Russia & Ukraine

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Russian version of seals.
 
Putin is running out of generals...

BRING OUT THE BIG GUNS
Desperate Putin ‘calls up obese 20st retired general, 67,’ to lead troops in Ukraine after ‘running out of commanders’
https://www.the-sun.com/news/5641205/putin-calls-obese-20st-retired-general-lead-troops-ukraine/

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General Pavel is said to scoff five meals a day washed down with at least a litre of vodka

VLADIMIR Putin has called a morbidly obese general out of retirement to lead his troops in Ukraine as he is running out of senior officers, reports claim.

The Russian despot is now "scraping the barrel" and relying on 20st vodka-swilling General Pavel, 67, to revive his faltering invasion.

He is said to be in charge of Putin's special forces in eastern Ukraine after the unit's former commander was seriously injured in an artillery strike, a source told the Daily Star.

The hulking veteran reportedly served in Russia's bungled invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and has over four decades' experience under his straining belt.

General Pavel first became a commander of elite troops 25 years ago, but had settled into high-calorie retirement.

He reportedly scoffs five meals a day and washes it down with at least a litre of vodka.

The general was reportedly living in a Moscow suburb after hanging up his boots five years ago, but is said to have been ordered to return to the Russian army last month.

But Pavel is no longer in his prime - in fact, he is so overweight he has to have his uniform specially made.

And the 67-year-old sports two sets of body armour to cover his expansive torso.

A senior intelligence source said: "Putin is now scraping the barrel.

"Most of his best and battle-hardened senior commanders have been killed or injured fighting in Ukraine so he is resorting to sending second-rate officers to the front who don’t last very long.

"He is now dragging generals out of retirement and one of those is General Pavel.

"Putin is like a mafia boss who no one can refuse to obey.

"If a retired general gets a message from Putin saying mother Russia needs you to fight in Ukraine there is not much you can do. There is no escape from Russia thanks to the sanctions."

The warmonger is digging up washed-up veterans to fill gaps in his fragile army after carrying out a pitiless purge of his generals.

Several of his top brass have been given the boot from key roles this week alone, as his mass clearout continues.

Some nine generals and 55 colonels have reportedly been killed during the costly war in Ukraine, leaving the dictator grasping at straws.

Russian air ace Lt-Col Sergey Gundorov, 51, died in a fireball when a Ukrainian solider shot down his helicopter.

Video showed the moment a missile hit the low-flying Mi-35M chopper, sending it cartwheeling through a field.

And another of his top commanders, Major General Andrei Simonov, is said to have been killed during a rocket strike.

The attack also reportedly destroyed over 30 armoured vehicles, including tanks, and killed around 100 Russians.

Russia is thought to have lost as many as 50,000 men during the blood-soaked conflict, prompting Putin to purge his top adviser.

Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, 60, was ditched for the "mass casualties" among the despot's elite paratroopers, it's claimed.

It comes amid fears the Russian President is may be purging his inner circle after four recent "suicides" of gas industry executives linked to the tyrant.

In April, the suicides were labelled "suspicious" by Russian sources including a former FSB colonel on the Telegram messaging channel.

He weights a bit less than I do but 127kg is actually quite a lot for 5'6". What's "get in meh belly!" in Russian?
 
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Zelensky asks G7 leaders for better air defences and tougher sanctions on Russia
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/g7-summit-zelensky-1.6502456

The ongoing war in Ukraine moved from being a distant, abstract conflict to something more tangible for the leaders of the world's seven wealthiest democracies on Monday with an address by the embattled country's president.

Volodymyr Zelensky told G7 leaders that despite their efforts to arm his country and to isolate the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, more needs to be done — and fast.

He asked for better, more modern air defence systems, more sanctions on Russia and security guarantees, according to European officials.

Ukraine also wants help unblocking its ports for grain shipments, and Zelensky reportedly said he wants the war with Russia to end before the onset of winter.

For German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz — who is hosting the summit — propping up the sinking Ukrainian economy is also another consideration.

"We are discussing all of the topics on the agenda, especially in staying united in supporting Ukraine against Russia aggression and we understood that the policies of all of our countries are very much aligned," Scholtz said coming out of a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Prior to speaking with G7 leaders, Zelensky emphasized, in his nightly address to his own people, that Ukraine needs an advanced air defence system — a point brutally underlined by the dozens of airstrikes on Kyiv and other major cities across the country over the weekend.

"We talk about this every day with our partners," Zelensky said. "There are already some agreements, and partners need to move faster if they are really partners, not observers."

Early Monday, The Associated Press reported that the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv.

Sanctions 'not enough,' Zelensky says
Even though allies moved swiftly to impose an unprecedented range of sanctions, Russia's economy has proven resilient, mostly because countries — including India — have stepped up to buy discounted oil from Moscow.

"This confirms that sanctions packages against Russia are not enough, that Ukraine needs more armed assistance, and that air defence systems — the modern systems that our partners have — should be not in training areas or storage facilities, but in Ukraine, where they are now needed," Zelensky said in his nightly address.

One of the people listening to his address on the margins of the G7 on Monday was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the global leaders who has not spoken up forcefully about the invasion.

Modern weapons, Zelensky said, are needed in Ukraine more than anywhere else in the world.

Ukraine has taken delivery of a handful of rocket-based artillery from the United States and Britain, with promises of additional systems from Germany.

It has fielded 155-millimetre towed howitzers from the U.S., Canada and other allies, but Ukrainian defence officials and some in Zelensky's office are asking for more and better systems, including 500 tanks.

Trudeau, Zelensky spoke on Sunday
Trudeau held what was described as impromptu call with Zelensky on Sunday, ahead of the Ukrainian leader's address, where they spoke about "ramping up pressure on Russia," according to a readout of the call provided by senior Canadian officials.

In his nightly address, Zelensky talked about the call.

"I spoke about this today with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau — how else we can strengthen defence support for Ukraine and how else we can increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia. I thanked Justin for the help already provided — one of the most tangible," he said.

Trudeau filled in Zelensky on the kind of discussions that went on at the Commonwealth Summit late last week, where Canada and Britain tried to convince reluctant members of the organization of mostly former British colonies to get more firmly behind Ukraine and to condemn Russia.

The Commonwealth's final communiqué did not contain a full-throated denunciation of Moscow's invasion, although it did "note" the United Nations resolution from March that took Russia to task.

G7 leaders are also set over the next day or so to formally announce an agreement to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose new sanctions on hundreds of officials and entities supporting the four-month-long war.

(More at above url)
 
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