Russian front commanders have been ordered to advance into Dnipropetrosk Oblast before May 9, and one can guess that Putin wants to be able to politically declare that they are in the process of taking Dnipropetrovsk or something on Victory Day.
Then the little dictator has tried to persuade Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire on May 8-10, and the parade is on May 9, so Putin et al are terrified of drone swarms on May 9 that could disrupt the glorious victory parade.
Furthermore, you will see the strategic reserve displayed on May 9, new equipment and new units.
Putin will try to project maximum strength on this very important day.
So it is extremely important that the USA and especially Europe do not stop Budanov this year to shatter a victory parade in front of the entire Russian people would be an excellent gesture of victory in my opinion.
We know that Trump doesn’t want it, but Europe should now, after three years, ease up on the anxiety and allow something like that.
There are also different opinions on whether Putin will try to declare that the war is won now – full psyops as usual.
I simply can’t decide if Putin wants a ceasefire or not.
He seems to be gearing up for an offensive, but it would also benefit his Operation Baltikum if calm settled over the fronts so that the North Koreans could take over border security at the northern front – which is happening right now.
Or it could be both – North Koreans and border security at the northern front + offensive inside Ukraine with Russian units and 210,000 troops towards Baltikum in the summer or fall (150,000 troops Zelensky has warned us about, plus the 60,000 they are releasing from the northern front).
Up in Finland, they are preparing to start training other types or newly recruited personnel so that there will be a lot of troops towards the Finnish border to tie up the Finnish lion up there.
If you bother to google, there is no shortage of warnings about upcoming adventures in Baltikum, and in my world, one needs a few months on-site to prepare – so where are the European brigades?
An unprepared Europe that cannot handle a Russian incursion into Baltikum is perhaps good for me because then EUR will plummet and my USD salary will rise again?
I find it hard to see any other upside, and we are heading towards this quickly now – the politicians in Europe who still believe that this can be de-escalated are not suitable to lead countries anymore.
This summer, sabotage will take off like a spear, and angry citizens and gangs will fill the streets, and opposition parties on the fringes will scream for re-election in every other country. And on top of that, we might face a new 2015.
And just when it is darkest and our governments are considering whether it is easier to resign and retire to the summer cottage in the archipelago – THEN RU will carry out its move towards mainly Europe in eastern Baltikum.
Forget about Poland coming to the rescue – their land forces are 100,000 in all categories, and they will be needed against Kaliningrad and the border with Belarus.
Because in Belarus, their entire defense force will be standing and hanging on the border fence with a few battalions of Chinese SOF – who will also be visiting Kaliningrad by coincidence.
Finland will be busy at its enormous land border with Russia, and all the units in training up there and in the Baltic Sea, the Baltic fleet in its entirety will be cruising around near Gotland and Bornholm with all the Ropuchas and Ivan Greens.
I consider it likely that RU will achieve its objectives of attack unless Europe sends in brigades now in May – each Baltic state has an army of 6,000 and a mobilizable reserve of a few hundred thousand, and the area in question has the lowest defense priority.
Of course, they will not mobilize before that because Russia’s top priority is that they do not, full freedom for subversive activities there.
210,000 in capable units with all the equipment going into defense in eastern Baltikum, and then it’s back to Europe again.
What should we do?
Which country in Europe will be willing to sacrifice 50,000 of our sons and daughters individually to regain territory in the easternmost Baltikum?
-None.
Then the markets will plummet, and the import streams will be disrupted in the Baltic Sea when the Baltic fleet poses a possible threat.
The colder it gets, the more power outages and so on ad infinitum.
And there is very little we can do because we have already done the most – yes, we can stop the shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea, but we are already on our way to doing that.
We will have a new normal situation in Europe, and Russia will move on to the next goal, which is to overthrow governments in Europe, Moldova, Romania, Baltikum, and who else?
Svalbard?
Putin’s allies have already been ordered to disrupt the EU to the maximum.
Then Europe will be fully occupied, and the next move globally will then be left to the USA to handle entirely on its own with Trump at the helm.
Because it will be that simple to completely freeze Europe, and the clock is ticking now.
The Spaniards are completely unexpectedly innocent of the power outage if you are to believe them.
There was a sudden disturbance in the “interconnection” between France and Spain – Spain was importing electricity from France at the time. 15,000MW were cut off in five seconds, and then the frequency in Spain dropped when demand exceeded supply, and everything started to shut down automatically?
With today’s 100% renewable energy, the redundancy in the European power grid is low, and different countries probably have different levels of disaster preparedness, and one can guess that, for example, Spain and Portugal are a bit lower – and have a very high percentage of renewable energy. It was spring, with 11 degrees at night and 24 degrees during the day, far from the time of year when demand peaks.
We know that Spain was darkened, and then the synchronization between Portugal and Spain was lost, so Portugal went down, and then also up in France, but they managed to counteract quickly. It was apparently incredibly close to the whole of Europe starting to shut down.
This has been launched as a possible suggestion –
“a fire at a high-voltage power line between Perpignan and Narbonne in the southwest of France was mentioned as a possible contributing factor to a recent power outage in Spain and Portugal”
I checked a bit, and there is a fire in the area, but it is not yet the peak season for forest fires.
Belgium was temporarily affected according to Euronews, at least.
“According to Euronews, the power failure stretched beyond the Iberian Peninsula, impacting nearby countries like Andorra and parts of southwest France. Some areas in Belgium also reported brief disruptions”.
It seems that Germany and Italy had problems too, not Finland and the Netherlands.
