UPDATE: CLASSIFIEDS section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
Better late than never.
I wonder how many have been down the Channel.
Nice video so a statement act as well. I.e filmed by an expert.
Better late than never.
I wonder how many have been down the Channel.
Thousands of journeys.
Approaching three hundred journeys since the beginning of April, the majority through the English Channel but this is the first documented seizure.
Nice video so a statement act as well. I.e filmed by an expert.
Absolutely. The PM demonstrating his commitment to defence by personally commanding the raid, following his budget fail last week.
He was already taking fire for delaying the UK's Defence Investment Plan (DIP) for almost twelve months
I'd expect a couple of ££bn to appear from somewhere for the official announcement of the DIP before the NATO summit (7-8 July in Turkiye) as well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8pvgw802no
How depressing that this thread has just tipped over 500 pages.
Anyway, the Ukrainians continue to innovate with a drone delivered munition to defeat vehicle and road netting and lightweight protection to destroy trucks and trenches.
^ serious men in sheds / Robot Wars / Orange Bikes vibes with that thing.
Echoes of the flechettes dropped over the trenches in WW1 there.
Of course, the Russians will be working to copy them now, which is bad news for the Ukr troops on the ground.
Of course, the Russians will be working to copy them now, which is bad news for the Ukr troops on the ground.
100% this. War is a savage evolution.
An interesting development.
Seems like an everyday driving incident on UK roads, horn followed by headlights (without the kinetics. Usually)
What do the sailors on here think?
Russian warship fires warning shots near UK-registered yacht in Channel http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20yzm84r7lo
Russia has a new electronic warfare system to tackle Starlink.
It's currently less than compact and each unit can only interrupt one satellite (of 10,000 possibles)
The Volna Kupol Garant has already been targetted twice by Ukraine according to vids on SM
The latest Stefan Korshak published yesterday.
One note about European satellite systems that I'm quite sure Ukraine has had access to.
France through Airbus (with Germany as a minority partner) has its CSO optical-imaging series. CSO1 launched in 2018, CSO2 and the bonus CSO3 launched in March 2025 after Germany joined the programme.
Italy has four Cosmo Sky-Med satellites, which is a radar-imaging system
UK has a number of satellites, with the communications Skynet series and the wholly UK-owned Tyche optical-imaging satellite launched in 2024.
June 12, 2026, Day 1,579a — Flamingos Make Progress, Crimea Choked, German High Tech
http://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/june-12-2026-day-1579a-flamingos
http://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/june-12-2026-day-1579b-continued
A bit of an aside perhaps, but interesting for me anyway...prompted by Lavrov today whining on that it is NATO and the west's fault the war started because Boris Johnson stopped Zelensky signing the Istanbul Agreements triggered by the russian invasion Feb 2022
A bit of context what the Istanbul Agreement was.
Did Johnson actually do that or is it more bollocks from Lavrov?
What do the sailors on here think?
Russian warship fires warning shots near UK-registered yacht in Channel http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20yzm84r7lo
I wouldn't class myself as a sailor, perhaps in the past.....
Boat drifts too close to an active military ship in a fog, middle of ocean, doesn't respond to radio and flare warnings. Warship responds with radio, flares and then warning shots. I doubt that any other nationality of warship would do it any different, bar perhaps the Russians have less restraint.
What's not clear why the yacht didn't respond to radio, and some reports suggest no engine which seems odd for such a vessel....Seems..odd.
Remember that there are active threats to Russian boats at present. USS Cole anyone?
But also, Russians being Russian...
And not that uncommon.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6079974.stm
Did Johnson actually do that or is it more bollocks from Lavrov?
Ukraine had already decided not to sign because it meant changing the constitution article on pursuing NATO membership.
Ukraine also didn't trust Russia, which has an history of ignoring agreements. The Bucha massacre (March 2022) was evidence of ignoring the Geneva Convention, quite apart from other aspects of the crime.
Boris gets the blame because he said we'll support Ukraine if you choose to fight.
He did something right then.
I wonder how this is playing out for the residents of Moscow?
Harder for Putin to claim hes winning the SMO 😉 when his capital looks like Mordor
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mokbu6pq322m
https://bsky.app/profile/kateinkharkiv.bsky.social/post/3mojv7g4j6k2d
What do the sailors on here think?
I heard one of the sailors on the radio claim before the shots they'd adjusted their heading by 2 degrees to show the Russians their intentions, or something. 2 degrees!
Classic case of **** about and find out I reckon.
What do the sailors on here think?
Use of firearms was excessive, but you have a bona fide right pair of planks here.
