World News Krause • Now • 81%

Russian factory activity expands at fastest pace in seven years in December

https://archive.today/rwvFT >Dec 29 (Reuters) - Activity in Russia's manufacturing sector expanded at its fastest pace in almost seven years in December, a business survey showed on Friday, though new export orders contracted for the second month running. >The S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing rose to 54.6 in December from 53.8 in November, moving further above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. It was the highest reading since January 2017. >Output rose at its fastest pace in seven months and new orders also increased sharply again. >"Greater client demand was largely focused on the domestic market, however, as new export orders fell for the second month running," S&P Global said in a statement. >"Fewer customer requests from clients in key export markets led to the fastest fall in new business from abroad since July." >Moscow is spending heavily on manufacturing, pouring cash into the defence sector to ramp up military production following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The sector's growth in the almost two years since then has been largely predicated on domestic demand. >Manufacturers are still grappling with logistical upheavals due to Western sanctions and the high cost of imported goods, hampered by the weak rouble and high inflation. The survey showed the rate of inflation was softening, S&P Global said. >Despite labour shortages in Russia, with unemployment at a record low 2.9%, firms increased staffing numbers to try to reduce backlogs of work, S&P Global said, though companies remained optimistic about the future. >"Confidence stemmed from planned investment in new products and machinery," S&P Global said. "The level of positive sentiment was historically elevated despite dropping to a three-month low."

World News Krause • Now • 65%

‘People Snatchers’: Ukraine’s Recruiters Use Harsh Tactics to Fill Ranks

With Ukraine’s military facing mounting deaths and a stalemate on the battlefield, army recruiters have become increasingly aggressive in their efforts to replenish the ranks, in some cases pulling men off the streets and whisking them to recruiting centers using intimidation and even physical force. Recruiters have confiscated passports, taken people from their jobs and, in at least one case, tried to send a mentally disabled person to military training, according to lawyers, activists and Ukrainian men who have been subject to coercive tactics. Videos of soldiers shoving people into cars and holding men against their will in recruiting centers are surfacing with increasing frequency on social media and in local news reports. The harsh tactics are being aimed not just at draft dodgers but at men who would ordinarily be exempt from service — a sign of the steep challenges Ukraine’s military faces maintaining troop levels in a war with high casualties, and against a much larger enemy. Lawyers and activists say the aggressive methods go well beyond the scope of recruiters’ authority and in some cases are illegal. They point out that recruiters, unlike law enforcement officers, are not empowered to detain civilians, let alone force them into conscription. Men who receive draft notices are supposed to report to recruitment offices. The unconventional tactics have led to a number of court cases this fall as men challenge what they claim are wrongful draft notices, unprofessional medical commissions and forced mobilization; in November alone, there were 226 court decisions related to mobilization, according to publicly available records. Complicating the issue is the fact that Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia invaded in February 2022; some lawyers contend that this has laid the ground for a subjective interpretation — and abuse — of conscription laws.

World News Krause • Now • 78%

Germany announces a new aid package for Ukraine that includes 250 artillery shells

english.nv.ua

250 155mm artillery shells; One LUNA NG reconnaissance system; 10 VECTOR reconnaissance drones with spare parts; 6 border protection vehicles; 8 Zetros trucks; 100,000 first aid kits; 70 70mm grenade launchers.

chapotraphouse Krause • Now • 99%

Euromaidan Press is blaming "Jewish groups" for "alleging" that a member of the Waffen-SS was involved in the Holocaust

[[A]](https://archive.is/znvQe) - https://farside.link/nitter/EuromaidanPress/status/1706356462304276701 But remember kids, no nazis in Ukraine, that's a Russian talking point!

chapotraphouse Krause • Now • 97%

AITA for wearing a 1st Galician uniform, driving a car with a sonnerad black sun decal, and a Stephen Bandera tattoo to the synagogue to pick up my friend’s son?

I noticed that many Americans no longer care about Ukraine, so I wanted to take initiative and re-energize our patriotism. A friend asked me to pick up his son from the synagogue because he was busy at work, so I figured it would be a great opportunity to show my support and dedication and figured I would get approval from people who might understand oppression like Ukrainians do. But when I arrived in my pro-Ukraine attire, everyone seemed upset. They started cursing at me and yelling. One elderly woman started hitting me with her purse and called me a disgrace. One man flashed a gun underneath his garment and threatened to shoot me if I didn’t leave. I was afraid for my life of course, but I wanted to stand my ground - otherwise how can I call myself an ally? I started to shout threats back at the crowd and the man with the gun pulled it out. At this point I knew it was a losing battle, so I initiated a strategic retreat. I tried to grab my friend’s son but he started crying. Suddenly two men restrained me while the crowd shielded the boy and refused to let him go with me. Eventually they tossed me out of the synagogue (literally!) and I walked towards my car, but my tires were slashed and windows were smashed. My black sun decal was vandalized and someone keyed “NAZI” on the side. My friend refuses to talk to me anymore. I didn’t know there was such a large pro-Putin Jewish community here. You’d think they’d understand what Ukrainians are going through given their history with genocide. But I guess propaganda and money wins. Anyway, I reported the synagogue to the FBI. I also found many of the members on Facebook and reported each of them to the FBI as well. I know it’s not much, but even small things add up, and right now Ukraine needs all the support they can get. >[copypasta source](https://old.reddit.com/r/TrueAnon/comments/16r92c5/aita_for_wearing_a_1st_galician_uniform_driving_a/)

