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Tag: ukraine
US Military Aid To Ukraine Exceeds The Costs Of Afghanistan
Ukraine receives the most military aid from the United States: Since the beginning of the war and as of Jan. 15, 2023, $46.6 billion in financial aid for military purposes has flowed to the country now at war with Russia.
When calculating the average annual costs (in 2022 prices) of previous wars in which the United States has been involved in, the true magnitude of the country’s Ukraine aid expenditure can be seen.
As Statista’s Martin Armstrong shows in the infographic below, the payments to Ukraine have already exceeded the annual military expenditure of the U.S. in the war in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2010. The U.S. military costs in the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and the Korean War were significantly higher – according to calculations by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy as part of its Ukraine Support Tracker.
US factories ramping up weapons production to meet Ukraine demand
The U.S. is increasing the production of weapons at some locations that were previously shut down to meet the demands of American military commitments to Ukraine.
According to some reports, Ukrainian military forces are consuming up to 7,000 artillery rounds per day, pushing the need for new supplies.
“One year ago, Russia launched its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The United States has rallied the world in response, working with our allies and partners to provide Ukraine with critical security, economic, and humanitarian assistance and leading unprecedented efforts to impose costs on Russia for its aggression,” a White House fact sheet said on Friday.
“This week, President Biden visited Kyiv, Ukraine and Warsaw, Poland to send a clear and powerful message that the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” it added.
Among the new assistance is additional security efforts. The White House update noted that the package includes a large amount of ammunition for 155mm artillery systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced its 32nd security assistance package in response to Russia’s invasion of the former Soviet republic.
A January White House fact sheet reported that the U.S. has already sent over 1 million 155mm rounds to Ukraine in the past year. The number is in addition to numerous other security items, ranging from Stinger missiles to 100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition.
“Prior to the war in Ukraine, the U.S. could build about 14,400 155mm artillery shells a month. But as Ukrainian forces burn through the ammunition for howitzers sent to the country, the U.S. is hoping to ramp up production to roughly 90,000 shells a month,” Defense News reported in January.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth separately told reporters that the U.S. will go from making 14,000 155mm shells each month to 20,000 by later this year and 40,000 by 2025.
US Black Hawk Helicopter Appears In Use By Ukraine’s Military Intelligence
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has shared photos of a Black Hawk helicopter. The American-made aircraft was painted with a Ukrainian flag, and the intel org suggested it was used in military operations.
Two photos showing a Black Hawk were posted on the Twitter account and website of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence on Tuesday. A press release accompanying the images said the agency had recently completed military missions.
“Military intelligence aviation of Ukraine continues its work on the front line of the defense of our country. Reconnaissance pilots have just returned from another combat mission,” it said, adding that “Combat helicopters significantly increase the capabilities of the special units of the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the effectiveness of special operations.”
Another aircraft seen in the photos was identified by the Drive as a Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind.
It is unclear how Kiev obtained the American helicopter or whether it has been used in combat operations. Officially, the White House has approved sending Soviet-era Mi-17 Helicopters – aircraft formerly owned by the Afghan government prior to its collapse in 2021 – though it has made no mention of Black Hawks to date.
In June, the assault and reconnaissance wing of the Intelligence Directorate, known as the ‘Shaman battalion,’ claimed to have carried out operations inside Russian territory, according to the Times of London. The outlet said the commandos were flown into the country via helicopter, but did not specify what type.
Ukrainian Schoolchildren Told to Report on Their Parents for Watching Putin’s Speech
Ukrainian schoolchildren are being asked to report on their parents for watching Vladimir Putin’s recent round of speeches or Russian television and news programming in general. The dystopic reality of life in Ukraine is a far cry from the pro-war myths sold by Western corporate media and NATO politicians, as Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies aren’t just using Stasi tactics against children, but have banned the free press and even Orthodox Christianity, the religion adhered to by a majority of Ukraine’s population.
Having been created directly by Russia and existing in the Russian sphere of influence since its beginnings, a massive segment of Ukraine’s population is ethnically Russian, linguistically Russian, and, largely, politically Russian. This includes those in the Donbas region, where most of the active war is being fought. That area seceded from Ukraine after the Obama and Soros-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected, pro-Russia government in 2014.
In Crimea, residents staunchly opposed the 2014 overthrow, seceding from Ukraine to be willingly annexed by Russia.
