Mike Pence "doesn't recall" if he was told about plans to overturn 2020 election results

TOO SENILE TO BE POTUS
Kelly McClure
Sun, August 13, 2023 

Mike Pence Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images


During a segment of "Meet the Press" on Sunday, host Chuck Todd inquired as to why Mike Pence "asked the Senate parliamentarian whether there were any other electors to consider during the process of Congress certifying the 2020 election," and he appeared to have a lapse in memory pertaining to the events leading up to Jan. 6.

"I did ask the parliamentarian very directly, Chuck. I asked her because I was hearing rumors. I was reading in the newspaper that there were alternate electors. I just — I asked her point-blank," Pence said in a quote obtained from The Hill. When asked if anyone in Trump's White House was informing him of this, he went on to say, "I asked her if there were any other electors from any state, and she said there was not — I don't recall that, I just remember hearing it in the public. And I wanted a definitive answer whether or not the parliamentarian had received any additional electoral votes. She had not. So as you know, I — we actually changed the language as those Electoral College votes were recorded."

Revealing that his conversation with the Senate parliamentarian took place on Jan. 3, he furthered, "I have no right to overturn the election. The constitution is quite clear. As vice president, my job was to preside over a joint session of Congress, where the Constitution says the Electoral College votes shall be opened and shall be counted, and I know by God's grace I did my duty that day."

A Democratic lawmaker with over $200,000 in student debt says millions of borrowers will soon have to 'postpone their lives' with payments about to resume

Ayelet Sheffey
Sat, August 12, 2023

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., attends the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing titled "Overdue Oversight of the Capital City: Part II," in Rayburn Building on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Democratic Rep. Summer Lee has over $200,000 in student debt from college and law school.


She told Insider that surging interest has prevented her from making a dent on her balance.


She said that millions of borrowers will soon have to adjust their lives to afford another monthly bill.


Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Summer Lee has over $200,000 in student debt.

That's a result of her education from both Pennsylvania State University and Howard University School of Law, which she graduated from in 2009 and 2015, respectively. Lee told Insider in an interview that as a first-generation college student, taking on student loans was her only option to obtain an education and progress in her career — so that's exactly what she did.

"When I went to college as a 17-year-old, I had a single mom who had been recently laid off who had no true ability to contribute to my college education, but it was really important that I went and got one," Lee said.

"I either took this loan debt or I didn't get this education, I missed this educational opportunity," she continued. "So as a 17-year-old, that seemed like a no-brainer. It seemed like something that will work itself out once you entered your career field, but that is not necessarily the case."

But despite making consistent payments on her balance since she became a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature in 2018, Lee said that her balance "never decreases" due to the surging interest on the loans that makes it difficult for many borrowers to pay down the principal balance.

And while she, and millions of other federal borrowers, have had a reprieve from making payments for the past three years due the payment pause former President Donald Trump first implemented in March 2020, that pause is ending in September — and Lee said her monthly payment is expected to be higher than her mortgage.

She said she knows she is far from alone in that. "The reality is that we're on-ramping millions of borrowers right back into a debt servitude," she said.

"People who may have bought homes will now have to delay that, people who would have started families who will now have to think again," she continued. "From doctors, to lawyers, to teachers, to social workers, people who are not going to pursue the passions that they have, or who are not going to fill positions that we need, because they're going to be deterred by seeing how hard it is for college graduates to survive and to contribute in our communities."

At the end of June, the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's broad plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. While the Education Department soon after announced a new plan to enact relief using a different law, it would not be ready in time for the payment resumption. To give borrowers some additional relief, the department announced a 12-month "on-ramp" period once payments resume in October during which missed payments would not be reported to credit agencies. Still, interest will still accrue during that time, and borrowers will have to determine how they will handle another monthly bill.

"There is no end in sight," Lee said. "They're going to have to adjust their lives, postpone their lives, to figure out a burden that they should not have had to have had in the first place."

'We need a Plan C through Z'

The Plan A for Biden's student debt relief was the HEROES Act of 2003, which gives the education secretary the ability to waive or modify student-loan balances in connection with a national emergency like COVID-19. The Supreme Court ruled that Biden was overstepping his authority using that law to give relief to borrowers as a result of the pandemic, so after the high court's decision, Biden announced his Plan B: using the Higher Education Act of 1965, which does not require reliance on a national emergency.