World News Krause • Now • 75%

Poland stops sending weapons to Ukraine says PM

www.thefirstnews.com

>Poland is no longer sending weapons to Ukraine, the Polish prime minister said on Wednesday. >The announcement came as Polish-Ukrainian relations come under strain owing to the extension of a ban by Warsaw on Ukrainian grain over concerns large quantities of it will hurt Polish farmers. >The spat, which has even resulted in the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw receiving an official summons to the Polish Foreign Ministry for a formal ticking off, has added grist to the generally warm relations between the two countries. >Speaking on private TV channel Polsat News, Mateusz Morawiecki said Poland was helping in the victory over the "Russian barbarian" but could not agree to any destablisation of the Polish market by Ukrainian grain imports. >"Of course we will maintain the transit of Ukrainian goods," he said. "Poland does not bear any costs due to that. On the contrary, it could be said that we earn from it." >Morawiecki also said Poland would certainly not risk Ukraine's security. >"Our (military supply - PAP) hub in Rzeszow, in agreement with the Americans and Nato, is fulfilling the same role the whole time as it has fulfilled and will fulfil," he said. >He said he regretted that Ukrainian oligarchs had "pushed their grain onto the Polish market" with no regard to the effects that had on Polish farmers, which he said had depressed prices and led the government to introduce price guarantees and ultimately ban Ukrainian grain imports. >Instead of sending weapons to Ukraine, Morawiecki said Poland was now "defending ourselves, with the most modern weapons." >"If you want to defend yourself, you have to have something to defend with," Morawiecki said. "We adhere to that principle, that is why we have placed increased orders." Confirmed by the Prime Minister's account on Twitter too:  [[A]](https://archive.is/2023.09.20-214532/https://nitter.poast.org/PremierRP/status/1704550888256196823) - https://farside.link/nitter/PremierRP/status/1704550888256196823

