Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

My dear friends around the Globe, 

May this holiday season brighten you up with peace, joy, and good cheer! Let no virus be able to defeat your immune system! Stay healthy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Russia is modernizing the Tu-160 strategic bomber

 December 30, 2020 (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)  The first prototype of the significantly modernized Tu-160M ​​strategic missile carrier will take off in the fall of 2021. Deliveries of these aircraft for the Russian Air Force will continue under the new state armament program for 2024-2033, said Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko. 

Tu-160 strategic bomber

The number of Tu-160 strategic bombers in the Russian Armed Forces is planned to be increased by 50% in the next seven years. This was announced by Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, published on Wednesday. The Tu-160 performed its very first flight on December 18, 1981. The aircraft came into operation in 1987. Over the years, more than three dozen of these machines have been produced, including prototypes. Today, this type of aircraft is adopted only by the Russian Air Force. Ukraine also has a few Tu-160 strategic bombers but as a museum's exhibits. One of them can be seen in Poltava in the aviation museum on the territory of the former airbase. The arrival of the Tu-160 bomber, which became a museum exhibit in Poltava, can be seen in the video below.

80th Anniversary of the Operation Archery

Operation Archery was a British Combined Operations raid during World War II against German positions on the island of Vågsøy, Norway, on 27 December 1941. The main objective of the operation was the destruction of fish-oil production and stores which the Germans used in the manufacture of high explosives. Another intention was to cause the Germans to maintain and increase forces in Norway, which would reduce forces deployed on the Eastern Front, thereby giving a numerical advantage to Allied forces.

Raid on Vaagso, 27 December 1941. Commandos in action during the raid

The dawn landing was preceded by a very effective naval bombardment and objectives were achieved, except in Måløy. German opposition in the town was much stiffer than expected as, unknown to the British, a Gebirgsjäger (mountain rangers) unit of experienced troops from the Eastern Front was there on leave. The defenders' experience in sniping and street fighting caused the operation to develop into a bitter house-to-house battle. The British commander, John Durnford-Slater, called on the floating reserve and troops from Vågsøy Island. Several local citizens assisted the commandos by acting as porters for ammunition, grenades and other explosives and in carrying away the wounded.

Raid on Vaagso, 27 December 1941. Commandos with captured German troops.

At around 14:00, the commandos started their withdrawal having destroyed four factories, the fish-oil stores, ammunition and fuel stores, the telephone exchange and various military installations, leaving much of the town in flames. The naval assault force of one cruiser and four destroyers had sunk 10 vessels, some found in the act of being scuttled to prevent the capture.

Raid on Vaagso, 27 December 1941. Commandos with the captured German flag.

81 years ago, the first flight of the legendary Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 took place

 On December 29, 1940, the first flight of the legendary Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft took place under the control of test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki. This aircraft became the most massive aircraft of the Second World War, and, as historians believe, made a huge contribution to the victory over the Wehrmacht. For its time, the Il-2 had very solid weaponry, which made it possible to destroy almost all types of targets. For its high fighting qualities, the Germans called the brainchild of Ilyushin "the black death". According to experts, although the aircraft had a number of shortcomings, they were leveled out by its high reliability, as well as the high skill of the pilots.

Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft over Berlin, spring 1945

80 years ago, the famous test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki first flew the famous armored Il-2 attack aircraft, which later became the most massive aircraft of the Second World War. In total, the Soviet industry produced more than 36 thousand of these aircraft.

Aircraft designer Sergei Ilyushin and test pilot Vladimir Kokkinaki in front of the Il-2

Julhälsning uttryckt på matematikens språk

 Jag tog examen vid Kharkov Institute of Radio Electronics. Vi undervisade i högre matematik under sex terminer. Det är därför jag är mycket glad att presentera en så ovanlig julhälsning. 

God Jul och Gott Nytt År!

EXPANDING BOUNDARIES BETWEEN SWEDISH BUSINESS AND THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT

 December 22, 2020 (Sigma Software) Sigma Software initiated an online meeting with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and Swedish tech companies in order to discuss how Nordic innovations could help accelerate digitalization in the country. We have continued our collaboration with the Ukrainian government in order to build the most digital country in the world with the help of innovation. On December 1st, we participated in an online meeting with Ukrainian public sector representatives and our colleagues from other businesses that have strong ties with Sweden. It goes without saying how proud we are to drive this ambitious initiative and we are extremely grateful to the Swedish Embassy in Ukraine and Minister Fedorov personally for their support.

The meeting was kicked-off and led by the honorable Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Tobias Thyberg. He could not hide his admiration for the digitalization processes in Ukraine and noted Sweden's involvement in it: “Sweden is a longstanding partner of Ukraine. We participated in the development of the Trembita system as well as other software and digital services. We want to not only be partners in the development, but also business partners," said the Ambassador. 

