental capacity to see that Putin is deceiving him, and everyone who dares to tell the truth is fired and threatened.
He knows he is driving the US into ruin, but profits so much from it that he doesn’t care about the consequences.
He knows he is driving the US into ruin, but thinks the US deserves it because they don’t praise him enough.
He has allied himself with Putin and wants to take control of the strait to control the oil price so that it benefits both American and Russian producers, and so that he can blackmail especially Europe when needed.
Trump is working together with Putin to split Europe and NATO.
Good morning
Steve Rosenberg, BBC’s Russian-speaking correspondent, interviews the Russian journalist and presenter Dmitry Muratov, founder of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
“Putin can no longer declare victory in Ukraine, says the Nobel Peace Prize laureate to the BBC”
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74grmy2v7ko
Omni also draws attention to this.
”Vladimir Putin has a firm grip on power in Russia even though there are rumors that the elite might be divided. This is what Dmitry Muratov, who founded the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, says in an interview with the BBC.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate says that it is impossible to know what is going on in the Russian president’s mind, but at the same time he is convinced that he ”really laughs” at European leaders who try to talk to him about human rights.
– He laughs loudly because they at the same time sign agreements – or used to sign agreements – on trade with Russia.
Muratov, like many other journalists in Russia, has been classified as a ”foreign agent” by the Kremlin.
See the full interview below.”
https://omni.se/a/m0VpXg
Money usually trumps everything. Putin is absolutely right if he actually laughs at our double standards.
Good morning!
Interesting that more and more people seem to be turning against Putin. Maybe, maybe we will soon see a change when it comes to the Russian people’s support for the war.
Visited Haparanda recently. The queues at the pumps were worse than in Moscow! But I want to give the Finns that. It’s Finland that will sweep the Russians away for us when our one-week defense gives up. Now maybe I was a bit silly. Also visited Vidsel and the defense security guards there, even though they consisted of beautiful blondes who weigh in at lightweight, they commanded respect at the restaurant. They were serious, no doubt about it. The Russians will be stunned and become an easy target when they see such beauties with batons and handcuffs. Now I was probably silly again. It’s nice up there, go and visit.
Since last spring, I have been driving an electric car; before that, I drove diesel. I drive around 20,000 km/year and save about €100/month with electricity. Diesel here in Finland has become very expensive.
Previously, it was significantly cheaper than gasoline, but we pay an annual so-called fuel tax, about €400/year for a Tiguan, so it benefited those who drove longer distances. The price increase started during the corona years, and rose further after the Ukraine invasion in ’22, and now after the Iran attack, so it is now about 10 cents more expensive than gasoline, but the fuel tax is the same.
It is also the case that the price rises during the day if the oil price rises, but falls very slowly. We now have about €2.2/l for diesel.
It is reported that the Iran war has driven the demand for electric vehicles.
I am a bit disappointed. I didn’t think you drove anything other than this:
The Russian devils’ plan for 2026, Collapse the EU from within using Moldova.
“Russia’s campaign to destabilize Moldova, and through it NATO and the EU, is unprecedented. This is reported by the New York Times in a comprehensive investigation of the Russian influence attempts against its small neighboring country.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Vladimir Putin is said to have declared during a secret meeting that Russia’s goal for 2026 is ‘to collapse NATO and the EU from within.’
In these plans, according to the sources, Moldova is seen as a key.
As many as 150,000 Moldovans may have been offered Russian money in exchange for their votes and to participate in pro-Russian protests, according to documents first reported by the Moldovan newspaper Ziarul de Gardă.
According to the New York Times, some activists have also received training from the Russian intelligence service in Serbia, and Moldovan priests have been provided with Russian messages to spread in their congregations.
Moldova is not a member of the EU, but President Maia Sandu’s government has designated membership as one of its highest priorities.”
https://omni.se/a/y5VXQg