Ukraine updates in English

[US7IGN]

I heard that Neanderthals were more civilized than Sapiens and this ultimately destroyed them.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

Another possibility!

[N0TZU]

I've been sad to see the entire shortwave radio world shut down little by little, the past few decades, so the VOA and Radio Liberty issue are no different in terms of my emotions. But, it isn't 1955 anymore, as I sometimes have to remind people who are angry that I no longer send QSL cards. Things change.
I view the American shortwave shutdown as just one more of those many "sacred cows" that is going to need to go and will make someone unhappy. We have unconsciously slouched to $36 trillion in national debt and $70 trillion (present value dollars) in social entitlements. Everyone wants to continue ignoring this inconvenient truth, but the longer we let it go, the bigger a problem it will become.
If the American radio services truly are indispensable to Europe, they can create their own Radio Service. But considering that the UK has cut BBC radio service pretty significantly in recent years, I see them making the same choice.

Everyone realizes that shortwave is no longer effective or efficient for most government messaging except to target poor, remote areas of the world where a transistor radio is still important for news. As I said, there are also internet services and other ways to reach people.

The point is that we must continue to vigorously oppose Russian, Chinese, and other anti-US, anti-west  propaganda around the world. The nearly complete shutdown of the US Agency for Global Media, of which VOA was a part, leaves the world to them without counter messaging.

I can only hope that out of this hasty undisciplined shutdown, something will emerge to carry on the mission.

[N0TZU]

What Trump wants to do is clear, but it is not clear whether he will be able to do it. The market is the ultimate arbiter of this sort of thing. Just ask Truss. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/17/business/liz-truss-markets-tariffs-trump-intl/index.html

Yes this is a topic of discussion, and I think it’s a sound thesis because many people vote mostly according to one metric, the amount of money in their pocket and the cost of goods and services.

If Trump’s heedless descent into punishing trade wars with every major trading partner continues on the current path it will cause a large increase in inflation which is one of the reasons why Harris lost the election. Worse, it will also cause business activity to contract and the net result would be similar to what happened in the 1970’s: stagflation, and recession, and not only for the US.

The UK has a parliamentary system, but we have a presidential system, so while Truss was removed fairly rapidly, Trump is expected to be president until his term ends.

[US7IGN]

Trump has for many years advocated tariffs, and he knows that he’s the smartest person in the room.

Our big boss reminds us at least once a month that we start making mistakes and losing as soon as we start thinking that we are smarter than others. But he's just a millionaire, not a billionaire, so he could be wrong)

The main news of the day was today's high-stakes call between President Donald Trump and russian President Vladimir putin, which lasted about two hours.

During the dialogue, the leaders of the United States and russia continued a detailed exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine, the russian propaganda news agency TASS writes, citing a Kremlin statement. https://t.me/tass_agency/306379

russian journalists report that the russian president supported the idea of ​​the US president to mutually refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure with Ukraine. The Kremlin said that putin gave such an order to the military.

putin also announced a 175-for-175 prisoner exchange between the russian and Ukrainian sides on March 19. The russian president said that as a "gesture of goodwill" he would hand over 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen to Kyiv.

The White House said that President Donald Trump and russian President Vladimir putin have agreed that the process to reach a peace agreement between russia and Ukraine would begin with an energy infrastructure ceasefire.

"This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts," the White House said in a readout of the call between the two leaders.

Trump and putin agreed that the movement to peace "will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East," the White House said. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-call-zelenskyy-nato-ceasefire-zaporizhzhia-rcna196847

This is certainly good news, but we must remember that any truce is very unreliable for the weaker side. For example, another war dragged on longer than planned, and the ceasefire ended earlier than expected.

Gaza’s fragile ceasefire was shattered early Tuesday as Israel carried out what it described as “extensive strikes” on Hamas targets. After the ceasefire ended, far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir said he would rejoin the government. Separately, several Arab nations accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. Israel’s attack has killed over 400 people and wounded hundreds more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It’s the deadliest day in Gaza since November 7, 2023. https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/gaza-israel-hamas-strikes-03-18-25/index.html

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proposed deploying over 10,000 Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of an initiative presented during the "coalition of the willing" meeting. According to The Times, citing a senior British government source, Starmer secured support from "considerably more" countries than the initial three that had proposed sending ground troops. However, the bulk of the forces would likely come from the UK and France. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/minehunters-and-10000-troops-what-the-coalition-of-the-willing-has-agreed-xdmm3pvmg

[US7IGN]

We continue to enjoy the low-quality show put on by the authorities.

The Kyiv Court of Appeal closed the proceedings in the case of the attack on journalists of the "Schemes" program in the office of the chairman of the board of "Ukreximbank" Yevhen Metsger. As a result, the defendants: Yevhen Metsger, who is currently the chairman of the state-owned company "Ukrfinzhytlo", the director of the banking security department of "Ukreximbank" Ihor Telbizov, and the head of the internal security department of the state bank Oleh Osipov, who used physical force against the journalists on the orders of Metsger, were released from criminal liability.