World News Krause • Now • 54%

New York Times Acknowledges Ukrainian Origin Of Deadly Strike

::: spoiler Article text The _New York Times_ is finally acknowledging that the September 6 deadly impact of a missile in the center of Kostiantynivka was caused by a Ukrainian missile: [Evidence Suggests Ukrainian Missile Caused Market Tragedy](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/world/europe/ukraine-missile-kostiantynivka-market.html) One wonders what took them so long. > The Sept. 6 missile strike on Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine was one of the deadliest in the country in months, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring more than 30 others. The weapon’s payload of metal fragments struck a market, piercing windows and walls and wounding some victims beyond recognition. > > Less than two hours later, President Volodymyr Zelensky [blamed](https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/7681) Russian “terrorists” for the attack, and many [media outlets](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/world/europe/russian-missile-ukraine-market.html) [followed](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-blinken-counteroffensive-6c1545768d77d927a5cda148fc197e3c) suit. The _New York Times_ was of course [one of those media outlets](https://twitter.com/alexjordanATL/status/1703958872199950793) that had [spread Zelenski's lies](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/world/europe/russian-missile-ukraine-market.html): > The attack clouded Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s unannounced visit to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, the same day, one of the highest-level visits by a U.S. official to there since President Biden visited in February. Mr. Blinken met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, announced more than $1 billion in new U.S. aid for Ukraine and praised its people’s valor and resilience in the face of what he called Russia’s “horrific” aggression. Just hours after the impact several bloggers has already found that the missile had come from the Ukrainian side. The next day the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) published [a report](https://notes.citeam.org/dispatch-sept-6-7?cda=) about it: > On Sept. 6, a missile strike [rocked](https://t.me/meduzalive/91086) **Kostiantynivka**, a town in the **Donetsk** region under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The missile hit a bustling city market at 2:04 p.m. local time, leaving 16 dead and 33 injured. [Photos](https://t.me/svoboda_radio/20806) and [videos](https://t.me/astrapress/37125) of the aftermath of the strike have been [circulated](https://t.me/xykonst/26927) by various media outlets worldwide. The videos showed evidence that the missile had come from the Ukrainian side. Ironically the main one had been published by Zelenski's office: > CCTV footage [published](https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/7681) on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s official Telegram channel captured not only the moment of impact, but also the preceding few seconds when bystanders turn their heads, alerted by the sound of the incoming missile. Additionally, the missile’s [reflection](https://t.me/cit_backup/1660) can be seen on the roofs of two parked cars in different frames of the video. Based on the geolocation of the video, and these reflections, we can say with a high degree of confidence that the missile [flew](https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1699450596149878983) in from the north-west. > ... > The nearest Russian positions are located approximately 18–19 km east and southeast of Kostiantynivka, as to the northwest, the missile could only have been launched from Russian territory in the vicinity of Grayvoron in the Belgorod region at a distance of about 250 km. Since we consider such a scenario to be unlikely, it is reasonable to assume that it was an accidental Ukrainian missile strike. > > This version is also indirectly supported by a [report](https://t.me/treugolniklpr/9038) about missile launches from aircraft south of Druzhkivka posted at 2:01 p.m. by a pro-Russian Telegram channel, where locals loyal to Russia report on Ukrainian Air Force activity. Druzhkivka is [located](https://t.me/milinfolive/106084) just northwest of Kostiantynivka. The strike was assessed to have been by a U.S. AGM-88 anti radar missile: > Pro-Russian Telegram channels [assume](https://t.me/milinfolive/106092) that it was an AGM-88 HARM missile. The AFU regularly uses such missiles in the Donetsk region—for example, yesterday we [reported](https://notes.citeam.org/dispatch-sept-5-6) a hit by such a missile on a residential building in Donetsk. There were also other incidents near Horlivka; fragments of a HARM missile [were found](https://t.me/csources/251623) on Sept. 1 near Holmivskyi, 30 kilometers southeast of Kostiantynivka. > ... > Currently, there are no photos of the missile debris, making it impossible to identify it. In the reflections seen in the video, no details of its construction can be discerned. Despite the existence of missiles capable of making turns in the air (e.g., the 9K720 Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile), in this case, there are far more direct and indirect pieces of evidence in favor of an accidental strike by an AGM-88 HARM missile. The _New York Times_ report [disagrees](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/world/europe/ukraine-missile-kostiantynivka-market.html) with this missile assessment: > But evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system. > ... > Further evidence reveals that minutes before the strike, the Ukrainian military launched two surface-to-air missiles toward the Russian front line from the town of Druzhkivka, 10 miles northwest of Kostiantynivka. > > Reporters with The Times were in Druzhkivka when they heard an outgoing missile launch at 2 p.m., followed a few minutes later by a second. By chance, one member of the team recorded the first launch in a voice message. > ... > In the aftermath of the attack, Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces used a missile fired by an S-300 air defense system, which Russia has used both to intercept aircraft and strike targets on the ground. But an S-300 missile carries a different warhead from the one that exploded in Kostiantynivka. > > The metal facades of buildings closest to the explosion were perforated with hundreds of square or rectangular holes, probably made by cube-like objects blown outward from the missile. > > Measurements of the holes — and fragments found at the scene — are consistent in size and shape with one weapon in particular: the 9M38 missile, which is fired by the mobile Buk antiaircraft vehicle. Ukraine is known to use the Buk system, as is Russia. > > Some of the holes are less than 10 millimeters in width, while others are slightly larger. The 9M38 contains two different sizes of solid-metal cubic fragments: eight millimeters and 13 millimeters across. That impact damage evidence is less convincing than the Times makes it sound. It could have equally have come from a [AGM-88 HARM missile](https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/smart/agm-88.htm): > The warhead section is designed to inflict sufficient damage on the target antenna and waveguide system to force an inoperative condition. It also ensures complete destruction of the HARM Missile guidance section. The AGM-88A, and AGM-88B warhead section contains 25,000 pre-formed steel fragments, an explosive charge, a fuze, and a fuze booster. The AGM-88C utilizes an improved warhead section containing 12,845 tungsten fragments and an improved explosive charge which provides greater overall lethality. The fragmentation damage could have been caused by both types of weapons. The sound of the missile launch heard by the Times reporter could also have come from either type. But whatever type of missile it was we can be sure that it was launched by the Ukrainian side. One question is not answered by The _New York Times_ report. Why did it take twelve days to publish its report when it took only hours after the impact to find convincing evidence of a Ukrainian missile impact? And why was this published the very day President Zelenski arrives in New York and shortly before he will meet President Biden in the White House? Are the knives out to cut the liar to size? :::

World News Krause • Now • 70%

Evidence Suggests Ukrainian Missile Caused Market Tragedy

>The Sept. 6 missile strike on Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine was one of the deadliest in the country in months, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring more than 30 others. The weapon’s payload of metal fragments struck a market, piercing windows and walls and wounding some victims beyond recognition. >Less than two hours later, President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russian “terrorists” for the attack, and many media outlets followed suit. >But evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system. >Ukrainian authorities initially tried to prevent journalists with The Times from accessing the missile debris and impact area in the strike’s immediate aftermath. But the reporters were eventually able to get to the scene, interview witnesses and collect remnants of the weapon used.

copypasta Krause • Now • 96%

Can we keep Russian memes out of politics please?

>Can we keep Russian memes out of politics please? it’s such a load of bullshit, it contributes nothing to the discussion and memes have been pushing propaganda since the first trump election. I really wish we (lemm.ee, but really everyone) would defederate from hexbear, it’s such a cesspool https://hexbear.net/comment/3727415

chapotraphouse Krause • Now • 95%

Bad prediction!