The full article is available at https://sigma.software/about/media/expanding-boundaries-between-swedish-business-and-ukrainian-government

Ukrainian military get repaired reconnaissance aircraft

 December 26, 2020 (UKRINFORM) Mykolaiv Aircraft Repair Plant (MARP) has transferred one more repaired Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft to the Ukrainian military, Ukroboronprom's press service has reported. "The state-owned enterprise MARP, part of the state conglomerate Ukroboronprom, has transferred another repaired Su-24MR reconnaissance plane to the Ukrainian Air Force," the report reads. Plant specialists carried out a medium repair of the aircraft, having checked all of its nodes and components and having repaired or replaced those. After that, the Su-24MR was successfully tested and adopted by Ukrainian pilots.

The Su-24MR performed a flight to its main base and has already strengthened the defense capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Su-24MR is a supersonic reconnaissance aircraft that can conduct deep reconnaissance up to 400 km from the front line. For this purpose, it is equipped with a side-looking airborne radar, allowing to track ground targets, including enemy fortifications and equipment, sensitive high-resolution cameras, radio detection systems, and infrared sensors to detect camouflaged objects.

80 years ago, on December 21, 1940, the legendary PPSh submachine gun was adopted by the Red Army

 The Shpagin PPSh-41 submachine gun can be considered one of the main symbols of the Victory over Nazi Germany. Less than five months have passed since the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, as the serial production of the PPSh-41 submachine gun began. This submachine gun became the most famous Soviet submachine gun of the Second World War.

PPSh-41 with a drum magazine

PPSh-41 with a box magazine

The PPSh-41 is a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgy Shpagin as a cheap, reliable, and simplified alternative to the PPD-40. A common Russian nickname for the weapon is "papasha", meaning "daddy", and it was sometimes called the "burp gun" because of its high fire rate. The PPSh is a magazine-fed selective fire submachine gun using an open bolt, blowback action. Made largely of stamped steel, it can be loaded with either a box or drum magazine and fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev pistol round.

Wehrmacht Feldwebel Wilhelm Traub armed with a PPSH-41 scanning the view of Stalingrad in the middle of a ruined town in autumn 1942

Soviet War Memorial in the Treptower Park in Berlin.

The PPSh saw extensive combat use during World War II and the Korean War, and it is common for monuments in Eastern Bloc countries celebrating the actions of the Red Army to have a PPSh-41. It was one of the major infantry weapons of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II, with about six million PPSh-41s manufactured in this period. 

The Music at War

 

As you know we have long and bloody aggression of the Russian Federation in Eastern Ukraine. Those who protect our land are not only professional military men. Some of them are volunteers who took up arms to defend their homeland. When there is no shelling on the front lines, amazing things sometimes happen. Let's wish this gifted guy to come back home alive and give his music to peaceful people for many many years. Please, look at his performance at    https://www.facebook.com/BolyestyevV/videos/2201725749970868

Ukraine, Sweden discuss preparations for January visit of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to Kyiv

 December 14, 2020 (UKRINFORM) Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar and Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Tobias Tiberg discussed preparations for a visit of the Swedish Foreign Minister as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to Ukraine in January, according to the Foreign Ministry’s press service.

"The parties discussed the preparations for a visit of Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to Ukraine in January 2021. The agenda of her trip will include a visit to Donbas to analyze the situation on the contact line," the report reads. The diplomats also discussed the prospects for cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden in the field of nuclear energy, in particular, regarding the joint production and supply of nuclear fuel for Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The deputy minister stressed that cooperation with Sweden in the diversification of energy sources was a significant factor in the context of strengthening the energy and national security of Ukraine.

Kyiv's St. Andrew's Church resumes services after repairs

 December 14, 2020 (UNIAN) First service at St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv after 11 years of restoration. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France along with the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine, Bishop Michael of Komana and Bishop Chernigiv and Nizin Efstratios officiated the first service.

St. Andrew's Church is a major Baroque church located in the capital of Ukraine. The church was constructed between 1747 and 1754, by the design of the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The church is part of the National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kyiv" as a landmark of cultural heritage. The church has no bells, as according to legend, their noise would cause flooding of the left part of the city. St Andrew's Church overlooks the historic Podil neighborhood, situated on a steep hill to which the church gave its current name - Andriyivska Hill. As the church sits atop a hill, foundation problems have been one of the main concerns of preservationists. More recently, the foundation below the church has started to shift, causing some concerns that the church's foundation might collapse.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the installation of Norwegian anti-ship missiles NSM on missile boats of the Ukrainian Navy

 December 9, 2020 (mil.gov.ua) The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak confirmed that the Ukrainian Navy will receive missile boats, which will be built by Britain, with the Norwegian Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missiles, and not with the Ukrainian anti-ship missile "Neptune". He told about this in an interview with the "Apostrof" edition. According to the general, an agreement was reached that instead of eight missile boats, Britain will build six missile boats and two minesweeping boats.