It is worth noting in this context that SE2 has two transmission lines to SE3, and then SE3 exports to SE4, which exports to Germany and Denmark. If they were cut off by a “forest fire,” it could get lively.
Now the problem is not that we have a sensitive power grid but that Russia is carrying out sabotage. No Russia, no problems.
And a large substation apparently caught fire in London today, the day after the major power outage.
Now you finally have the chance to show appreciation to MXT and his work on the website and the daily (well…) yellow posts – IT has installed a donation button on johanno1.se, if you look around a bit you will see a QR code.
There is also a donation page for Ukraine on johanno1.se with links to, among others, Swedish Rescuers, drones 2 ukraine, and other organizations that we have learned over time are legitimate and safe to donate to.
On Substack – there is still a chance to follow and subscribe if it feels more right to go that route, which some have done.
https://bsky.app/profile/johanno1.bsky.social
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
NOTE: Those of you who do NOT want to allow automatic translation of your comments, please go to your profile page and set it.
Hover over your name at the top right, select edit profile, and you will then find the setting under the language settings heading.
Update from 08:00 on 30.04.2025 regarding the Russian invasion
A total of 177 combat actions have been registered in the past 24 hours.⏱️178, 168, 174, 156, 175, 168, 144, 165, 96, 127, 162, 143, 125, 111, 99
#Kharkiv Kharkiv 2↘️
⏱️9, 6, 0, 0, 0, 4, 4, 0, 1, 2, 7, 1
#Kupyansk 9
⏱️7, 3, 4, 5, 4, 1, 3, 2, 1, 7, 11, 4
#Lyman 21💥
⏱️18, 20, 22, 19, 15, 20, 14, 25, 12, 14, 17, 20
#Siverskyi 4
⏱️6, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2
#Kramatorsk 13💥
⏱️10, 16, 13, 8, 13, 1, 6, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8
#Toretsk 6↘️
⏱️14, 9, 29, 16, 17, 13, 23, 10, 18, 26, 11
#Pokrovsk 75↗️💥💥💥💥
⏱️59, 64, 68, 44, 65, 56, 53, 61, 39, 54, 64
#Novopavlivka 13↘️💥
⏱️23, 13, 13, 19, 10, 15, 17, 19, 5, 12, 9, 9
#Huliaipil 0
⏱️0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
#Orikhivsk 0↘️
⏱️5, 1, 4, 4, 9, 3, 5, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1
#Prydniprovsky 1↘️
⏱️5, 1, 1 , 1, 3, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0
#Kursk 25↗️💥💥
⏱️15, 23, 15, 30, 27, 26, 22, 21, 16, 20, 23, 21
In the Kharkiv sector, the AFU🇺🇦 repelled two hostile attacks near Vovchansk and towards Kamianka.
Nine attacks from occupiers took place in the Kupyansk sector yesterday. Ukrainian defense forces🇺🇦 repelled hostile attacks near Zahryzove, Stepova Novoselivka, and towards Petropavlivka and Nova Kruhlyakivka.
In the Lyman sector, the enemy launched 21 attacks, attempting to advance near the settlements of Lipove, Nove, Novomykhailivka, Myrne, Zelena Dolyna, and Yampolivka.
In the Siverskyi sector, the enemy attacked AFU🇺🇦 positions four times near Bilohorivka and Verkhnekamianske.
Thirteen combat actions were registered in the Kramatorsk sector in the areas of Mayske, Predtechine, Bila Hora, and near Kurdyumivka and Chasovyi Yar.
In the Toretsk sector, the enemy carried out six attacks near Dachne, Toretsk, Krymske, and towards Diliyivka.
In the Pokrovsk sector, the AFU🇺🇦 stopped 75 aggressor attacks in the areas of Stara Mykolayivka, Tarasivka, Shevchenko, Yelizavetivka, Novotoretske, Lysivka, Uspenivka, Kotlyarivka, Troitske, Nadiivka, and Andriivka.
In the Novopavlivka sector, the Ukrainian armed forces repelled 13 attacks against Ukrainian troops’ positions near Kostiantynopil, Burlatske, Pryvilne, Rivne, and towards Odradne.
In the Prydniprovskyi sector, the enemy conducted an unsuccessful offensive.
In the Kursk sector, units from the Ukrainian armed forces stopped 25 attacks from Russian aggressors in the past 24 hours. Additionally, the enemy carried out eight air strikes with 19 guided bombs and fired 250 artillery shells at Ukrainian troops’ positions and locations, including 19 from multiple launch rocket systems.
There were no offensive actions by the enemy in the Huliaypillia and Orikhivsk sectors.
No signs of hostile offensive groups were detected in the Volyn and Polissya sectors.
In the past 24 hours, the defense forces🇺🇦 air, missile, and artillery units targeted 15 areas with personnel and equipment concentration, two command and control points, four artillery units, and one electronic warfare facility of the Russian invaders.
Thank you! 👍
Still a bit more intense than usual.
Continued low pressure over parts of Ukraine, storm warning issued in Pokrovsk, gusty winds in Lyman, Kramatorsk, Novopavlika, and Kursk, broken cloud cover in Toretsk, and continued sunny in Huliapil.
👍
Tnx 205 👍🏻
Good morning!
Russian losses 2025-04-30:
SLAVA UKRAINI
Despite a higher number of attacks than recently, there are fewer casualties than before. How does this fit together? Very low artillery, but a high number of vehicles suggest rear combat… And again, high attacks should be associated with heavy artillery (more cannons making themselves known to ARtBEk).
Sometimes you get the feeling that the number of Kiwa is stabilizing at certain levels. Now they will grind on with over 1000 some weeks.
