Tokayev to Putin: Russia-Ukraine conflict should be frozen.
Kazakhstan does not understand the nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine, — FT. 1/
Kazakhstan is one of Russia’s few close partners and shares a 7,600 km border with it. Tokayev has avoided direct condemnation of Putin, but repeatedly refused to recognize Russian-backed separatists and recognized Ukraine as sovereign. 2/
Tokayev said it is tragic that young people are dying, calling them “the gene pool of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine.” 3/
Interceptor drones allow Ukraine to destroy up to 90–95% of aerial targets at a very low cost. They are a genuine game changer. Every interceptor can save lives, making it vital for Ukraine’s future.
WSJ with Lasar’s Group, a Ukrainian drone unit. 1/
«AI works in two stages. First, it identifies a likely target and alerts the crew. After the pilot confirms it, autonomous mode takes over. The drone’s computer controls the motors, accelerates and closes in on the target». 2/
«Interceptor drones are panacea from Russian Shaheds. A mobile fire group covers only 2 kilometers. My official range is 15 kilometers, and in practice I can fly farther — as long as the drone has power». 3/
Anton Rozhdestvenskyi, a russian soldier, lived in his dugout next to a dead comrade for weeks. He slept beside the body, ate beside it, and doused himself in perfume to hide the smell.
It didn't work. He reeked of the corpse the whole time. 1/
That comrade had lain near him one night, said he felt ill, and asked to borrow Anton's phone. Anton handed it over, and they both fell asleep. By morning the man hadn't woken up. Anton and the others wrapped the body and propped it against the dugout wall. 2/
He'd been pulled from a penal colony as replacement. He was one of the last healthy men left before commanders started sending the sick ones too. They handed him body armor, a helmet, and an AK-12, then told him to walk to the position alone that same day. 3/
Boris Johnson spent 90 minutes inside Ukraine’s “kill zone” for a new documentary.
He stayed in a town under Russian drone attacks, met troops making explosives from plastic toilet pipe, and said Britain should send Ukraine more advanced weapons. 1/
Johnson’s first night near the front: drone strikes hit a nearby apartment block similar to the one where he was staying.
At a shop still open in the “kill zone,” an elderly woman shouted: “What would you do if they started bombing? Look around!” 2/
The film opens with a Russian drone attack on a civilian passenger train that killed 6 people and injured many more.
Johnson: “It wasn’t an accidental hit but a premeditated attack and nothing short of an act of terrorism.” 3/
Sweden is launching its own MI6 after one of Europe’s biggest intelligence mistakes before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
In 2022, Sweden’s military intelligence, like spy chiefs in France and Germany, judged that Putin would not risk a full-scale war, The Economist. 1/
Sweden’s new agency will be called UND, the Foreign Intelligence Service.
Unlike MUST, Sweden’s military-intelligence service, UND will be civilian and report mainly to the government. It will also oversee covert agent operations abroad. 2/
Carl Bildt [former Swedish PM]: Sweden was very good at tracking the military developments on the ground, but not as good at looking at the politics of Russia and where they were heading.
I think it should have been done ten years ago. 3/
Krotevych, former Azov officer: Syrskyi would never admit a mistake. He would probably say his only mistake was being too soft. That is dangerous. In my view, he has repeatedly lied to Zelenskyy. 1/
Krotevych: Drapatyi will face an extremely difficult job. If allowed to build a strong team, he can succeed. Syrskyi placed loyalists throughout the army and pressured principled commanders. One man cannot change everything; reform requires honest reporting. 2/
Krotevych: Russia has never stopped because of losses. People are its cheapest resource. If Ukraine destroys one Russian infantryman and one truck, the truck is worth more to Russia than the soldier. 3/