Sunday, May 01, 2022
INTENTIONAL AMBIGUITY Injects A New Element Into The Kinetic Military Equation of War
Intro: If Western weaponry were deployed in striking Russia, it would fuel Russian propaganda that blames the West for the war and enhance the possibility that the conflict could spill past Russia and Ukraine’s borders.
KYIV, Ukraine — A fuel depot in Russia burst into flames, moments after surveillance video captured the bright streaks of rockets fired from low-flying helicopters. A fire broke out at a military research institute near Moscow. Additional fuel tanks have exploded.
. . .Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out the helicopter strike and military analysts have suggested that Ukrainian sabotage is very likely responsible for the other fires. Ukraine, for its part, has made no official admissions but instead has winked at the possibility of its involvement, with one official suggesting the fires were just Russia’s bad “karma.”
Now, a senior Ukrainian official has described in the clearest terms yet his government’s policy on strikes inside Russia, calling it one of strategic ambiguity.
“We don’t confirm, and we don’t deny,” said the official, Oleksei Arestovych, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff.
Mr. Arestovych, in an interview, compared the approach to Israel’s longstanding policy of ambiguity on nuclear arms, another issue of extraordinary geopolitical sensitivity.
“After what has been happening, officially we don’t say yes and we don’t say no, just like Israel,” he said.
Any escalation of attacks on Russia by Ukraine could have far-reaching implications, perhaps influencing public opinion about the war in Russia, or inflaming the Kremlin to the point of escalating its own strikes.
If Western weaponry were deployed in striking Russia, it would fuel Russian propaganda that blames the West for the war and enhance the possibility that the conflict could spill past Russia and Ukraine’s borders.
The fires at Russian military sites, beginning with the April 1 helicopter assault on the fuel depot in Belgorod, about 15 miles from the Ukrainian border, have injected a new element into the military equation of the war. . .
The strikes come in two forms: the clear military attack with low-flying helicopters near the border, and sabotage deeper inside Russia.
Russian and Ukrainian media reports have attributed a dozen or so blazes to strikes or sabotage. In addition to the helicopter strike there have been at least three other fires at military sites that seem suspicious, and which military analysts have said were very likely set intentionally.
And while some fires point clearly to an assault or an act of sabotage — such as the two fires that broke out in quick succession at fuel tanks in Bryansk on April 25 — others have remained inscrutable, with neither Russia nor Ukraine suggesting a relation to the war.
. . .Ukrainian officials, for their part, have hinted at their involvement with dark humor.A deputy interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, posted on Twitter a “no smoking” sign beside a picture of the fuel depots in Bryansk engulfed in flame.
. . .“If you decided to attack another country, commit mass murder, crush peaceful people with tanks, and to support murder using warehouses in your region, then sooner or later the time will come to repay that debt,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a negotiator for President Volodymyr Zelesnky. “So, the disarmament of the killers’ warehouses in Belgorod and Voronezh regions is just a completely wholesome, natural process. Karma is a harsh thing.”
Mr. Arestovych’s comment on Ukrainian policy was the most forthright so far laying out the Ukrainian government’s position of ambiguity, even as officials in Kyiv have been openly suggesting Russians should expect a continuing spat of mysterious fires.
So far, Ukraine has received public support from Britain for directly attacking Russia, with James Heappey, an official in the Foreign Secretary’s Office, saying the strikes were “completely legitimate” given the role of fuel and ammunition depots in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Heappey also endorsed the use of British-supplied weaponry, saying its use to strike inside Russia was “not necessarily a problem.”
The Russian military, which has been firing missiles and artillery at Ukrainian cities and military targets including fuel depots, continuously for two months now, warned on April 13 against Ukraine striking back.
The ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, told Russian news agencies that Russia would respond by targeting the Ukrainian leadership. “We see efforts at diversions and strikes by the Ukrainian military at objects in the Russian Federation,” he said. “If these instances continue, the Russian army will target decision making centers, including in Kyiv.”
. . .In the Ukrainian military, the arson fires and helicopter assault into Russian territory have also served the purpose of lifting morale. Having seen the effectiveness of their small unit tactics against the Russian army in the battle for Kyiv in March, midlevel Ukrainian commanders have suggested continuing this strategy inside Russia.
“It will not end until we bring the war to Russia,” said the commander of a Ukrainian brigade, who asked that he be identified only by his nickname, Akula, because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
“It’s not a secret that the Russian people support the war, that it is not just Putin and the rest of the Russians are peaceful,” he said.
“We need to make Russian society fear” attacks on their own country to shift perceptions," he said. . ."