In addition, according to plans, the Naval Forces of Ukraine should receive 4 corvettes in the coming years and Khomchak would prefer that they be armed with the Ukrainian anti-ship missile "Neptune", but the naval version of this missile does not yet exist.

Ukrainian Armed Forces to take part in 22 multinational exercises in 2021 – defense minister

 December 5, 2020 (UKRINFORM) The Ukrainian Armed Forces are planning to take part in 22 multinational exercises in 2021, including eight in Ukraine and 14 abroad, Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran has said. He said this at a briefing entitled "Defense aspects of Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration: main achievements and tasks for the future" for ambassadors and military attaches of NATO member states and representatives of the NATO office in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry's press service reported. 

"We invite all our partners to increase the level of participation in exercises in Ukraine next year. For our part, given our status as an enhanced opportunities partner, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to join the relevant exercises of the Alliance related to collective defense," Taran said. He also stressed that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry is working with partners to improve the skills of Ukrainian servicemen in such military training missions as JMTG-U (Joint Multinational Training Group - Ukraine), Orbital (the UK's training mission to Ukraine), UNIFIER (the Canadian Armed Forces' training mission) and LMTG-U (the Lithuanian Armed Forces' training mission).

UN warns of threat to Carpathians over climate change, illegal deforestation

 November 30, 2020 (UNIAN) The United Nations says the Carpathian region is in real danger over climate change and illegal deforestation. "The heightened cooperation will be essential as we seek to address growing threats to the Carpathians. Make no mistake: the Carpathian region is in real and immediate danger," Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen said on November 25, 2020. A 2017 report from UNEP, WWF and Eurac Research was unequivocal about the threats, particularly from illegal deforestation, she said. "The old-growth forests of the Carpathians and their unique biodiversity are disappearing at alarming rates as timber is being illegally cut and transported across and beyond the borders of mountain range States. This has many consequences," Andersen said.She reiterated Ukraine had seen several devastating floods over the last years.

"Villages and roads submerged. Bridges brought down. People killed. These are, in part, linked to climate change. But illegal logging – taking place under the cover of the difficulties Ukraine has suffered – has removed large chunks of forests that soak up excess water and provide a buffer against flooding." Meanwhile, over the past 20 years, illegal logging has cost Romania over five billion euros. "The report I mentioned, found that, in 2016 alone, around 187,000 cubic meters of timber were illegally cut in Romania… We need to step up to the first stop, then reverse, the damage being done to these essential ecosystems," the official noted.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Sweden Andrii Plakhotniuk submitted his Letters of Credence

 (sweden.mfa.gov.ua) On November 23, 2020, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Sweden Andrii Plakhotniuk submitted his Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden by a special arrangement, established during the COVID-19 pandemic, via the Protocol Department of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The formal audience of the Ambassador of Ukraine with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is supposed to take place when the restrictive measures to counter the spread of COVID-19 are lifted.

Video: Russian armored repair and recovery vehicles removed damaged An-124 following crash

 After having been left sitting in the snow at the end of Novosibirsk-Tolmachevo Airport (OBV) runway 07/25 for just over two weeks following a crash landing, the Volga-Dnepr An-124 was finally removed with the aid of a couple of tanks. Because only the nose landing gear was damaged when the aircraft overran the runway, workers could drag the monster plane back onto the runway with the aid of two BREM-1 armored repair and recovery vehicles.

                                 The An-124 had no brakes and reverse thrust. Photo Getty Images

The BREM-1 is a tracked Russian tank and armored personnel carrier built on a T-72 battle tank’s chassis. With no other way of getting what was once the world’s heaviest aircraft moved, the Russian army was called in to see if they could budge the giant four-engine plane. Placing the two BREM-1s in tandem, the recovery vehicles moved the plane as the aircraft's main landing gear was still functioning. By attaching a cable to the aircraft’s cargo hold, the BREM’s were able to pull the plane backward despite the damage you see in the photograph.

An amateur picture of the secret soviet airbase

 The Poltava airbase, where many TU-22M3 strategic bombers were stationed in 1987-1988, was well known to the Americans thanks to spy satellites. However, in the USSR this base was secret and a limited number of people had access to it. Over time, the city authorities of Poltava decided to build residential houses in the area, which is directly adjacent to the territory of the military airbase. An amateur photo you can see below was taken by a resident of one of these houses. 

