MONSOON SEASON 2022: Be Prepared to Evacuate (Read What Fire & Medical Chief has to Say)

Don't ask what the City of Mesa can do for you - Neighbors can be the best first line of defense

YOU CHECK ON THE ELDERLY AND HOMEBOUND TO SEE IF THEY HAVE BACKUP SOURCES OF POWER

A monsoon may start quickly and lead to downed power lines and trees, power outages and flooded streets in a matter of minutes

(Empty bags and sand, or pre-filled sandbags-that's about all they say what's available)

Nothing about shelters or cautions for what areas are most susceptible to flash-flooding...

Mesa Asks You to be Monsoon Ready

mesanow.org |

June 15, 2022 at 2:18 pm

Summer ushers in the season of storms, when a monsoon may start quickly and lead to downed power lines and trees, power outages and flooded streets in a matter of minutes. The elderly and homebound individuals are among the most vulnerable during the monsoon. Mesa reminds you to check on those living near you to make sure they stay safe.

"Older adults and others needing assistance should be of great concern to all of us during a monsoon and neighbors can be the best first line of defense," said Mesa Fire Chief Mary Cameli. "We encourage neighbors to get to know and watch out for the older adults in your area, and to protect yourself as well during severe storms."

> You can help your older and homebound neighbors by making sure they have sandbags and other supplies available.

> Also, check to see if they have a backup source for power for medical equipment requiring it or a way to keep refrigerated prescriptions cool during a power outage.

> All Mesa residents are encouraged to have an evacuation plan for the most severe instances and have a disaster kit with water, non-perishable foods, flashlights, batteries, medications and first aid supplies.

> Pet owners should also have a disaster kit for their four-legged friends. Mesa also encourages its residents to stay updated on current weather forecasts.

Sand and empty bags are available at the following locations (bring your own shovel):

Fire Station 202, 830 S. Stapley Drive
Fire Station 205, 730 S. Greenfield Road
Fire Station 209, 7035 E. Southern Ave.
Fire Station 212, 2430 E. Ellsworth Road

The Mesa Transportation Department has pre-filled sandbags at the following locations:

Transportation Building, 300 E. 6th St. (west side of building)
East Mesa Service Center, 6935 E. Decatur St. (front parking lot)

For additional storm preparation information and a complete list of contact numbers, visit www.mesaaz.gov/storm.

The City of Mesa also uses Twitter and Facebook to provide updates related to emergency situations. Follow the city on Twitter @cityofmesa and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CityofMesa.

THE FLOW OF INFORMATION IS A POWERFUL WEAPON

Hmmm -- It’s likely that rerouting the Internet in Kherson and the surrounding areas is seen by Russian authorities as a key step in trying to legitimize the occupation, says Olena Lennon, a Ukrainian political science and national security adjunct professor at the University of New Haven. The moves could also be a blueprint for future conflicts.

This story originally appeared on wired.com.

Russia is taking over Ukraine’s Internet

Traffic from occupied Ukraine subjected to Russia's censorship, surveillance machine.

Matt Burgess, wired.com -

Ars Technica | 6/16/2022, 6:44 AM

"Web pages in the city of Kherson in south Ukraine stopped loading on people’s devices at 2:43 pm on May 30. For the next 59 minutes, anyone connecting to the Internet with KhersonTelecom, known locally as SkyNet, couldn’t call loved ones, find out the latest news, or upload images to Instagram. They were stuck in a communications blackout. When web pages started stuttering back to life at 3:42 pm, everything appeared to be normal. But behind the scenes everything had changed: Now all Internet traffic was passing through a Russian provider and Vladimir Putin’s powerful online censorship machine.

Since the end of May, the 280,000 people living in the occupied port city and its surrounding areas have faced constant online disruptions as Internet service providers are forced to reroute their connections through Russian infrastructure. Multiple Ukrainian ISPs are now forced to switch their services to Russian providers and expose their customers to the country’s vast surveillance and censorship network, according to senior Ukrainian officials and technical analysis viewed by WIRED.

