More News From Ukraine

[ichkeria]

As things are hotting up:

Two Russian aircraft and two helicopters shot down over Bryansk (Russia) this morning and reports in the Russian media of a third helicopter since.
The link says friendly fire ….
The helicopters are allegedly an advanced type of which Russia possesses only around 20.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12080009/amp/Russia-loses-four-aircraft-shot-sky-Putins-Ukraine-border.html

Meanwhile, Russian troops continue to be pushed back in Bakhmut with a key location: Klishchivka, reportedly liberated.

Russians also claim it was a UK Storm Shadow which but a big building in Luhansk yesterday. The interesting thing about that is that it was preceded by sophisticated US decoy missiles which no one knew Ukraine possessed, but seems confirmed.
On the minus side, there was a horrendous fire in Khmelnitskiy, W Ukraine. Cause unknown but possibly an ammo store.

Rumours abound that Aleksandr Lukashenka the Belarus dictator, is in a coma after a heart attack: he left the May 9 Moscow parade suddenly looking very ill and immediately flew back to Minsk. And has not bern seen in public since. Tho if he’s that ill it’s hardly surprising.
Queue his turning up tomorrow :-)

[Khandro]

In the photo of him seated with his goons, it's his right hand, but in the one with the cameraman it's his left, lso in that one the flesh tones of the other two are quite different from him.

[ichkeria]

The possible use of fakes, or doubles is intriguing.
When Putin supposedly visited Kherson region recently, they probably used the real thing, and simply pretended it was where they claimed: a lot easier than messing around by sending a replica version. I however, am a Dutchman, if it was really Kherson.
When Putin previously supposedly visited Mariupol recently, whoever it was seemed definitely to be there (a lot harder to fake that). SO more likely to have been fake Putin.
Some say the Russians are poisoning Luka so they can take over the country and force Belarus to join the war. I'd be very surprised: if and when he goes there will be instability and I doubt if the Russians would dare risk that. The reasons Belarusians would not take kindly to being told to join in won't go away just because Lukashenko has.

[Khandro]

and there's Belarusians fighting alongside the Ukrainians - it seems quite effectively;
https://www.politico.eu/article/belarus-russia-ukraine-bakhmut-alexander-lukashenko/