The fact is that the designers did not take into account the fact that from the upper floors of the standard Soviet nine-story building, the base was visible as in the palm of your hand. For many decades, the author of the photo did not dare to show it to anyone. Only recently, this already historical photo was posted on the Internet. As about the fate of Poltava-located TU-22M3 (NATO reporting name: Backfire), 43 Tu-22M3, and 423 Kh-22 cruise missiles were scrapped during 2002-2006 under the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction agreement led by the US. Only one aircraft can be seen now in the Poltava Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation.

Tu-22M3 in the Poltava Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation

Nuremberg trials: 75 years on from the world's first war crimes tribunal

 November 20, 2020 (Euronews) When the Nuremberg trial opened on November 20, 1945, it was just six months since Nazi Germany had surrendered and much of the city remained a bombed-out ruin. Jointly headed by an American, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, and a Briton, Sir Hartley Shawcross, the trial saw 22 high ranking Nazi officers face trial for war crimes, including two of Hitler’s foremost generals and his second in command, Hermann Göring. “That four great nations, flushed with history and stung with injury, stay the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that power has ever paid to reason,” Jackson said in his opening statement. The 22 defendants at Nuremberg represented the highest echelons of Nazi power, including three of the top generals that led the war, Alfred Jodl, Karl Dönitz, and Wilhelm Keitel. The highest-ranking member of the SS was Ernst Kaltenbrunner, while foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Albert Speer, known as Hitler’s architect were among facing trial. The sentences ranged from 10 years in prison (Dönitz) to death (Keitel, Jodl, von Ribbentrop, and Göring, although he committed suicide before he was due to be hanged). Hess was jailed for life, and died in 1987, while Speer served 20 years, was released and died in 1981. There were notable exceptions to justice at Nuremberg. Hitler, of course, had committed suicide in April 1945 as the Soviets closed in on his bunker in Berlin, as did Joseph Goebbels, who committed suicide along with his wife after poisoning his six children.

In this Nov. 21, 1945 file photo, Reichsmarshal Hermann Göring stands in the prisoner's dock at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial in Germany.

The full article is available at:

https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/20/75-years-ago-the-world-s-first-war-crimes-trial-began-in-nuremberg

Russia may soon deploy nuclear weapons in occupied Crimea – NSDC secretary

 November 16, 2020 (UNIAN) Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov has said Russia may soon deploy nuclear weapons in the occupied Crimea. "We have no final confirmation about nuclear weapons having been deployed there. But we are clearly aware this may happen shortly. This will depend on many factors, and if the Russians see they are losing, they will definitely revise the issue," he told in the interview with the Krym-Realii media project. Russian Federation has considerable capacities for storing and deploying nuclear weapons on the territory of occupied Crimea. Since Soviet times, there have been several facilities that were used to store nuclear weapons. One of the facilities is the so-called Feodosia-13 facility, now it is the village of Krasnokamyanka, where the large-scale construction of a storage base had been carried out for six years since the beginning of the 1950s. This is the former 12th Directorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which was in charge of nuclear weapons. The facility was in use until 1996, and the last weapon was removed from there in the middle of the 1990s.

The so-called Feodosia-13 facility could be used to store nuclear arms / Photo from defence.ru

Ukrainian Ambassador speaks on how U.S. election outcome could influence Ukraine

 November 8, 2020 (UNIAN) Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Volodymyr Yelchenko has commented on the influence he believes the U.S. presidential election outcome could have on Ukraine.

"Any of my comments 'against' or 'for' would sound like interference in the U.S. elections. But, in principle, the real military, lethal, strategic aid came precisely under Trump. We also received two Island-class boats, three more are being prepared, we saw a whole bunch of decisions to increase the amount [of assistance] and specific hardware. It was under Trump that sanctions were introduced against those constructing the Nord Stream 2," the diplomat has told TSN. Also, Yelchenko adds, there are forecasts that the Democrats will increase the overall number of their representatives in both House chambers.

"And therefore, the position of the Democratic Party in relation to Russia, as is seen here, is sharper and tougher. Besides, in Biden's circle, in the circle of incumbent lawmakers and those who could be elected, there are much more people who at the expert level understand the essence of problems around Ukraine, and therefore I'm absolutely sure that sanctions against Russia will be strengthening and military assistance will be increasing," the ambassador assured. In general, Yelchenko believes that Ukraine is "lucky" as it enjoys bipartisan support in the United States.