The Internet companies have been told to reroute connections under the watchful eye of Russian occupying forces or shut down their connections entirely, officials say. In addition, new unbranded mobile phone SIM cards using Russian numbers are being circulated in the region, further pushing people toward Russian networks. Grabbing control of the servers, cables, and cell phone towers—all classed as critical infrastructure—which allow people to freely access the web is considered one of the first steps in the “Russification” of occupied areas.

“We understand this is a gross violation of human rights,” Victor Zhora, the deputy head of Ukraine’s cybersecurity agency, known as the State Services for Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP), tells WIRED. “Since all traffic will be controlled by Russian special services, it will be monitored, and Russian invaders will restrict the access to information resources that share true information.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"... In many ways, Crimea may act as an example of what happens next in newly occupied areas. “Only in 2017, Crimea was completely disconnected from Ukrainian traffic. And now, as far as I know, it's only Russian traffic there,” says Ksenia Ermoshina, an assistant research professor at the Center for Internet and Society and an affiliated researcher at the Citizen Lab. In January last year, Ermoshina and colleagues published research on how Russia has taken control of Crimea’s internet infrastructure.

After it annexed Crimea in 2014, Russian authorities created two new internet cables running along the Kerch Strait, where they connect with Russia. This process took three years to complete—something Ermoshina calls a “soft substitution model,” with connections transferring slowly over time. Since then, Russia has developed more advanced internet control systems. “The power of the Russian censorship machine changed in between [2014 and 2022],” Ermoshina says. “What I'm afraid of is the strength of Russian propaganda.”

Reference: https://www.wired.com/story/ukraine-russia-internet-takeover/

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KhersonTelecom first switched its Internet traffic to a Russian network on April 30, before flipping back to Ukrainian connections for the majority of May. However, things appear to have shifted permanently since May 30. All of KhersonTelecom’s traffic is now being routed through Miranda Media, a Crimea-based company that is itself connected to Russian national telecom provider Rostelecom. (Miranda Media was set up after Putin annexed Crimea in 2014.) The day after KhersonTelecom made its latest switch, state-controlled Russian media outlet RIA Novosti claimed the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas were officially being moved to Russian Internet connections—days earlier, the outlet said the regions were also going to start using the Russian telephone code +7. . .

[    ] Technical analysis confirms that the connections are switching. Internet monitoring company Cloudflare has observed KhersonTelecom’s traffic passing through Miranda Media for more than two weeks in June. Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at monitoring firm Kentik, has observed around half a dozen networks in Kherson connecting to the provider. “It's not a one-time thing,” Madory says. “Every couple of days, there's another company getting switched over to Russian transit from Ukraine.”

. . .For the time being, at the very least, this means connections will be routed through Russia. When Gudz Dmitry Alexandrovich, the owner of KhersonTelecom, switched his connection to Miranda Media for the first time at the start of May, he claims some customers thanked him because he was getting people online, while others chastised him for connecting to the Russian service. “On May 30 again, like on April 30, everything absolutely everything fell and only Miranda's channels work,” Alexandrovich says in a translated online chat. In a long Facebook post published on the company’s page at the start of May, he claimed he wanted to help people and shared photos of crowds gathering outside KhersonTelecom’s office to connect to the Wi-Fi."

There are more details >> https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/06/russia-is-taking-over-ukraines-internet/

 

WHAT THE UKRAINE WANTS: Weapons, Weapons, Weapons

Intro: SPOILER ALERT So we finished up our conversation with Podolyak. We were heading toward the door, and then he stopped us and offered one last comment.

He said, if you get anything out of this interview, its weapons, weapons, weapons.

Interview from NPR team in Ukraine yeterday 

One of President Zelenskyy's top advisers told NPR what Ukraine wants

June 14, 20225:04 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Greg Myre Facebook Twitter

NPR.org | June 14, 2022

>>

Ukraine's Zelenskyy hosts European leaders, welcomes more U.S. weapons

(Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (left), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (second left), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (center), French President Emmanuel Macron (second right), and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis meet at the Ukrainian presidential compound Thursday in a collective show of European support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Ludovic Marin/AP)                                                                                              

 

Updated June 16, 20228:33 AM ET Originally published June 16, 20223:33 AM ET

Macron shared a train ride into Kyiv with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis arrived on a separate train.

