That comment reminds me of the video from Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Four servicemen have used makeshift rafts to traverse the river and reach Russian positions, RIA Novosti has reported
A group of Ukrainian soldiers have braved the waters of the Dnieper River in a bid to surrender to Russia, RIA Novosti reported on Sunday, citing security sources and sharing a video.
Black-and-white footage apparently taken from a drone at night shows the four men swimming to the opposite side of the river. The clip then shows them coming out of the water with their hands behind their heads as Russian soldiers are already waiting for them on shore.
Kherson Region is still only partially controlled by Russia as its territories on the right bank of the Dnieper, including the city of Kherson, remain under Ukrainian control and the river separates the warring parties’ positions. It is unclear where exactly the soldiers crossed the river, but the Dnieper in that area is at least several hundred meters wide.
The four soldiers had previously contacted the Russian military via a special Telegram chat bot and stated their desire to lay down arms, RIA reported, adding that they were able to discuss the details of their surrender with the Russian side in advance.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 32 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered in just one week, between June 29 and July 5. It did not comment on the river crossing case, though. Yan Gagin, an aide to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, also told the Russian media that Ukrainian soldiers have been surrendering in droves recently.
According to RIA, the Ukrainians used makeshift rafts made of empty plastic bottles to cross the Dnieper. The sources told the news agency that the four soldiers surrendered in the Kherson Region. The former Ukrainian territory officially joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a referendum, along with neighboring Zaporozhye Region and the two Donbass Republics.
It is not the first time that Ukrainian soldiers have crossed the Dnieper in a bid to surrender to Russia. In early June, another serviceman also used a makeshift raft fashioned of plastic bottles to traverse the river and lay down arms. The man explained that he’d chosen to capitulate because the Ukrainian command had planned to deploy his brigade to the northeastern Kharkov Region, where Russian forces have been on the offensive since early May, RIA reported at that time.
The news comes as Kiev is struggling to replenish heavy losses sustained in the fighting with Russia. Announced by Ukraine shortly after the start of the conflict, the major mobilization campaign has been marred by widespread draft dodging and graft, as well as attempts to flee the country.
This spring, Kiev significantly expanded conscription rules and lowered the age limit from 27 to 25. In June, a senior Ukrainian Border Service official, Igor Matviychuk, said that over 100 attempt to flee the country every day in order to evade service.
The draft dodgers often brave perilous conditions in their attempts to escape. Ukraine’s Border Service said in June that more than 45 Ukrainian men had died in rough terrain while fleeing the country, adding that a significant portion of them drowned while seeking to cross the Tisza River, which flows through southwestern Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia. Ten people were confirmed to have drowned in the river in May alone.
Kiev’s forces also continue to suffer heavy losses on the front lines, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Ukrainian military recently lost some 13,500 servicemen in just one week, it said in a report on Friday.
The US president insists he needs no cognitive tests, given his leadership of the “essential nation”
US President Joe Biden says he has been “running the world” and therefore does not actually need any cognitive tests to prove his fitness for office.
The president made the remarks in an interview with ABC News on Friday, when the 81-year-old was repeatedly pressed by George Stephanopoulos about the growing concerns surrounding his mental and physical condition.Asked whether he has “had a full neurological and cognitive evaluation,” Biden provided a rather incoherent response.
“I’ve had - I get a full neurological test everyday with me. And I’ve had a full physical. I had, you know, I mean, I - I’ve been at Walter Reed [national military medical center] for my physicals. I mean - uhm yes, the answer,” he stated. Pressed further whether he has actually had “specific cognitive tests” and an examination by a trained neurologist, rather than a broader practice doctor, Biden insisted “no one” had told him he actually needed to undergo one. The president dodged the question on whether he would willingly pass such a test and release its results to the public, insisting his work alone proves he is fit enough for office.
“Look. I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Not - and that’s not hi -sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world,” he asserted. During the interview, the president also blamed his subpar performance during last week’s debate against Donald Trump on suffering from a “bad cold,” dismissing it as a “bad episode” rather than part of a bigger problem.
The debate debacle has reinvigorated long-running concerns over Biden’s advanced age, as well as declining health. On Friday, a group of 168 high-profile Democratic Party supporters, including major donors and academics, sent a letter to the US president, urging him to drop out of the race, the Washington Post reported, citing anonymous sources.The signees have “respectfully” called on Biden to do so, arguing the move was needed “for the sake of our democracy and the future of our nation,” according to the report. However, Biden has repeatedly pledged to continue pursuing reelection, dismissing any prospects of dropping out amid the mounting criticism of the past few days.
The oldest US president in history appeared so frail and confused throughout the encounter last week that a survey conducted by CBS News/YouGov shortly afterwards found that 72% of registered voters do not believe Biden has the “mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president.”
The incumbent US president has less than a 37% approval rating among likely voters, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Monday. The same survey showed Trump now leading Biden 49 percent to 43 percent, widening the gap from a 3-point lead before the debate.
“Mr. President, I’ve never seen a president with 36% approval get reelected,” ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos told Biden during their sit-down on Friday.
“Well, I don’t believe that’s my approval rating. That’s not what our polls show,” Biden replied, though it remained unclear which polling data the 81-year-old was relying on.
A Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll published Tuesday found Trump beating Biden by 3 percent, while a survey conducted for CNN by SSRS found Trump 6 points in the lead.
A separate Bloomberg News/Morning Consult tracking poll showed Biden narrowing the gap over the past week and now losing “by only 2 percentage points” in the critical swing states needed to win the November election. Overall, less than one in five respondents in those states thought the 81-year-old was the “more coherent, mentally fit or dominant participant” of the debate.
I like the longer time frames- as in this video covers 9 days of the war to date, much like I like History Legend's coverage that tells a more insightful narrative (who also has a Master's in Battle History).
Scott, as a mapper, is a newcomer in the genre of mapping but is one of the few who uses topographic maps, so that one understand the high ground, and the extent of swamps around rivers, which party is fighting up-hill, etc.
To add to the rabbit-hole - Daily updates are good too, like Deer Frens Dima (Military Summary), but when he starts predicting stuff, he often gets it wrong. Nevertheless, he is meticulous in his metodology, so still worth it. Also, some have difficulty with his English - although he does make himself understood.
InB4 mentions of Alexander Mercouris for long-form analysis; Alex Christoforou, for a fluent and humorous 1/2 hour break every day; Brian Berletic for military numbers games and analyzing Western MSM admissions.
The government is supposed to supply a SS detail, so mabbee they are 'saving public money'. However, those Clintons are loaded aren't they? Would they not just get their own security if the government was lacking in some way?
Very sus. there seems to be a guy in front, that appears to make motions for him to move along. Praps he is the budget security detail?
I agree with the cops being airport VIP men.
Sure, but it's not just aging. Tha aging narrative is so they can write an age-limit. What should be done is cognitive testing, and that includes some very specific tests, so that it will weed out the dumb as well. But therein lies the rub. If someone is elected that is the choice of the people, supposedly.
Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DIutBpSClY
Starts at 11:20 or so.
It was their release after Relax, which was a phenomenon, as you prolly know. However, this particular video was a bit more esoteric, and the band didn't really manage to come back onto the top-of-the-pops list, - so not really surprised, that you didn't see it in your travels.
I was into the music, because synths, but especially enjoyed Ferry Cross The Mersey because he actually sang.
A short but sweet career.