I thought those Moscow fires were ai pictures when I saw them on threads this morning. It sends a big message to the people of Moscow.
What do the sailors on here think?
I heard one of the sailors on the radio claim before the shots they'd adjusted their heading by 2 degrees to show the Russians their intentions, or something. 2 degrees!
Classic case of **** about and find out I reckon.
Muppets.
Russia have vowed regular massive bombing of ukraine in retaliation......... which is what theyve been doing for the last 4 years
Putin will be raging
I wonder if the clever UKR drone teams are now reverse engineering what those pesky Russians did to that road bridge .
Scale it up , use a few dozen RPG warheads on the Kerch bridge supports ,maybe LTD a precise spot then blast away till enough material is removed and one pillar collapses.
Not as effective as a demolition charge , and RPG rounds might not be the best thing as I think they are mostly anti armour in design with a copper cone up front.
Russia have vowed regular massive bombing of ukraine in retaliation......... which is what theyve been doing for the last 4 years
Putin will be raging
Only a week or two ago Moscow was warning foreign nationals to leave Kyiv because they were going to unleash the big one, which turned out to be a few unstoppable hypersonic missiles. All that proved is that they can be shot down by Patriots, though Ukraine didn't have enough to catch 'em all.
I wonder if the clever UKR drone teams are now reverse engineering what those pesky Russians did to that road bridge .
Scale it up , use a few dozen RPG warheads on the Kerch bridge supports ,maybe LTD a precise spot then blast away till enough material is removed and one pillar collapses.
Not as effective as a demolition charge , and RPG rounds might not be the best thing as I think they are mostly anti armour in design with a copper cone up front.
The ubiquitous RPG round is in short supply. There is a bunker-busting variant though.
Ukraine is developing larger drone weapons, but I don't think that they'll bother wasting them until Russia decides that the only way to supply Crimea is via the strait
Has to be the winner of the turret toss competition
Newer videos suggest that was courtesy of a Russian air defence missile not quite meeting expectations.
I assume whoever launched it is a)blaming someone else and b)if that doesnt work say they were experimenting with actual shields to block drones.
looks like an air defence missile in this one
https://bsky.app/profile/specialkhersoncat.bsky.social/post/3molmganty22e
Russia has an estimated 11,000 personnel in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area, which is the southern half of the "fortress belt".
Russia has been lobbing guided bombs northwest of Druzhkivka, although it isn't clear whether these are winged (longer-range and safer for the aircraft).
Druzhkivka is to the north of Kostyantynivka and indicates that Russia intends bypassing Kostyantynivka, where it has been struggling to turn troop infiltration into consolidated control, and head for Kramatorsk, the second major city in the "fortress belt".
If successful, the flanking infiltration forces would keep Ukraine's forces in Kostyantynivka busy while cutting ground logistics for them, although supply by air is an option. Russian tactics seem to be to gradually absorb Ukraine's forces but time is a massive factor in this.
The necessary time is ebbing away (evidenced by Russian propaganda ramping up) and it seems possible that they'll continue to publish over-blown reports of infiltrations across all of the cities of the "fortress belt", rather than concentrate on control of one city. If this is the case then its an indication of Russia's need for an illusion of success both domestically and for the less committed "western waverers".
Repeating this illusion for all of the cities of the "fortess belt" would be both logistically and numerically difficult while not achieving any form of control, especially while Russia's drone forces are being drawn back to defend rear logistics routes from Ukraine's drone forces.
The Russian MoD first started making daily tactical claims in Kostyantynivka on June 13 and in Slovyansk on June 18. Russia has increased the sophistication of its cognitive warfare effort over the last several months to make claims of advances in areas where Russian forces do not maintain enduring positions, including by publishing likely AI-generated battlefield footage on June 15, 16, and 17.
**
Russian forces are concentrating manpower in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area in an apparent attempt to infiltrate Kostyantynivka en masse. The spokesperson for a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area reported on June 17 that Russian forces are concentrating manpower near Kostyantynivka in an effort to advance in large numbers using small infantry groups.
**
The commander stated that Russian forces intend to infiltrate Kostyantynivka and bypass it from the flanks. An officer of the Ukrainian 19th Army Corps reported on June 17 that the number of Russian personnel in Kostyantynivka remains roughly at 123-125 and that Russian forces are primarily attacking from the west, east, and northeast of the city.
Daniel Fried, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and US Ambassador to Poland says that Russia "is beginning to lose".
He suggests clear US belief phases:
(2022) "(Ukraine will) fight very bravely and lose very quickly."
(2022-2023) "Ukraine would “fight very bravely and slowly lose.""