NATO Criticised For Tweet Comparing Ukraine Conflict To Harry Potter
NATO has been criticised for a bizarre tweet comparing the Ukraine conflict to Harry Potter and Star Wars.
The tweet sent via NATO’s official Twitter account is a quote claimed to be from a soldier in the Ukrainian army.
It reads, “This war will shape the continent. It will set rules and draw frontiers. Books will be written and studies done on the reality we face today. We are Harry Potter and William Wallace, the Na’vi and Han Solo. We’re escaping from Shawshank and blowing up the Death Star. We are fighting with the Harkonnens and challenging Thanos. Ukraine is hosting one of the great epics of this century.”
Critics pointed out that it’s incredibly frivolous to highlight a comparison of a war to nerd fiction.
Americans Blast Biden Over Tweet Declaring His Heart Has Been Captured By Ukraine
After Joe Biden’s train ride to Ukraine for a photo op and another $500 million handout, he posted a tweet declaring that his heart has been captured by Ukraine, prompting angry responses from Americans who charge Biden is ignoring problems at home.
Biden tweeted “I knew I would be back” and included a picture of a message he scrawled to the Ukrainian president Zelensky.
Critics were quick to point out that Biden’s heart doesn’t seem so captured by Americans dealing with a massive disaster at home.
President Biden Makes Surprise Visit To Kyiv, Pledges New Military Aid
President Biden departed from Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland, early Sunday morning. He stopped at Ramstein Air Base in Germany before making an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday morning. The visit comes ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden’s visit comes as Russia prepares for a massive spring offensive. Western countries are racing to flood Ukraine with new weaponry, including main battle tanks and armored vehicles. Biden delivered remarks alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv and announced new military aid worth $500 million, according to AP News. The new military aid includes anti-tank missiles, air-surveillance radars, howitzers, shells, ammunition and other support, but no new advanced weaponry.
“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about US support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said in joint remarks with Zelenskyy. He said, “I’m here to show our unwavering support for the nation’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Zelenskyy thanked Biden for coming to Kyiv “at a huge moment for Ukraine.” He said he and the US president would hold talks about the war and what’s happening on the frontlines and also “about the people, about Ukrainians, about Americans . . . what we have to do to stop the war, to have success in this war . . . and how to win this year”.
Biden said, “I am meeting with President Zelenskyy and his team for an extended discussion on our support for Ukraine.” He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dead wrong,” believing he could instantly take Ukraine during the invasion nearly one year ago.
“Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support – and that support will endure,” he continued.
Biden also said, “We will announce additional sanctions against elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.”
The president’s social media team was busy tweeting this morning.
On target? Democrats AND Republicans write to Biden demanding he send F-16 jets to Ukraine so its troops can dominate Russia ahead of Putin’s spring offensive
A bipartisan group of House members wrote to President Biden this week to urge him to send fighter jets to Ukraine in a move that would escalate U.S. involvement in the nation’s war with Ukraine.
Five House members said modern jets like the F-16 ‘could prove decisive for control of Ukrainian airspace this year.’ Kyiv has long urged the U.S. to provide fighter jets, but President Biden weeks ago told reporters he would not.
The letter was led by Maine Democrat Rep. Jared Golden, with GOP Reps. Tony Gonzales, Texas, and Mike Gallagher, Wis., and Democratic Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Pa., and Jason Crow, Colo., signing on. All five have military experience.
The bipartisan group first praised Biden for his continued support for Ukraine, before asking him to send the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft or similar fourth-generation aircraft ‘as soon as possible.’
American Federal ‘Policy Advisor’ Posts Pic in Ukrainian Nazi Badge on Twitter
Paul Massaro, a Senior Policy Advisor at the federally-run US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, posted and then deleted a photo on Twitter of himself donning a Ukrainian military badge depicting infamous Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.
Paul Massaro runs one of the most aggressively pro-Ukraine accounts on Twitter while using his federal foreign policy position to advocate for expanding the Russo-Ukrainian War. Recently, he posted a photograph of himself wearing a Ukrainian badge that depicts Stepan Bandera, a highly controversial figure in Ukrainian politics who collaborated with Hitler’s Nazis and was considered a war criminal by the United States and other allied nations.
“Hey, look what I’ve got,” Massaro tweeted, attaching a photograph of himself wearing his Nazi Bandera badge while sitting in front of a Ukrainian flag hanging from his wall.
Hellbound and Down 
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