Still, Lee said that more safeguards need to be in place given the constant legal challenges to student-debt relief: "Obviously we're holding out hope that there's going to be some relief, but I think that we need to start preparing. We need a Plan C through Z."

Over the past few weeks, a number of Biden's targeted debt relief policies for borrowers on income-driven repayment plans and those who said they were defrauded by the schools they attended have been blocked due to conservative legal challenges. While an Education Department spokesperson said it's "not going to back down or give an inch when it comes to defending working families," some borrowers have previously told Insider the uncertainty is leaving them in financial limbo.

While Republican lawmakers have been critical of relief and have introduced legislation to block it from being carried out, Lee said she will continue to push for debt cancellation to reach borrowers about to reenter repayment.

"When we consider who our government has bailed out in the past, industries that have taken advantage of consumers and have taken advantage of our communities who have received bailouts, and we would look back and tell students, and we would tell generations of our nation that they're not worth protecting, that they're not worth helping, I think is a wrong message to send," Lee said.

MILITARISTIC IMPERIALISM 

US, Japan to jointly develop hypersonic missile intercept systems

The New Voice of Ukraine
Mon, August 14, 2023 

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken listens to a speech by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi

Japan and the United States will jointly develop new missile systems to intercept hypersonic projectiles currently being developed by China, Russia, and North Korea, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri reported on Aug. 13.

The agreement is set to be announced at the trilateral summit between the leaders of Japan, the U.S., and South Korea on Aug. 18.

The cooperation is aimed at strengthening the capabilities of both countries to counter potential threats and will represent the second joint missile development between Japan and the United States, following the completion of the Standard Missile-3 Block 2A in 2017, Yomiuri reported.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden are expected to hold separate talks before the summit, which could affect the details of the deal’s announcement.


Hypersonic missiles are capable of reaching speeds five times higher than the speed of sound (Mach 5), and follow irregular trajectories at low altitudes, making it difficult to detect and track with existing radars.

To successfully intercept hypersonic missiles, it is important to have the ability to detect and track missiles at an early stage, Yomiuri stated. This is confirmed by practical experience in Ukraine, where Russian hypersonic missiles have been successfully intercepted by the Patriot missile system.

The US currently employs a “satellite cluster,” which includes many small satellites operating in a swarm, to intercept missiles. Japan is also exploring cooperation opportunities with the U.S. satellite network.

In addition, Japan seeks to have a “counterattack capability,” which would allow it to attack missile bases in other countries for self-defense. This includes the development of new missiles for interception and subsequent counterattacks. This system has received approval from Ukrainian defense experts.

The British navy is teaming up with the US to build a new 'Dreadnought' for a totally different battle at sea

Benjamin Brimelow
Sun, August 13, 2023 


The Royal Navy battleship HMS Dreadnought in 1907.

Symonds and Co Collection/Imperial War Museums

The British Royal Navy is building a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines.


The British subs will have the same missile compartment as the US Navy's new missile subs.


The name of the new subs recalls the first Dreadnought, a battleship that redefined naval warfare.

In 1906 the British Royal Navy commissioned HMS Dreadnought, a battleship that changed how surface warships were designed and sparked a naval arms race.

Armed with five turrets bearing twin 12-inch guns and featuring new technologies like steam turbines and electronic fire-control equipment, HMS Dreadnought became the standard on which future battleships were based and separated the "pre-dreadnought" and "dreadnought" eras.

Long after the battleship's reign came to an end, the name Dreadnought is still a defining one. The Royal Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine, in service from 1963 to 1980, was also called HMS Dreadnought.

Now, more than 100 years after the first Dreadnought

, another is in the works. This one, the first of a new class of nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, will again usher in a new era of warship for Britain.

At-sea deterrent

The Royal Navy submarine HMS Dreadnought in April 1963.SSPL/Getty Images

Britain's new class of nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, designated as SSBNs, will fill a looming gap in the country's nuclear deterrent.

Whereas other nuclear-armed countries employ a triad of delivery systems — ground-launched, air-launched, and sea-launched — to ensure their nuclear capability will survive an attack and thus guarantee a credible nuclear deterrent, Britain has relied solely on submarine-launched ballistic missiles since 1998, when it retired its air-dropped nuclear gravity bombs.