(2026) "Russia is no longer winning, it is beginning to lose."
"...he is not suggesting Ukraine will immediately drive Russia out of the entire country, the war’s overall momentum has shifted.
“Russia is no longer winning, it is beginning to lose,” he said.
According to Fried, this realization is now “sinking in in European capitals and even to some degree” in Washington."
He also believes that the balance within the US administration is changing,
"At the same time, officials who understand the geopolitical stakes and support Kyiv are beginning to gain a stronger grip on policy." http://www.kyivpost.com/interviews/78491
There's a deepening rift between President Zelensky in Ukraine and President Nawrocki in Poland. Without wishing to go into this, it began on Friday and has been steadily escalating since then at a Presidential level. The rift was summarised by Polish PM Donald Tusk as a conflict that “pleases Putin and shocks our allies”.
The Polish and Ukrainian people have had an historic mistrust for more than a century that has gradually fizzled out with time, a Nov-Dec 2024 Polish survey found that,
"Opinions about Ukrainians remain mixed. According to the survey results, 25% of respondents view them positively, while 30% express a negative opinion. Neutral assessments prevail, at 41%."
and a separate article (both linked below, four links total)
"Politicians exploit this gap, playing on myths and emotions because most citizens lack the context to evaluate political claims critically. In Poland, Volhynia gets presented as if it were a standalone atrocity – an inexplicable eruption of mass violence from the Ukrainians disconnected from broader circumstances. Ukrainians are shocked that the Poles vilify the UPA, which they associate almost exclusively with the anti-Soviet resistance it waged into the 1950s."
http://mieroszewski.pl/en/knowledge/public-opinion-research/ukraine-as-seen-by-poles-2025
http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/78128
http://www.kyivpost.com/post/78594
http://www.kyivpost.com/post/78625
There's a threat to the sovreignty of Belarus hanging in the air, quite apart from that posed by Russia. This is an interesting development for a country that has had certain sanctions removed by President Trump, e.g. exports of potash, import of aircraft parts, banking, etc.
Ukraine has told Belarus to remove drone repeater stations within a week. These are used by Russian forces to strike northern Ukraine, in concert with five new Shahed drone launch sites within Russia and close to Belarus (see United24 link below)
"On his territory, along two regions bordering Ukraine, there is equipment that adjusts fire against the Ukrainian population – civilians. There are relay systems on those towers," Zelensky said. "If he does not want to be in this war, let him remove that equipment and switch it off."
Border tensions between Belarus and Ukraine have been rising for a few weeks now and last week President Lukashenko withdrew earlier threats by saying, “Yes, he [Putin] says, we understand that Belarus’ entry into the war, in any capacity, is unacceptable” with Lukashenko admitting he “maybe went too far” in his criticism of Ukraine's forces.
Belarus houses Russian nuclear missile forces, although it's less clear whether that includes nuclear warheads, and was complicit in Russia's 2022 invasion, although not directly involved.
The relaxation of US sanctions on Belarus led to a scramble to prevent Russia bypassing sanctions via Belarus.
Belarus clearly has the confidence of Trump and they made fertiiliser available following the Iran debacle.
The big questions are whether:
- Lukashenko will risk conflict with either Russia, Ukraine or both and risk his own fragile grasp on power at the hands of a people who only support him because he's avoiding war. He's very aware that the democratically-elected leader of the government in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is waiting in Lithuania (TBF there is a stack of opposition leaders either in exile or imprisoned in Belarus, but she was elected).
- Trump will get involved to protect Lukashenko, who supported his efforts to restore a degree of normalcy following his Iran debacle.
http://www.kyivpost.com/post/78240
http://www.kyivpost.com/post/78561
http://united24media.com/world/russia-establishes-new-shahed-launch-sites-along-belarusian-border-19785
http://theconversation.com/belarus-election-how-europes-last-dictator-held-onto-power-as-his-opponents-were-jailed-or-exiled-248962
An article from Missile Matters by Fabian Hoffmann.
Missile Defense's Unforgiving Logic Comes Back to Haunt Russia
Ukrainian long-range drone attacks expose a deepening air defense shortage
http://missilematters.substack.com/p/missile-defenses-unforgiving-logic
Unfortunately that Missile Matters article leads me into something that I've been putting off for a few days, which is a deeper-dive into Ukraine's campaign against Russian logistics.
Fortunately I've been able to cut the keyboard work down to a link to retired US DoD Civil Servant, Trent Telenko, rather than a long-winded explanation from me, which I'm sure is a relief to us all 😉 http://threadreaderapp.com/thread/2067680637184610404.html
^ interesting reading.