The history of Poltava is getting more and more expensive

 While writing a book about the German occupation of Poltava in 1941 - 1943 I ran into a curious problem related to finding graphic material for the book. Some of the photographs that are reserving in the German archives are being offered by the Getty Images campaign at cosmic prices. An example is a photograph of Adolf Hitler taken during the briefing at the headquarters of Army Group South at Poltava on 1 June 1942. Pay attention to the price shown on the right side of the photo.

Fly of a Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers over the Poltava Battle field

 The rare photo below depicts a takeoff of two Tupolev Tu-22M3 bombers (NATO reporting name: Backfire) from the military airfield in Poltava. An unknown photographer caught the moment when the bombers had just taken off from the airbase and were flying over the St. Sampsoniy Church on the field of the Battle of Poltava.

From 1945, the Poltava airbase was used by the 13th Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of Soviet Long-Range Aviation. From 1991 to 1992 the Soviet Air Force was superseded in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Air Force, which eventually deployed the Tu-22M3 heavy bombers and cruise missiles X-22 with the 185th Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment before this unit was finally disbanded in 2006.

An excavator cuts through the tail of a Tupolev Tu-22M3 heavy bomber at Poltava airbase.

The photo was taken in November 2002

Ukraine has destroyed decommissioned Tu-22M heavy bombers and air-to-ground cruise missiles of the X-22 class in order to meet its obligations under the 1993 agreement with the United States on strategic nuclear disarmament. 

                                           Separation of a Tupolev Tu-22M3 heavy bomber's nose

According to the agreement thirty-one Tu-22M bombers and 225 cruise missiles X-22 were scrapped in Ukraine by the end of 2004 in keeping with the U.S.-financed disarmament program.

New exhibition hall "On the Scales of Time" has been presented recently in the Poltava Battle Museum

An online presentation of the new exhibition hall "On the Scales of Time" has taken place in the Poltava Battle Museum on October 13, 2020. For Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine, the Battle of Poltava had diametrically opposite consequences, and thus each nation formed a different point of view and time understanding of this determining event. The design of the hall was created by the scientists of the museum during 2019-2020. Visitors to the museum will be able to get acquainted with the main stages of comprehension of this important historical event in Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine. In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, only museum staff and representatives of the Poltava City Council attended the presentation.

The MiG 23 That Flew For 900km Without Pilot Then Crashed in A Farm Killing a Boy

 October 9, 2020 (warhistoryonline.com) The cold war is littered with near ‘nuclear apocalypse’ misses, technological and aviation advancement and a fair number of peculiar incidents. One such bizarre event occurred when it was least expected; right near the end of the cold war. July. 4 1989, Independence day for the Americans, was not an especially exciting day for the 32nd TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron) also known as ‘Wolfhounds’ then based in Soesterberg, Netherlands.

A MiG 23, in flight with pilot (Wikipedia / Public Domain)

When two very competitive pilots J.D Martin and Bill Murphy were scrambled, they were not expecting that their independence day flights would be to intercept and possibly engage a very strange Soviet MiG. On the same day, Soviet Pilot Nikolai Skurigin prepared his MiG-23M for a routine training flight. When Skurigin’s MiG took off from Kolobzreg, Poland, the pilot had no clue what was about to happen to his aircraft. Soon after taking off, Skurigin realized that MiG’s engine had a major failure and that aircraft was going to crash in few seconds, so he did what every pilot is trained to do in such situations, he abandoned the aircraft and ejected. 

The crash site as seen from above

While descending in his parachute, Skurigin realized that something peculiar had taken place; his MiG was actually gaining height instead of losing it and worse, it was heading straight towards NATO airspace. On the other side, JD and Murphy after being sent to intercept a Russian plane that had invaded their air space, had problems of their own; they were having some major communication issues with Ground Control Intercept. Despite these difficulties, the two pilots got closer to the ‘rogue’ aircraft and discovered that not only the MiG was unarmed it was also unmanned. This posed another challenge to the pilots and ground control since the aircraft was now considered not an immediate threat. US Air Force pilots in their F-15s escorted the Soviet MiG until it reached the 39,000ft mark, after that aircraft started descending possibly due to low fuel levels. When the aircraft started descending, pilots with the help from the ground predicted that it would land somewhere near Lille, on the border of Belgium and France. Later on, the calculation showed that it would rather crash in an empty field inside Belgium, and was coded as ‘non-risky’. 