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/world/europe/ukraine-russia-attack-denials.html
BUNKER MEDIA: Previously Unannounced Visits and Secret Missions
Intro: Western delegations want to get in the act in staged photo pops provided by the Ukraanian President's Press Office
Pelosi concludes secret visit to Ukraine
The House speaker, who is second in line to the presidency, is now the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the war-battered nation since Russia’s invasion began
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi has concluded a secret visit to Ukraine this weekend, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the war-ravaged country since Russia’s brutal invasion began in February.
Pelosi led the previously unannounced trip with a small group of senior House Democrats, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).
The group met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials in Kyiv, the country’s capital. A video posted on Zelenskyy’s Twitter account showed the lawmakers walking the streets of Kyiv before being greeted by the Ukrainian leader outside the presidential palace.
“Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,” the group said in a statement. “When we return to the United States, we will do so further informed, deeply inspired and ready to do what is needed to help the Ukrainian people as they defend democracy for their nation and for the world.”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives with her delegation before her meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on April 30, 2022. | Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP
“Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done,” Pelosi told Zelenskyy during their meeting.
Her travel follows a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who entered the country via train and met with Zelenskyy in a windowless underground bunker in Kyiv on April 24.
...President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have not yet traveled to Ukraine, though some other Western heads of state, including U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have made the journey.
...
Pelosi’s visit comes just days after Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $33 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, including $20 billion for military aid — a massive assistance package and one that underscores the long-term nature of the U.S. commitment. Congressional leaders have vowed to act on the request quickly, but the exact legislative path remains unclear.
“This is historic,” Pelosi said of the proposed aid package at a press conference Friday. “We hope to as soon as possible pass that legislation.”
KISS-ASS QUESTIONS: Media in the Ex-President's Back Pocket
Intro: Besides repeatedly amplifying Trump’s false assertions about a “rigged” election, she also wholeheartedly agreed with the soon-to-be ex-president that the White House had been stolen from him.
Bartiromo Ran Kiss-Ass, Election-Denying Trump Interview Questions by White House First
Trump phoned into her Sunday morning Fox News show, and Maria’s questions lined up with what she told Meadows via text the hour before.
Fox Business Network host Maria Bartiromo shared her questions for President Donald Trump with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in advance of the ex-president’s first post-2020 election interview, texts obtained by CNN revealed on Friday.
In a text exchange with Meadows less than an hour before her Nov. 29, 2020 on-air chat with Trump, Bartiromo shared a series of questions she planned on asking the outgoing president. At the time, Team Trump was attempting to overthrow President Joe Biden’s decisive election victory. Bartiromo was also one of the network’s top boosters of Trump’s election fraud lies.
“Hi the public wants to know he will fight this. They want to hear a path to victory. & he’s in control,” she texted at 9:21 a.m. ET. “1Q You’ve said MANY TIMES THIS ELECTION IS RIGGED… And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. What are the facts? Characterize what took place here.”
Bartiromo continued: “Then I will drill down on the fraud including the statistical impossibilities of Biden magic (federalist). Pls make sure he doesn’t go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win. This is no longer about him. This is about ????. I will ask him about big tech & media influencing ejection as well Toward end I’ll get to GA runoffs & then vaccines.”
Trump phoned into Sunday Morning Futures at 10:12 a.m. and Bartiromo’s questions largely lined up with what she told Meadows via text an hour before.
“Thank you for talking with us in the first interview since Election Day,” she said at one point during the obsequious chat. “Mr. President, you’ve said many times that this election was rigged, that there was much fraud. And the facts are on your side. Let’s start there. Please go through the facts. Characterize what took place.”
Besides repeatedly amplifying Trump’s false assertions about a “rigged” election, she also wholeheartedly agreed with the soon-to-be ex-president that the White House had been stolen from him. . .
THE MIDDLE FINGER GESTURE: An Act of Defiant Bravery...Until it isn't
Intro: Media owner, performer and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has flipped around the country's official Press Office into a Propaganda Machine
Ukrainians Spend Hours in Line to Purchase Commemorative Snake Island Stamps
Early in the Ukraine crisis, the nation found solace in the bravery of its soldiers. In particular, an incident at Snake Island—a military outpost on the Black Sea—became a rallying cry. On the first day of the Russian invasion, recordings reveal that a group of Ukrainian soldiers told a Russian warship, “Go f*** yourself,” when asked to surrender. To commemorate this act of defiant bravery, Ukrposhta—the Ukrainian Postal Service—held a contest for a Snake Island stamp. Now, Ukrainians are lining up in droves to get their hands on this special stamp. . ."
The attack on Kyiv came barely an hour after Zelensky held a news conference with Guterres, who toured some of the destruction in and around Kyiv and condemned attacks on civilians during his visit.