It's feeling like while the front line is barely moving, the war is progressing at a rate we have not seen since the early weeks. It feels like all sorts is unravelling for Russia, and we're in the good weather. Come the autumn....
Ok - so the 2 ferries attacked today at Kerch were sold to Russia by Greek companies - unbelievable 🤯
Also huge queues of Russian cars waiting to get on the Kerch bridge to leave
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mosqfpcepk22
And Muscovites visiting, whingeing that they can't leave. My heart bleeds 🎻 🙄
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mostvml6cc22
Ok - so the 2 ferries attacked today at Kerch were sold to Russia by Greek companies - unbelievable 🤯
That's where more than 120 of the "shadow fleet" initially came from.
German and UK companies sold smaller numbers of old tankers as well http://united24media.com/latest-news/how-greek-uk-and-german-shipowners-enable-russias-oil-exports-with-6-billion-in-tanker-sales-5590
The value of old very large crude carriers will likely fall because Iran doesn't need a shadow fleet with the US MOU now, however, Russia uses smaller carriers to manoeuvre in both the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, so this is unlikely to be a factor.
Couple of things
Ukraine have hit a bridge over the Karachokrak river in Zaporizhzia region. From pictures you can't really see what hit it, and what damage has been caused, but it's a bridge for a highway supplying Russian front lines, and there's no other way around it to supply troops on the other side of the river there. Thing one: given the size of blast I'd suggest Ukraine apparently has a drone that can carry (or is itself) a payload of at least 250kgs. Thing two: the lack of Russian AD around what is for them a crucial piece of infrastructure. It might be that they shot down a few drones before one got through, but certainly there doesn't appear to be anything at the bridge itself. This would suggest that here at least, Ukraine seem to have a lot more freedom of action than they've had in other regions.
Couple of things
Ukraine have hit a bridge over the Karachokrak river in Zaporizhzia region. From pictures you can't really see what hit it, and what damage has been caused, but it's a bridge for a highway supplying Russian front lines, and there's no other way around it to supply troops on the other side of the river there. Thing one: given the size of blast I'd suggest Ukraine apparently has a drone that can carry (or is itself) a payload of at least 250kgs.
If your estimate of 250kg is correct then I don't think that Ukraine has a drone that's both that big and that accurate.
I think that we're looking more at a guided glide bomb or a cruise missile. Ukraine has reportedly already used the AGM-188A Rusty Dagger, a US hybrid glide bomb/missile developed exclusively for Ukraine with a 230kg warhead, is that near enough?
These weren't supposed to be delivered until October but reports suggest that a few might already be "in the field".
Norway's Kongsberg bought a majority stake in the U.S. start-up manufacturer. The missile can be launched from the back of a cargo aircraft if you want, or more conventionally from an aircraft, land or ship
Thing two: the lack of Russian AD around what is for them a crucial piece of infrastructure. It might be that they shot down a few drones before one got through, but certainly there doesn't appear to be anything at the bridge itself. This would suggest that here at least, Ukraine seem to have a lot more freedom of action than they've had in other regions.
Ferry and bridge crossings in the area of Vasylivka have been hit of previous occasions, so the attack isn't new and recent reports suggest that at least one Pantsir AD system has turned up in Moscow covered with anti-drone ironwork. This is a front-line mod and not something that you'd associate with a city - to summarise probably a bit of both
http://www.twz.com/air/kongsberg-bets-on-high-low-cruise-missile-mix-with-jsm-and-rusty-dagger
A detailed piece on Ukraine's strikes on deep Russian logistics from Meduza, a Russian opposition media outlet based in Latvia. Fuel trucks are merely the obviously visible bit...
...Ukrainian Armed Forces began using that capability against any suitable targets. And strikes on fuel trucks are merely the most visible part of the campaign, not its only goal.
Even so, the Ukrainian army did not fixate on “turning Crimea into an island” (as the country’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, recently called the measures to disrupt supplies to the peninsula). Instead, it set about expanding its aerial campaign in Russia’s rear areas at a pace that outstrips Russian countermeasures along the Pokrovsk axis, as well as in the Kostiantynivka and Sloviansk areas — where the Russian offensive aimed at the full capture of the Donbas is continuing. Along the other axes, from Sumy region to Kupiansk and farther south to the Siverskyi Donets River, no significant increase in range — that is, no systematic effort against the Russian rear — has yet appeared.
http://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/06/23/for-years-ukrainian-strikes-stalled-within-a-few-kilometers-of-the-front-meduza-mapped-thousands-of-geolocated-attacks-and-found-they-now-reach-far-behind-russian-lines