What was left of the MIG

But the calculations could not predict what actually happened when Soviet MiG crashed in a farm killing an 18-year-old boy. Clearly an avoidable causality on the part of both Soviets and Americans, both nations showed genuine regret on the outcome of the incident. When Colonel Skurigin discovered about the death of the Belgian boy by his MiG, he publicly showed regret for his decision to eject out of the aircraft. The Belgian government made a formal protest to the Soviet Union regarding the lack of notification as to the danger the aircraft posed to the civilian population. Belgian Foreign Minister Mark Eyskens expressed concern that “from the time the MiG-23 was first picked up on NATO radar to the time it crashed more than an hour later, no word of warning came from the Soviet side,” and that “there was also a ‘notable slowness’ on the part of the Soviets in disclosing whether the jet was carrying nuclear or toxic weapons.”  The USSR paid $685,000 in compensation to Belgium.

Without firing a shot: The United States made an unexpected offer to President Zelensky regarding the de-occupation of Donbas

October 7, 2020 (http://www.favoritnews.in.ua) The United States offered the Ukrainian government a solution to the problem of de-occupation of territories in the east of the country. The American research center Atlantic Council came up with a proposal to completely end all economic ties with the occupied regions of Donbas. First of all, analysts from the United States insist on cutting off the supply of water, electricity, and other resources. In addition, it is recommended to establish a complete social and economic blockade of the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The main purpose of such actions - to complicate the life of the inhabitants of the illegal republics as much as possible and bring the humanitarian situation to a critical point. The Atlantic Council experts believe that the economic blockade will allow the return of the occupied territories. The restriction and complete cessation of the flow of monetary funds will cause a negative attitude of local residents towards the leadership of the self-proclaimed republics.

Ukraine marks Day of Remembrance of Babyn Yar Victims

 September 29, 2020 (Ukrinform) Today, Ukraine marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Babyn Yar, one of the most horrific symbols of the Holocaust. The first massacre of the unarmed civilian population was conducted by the military in the Nazi-occupied Kyiv on September 29-30, 1941. From September 29 to October 11, 1941, the SS forces killed almost all Jews residing in the city - over 50,000 men, women, and children. Almost 34,000 people were killed in the first two days. On October 1, 2, 8, and 11, Nazi troops shot dead those who did not appear on orders - about 17,000 people more. The motive for the massacre was a blatant lie about the participation of Jews in mining and explosions in Khreshchatyk Street, which resulted in killing many Wehrmacht soldiers and officers. Babyn Yar, the large ravine on the northern edge of Kyiv, was chosen as a place for mass shootings. It was two and a half kilometers in length and in some places reached a 50-meter depth. At the end of the street, a gate was built, which people were allowed to enter in groups of 30-40 persons. Previously, they had been forced to undress and give up personal belongings. Then they were machine-gunned into the ravine, which was immediately covered over, with some of the victims still alive.

According to various estimates, from 100 to 150 thousand people were killed in the Babyn Yar during World War II: Jews, Roma, Karaites, Soviet prisoners of war, members of the Ukrainian national resistance movement, patients of psychiatric clinic and representatives of other national or social groups. The shootings in the Babyn Yar continued until Kyiv was liberated from the invaders in 1943. In Soviet times, the terrible tragedy was mainly silenced. Writers Viktor Nekrasov, Anatoliy Kuznetsov, and dissident Ivan Dziuba were among the first to raise the taboo topic. Along with Auschwitz, Babyn Yar became a horrific symbol of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and an example of what misanthropic theories lead to. The Babyn Yar tragedy is commemorated at the state level in Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of the Babyn Yar tragedy victims on the day of the 79th anniversary of the mass execution of civilians by the Nazis in Kyiv.

Statue of Lenin given a Balkan makeover in Ukraine

 September 29, 2020 (BBC News from Elsewhere) As statues around the world get toppled and vandalized, one Ukrainian village has found a creative approach to its historical legacy. The monument to Lenin in Zaliznychne, Odesa Region, has been altered to represent the village founders - ethnic Bulgarians who arrived in the 19th century. 

Lenin is now dressed in traditional Bulgarian attire, holding pruning shears and a grapevine, with a bag of grapes at his feet. Villagers argued that such a makeover would be easier and cheaper than demolition.

An Antonov An-26 plane has crashed near the city of Chuguev

 On 25 September 2020, an air crash took place at Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine. An AN-26Sh military plane of the 203rd Training Aviation Brigade crashed during a training flight. 26 cadets and officers from the Kharkiv Air Force University and crew members died as a result of the crash. On 26 September Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the region, creating a commission for investigation of the circumstances of the tragedy and providing all necessary assistance.

According to preliminary information from the Security Service of Ukraine, the cadets didn't directly control the aircraft - the crew commander was in charge. The training flight began at 18:50 and was to end at 20:50. After passing part of the route at 20.38, the commander reported to the air traffic controller about the left engine failure, at 20.40 - invited the landing party, at 20.43 - a long-distance drive, at 20.45 - a plane crash occurred. The An-26 is a twin-engine turboprop airplane manufactured from 1969 to 1986 in Kyiv, Ukraine, when the country was part of the former Soviet Union.

