Tag: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Ukraine can’t retake Crimea soon, Pentagon tells lawmakers in classified briefing

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Ukrainian forces are unlikely to be able to recapture Crimea from Russian troops in the near future, four senior Defense Department officials told House Armed Services Committee lawmakers in a classified briefing. The assessment is sure to frustrate leaders in Kyiv who consider taking the peninsula back one of their signature goals.

Ukraine can’t retake Crimea soon, Pentagon tells lawmakers in classified briefing

Israel Strikes Iran Amid New International Push to Contain Tehran

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Israel Strikes Iran Amid New International Push to Contain Tehran

“Explosive night in Iran,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, wrote on Twitter in response to the blast in Iran. “[Ukraine] did warn you.”

Related:

Israel behind foiled drone attack on defense facility in Iran’s Isfahan: WSJ

“Not a good week for the apartheid regime either at home or abroad. However, even though Netanyahu and his western backed terrorist allies in northern Iraq have failed, there will be consequences. They both need to learn that punishment comes with failure too,” Marandi wrote.

NYPD commissioner reveals plans for smartphone app, new cameras

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

NYPD commissioner reveals plans for smartphone app, new cameras

“Between its use of spying drones, rampant facial recognition technology, and other invasive policing tactics, we’ve seen time and time again that the NYPD cannot police itself,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “As it looks to deploy new apps to officer and civilian phones, the Department needs to be transparent about its plan for these technologies and how they will store and protect New Yorkers’ data — ensuring that this rollout complies with the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act. To truly uphold New Yorkers’ privacy and safety, any technology adopted by the NYPD must be subject to public scrutiny and review,” she said in a statement.

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Related:

The Difficulty of Disrupting Iranian Drones

Russia and Iran Are Building a Trade Route That Defies Sanctions

In all of this, some analysts see echoes of an idea that dates back more than a century and is reckoned to be the foundation of geopolitical thinking. It focused on the struggle between an oceangoing world power—the UK then, the US today—and the land giants of Eurasia. [Heartland Theory]

Reciprocity: Zelensky Demanded Weapons from Netanyahu for Pro-Israel UN Vote

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Reciprocity: Zelensky Demanded Weapons from Netanyahu for Pro-Israel UN Vote

In the previous anti-Israel UN vote (and most other UN votes), Ukraine voted against Israel. That did not go over well in Israel. Israel has also been a world leader in supplying Ukraine with humanitarian aid.

According to a report by Barak Ravid, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday evening asking Ukraine to vote against the UN resolution. Zelenskyy demanded reciprocity and a change in Israeli policy, asking Israel to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine, in particular, against Russian ballistic missiles and the Iranian suicide drones that Russia has been using to attack Ukraine.

Related:

PA Celebrating UN Resolution Asking ICC to Investigate Israel’s ‘Occupation’

The Foreign Ministry and Israel’s embassies lobbied some 100 countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, too, spoke with the leaders of several countries and managed to convince at least five leaders not to vote in favor of the decision – the leaders of Croatia, Togo, Greece, Romania, and Kenya. Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid also took part in the efforts, sending letters to more than 60 world leaders ahead of the vote.

Israel, the US, and 24 other members––including the UK and Germany––voted against the resolution, while France was among the 53 nations that abstained. The US entered Israel’s nay vote since the resolution was passed on Shabbat, a move that UN Envoy Gilad Erdan called “shameful.”