Next week, European Union leaders are expected to make a decision on Ukraine's request to become a candidate for membership in the EU.

Enlarge this image

French President Emmanuel Macron (center), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right), and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi travel by train to Kyiv after departing from Poland. The three leaders met later with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to talk about the war in Ukraine. Ludovic Marin/AP            

> Meanwhile, Zelenskyy welcomed the U.S. announcement Wednesday that it's sending an additional $1 billion in military aid that includes heavy weapons for the outgunned Ukrainian military.

"It's yet another sign that Western support for Ukraine is here for good," Zelenskyy said in his regular late-night address. "I'll keep asking for necessary weapons and equipment, but the bravery and skillfulness of our service members can't be imported."

Ukrainian leaders have criticized what they describe as lukewarm support from these key European countries, and Thursday's meeting is being closely watched to gauge the level of support for Ukraine's war with Russia.

"How can the country that rapes our women be allowed save face?" Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, told NPR in an interview this week. "What do we need to win this war, to have this war come to an end? We need weapons."

Podolyak is Ukraine's chief negotiator, and in the early weeks of the war he led a team that met several times with Russian representatives. But the talks made no progress. As evidence of Russian abuses mounted on the battlefield, the Ukrainian public turned against such talks.

In a poll last month, more than 80% of Ukrainians said they were unwilling to give up territory for peace, even if it means a prolonged conflict, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

(U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (left), and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speak at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday. The NATO defense ministers are meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine. The U.S. announced an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, which includes heavy weapons. Olivier Matthys/AP)

 

 

 

> Podolyak said if Ukrainians cede territory to Russia now, even if under a temporary ceasefire, there are no guarantees Russia would not invade again later.

"A cease-fire would be a de facto Russian victory," he said. But, he added, "We are ready to agree to something so long as this [Russian] threat does not persist."

For now, Podolyak and other Ukrainian leaders say Ukraine desperately needs more artillery to combat the Russian forces that are making grinding progress in the eastern part of the country. After weeks of heavy fighting, the Russians are on the verge of capturing the city of Sievierodonetsk in the Donbas region.

Podolyak posted a wish-list of weapons on Twitter, which included requests for 1,000 howitzers, 1,000 drones and 500 tanks. He said this would give Ukraine "parity" with Russian forces.

He stressed that Ukraine is increasing dependent on Western weapons because it is running out of ammunition for its aging Soviet-era arsenal. Additional ammunition for those weapons is not widely available outside of Russia.

Ukraine has been transitioning to NATO equipment in recent years, but Podolyak says it takes European buy-in for Ukraine to fully transition to more modern systems which are made and sold worldwide.

But as long as the Russians have an advantage in artillery by a ratio of 10-to-1 or more, Ukraine will continue to struggle on the battlefield, he said.

• Olaf Scholz
• volodymyr zelenskyy
• ukraine aid
• Russia Ukraine
• french president emmanuel macron
• Emmanuel Macron
• Mario Draghi
• European Union
• Ukraine
• Italy
• Germany
• Russia
• France

 

 

 

 

John Nichols [The Nation] is Asking : Why the Hell Isn’t Mike Pence Testifying at the January 6 Hearing?

Intro: Some inquisitive minds want to know

". . .The former vice president has given no indication that he wants to engage with the inquiry into a coup in which his life was threatened, despite the fact that committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has said, “We’ve always had the effort to reach out and get the vice president’s participation.”

Indeed, Pence will travel to Washington during the course of the hearings to appear at an gathering the House Republican Study Committee, which is chaired by Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who after the first hearing dismissed the select committee’s work as “truly a political witch-hunt that was focused more on the Democrats’ obsession with Donald Trump than anything at all about Capitol security or investigating the events that led up to January 6.”