Ukrainian emergency service workers look for survivors at the site of a military plane crash Friday.

Cadet Vyacheslav Zolochevsky is the only survivor of the plane crash.

Kyiv, October 1941.

 In the photo taken in Kyiv in October 1941, German sappers on the porch of the building of the Lenin Museum carry the charge and explosive device of a radio bomb planted by the Bolsheviks during the retreat. Similar explosive devices were planted on Khreshchatyk, the Lavra, and the Opera. Radio-controlled landmines were to blow up the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada, and this Lenin Museum. F-10 radios were placed to delay the explosion for up to 40 days, at a depth of 2.5 m, and were activated by a radio signal from the distance about 600 km. Thank God, the Germans managed to deactivate some devices. 

Nevertheless, explosions and fires in Kyiv in September-October 1941 destroyed 324 houses and dozens of unique historical monuments. Khreshchatyk turned into a solid ruin. Thousands of Kyivans died. Tens of thousands found themselves homeless.

The new walking tour was represented by the Museum of the Battle of Poltava

 On September 21, 2019, the Museum of the Battle of Poltava in the framework of the European Heritage Days in Ukraine presented a walking tour "Following in the footsteps of the Dalarna Regiment". This regiment is one of the oldest regiments in the Swedish army that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was formed in 1625 in Falun, Dalarna County, central Sweden. The regiment belonged to the elite units of the Swedish army, it was considered an unofficial guard.

 The Dalarna Regiment numbered about 1,100 men under the command of Colonel Gustaf Henrik von Siegroth took part in the Battle of Poltava, in the fighting near Russian redoubts. After quickly taking the first and second redoubts, the regiment suffered heavy losses during the assault on the third redoubt. Colonel Siegroth was mortally wounded, and most of his men perished during taking this Russian strong defensive emplacement. The Dalekarlians took their last battle on the outskirts of the Yakivchansky Forest (now Poltava City Park (arboretum)). The remnants of the regiment surrendered to the Muscovites near the Holy Cross Exaltation Monastery. The walking tour started at 10a.m. from the Poltava Military Communication School and passed through historical places - through the redoubt line, the arboretum, to the Museum of the Battle of Poltava (the total length of the route is about 5 km). Tourists were able to feel like real warriors of the Swedish King Charles XII while taking part in the military reconstruction of the fighting near the reconstructed redoubt close to the museum.

NATO and Ukraine will today begin four days of joint military exercises.

 September 21, 2020 (foreignbrief.com) The drills, titled “Joint Efforts 2020”, will involve more than 100 military units, 12,000 weapons, and 200 advisers and observers. Countries expected to participate include the US, the UK, Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. The exercises begin as the US, Ukraine and seven other mutual allies conclude Rapid Trident 20, drills involving more than 4,000 troops.

Since the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 and the outbreak of hybrid war with Russia in the east, Kyiv has increasingly sought to build defense cooperation with NATO and the EU. While the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky has raised doubts about EU membership, Ukraine’s relationship with NATO has strengthened - last June Ukraine was upgraded by the alliance to become an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, joining Georgia, Sweden, Finland, Jordan, and Australia.

Expect today’s drills and future exercises to further strengthen ties between Ukraine and NATO, potentially moving the country closer to full membership. However, as Russia continues to adopt a more aggressive posture toward its western neighbor in the Donbass, expect the alliance to maintain reservations toward assuming full liability over Ukrainian security while also recognizing the strategic need to continue building ties.

Belarus protests: Opposition keeps up pressure on Lukashenko

September 13, 2020 (BBC Europe) Tens of thousands of people have been marching in the capital Minsk and other cities, in the latest of several weeks of mass protest against President Alexander Lukashenko. Large numbers of police have been deployed, blocking key areas. Police said they arrested about 400 people ahead of and during the protests, dubbed the March of Heroes. 

The protests have been triggered by a widely disputed election a month ago and subsequent brutal police crackdown. Demonstrators want Mr. Lukashenko to resign after alleging widespread ballot-rigging. But the Belarusian leader - in power for 26 years - has denied the allegations and accuses Western nations of interfering. The 66-year-old has promised to defend Belarus.

Most opposition leaders are now under arrest or in exile. It is the fifth successive Sunday of mass protests, with about 100,000 rallying each week. Eyewitnesses said the center of Minsk was flooded with people. They marched on the elite residential area of Drozdy, where the country's top officials including President Lukashenko live, but were blocked by police.

