Russia’s new Defence Minister: Andrei Belousov.

— Sergei Shoigu is out as Putin’s defence minister. He’s been in the position since 2012.

— Belousov is a Russian economist and politician, has been serving as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia since January 21, 2020.

— He played a crucial role in implementing the Russian Government's economic policy, overseeing economic growth, and stabilizing Russian markets.

— He supervises national projects, finance, foreign trade, and counteraction to sanctions.

Prigozhin cheering from hell. Have my doubts the new guy will be much better though.

What's going on with the surprise attack from the Russians in the north? New front opening up or just a one time thing without much follow-through?

Kharkiv? Been reported on for a few months now that Russia is going to attempt a new offensive on Kharkiv. These seem to be the early stages of that reported offensive, it's too early to say if it will develop into anything larger but to be blunt, Ukraine is lacking in pretty much everything right now.

“This isn’t a critical number for now, but because of well known geopolitical circumstances around us we are gradually getting closer to the situation in the mid-1980s, when the share of spending on security was just 4 per cent,” Peskov said.

“It’s very important to put the security economy in line with the economy of the country, so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment.”

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Lol. Funny date range to call out, the start of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union losing in Afghanistan.

Hope every Western European + North American leader feels shame for the rest of their lives, the results of escalation management will (ironically) once again get innocent people killed because those in Western Europe and America are too fucking cowardly to do the right thing. They all make me sick. Wouldn't even trust them to protect the Baltics if Russia invaded them.

The following prison details stick in my mind from this interview I did with a Ukrainian prisoner of war who has now returned, on life in Russian prison:

6am-10pm no sitting or lying permitted, only standing up.

The speaker system played radio programmes about Ukrainian Nazis on loop.

Twice a day routine of standing legs apart while being beaten with truncheons and electric shockers

Forced to read poetry begging forgiveness from "fraternal Russians" while being beaten

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During the daily beating ritual, the men were forced to recite poems begging forgiveness from the "fraternal Russians" for Ukraine's errant ways. They had to memorise the poems, and were beaten harder if they forgot lines or if the guards considered they were not putting enough emotion into them.

Months later, Merkotan could still remember the long poems by heart. One fragment went: "There is no Ukraine without Russia / It's as pointless as a lock without a key / We are all one family, even if we argued / But arguments can happen in a family."

‘You say you are a musician, they beat you more’: the Ukrainian sax player who survived Putin’s torture prisons | Ukraine | The Guardian