It all started in October 2021, when an incident occurred that attracted significant attention from the public and the media community in Ukraine. During an interview with the Chairman of the Board of Ukreximbank, Yevhen Metzger, for the program "Schemes", journalists Kyrylo Ovsyanyi and cameraman Oleksandr Mazur were attacked by bank employees on Metzger's orders. The incident sparked outrage and raised questions about freedom of speech and the safety of journalists in Ukraine.
https://ua.news/ua/ukraine/tin-bankovoyi-chomu-yevgen-metsger-unyk-vidpovidalnosti-za-napad-na-zhurnalistiv

A video of a cyclist being hit by a car on the road is being circulated on social media today. The man who was hit fell, got up and left the scene of the accident, leaving his bicycle behind. Two people in military uniform got out of the car, pulled the broken bicycle out from under the wheels, and then drove in the direction the man had run. The Kharkiv Regional Mobilization Center admits that its employees hit the man, but claims that it was an accident. The outcome of the man’s pursuit is unknown. https://sud.ua/uk/news/video/325971-v-kharkovskom-ttsk-utverzhdayut-chto-sbili-velosipedista-sluchayno-a-zatem-khoteli-pomoch-video

Commanders on the battlefield have combat immunity for decisions made. This was stated by Fedir Venislavsky, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, on Radio Liberty.

“At the beginning of the war, we adopted a law that provides for the so-called combat immunity. This is when military commanders and chiefs are not legally responsible for decisions made on the battlefield. Because if now we blame every military leader for some failures on the front, then there will be few who will be ready to give orders at all, and war inevitably involves losses among people, among equipment… Key decisions are made by the military,” Venislavsky explained.

He emphasized that war always involves losses, and if we blame every leader for failures, few will be ready to give orders. https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/326033-komandiry-imeyut-boevoy-immunitet-v-otnoshenii-resheniy-na-pole-boya-fedor-venislavskiy

And then they wonder why there are no people willing to join the army and carry out such orders. Some believe that he was trying to justify the top military leadership, headed by the president, for all the mistakes they had made.

The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine has granted two Ukrainian musical groups, “Without Limits” and “Boombox”, the status of critical for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the life of the population in a special period. The relevant orders were published on the ministry’s website.

The document states that the rock bands meet the criteria of enterprises, institutions and organizations that are critical for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the life of the population in a special period, as well as critical for ensuring the needs of the Armed Forces and other military formations in a special period, and this status has been confirmed for them.
https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/326035-minkult-predostavil-gruppam-bumboks-i-bez-obmezhen-status-kriticheski-vazhnykh-predpriyatiy

This allows the members of these groups to travel abroad without obstacles. From the point of view of many ordinary Ukrainians, this looks very impudent and disgusting.

The Kyiv Defense Council, after consultations with the military, law enforcement officers, and the State Emergency Service, allowed ground public transport to continue moving in the event of an air raid warning being issued in the capital. This will really make life much easier for Kyiv residents, who were forced to stand by the bus in the cold and rain and wait for the air raid warning to end, while taxi prices increased dramatically at that time.https://www.dw.com/uk/u-kievi-gromadskij-transport-bilse-ne-zupinatimut-pid-cas-trivog/a-71961201#:~:text=%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B0%20%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%20%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%94%D0%B2%D0%B0%20%D0%BF%D1%96%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8F%20%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%86%D1%96%D0%B9,%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%20%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%96%20%D0%B7%2021%20%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%BD%D1%8F.

This morning I stood there for half an hour thinking about this during the air raid alert when one of the downed drones fell near a school in one of the Kyiv districts and caught fire.
https://24tv.ua/kiyevi-dron-goriv-bilya-shkoli-pratsivniki-dsns-likviduvali-naslidki_n2778239

[N0TZU]

There seems to be an epidemic of aborted justice for people in high places, and those with friends in high places.

Now that Radio Liberty will go silent, I hope there is another outlet that will have this important type of news.

Does the immunity for commanders include the military justice system? Here, commanders can face a court martial in the military justice system.

It might be time to learn to play rock and roll.

I suppose it’s a milestone of sorts that the regulation requiring public transport to be stopped during air raids is finally rescinded. That it took so long, and that so many brains had to be consulted, is truly remarkable.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

War always brings lots of injustices, sadly a fact of life.
Wlad, very sorry to hear about the treatment of journalists. Don't lose heart, as the US government, on several occasions, arrested and persecuted journalists during wartime. Notably, the worst was during the Wilson administration during WW1. But, we emerged from that and returned to democratic function. I hope Ukraine will do the same, although I recognize that the US is not Ukraine.