“This says a lot about Russia’s true attitude towards global institutions, about attempts of Russian authorities to humiliate the UN and everything that the organization represents,” Zelensky said in an overnight video address to the nation. “Therefore, it requires corresponding powerful reaction.”
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko derided the attack as equivalent to Russian President Vladimir Putin showing Guterres “his middle finger.”
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1 day ago
Duration: 0:43
Posted: 2 days ago
THE POCKETABLE PIXY: A CAMERA THAT FLIES
Snapchat’s flying camera
Snap takes another stab at hardware with a selfie drone called Pix
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"More than five years after it released Spectacles, Snap is back with a second hardware product. And this time it flies.
[Back in 2016, before Spectacles dropped, I noticed that Snap was advertising job openings with the tagline, “Toys are preludes to serious ideas.” First coined by the famed design duo Charles and Ray Eames, that phrase has since proven to be emblematic of how Snap operates. What started as primarily a sexting app a decade ago now has more than 330 million daily users, including 75 percent of 13–34 year olds in over 20 countries. Over 250 million of those users engage with AR effects, or Lenses, every day. Those Lenses started by letting people vomit rainbows and wear dog ears. Now, they can solve math equations and let you try on clothes.]
. . .Yes, Snap made a drone. Called Pixy, the small yellow puck takes off from your hand, follows you around, and captures video that can be sent back to Snapchat. It’s Snap’s attempt at making a drone that’s friendlier and more approachable than other products on the market — and it may hint at the more advanced, AR-powered future Snap is building toward.
Pixy is available online for $230 in the US and France starting Thursday. Unlike most existing drones, it’s small and light enough to fit in a pant pocket. There isn’t a controller; it takes off from and lands on an outstretched palm, and it uses six pre-programmed flight patterns that are accessible through a dial on the top of the device. . .
“Because we’re a camera company,” he tells me recently over video chat. Snap has brandished that tagline since 2016 when the company changed its name from Snapchat to Snap and released its first pair of Spectacles. “Our mission is to empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. And this product does exactly that.”
. . .The Pixy stands apart from competing small drones with its simplicity. DJI has for years been building small drones that can take off from your hand and automatically follow you around; those drones feature longer battery life and higher-quality video, too. But these competing models are also more expensive and much more complicated to use. And they’re still much larger than the pocketable Pixy.
So far, drones haven’t caught on beyond professional use cases and early adopters. Most are heavy, loud, and expensive. Some even require a permit. A key focus for Pixy was making it approachable with friendly-sounding propellers and a design that could fit into your pocket. “We finally got to a place where we were like, ‘Wow, this is super fun. I guess we should probably release it,’” says Spiegel.
> The Pixy weighs just 101 grams with its swappable battery inserted. Snap says a full charge will get you five to eight flights, which can range from roughly 10 to 20 seconds — a short flight even by tiny drone standards. Additional batteries cost $20, and Snap sells a portable dual-battery charger for $50. The Pixy’s 12MP sensor shoots up to 100 videos or 1,000 photos, all of which are stored locally on a 16GB drive.
> The footage is synced wirelessly to the Memories section of Snapchat, edited there (it doesn’t capture audio, so Snap lets you use songs it has licensed from music labels), and is then shareable directly in the app or elsewhere. Snap has included a few Pixy-specific AR effects to choose from, and I’d expect more to be added over time from the company and its creators. An auto-crop feature can quickly turn the horizontal footage into Snap’s staple vertical orientation, centered on the main subject. The video quality isn’t amazing — it’s not something you’re going to want to display on a large screen — but it’s fine enough for viewing on a phone. . .
Ultimately, Pixy may prove to be more of a hit in the near term than Spectacles, Spiegel thinks. “After a couple versions of camera glasses, it just becomes very clear that the market for camera glasses is actually very small and constrained to people who want that first person POV,” he says. “I think the market for Pixy is bigger.”
Going into our conversation, I have a theory that, like the first version of Spectacles, Pixy is a Trojan horse for a bigger idea. Drones are already being used to create 3D maps, which would be useful for building more realistic Lenses that are grounded in the real world. Snap recently bought a French startup called NextMind that made a headband for controlling computers with your thoughts. Is a future coming in which I’m wearing AR Spectacles and controlling a paired Pixy with my mind?
When I ask Spiegel about all this, he chuckles, indicating that is the most I’m getting from him on the record. The Pixy is just a toy, at least for now."
Reference: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/28/23043011/snapchat-pixy-drone-hands-on
Cartoon Carousel The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics | By POLITICO STAFF 01/23/2026 05:00 AM EST
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the fo...
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Flash News: Ukraine Intercepts Russian Kh-59 Cruise Missile Using US VAMPIRE Air Defense System Mounted on Boat. Ukrainian forces have made ...