DeepStateMap from yesterday shows that the Russians are slowly advancing.
Soon they will control the entire Toretsk.
“The enemy occupied Sukha Balka and advanced near Kostiantynopil, Dachne and Toretsk.”
Brilliant analysis, Johan no1! Terrible but credible.
The Russian attacks on civilians continue, targeting residential areas.
“Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with drones overnight. Preliminarily, 38 people were injured. A residential area was targeted, according to the State Emergency Service.”
Ukraine should start around the 5th or 6th of May by sending drone swarms towards Moscow. Then May 9th is guaranteed to be canceled.
Russia intensifies offensive operations in 3 regions, pushes toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine’s military says. Russian forces have recently intensified offensive operations in three Ukrainian oblasts – Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson – Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said on April 29 during Ukraine’s state-run telethon.
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-intensifies-offensive-operations-in-3-regions-pushes-toward-dnipropetrovsk-oblast-ukraines-military-says
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast’s eastern villages evacuating families as Russian troops close in. The evacuation order, issued by Governor Serhii Lysak on April 25, concerns the villages of Kolona Mezhova, Novopigorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka in the Mezhova community.
https://kyivindependent.com/dnipropetrovsk-oblasts-eastern-villages-evacuating-children-as-russian-troops-close-in/
Kenneth Gregg describes on Facebook how the old Russian corruption unfortunately still persists in Ukraine!
120,000 defective grenades were sent to the front because some wanted to save money and maximize profit.
This is not just corruption. It is a total collapse of quality, ethics, and responsibility in the midst of a raging war.
The SBU has now arrested both the heads of the defense industry and the officials who were supposed to control the quality.
According to the report, they systematically turned a blind eye even though lives were at stake.
This is not an “isolated scandal.” It is what happens when quality systems are lacking or deliberately undermined, when morality is silenced, and oversight is corrupted.
It is also what happens when “collaboration” and “loyalty” mean silence instead of responsibility.
My father-in-law, Professor Aulis Aarnio, taught me that law without ethics is dangerous and quality without morality is meaningless. ISO and other quality frameworks are not for certificates on the wall; they exist so that people can trust that things work, especially when it comes to life and death.
And that is why we must debunk the myth that “quality is too slow.” It is something that is spread to benefit fascism and to make people choose low-quality corrupt dictatorships where oligarchs like Musk rule!
It is the lack of quality that kills speed, economy, and trust.
When oversight, facts, and processes are devalued, then it is a free fall into cynicism, inefficiency, and in the worst case, fascism.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics showed that institutions and moral governance build success. Not cheating and strongmen. What happened in Dnipropetrovsk is unacceptable.
But it is also a warning signal for every operation in every country.
Without quality, there is no sustainable future.
Hope Zelenskyy and the others in leadership hold out and clean up!
👍
Kloka ord Jaho 👍🏻!
Well said Jari, completely my opinion too 👍
The Soviet system of planned economy eroded the workers’ sense of morality and quality.
Quality was not rewarded, the state ordered quantity, not quality.
If you wanted a decent life, and if you were in the right position, you took bribes, and you used these bribes to bribe others.
Morality was an obstacle to success.
It is not easy to adapt to new values, if at all possible. Education is needed, salaries that provide purchasing power, and changing personnel in sensitive positions.
And now over to your writing Johan and specifically this sentence, which caught my attention –> “I simply can’t decide whether Putin wants a ceasefire or not.”
The answer was and is with Martti J. Kari!
If you chew on all his works on Youtube and read up on some things I found on academia.edu, you can clearly see the answer that he based on his deep knowledge of the Russian Bear and the corrupt vile culture that has been built over centuries!
If Putin agrees to a ceasefire, it’s not a ceasefire he’s thinking of! He sees it as a weakness in the opponent and how it can create an opportunity for him to become even more aggressive!
So the answer is that he does not want a ceasefire! He sees it as a weakness to want a ceasefire and Russia’s entire culture built over centuries is based on exploiting others’ weaknesses.
The recipe is simple: If the opponent shows strength, then you take action, and if the opponent shows weakness, then you take action! He has no other thoughts than: Deviating from the plan to take all of Ukraine is just pure weakness and nonsense!
It corresponds quite well with my comment below. If Putin feels that Russia is strong, he will not want peace, but I also do not think that he will choose to attack another country, rather that the pressure on Ukraine will increase.
Russia acts like an optional criminal syndicate, constantly seeking to expand its territory, and if the judiciary is too weak, they help themselves.
Japp 👍🏻.
Moscow has painted itself into a corner. They cannot end the war without a clear victory because they lack the ability to handle returning war veterans in any functional way if Moscow does not emerge as the winner.
At the same time, the economy is collapsing, slowly but surely, and the financial system is approaching a crash. So what can they do?
They could of course attack NATO/Europe and then back down, declaring a win in Ukraine while admitting that they cannot defeat NATO. A kind of suicide by NATO. But I don’t think even the most starry-eyed vatnik would accept such a thing without believing it would lead to major internal protests.
I agree with MXT below, the most likely scenario is that they use their resources to try to take as much of Ukraine as possible and hope that the USA can force Ukraine to at least de facto recognize Crimea and the occupied parts of other regions under Russian control.
But honestly, it doesn’t seem possible. Europe and Ukraine do not recognize these areas even as de facto Russian, and I also don’t think Congress will (but nothing is certain in this circus). We may suspect that Trump is beginning to understand that Vladimir is using him and is not interested in peace.
