Nothinghappensbros keep scoring W after W lately

The Ukraine/Israel aid bill will have a new dimension now.

If involvement of US, UK and others is confirmed shortly, it does raise the question as to why these countries aren't willing to do the same for Ukraine.

Is saving lives through air defence really escalatory?

A moving thread. NB: “But it is spring and the mood in the city is hopeful and optimistic. The trees are blooming everywhere and the river almost promises a better future. The war will be over one day and Kharkiv will rebuild.” 1/2

Given the effort the UK put in (OK, France did a lot more but let's gloss over that) it is remarkable how little comment this gets here.

(also, Rejoiner me must point out plenty of moronic Brexiters like Monty cheered this on)

excellent and important column

Germany, a country giving double the military aid the UK is this year as % GDP, digs deep again. Despite having the AfD at 20%.

Netherlands, also spending more than the UK, finds another €1.4bn. Despite Geert Wilders leading polling.

Sunak would face no opposition to more aid.

Day Ukrainians started to fight back Russian aggression.

On this day 10 years ago, the bloodshed in Donbas started. A Russian special-ops group ambushed a group of Ukrainian officers near #Slovyansk . Ukrainians had the orders 'not to respond'. Captain Hennadiy Bilichenko was killed on the spot. Three others were badly wounded.…

I hope other countries follow en suit! This can only be mastered as a collective effort.

All in all, of the total amount of MT-LBs we found during our updated count, these new Yandex images show that half of them are gone from storage already. Unfortunately, there's not much newer footage to significantly update our numbers of other AFV types.

#Russia_Sanctions : It took two years for the US and UK to decide on sanctioning the Russian exports of aluminium, nickel and copper. Over this period Russia earned $40bn from selling these metals. The primary motivation was to avoid supply disruptions.

The IRA lied about one of its most grossly sectarian acts, a coroner has found some 48 years later. The Kingsmill Massacre, where civilians were lined up & shot in cold blood because of their religion, was done by IRA men authorised by the Army Council.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-…

Were we under more existential threat in 2010? Or just not under a Tory government?

I've written about how the UK's efforts to help Ukraine have, for such a large country with a universally supportive public, been weak and are increasingly dissolving into grandstanding. Please have a read.
docs.google.com/document/d/12y…

Europe is more dependent than ever on China for guncotton, a key ingredient for making gunpowder. A top Chinese maker of the explosive compound is a unit of US-blacklisted weapons giant China North Industries Group (Norinco). More here:
theasymmetric.substack.com/p/europe-needs…

Grim but necessary read on Chinese repression in Xinjiang

Building more green energy plants will help Ukraine keep the lights on as Russia bombards its power system, the head of the country’s largest private energy firm told POLITICO.

The only problem? Kyiv needs the EU's help in order to do it.

🔗 trib.al/I1fLe72