Why the Hell Isn’t Mike Pence Testifying at the January 6 Hearing?

Thursday’s hearing will dig into Trump’s pressuring Pence to reject electoral votes. So why isn’t the former vice president testifying?

By John Nichols Today 5:00 am

The Nation |

The most chilling revelation from the first public hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was the reaction of President Donald Trump to news reports that the insurrectionist mob he had incited was proposing to execute his vice president.

In her opening remarks during the prime-time hearing, Representative Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who effectively cochairs the committee, recounted how, “aware of the rioters’ chants to ‘hang Mike Pence,’ the President responded with this sentiment: ‘Maybe our supporters have the right idea.’ Mike Pence ‘deserves it.’”

Previous reports had hinted at the idea that, as his supporters were engaged in their deadly assault on the Capitol, Trump responded approvingly with calls for stringing up Pence. Trump’s record of violent disdain for associates who fail to do his bidding is well documented. But still, the notion that the president of the United States was so comfortable with the prospect of having a crowd he incited murder his vice president had a very “Night of the Long Knives” feel to it.

The committee will dig into the matter more deeply Thursday, in a hearing that Cheney has said “will focus on President Trump’s efforts to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count electoral votes on January 6th.” The hearing, which is expected to feature testimony from Greg Jacob, the former chief counsel to the vice president, will focus on the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of lawyer John Eastman, a Trump associate who had hatched the scheme to have Pence make a series of rulings that would reject votes from battleground states that had backed Joe Biden. Cheney relates that, in an e-mail exchange during the time when the Capitol was under assault, an outraged Jacob told Eastman, “And thanks to your bullshit, we are under siege.”

That comment will undoubtedly be reviewed Thursday.

So, too, will Pence’s carefully worded speech at a February 4 Federalist Society event, in which he said: "Our Founders were deeply suspicious of consolidated power in the nation’s capital and were rightly concerned with foreign interference if presidential elections were decided in the capital. But there are those in our party who believe that as the presiding officer over the joint session of Congress, I possessed unilateral authority to reject electoral college votes. And I heard this week, President Trump said I had the right to “overturn the election.” President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.

But Pence will not appear to reflect on those remarks, let alone to expand on them. . .

[    ] Pence is a craven political careerist who is always looking out for what is best for Pence. He did the right thing on January 6, 2021, and for that he deserves credit. But his appropriate action on that day—when even House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was rebuking Trump—was less a matter of political heroism than political positioning. Remember that Pence was so desperately afraid of crossing Trump that he turned to former vice president Dan Quayle for advice on whether he might do Trump’s bidding.

According to the book Peril, by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Pence asked Quayle if there was anything he could do. “Mike, you have no flexibility on this. None. Zero. Forget it. Put it away,” said Quayle. But Pence kept pushing: “You don’t know the position I’m in,” Pence said. Quayle replied, “I do know the position you’re in. I also know what the law is. You listen to the parliamentarian. That’s all you do. You have no power.”

Ultimately, that’s what Pence did. . .

[    ] The fact is that Pence was, is, and will always be a political hack. He’s a perennial candidate, constantly on the watch for a way to pursue his ambition for higher office. He’s already campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination—visiting key early caucus and primary states, campaigning for fellow Republicans, and begging for money. It’s a failed mission. The dominant figure in the Republican Party, Donald Trump, actively despises Pence, as do Trump’s backers, who make up the defining faction in most state parties.

Continue reading >> https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/mike-pence-january-6-hearing/

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM

Intro: Congress is in the midst of a renewed debate about gun control, following a racist massacre at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and the slaughter of more than a dozen children at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. While a bipartisan deal on gun violence is expected to attract significant GOP support in the Senate, House Republicans, including Boebert, have largely lined up against the compromise.

Lauren Boebert Jokes Jesus Could Have Avoided Crucifixion If He'd Had AR-15s

The Colorado Republican takes the concept of a “good guy with a gun” to its logical extreme.