And perhaps some economist has shown Donald what Russian imports look like (almost 100% China) and maybe he is starting to understand that China and Moscow have quite strong ties and that it is far-fetched to believe that Moscow will abandon China in favor of the USA (which has no way to replace Chinese manufacturing of products for Moscow).
👍
I have looked at that Martii, clearly interesting appeal and it is marinated in the Russian soul…
Darn, how did this end up here and such bad spelling, I won’t become a skier if I spell this poorly.
Should have been a reply to Johajariaho.
Today we have solved that dilemma Jari 👍👍👍
Haha, how good!
Exactly so. Kindness is weakness according to Ry. There is no plan for retreat, they started the war with the goal of a Ukrainian surrender. They put their hope in Trump, that he would force Ukr into a ceasefire that would allow Ry to rearm for the decisive offensive. Now that Tr is wavering in his support for Putler, things look dark for Ry.
Negotiations are not a solution at this stage, Putler has started the dismantling of his country, and that process cannot be stopped. The Russians must be defeated on the battlefield, unfortunately, they must go home with their tails between their legs, break the mafia regime at home, so maybe something better will emerge from the remnants, if any generation.
How the scenario could unfold is credible IF Putin decides to do it.
1. Regardless of whether he has received promises from Trump or not, everything indicates that the US will not lift a finger to help Europe as long as Trump is in power. This is crucial for whether Putin will dare to do something. With the Democrats in power, there would have been no question that the US would step up, now there is a risk that Trump will be the one enabling continued Russian aggression.
2. The reluctance of Europe to seriously help Ukraine shows that we are sluggish and too cowardly to dare to risk anything ourselves. There is a great risk that we will only help the attacked country in the same feeble way regardless of whether they are NATO members or not.
3. Europe has started to arm itself even though much is going to Ukraine, but we are only in the early stages (after over three years!) and have mostly placed orders even though ammunition production has actually started.
If he wants to test Europe, this year is absolutely when it should happen.
But I am doubtful. Putin completely misjudged Ukraine’s defense willingness, and even though Europe has not shown its claws right now, he must be quite unsure of how we will act in the event of a direct attack.
If it is indeed the case that Russia is in the process of building up larger reserves and Putin feels strong, I believe he is more likely to dodge all peace proposals and when he feels ready, he will strike even harder against Ukraine. It is not impossible that he will try to advance towards Kyiv again through Belarus.
At the same time, there is a certain attention after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Assuming that Russia had not attacked UA in 2022 but had launched an assault on the Baltics in 2025. Sweden and Finland outside of NATO, Germany completely dependent on Russian gas, some leaders in Europe. The Russian forces could have rolled quite far before being stopped. We are mentally better prepared than in many decades for a Russian attack.
That’s absolutely correct.
If he had waited until now (with Trump in charge) he could have caused quite a lot of trouble if he had chosen, for example, Finland but also Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania.
If he had attacked Finland outside of NATO in 2022, they might have ended up in the same situation as Ukraine.
Now, as you write, we are, after all, much more prepared.
Exactly, and before 2022, Moscow had well-stocked warehouses from the Soviet era that have now been largely depleted.
Exactly, if P hadn’t been so obsessed with Ukraine, it would probably have been possible for him to, for example, create a corridor to Kaliningrad.
If he is now considering an attack on the Baltics this fall, I think it’s because of this.
Partly because he can’t stop, Ukraine has become too difficult, there is no progress, the weapons support from the EU must go, and an attack on Europe will fix it.
Partly it’s a test of NATO, if the USA doesn’t step in, there’s a chance to establish a foothold for the next attack, and the next, and the next, until they reach the Baltic Sea.
Another reason may also be that their system and their view of leadership do not allow them to lose to an enemy they consider weaker, it would be a death sentence for the leaders. By challenging NATO, and losing, they can save face by losing to an enemy they respect. A medieval mindset, simply.
Will Putin move on after Ukraine?
Can he wait a few years?
Different war game scenarios are always interesting to play out. If I were Gerasimov (and sober long enough), I would consider the following. Ok, we have swarmed across the border and are now in a nature reserve where the blue and yellow brigade has just retreated after heroic resistance. What could happen?
Our heroic amphibious vehicles cruising in international waters between Öland and Gotland are sunk by submarines. The Baltic Sea is closed off by NATO’s European allies, namely Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland, and the Baltic states. England also closes off the North Sea, and France puts its nuclear forces on high alert.
NATO’s signal intelligence and command and control are operating over the area, and all attempts to shoot them down end with Eurofighters or Gripens armed with Meteors shooting down our brave SU aircraft long before they are within BVR range. The Baltic Sea fleet is sunk, and now the formidable opponent has established a no-fly zone over the Baltic Sea and the area bordering Russia.
The blue and yellow brigade/battalion has retreated, but instead, intensive air attacks are now underway against our forces in the nature reserve 24/7. All attempts to bring up reserves are thwarted already in the base areas by long-range assets and this wretched air force that hinders all operations.
Gerasimov begins to understand how Rommel experienced the Allied air supremacy in western France in 1944, with the difference that the combat is ongoing 24/7 regardless of weather.
Moreover, the nature reserve is uninhabited and completely lacks hardened defenses. Since NATO does not need to consider “collateral damage,” the conditions resemble a shooting range, and the Russian forces cannot do anything to defend themselves, only to receive. We might as well have invaded Vidsel when France and Sweden were conducting joint exercises with “Pegasus,” sighs Gerasimov, scratches the remaining buttock, and opens a beer.
😆👍
Can’t Putin just get a little feeling and drive over the Bering Strait and go ashore claiming that this has always been Russian. Just such a little miscalculation from the prison’s side.
