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.