By Kevin Robillard Senior Political Reporter, HuffPost

HuffPost |

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) joked this weekend about Jesus Christ using an AR-15 assault weapon to defend himself rather than face the Crucifixion.

Appearing at an event in Colorado Springs organized by the Charis Christian Center, Boebert said that “Twitter trolls” often challenge her about the contradiction between Jesus’ well-documented pacifism and her own support for gun rights.

“They like to say: ‘Oh, Jesus didn’t need an AR-15. How many AR-15s do you think Jesus would have had?’” she said, to laughter in the crowd. “Well, he didn’t have enough to keep his government from killing him.”

By most reckonings, it’s unlikely Jesus would have tried to resolve the situation through violence even if he’d had modern weapons with which to do so. Actually, that’s sort of the point: Christians believe Jesus chose to die on the cross to free mankind from its sins, thereby allowing believers to ascend to heaven. . ."

"Jesus, guns, babies": Religious violence is now at the core of the Republican Party

Lauren Boebert prayed for Biden's death — and that's not even close to the craziest item on the GOP wish list

Salon |

At the tail end of last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado took the stage at the Charis Christian Center's Family Camp Meeting. The event claims that, "you will hear God's Word shared through speakers who have proven God's Word," and follows the speakers' list with Acts 2:17-18: 

And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

The apocalyptic context notwithstanding, Boebert's talk made quite a splash because of her invocation of Psalm 109:8 in the context of praying for President Biden — "May his days be few and another take his office" — before laughing at the cheers of the crowd. This is certainly not a new use of that text by the GOP — Sen. David Perdue of Georgia invoked it against Obama in 2016, and it became an anti-Obama slogan featured on bumper stickers. With the passage divorced from its full context, people can laugh — but Psalm 109 is a war psalm, calling for the death of the man in question, with 109:9 reading "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow." And that's the point: As with so many aspects of contemporary Christian nationalism, give the line people can nod along to, and hold back the violent context. This is a prayer for the death of the president, and it is one we can honestly say has become normal for Republicans to use about Democratic presidents.

Maybe that's a big enough problem that we should acknowledge it not just as a fringe phenomenon, but as part of the core problem of the contemporary, MAGA-infused GOP. . .

READ MORE >> https://www.salon.com/2022/06/14/jesus-guns-babies-religious-violence-is-now-at-the-core-of-the-party/

Church Crowd Goes Wild When Rep. Boebert Prays For Biden Death

www.youtube.com › watch

2 days ago · At Charis Christian Center in Colorado, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert cites Scripture (Psalm 109:8) to advocate for the death of ...

Lauren Boebert tells wives to chase after God - Christian Post

www.christianpost.com › news › lauren-boebert-tells-wives-to-chase-after-...

14 hours ago · Lauren Boebert, who said she prayed to God for years before her husband joined her in the church, told a group of Christian women in a ...

Lauren Boebert receives cheers at a Christian center after saying ...

sports.yahoo.com › lauren-boebert-receives-cheers-christian-135950713

4 days ago · "I do want you to know that I pray for our president. Psalm 109:8 says, 'May his days be few and another take his office,'" Boebert said ...

Lauren Boebert Says Jesus ‘Didn’t Have Enough [AR-15s] to Keep His Government From Killing Him.’

RELEVANT

RELEVANT |

At a Christian event hosted by the Charis Christian Center, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert told her audience that Jesus probably could have avoided the crucifixion if he’d been armed with a couple assault rifles.

Addressing “Twitter trolls” who argue for stricter gun laws, Boebert said that “they like to say: ‘Oh, Jesus didn’t need an AR-15. How many AR-15s do you think Jesus woulda had?’ Well, he didn’t have enough to keep his government from killing him.”