Then the Kremlin would have been a pile of rubble because not even a narcissist would have accepted such a tantrum!
Reports appeared on Russian Telegram channels about a drone attack on Murom instrument-making plant that works for the Russian navy and aviation. Reportedly, two buildings of the plant were attacked and a fire started.
“Overnight Russian attack on Dnipro killed a 53-year-old man and injured a 78-year-old resident. This morning, Russian Grad rockets struck Nikopol and Marhanetska community, setting a restaurant complex ablaze and damaging 7 homes, 2 garages, 2 cars, and power lines.”
“Russian soldier attempts to intercept 🇺🇦Ukrainian FPV drone with his hands”
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3lnzjlffm722s
“The 🇺🇸US State Department has approved the possible sale of 400 AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to 🇵🇱Poland.”
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3lnzj5ahds22s
Do you think they are allowed to shoot at RU targets in the Baltics?
Surely not.
The Ukrainians are apparently smarter than the average US population.
“Just 7.4% of Ukrainians say they trust Trump now — a huge drop from nearly 45% last November, – Centre “New Europe” ❗️Almost 90% say they don’t trust him, frustrated with how he’s handling the war and his reluctance to offer real security guarantees.”
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3lnzita2tpk27
Are the Democrats finally waking up? Personally, I am hesitant about whether Harris is the right person to push forward since she lost the election, but they haven’t managed to present any other alternative.
“Kamala Harris is holding her first major public appearance tonight, Swedish time, after the loss to Donald Trump in the presidential election. This is reported by NBC News.
– People are craving her voice right now, claims an anonymous former Harris advisor, who believes that many voters have already started to regret voting for Trump.
According to NBC’s sources, Harris will talk about the way forward for the Democrats and what resistance to Donald Trump’s government could look like.”
https://omni.se/harris-bryter-tystnaden-talar-om-usa-s-framtid/a/nyjqd5
It seems so. California (Dem) has sued the federal authorities because of the tariffs. And here is the governor of Illinois who doesn’t mince words. He also reminds me of Jay Landsman, who is Jimmy’s closest boss in The Wire, which is another plus.
Unfortunately, they will have to endure for four years, won’t they?
Yes, or the midterm election. But that probably means a deadlock between Mr. 47 and the Congress/Senate until he loses. The USA becomes a lame duck.
It’s a lot of people who think there shouldn’t be any moderation of social media. Who should determine what is true? It’s not just about fact-checking but also about protecting the users. Anyone can create accounts and you have no idea how old the users are today when no identification is required.
Now it’s the poor souls who moderate that are affected, but from what they write here, I think it’s damn good that they exist, even though they shouldn’t be pressured as they are, of course.
It’s not obscure platforms we’re talking about, but Facebook and Instagram.
“Meta is being sued in Ghana after content moderators testified to serious mental health issues related to reviewing violent content on Facebook and Instagram.
Moderators employed by the subcontractor Majorel report being exposed daily to graphic violent and abusive videos, including beheadings and child abuse.
A former employee, ‘Solomon,’ says he will never forget the day he was forced to watch a person being skinned alive.”
https://omni.se/meta-stams-i-ghana-moderatorer-tvingas-se-halshuggningar-och-overgrepp/a/W0KV2k
What has long bothered me is that there is undergrowth on all these platforms.
Many years ago, if you happened to type the wrong search term on Twitter (when it was still @jack), you wouldn’t end up in the adult version, which was very rough.
According to Twitter, you weren’t supposed to have anything like that, and I never understood this other than the risk of getting fired from your job for what appeared on the work computer while colleagues looked away.
Seems to be the same on Facebook?
“A federal judge orders the Trump administration to pay contributions to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, several media outlets report.
It concerns 12 million dollars that are now ordered to be paid to the organization, AP writes. But it’s only about the funding in April.”
Happy Walpurgis Night to all of you! 🔥
You make sure the blood alcohol level doesn’t drop to dangerous levels, right (risk of sobriety)?
It’s important to stay vigilant
I will do my best!
Battle song from Azman!
“Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Azman – Time to fight (Donald Trump)”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okwgco8IMHM
His son has fallen, I believe
Yes, seen that too.
“Estonia is ready to send a company of military personnel to 🇺🇦Ukraine as part of the “coalition of the determined” – Estonian Prime Minister Michal. However, to send them, it is necessary to obtain a mandate from the parliament.”
Signals well a little how the effort in the Baltics will proceed in the fall – will be voted on in all parliaments…
“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke…. Trump MMXXVIII!”
https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1917331380297478530
Yes, yes, yes 🤡💨!!
🤣🤣🤣
Happy Valborg to all of you – don’t forget that the best Valborg is a big party and preferably you should see two big bonfires next to each other, then you have drunk enough to start and then you just keep going.
They don’t have Valborg in the Caribbean for some reason, but that doesn’t stop me from celebrating whatever it is we’re actually celebrating.
Have a great day with your loved ones in whatever constellation you have now 👍😀
We wish a particularly happy Walpurgis to the damn brothel to Crimea: Burn, damn brothel, burn 🔥🔥🔥!
The Kertj Bridge has been a red card, the Kremlin and the parade on May 9 as well.
Ukraine could, after all, fight everything 100%.
I think it’s sad, we know that the USA has betrayed us, but I don’t understand why Europe can’t let go of the coffin.
The same!👍
Happy Walpurgis Night!
Looks like the weather will be nice.
Happy Walpurgis Night! As we say around here.
