Iran set to deliver armed drones to Russia

"Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine." AP

Emergency workers searched for bodies after a Russian missile attack struck an apartment building in Chasiv Yar

"Search and rescue operations continue in Chasiv Yar in Donetsk following a catastrophic
Russian missile strike on a residential building in the city.

At least 24 people have reportedly died in the attack. “Everyone who gives orders for such strikes ... kills absolutely deliberately,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said." CNBC

France could face blackouts without Russian gas — Michelin boss

"Energy-intensive businesses in France are currently preparing for possible power outages in
the event of further reductions of natural gas supplies from Russia, says the CEO of Michelin, Florent Menegaux.

“What we’ve done is we’ve converted our boilers, so they’re capable of running on gas or oil, and we can even switch to coal if we need to,” Menegaux told Reuters on the sidelines of a business and economics conference in southern France over the weekend." NW

Ukrainian Forces Bear Some Blame For Civilian Deaths In Nursing Home Attack: UN Report

"Ukrainian forces put civilians at risk during an attack on March 11 on a nursing home in
southeast Kyiv, according to a report from the United Nations.

According to the report, soldiers from Ukrainian armed forces had entered the care house in Stara Krasnianka on March 7, because the site “had strategic value due to its proximity to an important road.”

The report stated that on the morning of March 11, soldiers from Russian-affiliated groups “attacked the care house with heavy weapons, with patients and staff still inside.”

At the time, 71 patients with disabilities and 15 staff, as well as Ukrainian soldiers, were in the care house with no access to water or electricity.

OHCHR said that it is concerned that both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers launched military operations near civilians but didn’t take any measures to protect civilians, as required under international humanitarian law." ZH

Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s envoy to Germany, other ambassadors

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had dismissed several of
Kyiv’s senior envoys abroad, including the country’s outspoken ambassador to Germany.

Zelensky announced the sacking of Ukraine’s ambassadors to Germany, India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary and said new candidates were being readied for the positions.

Zelensky has urged his diplomats to drum up international support and military aid for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion." MichaelSavage.com

 

Russian shelling in east Ukraine kills at least 15

"At least 15 people were killed when a Russian rocket hit an apartment building in the eastern
Ukraine town of Chasiv Yar and more than 20 people may still be trapped in the rubble." TimesOfIndia

U.S. to Provide Additional Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine Worth $368Mln

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional package of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine worth nearly $368 million." Sputnik

Twitter Celebrity ‘Canadian Ukrainian Volunteer’ Deletes Account After Being Exposed as Fake

"Canadian Ukrainian Volunteer", a self-described member of a "four-man team" fighting in

Kherson, Ukraine with over 118,000 followers on Twitter, has deleted his account after being exposed as a fraud.

For months on end, @canadianukran1 wowed followers with tales of unflinching heroism and glory.

In one post in April, he claimed to have infiltrated a Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine on a bicycle while disguised as a Russian trooper. “Our contact had warned us to remain in the shadows and not to expose ourselves to spying eyes. A window opening above us or a flicker of someone’s cigarette from a balcony, a barking dog in the distance, all were enough for us to cling to the walls in the darkness and hold our breath,” the "volunteer" wrote, apparently taking literary inspiration from a John le Carre spy thriller novel.....@canadianukran1 posted selfies of fighters standing against the background of burnt-out tanks, bombastically adding tag lines such as “Excellent harvest this spring. Glory to Ukraine.” On other occasions, he would post mundane photos of gear, of himself in the field or at rest, and regaling readers with tales about beating back the Russian hordes, discussing the effects of combat exhaustion, and posting photos of troops with “balls of steel” who “barely flinch” amid incoming artillery attacks.

The "real" Canadian Ukrainian Volunteer was exposed as a fake after online sleuths paying close attention to his posts revealed that his weapons were just airsoft guns, and that his kit consisted of replicas.

Eventually, NexusIntel, an open-source intelligence expert, contacted the Twitter poster with a phishing link news story about other Canadians fighting in Ukraine that captures the IP address of those who click on it. “He clicked twice and then blocked me,” NexusIntel recalled in an interview with The Telegraph. The sleuth discovered that the brave volunteer was posting from Ontario, not Ukraine.

“The only truthful thing that he ever said was that he was Canadian, in my opinion,” NexusIntel said." Sputnik

Ukraine's Kramatorsk readies for Russian assault

"Shells are raining down steadily on Kramatorsk and its twin city, Sloviansk, which are poised
to become the next frontline in Moscow's Donbas offensive." France24

 

Russia's Lavrov walks out of G20 talks amid Ukraine criticism

"German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has criticized Moscow for blocking dialogue
with international partners after diplomats said her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov walked out of her speech at the G20 gathering.

Speaking to German television, Baerbock said Lavrov "left the first session halfway through" and skipped a second session "which shows even more clearly that he's not interested in international cooperation or dialogue with the other G19 partners".

Lavrov later also ditched an afternoon session before a virtual appearance by Ukraine's foreign minister and was not present as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Russia in the closed-door meeting in Bali, diplomats said." France24

Japan's former PM Abe dies after shooting

"Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pronounced dead after being shot during a public event, NHK has reported, citing the ruling Japanese Liberal Democratic Party. The death was also confirmed by a party source, who spoke to agency Kyodo News.

Abe was taken to hospital in grave condition after a gunman injured him during a public appearance in the city of Nara in western Japan. He was campaigning as a candidate in an upcoming parliamentary election. Doctors said that significant blood loss from the gunshot injuries had led to his ultimate demise. Abe’s neck was seriously wounded in the attack, medics said, and some of the damage had gone deep enough to damage the heart. 

NHK news identified the man as Yamagami Tetsuya, said to be in his 40s and to have served in Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years. He was arrested for attempted murder, and a weapon has reportedly been retrieved from the scene. The television channel said the police found items at the man’s home that may be explosives." RT

Putin Orders Advance to Continue After Russia Takes Ukraine’s Lysychansk

"Putin said that Russia will continue pressing forward in eastern Ukraine after Kyiv ordered its forces to retreat from the strategic city of Lysychansk and Russian officials claimed control over the entirety of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

“Military units ... must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans,” Putin said in a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu." MT

Latvia to reinstate compulsory military service

"Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks on Tuesday said the Baltic state will reinstate
compulsory military service following growing tension with neighbouring Russia amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“The current military system of Latvia has reached its limit. Meanwhile we have no reason to think that Russia will change its behaviour,” Pabriks told reporters." France24

Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative party leader, plans to leave PM role this autumn

"Despite desperate attempts to cling onto power, U.K. Prime Minister Johnson was forced to resign after a record 59 government aids and cabinet ministers resigned following the sexual impropriety scandal involving the PM’s former deputy chief whip Christopher Pincher, whom Johnson had promoted to the role despite previously being informed of sex pest allegations made against the then-Tory MP." Breitbart

Russia To Hit Gazprom With $20 Billion Windfall Tax

"Russia’s lower house of parliament approved on Tuesday amendments in the country’s tax
code that would slap a windfall tax on Gazprom of the equivalent of $20 billion between September and November, which will boost Russia’s tax revenue income.   

 Russia is said to be earning more than $100 million every day from the gas it sells to Europe despite the slashed deliveries to major EU consumers in recent weeks, according to data from Independent Commodity Intelligence Services.

Despite the EU embargo on Russian seaborne oil, to take effect by the end of the year, and the drastically reduced pipeline gas supply, Russia continues to benefit from the high oil and gas prices. Despite Western sanctions designed to hurt Russia’s oil revenues and war chest, Moscow is still getting a lot of additional billions of U.S. dollars in oil and gas revenues." ZeroHedge