Lauren Boebert claims Jesus “didn’t have enough [AR-15s] to keep his government from killing him.” pic.twitter.com/dTC9O7ZFDz

— PatriotTakes (@patriottakes) June 14, 2022

 

 

TRANS-EURO WHAMMO EXPRESS: Weapons-and-Ammo Diplomacy On-the-Rails to Ukraine

No shortage of propaganda pieces for Western governments to supply more weapons and ammunition for another 'endless war' going on for months and years

Macron, Scholz and Draghi arrive in Kyiv for historic visit

The EU leaders were greeted with air raid sirens in Ukrainian capital.

POLITICO

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv Thursday morning, visiting the Ukrainian capital for the first time since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in a historic joint trip.

The three leaders took a night train to Kyiv, where they were greeted with air raid sirens amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. They crossed into Ukraine from the Polish border, La Repubblica reported early Thursday, although their precise travel plans were unknown, since Paris, Berlin and Rome did not give official details on the highly anticipated trip.

“We’re here, focused, and we’re about to meet President Zelenskyy now to visit a war site where massacres have been committed, and then to lead the conversations that are scheduled with President Zelenskyy,” Macron said in comments to reporters at the train station in Kyiv.

The visit is “a message of European unity toward Ukrainians, and of support, [a message] about the present and the future because we know the weeks to come are going to be very difficult,” the French president added.

The European leaders visited Irpin, the suburb northwest of Kyiv where Russian invaders destroyed buildings and allegedly tortured and killed civilians during weeks of occupation before Ukrainian forces pushed them out.

They discussed the reconstruction of the town with Oleksiy Chernyshov, the Ukrainian minister for territorial development. Stopping in front of a building covered in graffiti which read “Make Europe not war,” Macron said that “it’s very moving to see that.”

A French diplomatic official told reporters that once Russia’s war is over, “a dialogue” between Moscow and Kyiv “will be needed to find out how we build a sustainable peace,” with security guarantees for Ukraine, and the nature of the relationship between Ukraine and NATO.

The official added: “Zelenskyy must define what would be a military victory for him … We are in favor of a complete victory with the re-establishment of [Ukrainian] territorial integrity over all the territories that have been conquered by the Russians including Crimea.”

The joint visit from the leaders of the three largest EU economies carries important symbolic weight, especially ahead of a meeting of EU leaders next week, when they are set to decide whether to grant Ukraine candidate status to join the bloc. What Macron, Scholz and Draghi will say on the matter is still unclear. . . "

European leaders Scholz, Macron and Draghi arrive in Kyiv to meet ...

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1 hour ago · German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime ...
Duration: 13:58
Posted: 1 hour ago

 

Scholz, Macron, Draghi Visit Ukraine in Midst of Energy Crisis

Chiara Albanese, Andra Timu and Michael Nienaber

yahoo.com

Ukraine Latest: EU Trio Arrives in Show of Solidarity for Kyiv

(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv on Thursday, just as Russia provokes an energy crisis by curbing gas supplies to Europe.

Most Read from Bloomberg

It’s the first trip to Ukraine for the three European leaders since Russia invaded the country at the end of February. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is also taking part in the highest-profile delegation to visit Kyiv since war broke out.

The leaders arrive in the midst of an increasingly tense energy situation, after Russia’s state-backed gas company cut supplies to Europe through its largest link to less than half its usual volumes, a move German Economy Minister Robert Habeck called “politically motivated.” The Western allies will also discuss the possibility of advancing Ukraine’s effort to join the European Union.

“Of course the Russian state would not be itself if it simply watched our foreign policy success,” Zelenskiy said in an address Wednesday night. “Gas pressure on Europe is growing again.”

Russia’s moves to further reduce supplies to Europe provides a difficult backdrop for the European leaders as they look to show support for Kyiv while insecurity grows at home. Germany’s Habeck called on the country to rally together to thwart Putin.

Benchmark gas futures increased more than 12%, adding to the 44% rise in the previous two sessions. Habeck tried to ease concerns, emphasizing that Germany was well prepared and that storage facilities are filling up, but blamed Putin for squeezing the continent for political gain.

 

Russia-Ukraine live news: Macron, Draghi, Scholz in Kyiv

The leaders of France, Italy and Germany are in Ukraine’s capital to meet with Zelenskyy and affirm their support, in what Macron says is ‘an important moment’.