1x Obolon consumed, probably won’t be any more. Vintage car parade tomorrow morning, and electric car charging station installation in the afternoon.
Skål! It’s beer o’clock! AGAIN!
Gold stars for many today, see that Lynx has started with Walphurgis above, four gold stars.
Beer o’clock early afternoon is also three gold stars.
✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻
🍻👍
Saw your post above Lynx, a few thoughts here on Valborg 😄
– how many robots does Europe have to shoot with this summer, Russia has probably sent away ten thousand or so during the war?
– How many drones do we have to send towards targets this summer?
– how many 155mm do we have to fire this summer?
– after the wave of sabotage against our air forces by ISIS terrorists as revenge for Yemen, how many aircraft do we have?
– do we have defense against RU drone weapons (for example our air bases inside Europe?)
– is Europe prepared for open war with Russia?
– what POLITICAL decisions need to be made for us to go to war – does the European Parliament need to VOTE?
– when Russia retreats (because they do), will we then invade Russia?
– Russia’s fleet in the Baltic Sea will not fire a shot – are we ready to fire the first shot (yes, maybe we actually will – they better watch out).
With hindsight so far sir, we have –
– not stopped the shadow fleet but bought oil until December 2024.
– not significantly stopped the cable breaks.
– not done much about the wave of sabotage in Europe.
– not helped Ukraine until May 2025.
– not punished Russia for 2015.
– not stopped Russia’s ravages in Africa.
– not punished Russia for October 7.
Looking at this from a Russian perspective, the likelihood is probably high that Europe will hesitate long enough.
And furthermore –
– does Europe have drone weapons that are effective in Ukraine?
– does Europe have the amount of robots and artillery to combat dispersed shooting in trenches?
– has any war ever been won with indirect fire?
You assume that Europe will turn on a dime and act decisively against threats to the Baltics due to NATO and EU agreements?
Then you assume that wars are won with indirect fire – when has that ever happened?
And a final assumption that the Russian invasion force is not collateral for Putin.
-What Putin wants is to show the world that Europe and the USA are weak and then he probably wants to collapse the markets.
He already knows he will have to retreat but by then the damage is already done.
If he doesn’t have to retreat, it’s a bonus.
IF Europe now reacts as per your post above and starts combating RU invasion force with INDIRECT FIRE all categories.
Then RU will likely respond with indirect fire towards targets in the Baltics – is Europe prepared for that?
IF Europe succeeds in its indirect combat against the Russian invasion force – the only way to retake the area is with shooting – is Europe prepared to do that?
Because unless the area is retaken, RU probably won’t leave?
Are the citizens of Europe prepared to have robots over us in our cities for a small area in the Baltics?
Will the opposition parties controlled by Putin go crazy and want peace?
Will the parties controlled by Putin effectively prevent all weapon deployments as long as they can?
WILL THE USA PREVENT STORM SHADOW, JDAMS, F-16, Gripen and any others from carrying out operations in the Baltics.
The last one is probably somewhat important and the USA has been doing that in Ukraine for three years now.
And finally – will the USA help us in the Baltics, indications are that they will not.
My two cents.
You probably have a good point with the fleet, a bit too expensive to wash away as I thought 😀
The navy runs them with the pretext that it is Zapad and the days before the invasion it returns to port.
Now the cent has probably lost its value, drive with three!
Well said MXT 👍
My point is that if Moscow crosses the border, NATO/Europe will not play by Russian rules. We will use domains where Moscow is at a disadvantage. Blocking off the Baltic Sea and shooting at anything trying to move is low-hanging fruit.
If they are in port, okay, we establish a no-fly zone and then use the nature reserve as a shooting range for a month. Moscow shoots missiles at other targets in Europe, okay, we sink the Baltic Sea fleet.
A full-scale war cannot be won with indirect resources, but a limited attack into a nature reserve can definitely be controlled from the air, while we threaten their Baltic Sea fleet with annihilation. We will not play on their field, and by moving the war to domains where we are clearly superior, we avoid sending a bunch of teenagers towards drone deaths while raising the price for Moscow exponentially – can they afford to lose the Baltic Sea and risk Kaliningrad to test NATO? Especially when they are stumbling on crutches in Ukraine?
NATO probably assumes that the attacked country requests help under Article 5, that’s it. The assistance of other members follows from the treaty, however, it is up to each country to determine the extent. The US recently announced that they will have around 100,000 troops for Europe in the coming year and that it may decrease later. All the staffs remain as well as their supplies and sensor-based systems. What they don’t want is to send American soldiers (“they” = the shitshow, the American forces are warriors and have absolutely no problem fighting alongside their European colleagues, I guess).
I simply believe that the risk becomes too high for Moscow. I rather think that Zapad could be the prelude to a renewed attempt in Ukraine.
I agree. Zapad can certainly be used to try to project a threat and make us act cautiously, but Ukraine is probably the target.
How can they lose Kaliningrad when two battalions of Chinese SOF are there and China threatens war if they stub a finger?
Kaliningrad also has an autonomous status, right?
Well – if Europe is prepared to escalate, we will reach what you describe, and that’s actually what I’m doubtful about.
Time will tell ✊
Furthermore, the second point in my mantra is that if Ukraine launches a major offensive soon, these plans will be thwarted.
If Moscow escalates by responding to their Baltic Sea fleet, the installations in Kaliningrad will probably be affected as well, I guess, Kaliningrad is a big base. SOF will probably have to move if they don’t want to get bruises. But I don’t think Moscow is at risk of ending up there.
Low-impact approach we know doesn’t work against the Russians, most people should understand that by now.