The full article is available at:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54139312

U.S. B-52 bombers escorted by Ukrainian fighters fly over Ukraine

 September 7, 2020 (Interfax-Ukraine) B-52 bombers of the United States Air Force have entered Ukraine's airspace for the first time, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Friday evening.

"American strategic bombers were escorted by Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter jets of the tactical aviation brigade of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement on its website. "On the morning of September 4, the bombers took off from Fairford Air Force Base in the United Kingdom, flew over Europe, where they were accompanied by fighter jets from NATO and key allied partners. Ukrainian military pilots met the B-52 on the Polish border, escorted it through the territory of Ukraine to the coast of the Sea of Azov and back," the report says. "The patrol is planned and aims to achieve interoperability between NATO and partner states. It is likely that such cooperation in the field of collective security will continue," it says.

Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship maneuvering missile system goes into service

September 1, 2020 (Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) As reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the head of the Ministry of Defense, Andriy Taran, signed an order to adopt the RK-360MC Neptun anti-ship maneuvering missile system into service with the Ukrainian armed forces. The first missile squadron of the Ukrainian Navy is to be re-armed with this system next year. The introduction of this system into service is to allow the reconstruction of the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian navy in the field of coastal defense, and more specifically in the fight against distant naval targets, lost as a result of the annexation of Crimea.

In 2014, the Ukrainian armed forces lost the base of the 25th Independent Missile Squadron, which was armed with the 4K51 Rubież system with P-20 and P-22 missiles with a range of approx. 40 km. After the delivery of the first squadron module, a contract for more coastal missile squadrons is expected. The aim is to strengthen the coastal defenses, but also to increase the destruction capacity of land targets that can be fought by Neptune cruise missiles. Each of them consists of six USPU-360 launchers; six TZM-360 transport and loading vehicles; six TM-360 transport vehicles and one command post of the RKP-360 squadron.

The full article is available at:
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2020/08/30/ukrainian-neptune-anti-ship-maneuvering-missile-system-goes-into-service-video/

Could a Color Revolution be Possible in Belarus?

September 1, 2020 (American Herald Tribune) The political crisis in Belarus is getting worse day after day. As a result of elections in the country, a violent wave of protests began in several cities. The focus of the demonstrations is Minsk, the country's capital. In the most violent night so far, 40 more policemen and 50 civilians were injured, some seriously. More than 1,000 were arrested, according to data from the Ministry of Interior.

The western media is doing great coverage of the events, however, the news is always published with strong ideological rhetoric, in which Aleksandr Lukashenko (elected for a new mandate with 80% of the votes) is appointed as a “terrible dictator”, against who, according to media agencies, there is a major popular uprising. The truth, however, is that the situation is much more complex than that and it is not a mere conflict between dictatorship and democracy, but a real geopolitical clash.

Lukashenko accused Poland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom of coordinating the protests in Belarus. This Monday at a meeting with the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States observation mission, Sergei Lebedev, Lukashenko said he had found links between the protesters and the authorities in these three countries, saying the groups involved in the protests were controlled by foreign nations. According to the Belarusian leader, these three European countries continue to order people to leave and negotiate with the authorities the voluntary surrender of power. Lukashenko went further and assured that there are also forces in the protests in Russia and Ukraine, giving no details on how he would have access to such information.

For its part, the Polish government has denied the allegations of being behind the protests, saying that these are unfounded and unproven allegations. The country's foreign minister, Jacek Czaputowicz, said that the European Union is debating the approval of sanctions against Lukashenko, while the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, demanded an urgent meeting of the European Council, but involvement in the demonstrations was not admitted. The United Kingdom and the Czech Republic have yet to comment on the serious accusations. In line with Poland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the violent unrest in Minsk as "cruel reprisals against peaceful demonstrators", while European Council chief Charles Michel demanded policies from Lukashenko to guarantee freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and fundamental human rights.

The full article is available at:

https://ahtribune.com/world/europe/4345-color-revolutionin-belarus.html

The first plane An-178 without Russian parts was assembled at the Antonov campaign's plant

August 26, 2020 (Ukrvision.com) The plane was ordered by the Peruvian government for the national police. As planned, the Ukrainian aircraft assembled without Russian components will fly to South America next year. This is the first serial "An-178". It could have appeared earlier, the state-owned enterprise agrees, but the constructors had to recalculate hundreds of components and units for Western electronics and avionics."The state-owned Antonov was accused of not producing serial aircraft for several years. There were objective reasons for that. It took a long time for import substitution, ”said Oleksandr Los, president of the Antonov campaign.

The Antonov An-178 is a short-range medium-airlift military transport aircraft designed by the Ukrainian Antonov company and based on the Antonov An-158. It was announced on 5 February 2010, rolled out on 16 April 2015 and made its first flight on 7 May 2015