 

[Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visit Irpin, Ukraine [Ludovic Marin/Reuters]

 

Sasha Petrova,Virginia Pietromarchi

aljazeera.com |                        

ENTERTAINMENT + ESCAPE: How A Reality TV Star Uses Technology To Re-Shape Special Military Operations

Intro: The comedian-turned-president who has captivated global attention and successfully guilted world leaders into rallying behind his country did not look like the confident, charismatic person we’re used to seeing on TV and social media. He appeared exhausted and haggard, his hands jittery and his eyes sunken. He seemed deeply anxious and uncertain. And yet, as he answered my questions about the state of the war, the world’s reaction to it, and the role technology had played in helping Ukraine resist the Russian military machine, his answers became lyrical, interspersed with a spontaneous smile or a tartly comic retort—a Zelensky trademark.

How has the war changed you?

Honestly, I don’t know. This question is difficult. In most cases, I want to remain an ordinary person, since I am the same person I was before, like everyone else. The drops of rain are as visible on me as on any other person."

Volodymyr Zelensky on War, Technology, and the Future of Ukraine

In a one-on-one interview with WIRED, the embattled president expresses clarity amidst the chaos.

Geoffrey Cain

Wired |

Ever since Russian forces started their all-out invasion in February, Ukraine has been hailed as an exemplar of how to defend against violent tyranny on the 21st-century battlefield. The country spun up an “IT Army” of volunteer hackers to take down Russian websites, used the Starlink satellite internet system to maintain communications as its own infrastructure was being destroyed, and launched a social media blitzkrieg to win support from around the world. . .

In this wide-ranging interview, which has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity, Zelensky called on Big Tech to do more to pull out of Russia, praised Elon Musk’s Starlink, and explained why modern leaders have to appeal to the distracted social media generation. “We just live in another time, no longer the time of postmen,” he said.

But he acknowledged that the war has taken its toll on Ukrainians and is deeply personal to him. So I asked: Did he have any regrets? Would he have done anything differently? He answered, flatly: “I think this question should be asked of the Russian president.”

WIRED: Many say that you are a skilled social media communicator. How do you keep the attention of an audience known for its short attention span? How do you keep people from forgetting about the war?

Zelensky: We are all in a social network. It is no longer about whether it is good or not; most of our lives are already online. People study online, get information; people read, people use it. This is our world now. It is divided. The internet is a reality. It is not another world, but rather a modern reality. So if you want people to perceive you as you are, you must use what people use. . .

[    ]

Has Ukraine’s IT Army been vital?

In the first few days of the war, we dedicated a lot of time to the logistics of a battle in cyberspace. I believe that this is the future, and it became our, I believe, third army. We probably have several armies: our People’s Army, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the IT Army. The IT Army did a lot for the cyberdefense of institutions that were heavily attacked. The invaders wanted to make the National Bank and the Cabinet of Ministers fall. They wanted to cut down everything so that we could not give people their salaries and pensions, so that there was no light and no communication, so that people could not hear me and hear us all, hear live information. Our IT Army worked well here.

Did your role in the political satire Servant of the People prepare you for your presidency?

Some Ukrainians live here and think, “Maybe I should find something else, move to another country.” I think the series helped people to understand that for Ukrainians, Ukraine is the best and that everything is possible here. I think it improved something inside each of us; it improved this faith in ourselves and the belief that everything is possible. I was influenced by the show in that way too.

When the war is over, what will be your biggest challenge?

The return of people from abroad. We need to give them conditions that are not worse than the conditions where they are today. They are in Poland, Germany, Canada, in the United States. Different countries provide different support, different infrastructure, different comfort, different salaries, and different opportunities. We have an advantage, as this is their homeland, but we’ll need to restore living conditions, security conditions, and salary conditions. . "

Continue. >> https://www.wired.com/story/volodymyr-zelensky-q-and-a-ukraine-war-technology/

 

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