For Europe’s leaders, it is surely difficult to make the decision to send young men to fight and die against the Russians, but lying down and letting dirty Russian bastards plunder and rape their way through Europe like in 1944-45 is not an option.
If the Chinese in Kaliningrad are afraid of getting bruises, they will go home, it is not their war, and I still believe that China is too dependent on trade with us to join the fight.
However, I am worried about NATO’s readiness in case Trump says no. The air force, which is one of NATO’s advantages, consists largely of US aircraft, tankers, AWACS, etc.
Twitter/X has lost 11 million European users since last August, a drop of about 10%.
https://bsky.app/profile/parismarx.com/post/3lnzwan5wjk2f
It’s soon only Musk and Johan left. 😉
I am still here. 😳
Mee too 😳.
😎
“Dagens ETC journalist Joakim Medin is sentenced to eleven months and seven days of probation for insulting Turkey’s President Erdogan, reports TT.”
https://omni.se/a/QMk1xx
There we have another kind of shit circus for sure. Now we’ll see what he is finally convicted of if he is convicted.
They seem to have dropped the terrorist and PKK connections. Probably couldn’t be proven and were likely just malicious rumors to smear him.
Or maybe there will be another trial about it.
I believe the other charges should be addressed in separate trials.
Yes, that was indeed the case.
Now it’s critical where he’s heading.
That cell with six people will be very difficult for him for a year…
All is as usual Biden’s fault! 😄
“Trump on weak stock market: Biden’s fault – not mine
The effects of the tariffs are not yet noticeable, writes Donald Trump on Truth Social. According to him, the US will soon flourish as companies move back and the economy gets rid of “Biden’s burden.”
https://omni.se/a/GyAkl6
At the same time:
“The US GDP is estimated to have shrunk by 0.3 percent annually in the first quarter. This according to preliminary figures from the US Department of Commerce.
During the last quarter of last year, the US economy grew by 2.4 percent. The decline is the first in the US since 2022, writes The Telegraph.”
https://omni.se/a/W0KrG2
Of course, the billions are pouring in now 🔥😂.
“It has been the most fantastic hundred days in the history of the USA!” 😄
🥶
“Ukraine is ready to enter into a mineral agreement with the USA as early as today, according to an anonymous source for Bloomberg after months of negotiations.”
Then comes this…
“USA and Ukraine have encountered last-minute obstacles to the mineral agreement they announced today was close, reports the Financial Times. A dispute has arisen about what agreements they have actually made during the night’s marathon talks, according to the newspaper. Some exact details are not clear.”
https://omni.se/a/93ARKd
🤣
Åh, sigh. Have they forgotten to appoint someone to write MoM, Amateurs.
If Trump is not bought, bribed, in love with Putin, blackmailed, or whatever it may be, then it’s probably time for him to realize that playing nice with Russia is not going to work, right?
They see it as weakness and will only want more.
“Russia is not satisfied with just getting the areas they already occupy for a peace agreement with Ukraine, writes Bloomberg. According to the newspaper’s sources, Vladimir Putin wants to take over five regions that are currently part of Ukraine.”
https://omni.se/a/XjQVer
Yes, let’s hope that the penny drops, it’s no coincidence that Moscow and China are close allies.
🇺🇸🇺🇦 Ukraine and the U.S. will sign a 50/50 joint mineral development fund within 24 hours, PM Shmyhal announced. The U.S. can count future military aid as its contribution, while Ukraine keeps full control over all resources and infrastructure. The fund will invest in Ukraine for 10 years.
If this becomes reality, it sounds like a deal Ukraine and Europe can live with 👍🏻.
If not everyone who supports Trump has left us, step forward and defend him! The reporting here is starting to become as one-sided as on Cornu.
I welcome being contradicted!
Trump wants to introduce price regulation for the tariffs to have the impact they should. Long live the revolution 🤡!
He’s wriggling like a worm caught on its own hook right now. 😄
Det var meant as positive 🤨…
Have you snowed in on Trump 😀
Yes, your doomsday scenarios are constantly questioned but when it comes to Trump, even you have stopped praising him.
I’m afraid of getting stuck in the confirmation bias filter bubble!
The problem is that all the news I find only reinforces my image of Trump.
Maybe I need to create an account on Truth Social? 😱
😂😂
🧐
On Topic – I haven’t stopped believing that he still has a few cards to play
-try to lower taxes or other low-hanging fruits in the USA
-try to push the risk onto Europe through a RU attack.
But I must admit that the trade war has gone incredibly badly for the USA – much worse than I thought but in line with what Lynx said it would be 😶
Hmm, there must be something positive… He wants to buy an icebreaker from Finland… And I’ve also read that he can be a nice guy privately, as long as you don’t talk about politics…
I hope no one is sober in the thread except me 🧐
It’s late morning here and we’ve had a big visit where we had to herd around the bosses and others on the project.
Ten minutes and no one has called in – great, then the thread is collectively knocked out by some small fire or that they set fire to something they shouldn’t and got caught 👍
We give the comment field three gold stars.
I admit, not in the least 😳.
Four gold stars for honesty and integrity 👍
Soon I’ll be packed 🧐.
I have had some coffee and accompanying whisky (or maybe it’s the other way around).
You should probably get yourself a hip flask so you can fortify yourself a little now and then while herding the sheep?
If they complain, you should glare at them and ask if they have any issues with Swedish culture and our traditions!
By the way, make sure to demand payment in SEK and call them racists if they refuse!
A large whisky with a drop of coffee for color.