The Royal Navy has had at least one SSBN on patrol as part of Operation Relentless, Britain's continuous at sea deterrent, since 1969, making it the country's longest ongoing military operation. The current British SSBN force is made up of four Vanguard-class subs, which were built between 1986 and 1998.

The strain of decades of near-constant deployments has taken a toll on the Vanguards. Originally meant to serve for 25 years, the subs have had their service lives extended three times. Their overall lifespan is now expected to be 37 to 38 years.

Vanguard-class submarine HMS Victorious near Faslane in April 2013.UK Ministry of Defense

In 2007, the British Parliament approved a plan for four new SSBNs to replace the Vanguards. After years of design work, construction on the first boat, HMS Dreadnought, began in 2016.

To ensure successful and efficient construction and delivery of the new class, the Ministry of Defense created the Submarine Delivery Agency in 2017 to serve as an executive agency responsible for procurement, in-service support, and decommissioning of all Royal Navy nuclear submarines.

A year later, the two companies contracted to build the Dreadnought, BAE Systems and Rolls Royce, formed the "Dreadnought Alliance," a commercial arrangement that ensures constant communication and collaboration between the companies, including on things like a common cost model, mutually agreed scheduling and breakdown of work, and reporting procedures.

The Dreadnought class

A rendering from 2016 of the ballistic-missile sub meant to replace the Vanguard class.

British Royal Navy

At about 500 feet long and with a displacement of 17,200 tons, the Dreadnoughts will be the largest submarines ever built by the UK. Each boat will have a lifespan of at least 30 years.

Each Dreadnought will be powered by the PWR3, a new nuclear reactor built by Rolls-Royce. They will also have X-form rudders and a new turbo-electric drive that powers an electric motor that drives an improved pump-jet propulsor, likely making them quieter than their Vanguard-class predecessors.

Along with the quieting features of their propulsion systems, the Dreadnoughts will have an angular design meant to deflect active sonar waves, making them stealthier. Concept imagery indicates that the Dreadnoughts will also be coated with anechoic tiles, which are designed to absorb incoming active sonar waves and reduce noise from the sub that could be picked up by passive sonar.

The Royal Navy also plans to equip its Dreadnought subs with optronic masts — a high-tech replacement for the traditional periscope that is already in use on its Astute-class submarines.

A Trident II D-5 missile is launched from a US Navy Ohio-class sub during a test.Getty Images

The Dreadnoughts will have four 21-inch torpedo tubes and carry Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. Their main armament, however, will be 12 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles — four fewer than on the Vanguard-class subs — carrying Mk4/A "Holbrook" nuclear warheads.

The missiles will be stored and launched from the Common Missile Compartment. The CMC is a joint US-UK defense project begun in 2008 to create a common launch system for all future American and British SSBNs. Each CMC contains four missile silos. Dreadnoughts will be equipped with three CMCs, while the US Navy's Columbia-class boats will have four.

Apart from the CMC project, the UK is also involved in the US Navy's Trident II D5 service-life extension program, which aims to stretch the missile's service life as far as the early 2060s. The British government previously indicated that its Tridents will need to be replaced in the 2040s.

The future fleet

Royal Navy attack sub HMS Astute after its launch at a shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in June 2007.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Four Dreadnought-class subs will be built: Dreadnought, Valiant, Warspite, and King George VI. Construction of Valiant started in 2019 and work on Warspite began in February.

In May 2022, the Ministry of Defense announced that Dreadnought had entered Delivery Phase 3, during which the sub will eventually leave the BAE shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness for sea trials, yielding lessons that will be applied to construction of other Dreadnought-class subs. The Royal Navy plans to commission HMS Dreadnought sometime in the early 2030s.

In addition to being the largest British subs ever, the Dreadnought class will be one of the most expensive defense projects in British history.

Building the four subs is expected to cost a little over $39.5 billion, a total that includes inflation over the 35-year life of the program. The British government has also set up a contingency fund of about $12.75 billion, money that can be "re-profiled" to keep the program on track. The MoD has already accessed about 20% of the fund.

While British lawmakers have expressed concern that the Ministry of Defense would view the contingency fund as "a blank cheque, freeing it from the need to control costs," the ministry said in its 2022 update to Parliament, published in March, that the program was still on schedule and within its cost estimate.

DESANTISLAND 

Florida GOP Chair Encourages 'Perverted' Don’t Say Gay Opponents to Leave State

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

Donald Padgett

ADVOCATE
Sun, August 13, 2023

Christian Ziegler


As the leader of the Republican Party in Florida welcomed an exodus of “perverted” supporters of sexual education in K-12 schools, a new study showed three out of five parents surveyed in the state have considered leaving since the passage of the “don’t say gay” Parental Rights in Education Act.

The study, entitled “Perspectives of Florida Parents on HB1557, the Parental Rights in Education Act” and authored by Abbie E. Goldberg, was published by the Williams Institute, an LGBTQ+ research center at the University of California Los Angeles Law School. The study found 40 percent of those interviewed considered leaving the state following the passage of the bill, including 53 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of independents. Democrats currently account for 33.3 percent of registered voters in the state versus 37.1 percent for Republicans. Independents account for six percent of registered voters with smaller party affiliations accounting for the remainder of the registered voters in 2023.

Overall, the majority of those interviewed supported the language of the bill. The chairman of the Florida Republican Party Christian Ziegler used the survey to slander those who don’t support the “don’t say gay” law and considered leaving the state.

“Over 60 percent of voters support the actual language in the law, including 55 percent of Democrats,” Ziegler told the Washington Examiner. “With that said, if a Democrat voter is passionate and perverted enough to support the sexualization of kids during school in grades as early as kindergarten, then I would agree that Florida is probably not the best fit for them.”

The survey found that an overwhelming 89 percent of Republicans supported the law, compared to 47 percent of Independents and only 29 percent of Democrats.

“Those who disagreed with the Act emphasized their belief that children needed to learn about gender and sexuality and all types of people,” the survey found. “They also voiced concern about a push towards fascism within their state and government overreach.”

The study was authored by Abbie E. Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Psychology and director of Women’s & Gender Studies at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

“It is important to understand the diverse viewpoints Florida parents have around the state’s Don’t Say Gay law,” Goldberg said in a statement. “These parents live in the same neighborhoods and send their children to the same schools. They have the power to work across differences to build strong communities that support the well-being of all children.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial HB1557 into law on March 28, 2022, and the law took effect on July 1 last year. The law and more recent extensions prohibits the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida public schools through graduation in grade 12.

The study was limited to adults recruited for the study who were currently living in Florida with at least one child under the age of 18 at the time of the survey which took place March 22-24, 2023. The survey used the responses from 105 individuals and had more cis women than cis men (61 to 44 respectively) and more Democrats than Republicans (45 to 26). Eight parents surveyed said they had at least one LGBTQ+ child including two with trans or nonbinary children.

Congressmen call on Biden to stop Greg Abbott from transporting migrants to Democratic-led cities after a 3-year-old child died on a bus headed from Texas to Chicago

John L. Dorman
Sat, August 12, 2023 


Migrants are led from one bus to another bus after arriving from Texas at Union Station in Chicago, Illinois

.Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Reps. Castro and García are calling on President Joe Biden to block Gov. Abbott's busing of migrants.


The lawmakers made the plea after a 3-year-old died on a bus headed to Chicago on Thursday.


Abbott has been battling with the Biden administration over immigration issues for over two years.

Two Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to block Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott from transporting migrants from the US-Mexico border region to cities across the country after a three-year-old child died while en route to Chicago on Thursday.

Reps. Joaquin Castro of Texas and Jesús "Chuy" García of Illinois in a statement on Friday sharply criticized Abbott over his border control efforts, dubbed "Operation Lone Star," which has seen his administration bus more than 30,000 migrants to Democratic-led cities like Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC.


The death of the young child added to their urgency.

"Migrant parents make the journey to our country seeking safety and stability for their children. We are saddened and horrified, but not surprised, by the death of a three-year-old child on a state-sponsored bus from Texas to Chicago," the lawmakers said. "For months, Operation Lone Star has trafficked asylum-seekers across the country in squalid conditions. Governor Abbott's barbaric practices are killing people, and the Biden administration has an obligation to stop them."

The child was being transported from Brownsville, Texas, to Chicago, according to officials.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management confirmed the death of the child and stated that the passengers on the bus had not only been screened by US Customs and Border Protection, but also had their temperatures checked and were questioned about whether they required any medical attention before embarking on the long journey.

"Following this check, prior to boarding, no passenger presented with a fever or medical concerns," the department said in a statement. "Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 911 for emergency attention."