[N0TZU]

War always brings lots of injustices, sadly a fact of life.
Wlad, very sorry to hear about the treatment of journalists. Don't lose heart, as the US government, on several occasions, arrested and persecuted journalists during wartime. Notably, the worst was during the Wilson administration during WW1. But, we emerged from that and returned to democratic function. I hope Ukraine will do the same, although I recognize that the US is not Ukraine.

Very true .

Interestingly the WW1 Wilson era was the first time that such free speech issues became prominent in the US and thus the need for courts to address them. It took several more decades for the Supreme Court to hone the interpretation of our constitution into the robust protection of speech we enjoy today.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

Interestingly the WW1 Wilson era was the first time that such free speech issues became prominent in the US and thus the need for courts to address them. It took several more decades for the Supreme Court to hone the interpretation of our constitution into the robust protection of speech we enjoy today.

100% agree.  I hope Ukraine will also eventually grow into a republic of individual rights and responsibilities.  I also hope that the rest of Europe will eventually allow true free speech even when it goes against popular opinion or the government's preferred narratives.

[KD8ZM-Brady]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has proposed deploying over 10,000 Western peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of an initiative presented during the "coalition of the willing" meeting. According to The Times, citing a senior British government source, Starmer secured support from "considerably more" countries than the initial three that had proposed sending ground troops. However, the bulk of the forces would likely come from the UK and France.

Starmer's big talk of providing troops in Ukraine ended with something such as "of course with strong US backing" which basically negated everything he had said up to that point. He should have defined what that means, since US troops and air support have both been deemed to be"off the table" by both Trump and Biden. I took it to mean that the speech was just more European talk about providing military resources but not actually coming through with them.

[US7IGN]

Does the immunity for commanders include the military justice system? Here, commanders can face a court martial in the military justice system.

In the Soviet Union, there was a separate justice system for the military, which was later abolished in Ukraine. Now they are thinking about restoring it. Critics believe that a closed system would be unfair. However, when was the army ever fair? Remember the book "Catch-22"?

[US7IGN]

Wlad, very sorry to hear about the treatment of journalists. Don't lose heart, as the US government, on several occasions, arrested and persecuted journalists during wartime. Notably, the worst was during the Wilson administration during WW1. But, we emerged from that and returned to democratic function. I hope Ukraine will do the same, although I recognize that the US is not Ukraine.

This story happened before the russian attack in 2022.

[US7IGN]

100% agree.  I hope Ukraine will also eventually grow into a republic of individual rights and responsibilities.  I also hope that the rest of Europe will eventually allow true free speech even when it goes against popular opinion or the government's preferred narratives.

So far, the opposite is happening. On March 19, the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt a high-profile bill that could close court cases regarding mobilization and military registration, cases of servicemen, etc. in the Register of Court Decisions, since defense and national security bodies are parties to the case in these matters.

It is noteworthy that the committee decided to return to this bill after the resonance caused by the publication by the Supreme Court of a decision according to which the establishment of the illegality of mobilization does not lead to the discharge of an illegally mobilized person from military service. In addition, the media published details of a case in which a mobilized person was killed at a training ground, and then accused of drug use and declared a deserter.

The court will also have the right to additionally determine relevant information as not subject to disclosure if, in the court's opinion, this "may harm security." That is, the court itself will be able to decide which decisions should be excluded from public access. The question also arises as to who will verify the grounds for closing cases from the public.
https://sud.ua/uk/news/publication/326127-deputaty-vernulis-k-rassmotreniyu-zakonoproekta-o-sokrytii-sudebnykh-del-otnositelno-mobilizatsii-ttsk-i-voennosluzhaschikh-ot-obschestvennosti-v-reestre-sudebnykh-resheniy

Also, the current legislation requires that when filing a cassation appeal, reference be made to other Supreme Court decisions in similar cases, which will obviously be impossible to do. So this will be a restriction on the right to justice. Although it doesn't matter, the Ukrainian will have one right more or less...

[US7IGN]

Starmer's big talk of providing troops in Ukraine ended with something such as "of course with strong US backing" which basically negated everything he had said up to that point. He should have defined what that means, since US troops and air support have both been deemed to be"off the table" by both Trump and Biden. I took it to mean that the speech was just more European talk about providing military resources but not actually coming through with them.

British Special Forces have been put on standby to head to Ukraine as part of the UK’s peacekeeping mission as an agreement over a ceasefire edge closer, The i Paper can reveal.

A decision to put key troops on standby comes as Britain prepares to host military chiefs from a group of countries ready to support a ceasefire agreement with russia. The elite units could be deployed rapidly, gather intelligence and counter Russian 'greyzone' activity, say experts
https://inews.co.uk/news/special-forces-standby-ukraine-peacekeeping-3591375