I’m trying to become a health oracle and keep the rum for the weekends so that work drinking would completely crash my plan to become the 2025 Markus Schenkenberg 😶
May I ask the thread (but not today!!) what it thinks about locking the salary to EUR. Will USD continue to decline?
Maybe you can add a poll about it?
I declined a job in the Philippines where they promised to do it but then I realized that I can threaten to leave here if they don’t do it?
But if I lock the salary and then the dollar goes up, I won’t be very happy
This uncertainty, is Trump brilliant and will the dollar soar or not?
“❗️🇫🇷France has introduced its counterpart to the 🇺🇸American MLRS Himars. MLRS Foudre developers position their development as a multiple launch rocket system “100% French-made”,”
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3lo26v5pres27
✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻!
I believe that Sweden and Spain, among others, are working on such a system, could it be the same?
I don’t know, but it sounds likely, doesn’t it?
The Ukrainian army is set to introduce a new, game-inspired points system for killing Russian soldiers and destroying their equipment, reports Politico. The point system will be integrated into the new digital marketplace Brave 1 Market. There, soldiers can upload video evidence of their achievements in the field. Killing a Russian soldier earns six points. Damaging a tank earns 20 points, destroying one earns 40, and destroying a Russian missile system can earn up to 50 points depending on its caliber. The points can then be exchanged for military equipment. “Brave 1 Market will be like Amazon for the military, allowing units to directly purchase the technology they need on the front lines,” says Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Interesting setup even though the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society is appalled that points are awarded for killing someone.
The more successful one is, the more equipment one receives.
4 ears yield 2000 pieces of 5.56 cartridges at the new marketplace.
Omni omits the context, only focusing on drone units and drone purchases. The purpose is for the best drone units to receive the most equipment.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraines-army-have-video-game-like-digital-weapons-store-deadly-realistic/
Sounds reasonable, there are front sections where it is calm and we don’t want those placed there to starve.
Foamy distribution policy if one does not have full control that everyone starts with exactly the same conditions. Better to give an economic bonus that can be given to loved ones than to get even more military resources.
Is it that damn bad?
Damn, might have to shut down the company and go down to throw malicious source code at the Russians. Unless they need someone to sort out the cable mess, of course. Time to restore the city’s old pride:
https://johanno1.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250430_190504.jpg
“The EU would strive to collectively gather more than 25,000 soldiers into a deterrent force in Ukraine. Sources with insight into the European defense ministers’ discussions tell The Times.”
https://omni.se/a/mPjkVO
Hälsinge Regiment, which number was it in the order?
A beautiful emblem – not many units have an ostrich + egg as their symbol so uniquely and intimidating 👍
Yes, that’s what I’ve been saying all along – Europe is not ready 😀
I have a unique proposal here – send these 25,000 soldiers to Eastern Balticum within a month so maybe Europe will avoid escalation because the numerical superiority in buried and mined defense has a threshold effect.
14. They wanted me to work as a signalist in Boden, then at F15 in Söderhamn, but my former boss refused to let me go until it was in the same city so I could work double shifts on the days I didn’t have barracks restrictions.
🧐 we had squadron restrictions and no one ever left the barracks, didn’t go because of the gnats and mosquitoes that BatC controlled.
Were you detained from the beginning by the enemy’s biological weapons?
Did you never get to go to Stockholm to practice ABC?
We didn’t dare, too many mosquitoes 🧐.
Äh… 😂
Or was that your way of insinuating that I am making things up? 🧐
🧐
Precis!🧐🧐🧐
Hmm🤔
I actually regret letting myself be persuaded. I think that the other two alternatives might have been more rewarding.
Practice for the parade on May 9 in Moscow 😳
https://x.com/kvistp/status/1917580716956856512?s=46&t=Vah3JXV31B9lXwZOK5gF7w
🤣 Only North Koreans left!
Flame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrFeRLxhjL0
Kristersson understands? Sounds almost a bit like reading aloud from the blog at times.
https://youtu.be/ZqHBZ-dnCI4?si=9yaHn3blCQMJ1jZZ
“We must substantially increase our support for Ukraine.”
“A bad peace will encourage Putin to come back for more.”
“The alternative, should be, and must be peace through strength”
Of course, there is also a lot of blah blah, among other things, he talks about cutting a red tape?
I didn’t understand what he meant, and considering the audience’s response, I was probably not alone in that.
Anyway, happy for Ukraine’s sake that the moderates are leading the country. The Social Democrats would have delivered worse on that issue. Of course, I would have liked to see even more done.
Also that Europe must lead and that it will go down the drain if we don’t do it, but can go well if we tackle it. “We have agency”.
Red tape is synonymous with bureaucracy and cumbersome regulations.
👍
Burn all red Velcro!
Good speech actually, imagine if all countries in Europe had the same attitude?
Sure, Krister also doesn’t dare to send troops, but they really don’t skimp on support.
Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, and others must step up.
Nina and “Jojje”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESFGGTl4adQ
Oops, in the end, an agreement was reached, but I coldly expect that it ended with Ukraine outmaneuvering the USA in the stands.
“The USA and Ukraine have signed a mineral agreement, confirms the US Department of the Treasury in a press release.
“The agreement is a clear signal to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process based on a long-term free, independent, and prosperous Ukraine,” says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and continues: “No state or person who has financed or equipped the Russian war machine will be allowed to profit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
https://omni.se/a/zAjal5
“Red Lights”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiKSbbkzLnI
Great with some cool songs, I’ll see if I can manage to insert some links to a few 🤘🎸
The bras have burned out, the glow and fighting spirit are starting to fade. The smoke settles…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgCnUYeyeiA