Vannacht: een van de zwaarste Russische aanvallen op Oekraïne sinds het begin van de oorlog.
Vanochtend: Peter Mertens (PVDA) wil "eens bekijken welke reële dreiging er eigenlijk is" en stelt ondertussen alvast voor om uit de NAVO te stappen.
GeoConfirmed conflictmap UKR.
We try to avoid statements but there are limits.
After analyzing thousands of videos over more than four years, we feel we have earned the right to speak plainly: Russia is committing war crimes repeatedly and systematically and they are getting worse.
The longer the West fails to respond decisively, the more these crimes continue. This inaction also sends a dangerous signal to other authoritarian regimes, suggesting that international law can be violated with little consequence. As a result, the boundaries of international law are becoming increasingly weak and difficult to enforce.
The last few days have once again shown that the Russian regime is a terrorist regime that has little regard for humanitarian law:
(1)
After Ukraine agreed to a Russian 3-day ceasefire proposal, for the Russian commemoration of the end of World War II and its victory over Nazi Germany, Russia launched one of the most severe attacks on Kyiv since the beginning of the war, resulting in multiple civilian casualties.
This stands in stark contrast to Russia’s public rhetoric about peace and historical memory.
(2)
It is not enough that Russia is deliberately targeting civilians in Kherson, also known as the “human safari”, it has now also started attacking clearly marked UN vehicles, which would represent another serious violation of international law. Attempts to hide or destroy evidence only make these actions more alarming. And its not the first time they try to hide or manipulate evidence.
Western leaders, especially the Trump administration, should wake up instead of being so easily manipulated by the Russian regime.
0:00-0:17, location at 0:05 - United Nations (UN) vehicle was hit by Russian drones.
46.62328, 32.595023
JHFW+826 Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
0:18-End - United Nations (UN) vehicles were hit by Russian drones.
46.621161, 32.576600
JHCG+FJ9Kherson, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine
Great work by @99Dominik_!
GeoLocated by @99Dominik_ and @Zeldamices
Geolocation:
https://t.co/LvhmmJVj4o
https://t.co/vL0o9545gr
Location:
https://t.co/ndA9stLim2
Statement by the UN representative:
https://t.co/6Wqf6v24ro
https://t.co/4LblB2U1FI
Sources:
https://t.co/rjrtra5WCv
https://t.co/uxKiJHpMvN
(Longer)
https://t.co/KdQmjFmJ4m
https://t.co/u9gLCy07sW
The original source has deleted their Telegram post with the video, but the information and the Russian unit claiming responsibility have been archived. https://t.co/QNakvALfNi
Visit our map: https://t.co/g9OP1aPlGP
I really encourage people to manage their expectations for what is a localized counterattack by an under-strength Ukrainian brigade in Zaporizhzhia. Though Russian positions have been pushed back and Ukrainian troops have regained control over Stepnohirsk proper, the apartment complex south of the town is still not retaken and there is no expectation of any major breakthrough.
We are talking about a town being retaken, not some grand offensive.
And the Russians certainly aren’t in danger of losing “Divisions” worth of equipment or manpower.
Visual from @UAControlMap
Europe needs to stop looking at defence spending only in nominal terms.
On paper, the EU + UK spend far more than Russia.
But in PPP terms, Russia’s defence budget is practically comparable to the EU + UK combined: around $462B vs $457B in 2024.
Russia can generate more military output per dollar because it has lower wages, cheaper energy, centralized procurement and a defence industry already mobilized for war.
Europe’s economic base is vastly larger: the EU + UK economy is roughly 8–9x bigger than Russia’s in nominal GDP and around 3x bigger in PPP terms.
Economically, Russia would have very little chance in a long war against Europe.
But Europe’s weakness is fragmentation:
→ 27 EU armies + the UK
→ Europe operates 2–3x more competing platform suppliers than the US
→ Duplicated tanks, aircraft, ships, missiles and command structures
Europe needs joint procurement, common production planning, shared stockpiles and full EU + UK defence coordination.
Europe has the money to outproduce Russia. But only if it stops acting like 28 separate defence markets and starts acting like one strategic power.
Just a reminder: in 1982, when Great Britain was attacked by Argentina, starting the Falklands War, the United States did not come to their aid because the Falklands are not in the North Atlantic and the British did not bitch about it.
In 1956, when the French and British attacked Egypt, causing the Suez Crisis, despite the fact that France and Great Britain are in NATO, the United States not only refused to assist, but went to the United Nations to condemn them for attacking Egypt.
In 2019, when Turkey decided to attack Syria, the Trump administration had the Pentagon send out an official notice that they did not support the campaign and would not send troops.
So kindly shut the fuck up, everyone in the White House.
I constantly end up having to explain obvious things. That Western Europeans are, for the most part, legalists. And despite all their liberalism, they are also traditionalists. They need traditional diplomacy, traditional procedures –otherwise they interpret it as disrespect toward them.
Try getting anything at all from, say, a municipal employee in some Belgian, German, or French village if they think you’ve treated them disrespectfully. Even if they themselves need something from you, they will simply ignore you to the fullest extent the law allows.
This is exactly what has happened between the US and the EU (or more precisely, between the US and other NATO countries in general). There is no legal procedure that obliges EU countries to allow allied NATO military aircraft to pass through their airspace without prior coordination of operations. And that’s it.
Trump has said enough to earn the maximum possible level of disregard from the EU for years to come. And he did not follow procedure. Pro-Trump Americans can write all the hysterical comments they want and bring up D-Day or the defense of Europe during the Cold War – but those heroic grandfathers fought a long time ago, while this crazy old man is talking nonsense right now.
Trying to use Ceteris Paribus in geopolitics, pointing out one comparable factor while ignoring all others, that is what is astonishing here. No credebility left.
It's astonishing that you, a world leader who many respected for standing up to an illegal attack on your country, now support an illegal attack on another country. It completely kills your credibility.
Right now. Iran is Ukraine. You may not like to hear that but that is a fact
@mehdirhasan What’s astonishing is that you don’t call out Iran for sending Russia thousands of attack drones to use on Ukrainian civilians but condemn Ukraine for sending a tweet. A tweet that doesn’t even call for violence against Iran.
Hello, Moon. It’s great to be back.
Here’s a taste of what the Artemis II astronauts photographed during their flight around the Moon. Check out more photos from the mission: https://t.co/rzM1P0QbOl