"Every loss of life is a tragedy," the department also said in its statement.

Castro, the San Antonio-area lawmaker who was briefed on the matter, told The New York Times that the parents of the young child were also on the bus and noticed that their child had developed an illness, which produced a fever and diarrhea.

The child then lost consciousness, according to Castro.

After being treated by paramedics, the child later died in Marion County, Illinois, in the southern region of the state, according to The Associated Press.

The Illinois Department of Public Health in a Thursday statement said that it was "working with local health officials, state police, and federal authorities to the fullest extent possible to get answers in this tragic situation."

Insider reached out to the Texas Division of Emergency Management for any updates. Insider also reached out to Abbott's office and the White House for comment.

Abbott has repeatedly clashed with President Joe Biden over border security, accusing the administration of failing to secure the US-Mexico border as apprehensions began to soar early in the president's first term.

While border apprehensions have declined in recent months, the issue has remained a major public policy flash point as Republicans hope to use the issue against Biden in next year's presidential election. The president has been sharply critical of Abbott's busing of migrants, calling the action "un-American" and "reckless."

The mayors of the affected cities, notably New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have also been highly critical of Abbott, with Adams specifically stating that cities run by Black mayors have been targeted as part of the governor's immigration-related actions.

Putin cracks down on pro-war opposition as all-out war falters

Oleg Sukhov
Sun, August 13, 2023 



After Russian dictator Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he swiftly eliminated the liberal anti-war opposition.

But Putin now faces a threat from the other side – pro-war hawks who criticize Russia's political and military leadership for mishandling the war effort.

As Russia's war against Ukraine faces one setback after another, the pro-war camp is more and more dissatisfied with Putin. And after going seemingly too far, they now face a similar fate to the liberal opposition that they despise – repression.

In late June, Putin faced a rebellion by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had harshly criticized Russia's military leadership. Prigozhin, having thousands of armed men behind him, reached a deal with the Kremlin, allowing Wagner mercenaries to relocate to Belarus.
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Prigozhin was among the best-known hardliners, with his Wanger mercenaries actively taking part in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The brief and unsuccessful mutiny has seemingly caused a rift between the Kremlin and the vocal pro-war camp.

Prigozhin's exit left convicted war criminal Igor Girkin as the most prominent opponent of Putin in the pro-war opposition. Despite opposing Prigozhin's rebellion, Girkin was arrested in July. Other pro-war imperialists critical of Putin have also faced criminal cases and arrests.

The pro-war opposition may trigger new rebellions or instability if Russian troops perform poorly on the battlefield, Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told the Kyiv Independent.

"If there are no successes or if there are defeats (on the Ukrainian front), this opposition from the 'ultra-patriots' will increase," he said.

Read also: Russia after Wagner revolt: Will Putin stay afloat or face more turmoil?
Waves of repression

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the repressions against the liberal opposition reached an all-time high.

Dozens of people have been jailed for criticizing the war against Ukraine.

In December 2022, liberal politician Ilya Yashin was sentenced to 8.5 years in jail on charges of spreading fake information about the Russian army.

In April 2023, another liberal politician, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges of high treason and libel against the Russian army – one of the longest sentences handed down to a political prisoner.

On Aug. 4, a Russian court also sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 19 years in a maximum security prison on extremism charges for creating the Anti-Corruption Foundation, a peaceful civic watchdog.

Navalny had been serving a 2.5-year prison sentence since 2021 and a separate 9-year sentence on fraud charges since 2022. According to the Russian independent publication Verstka, the latest verdict means he will be in jail until the late 2040s.

All these cases have been recognized as politically motivated by international human rights organizations and governments.

Until recently, the situation with the pro-war opposition has been different.

Before 2014, the Kremlin cracked down and purged the left-wing and right-wing hardliners. Putin was afraid of ultra-radical nationalists and the far left more than of liberals, Russian political philosopher Sergei Sazonov told the Kyiv Independent.

"They purged the 'patriotic' opposition, and that's why (those who remained) supported the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of the Donbas in 2014," he said.

After years of purges, the radical left and right mostly supported Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and their goals were aligned with those of the Kremlin.

There had been no major crackdown on the pro-war opposition during the invasion before Girkin's arrest.

But as Russia failed to achieve a quick victory over Ukraine and demonstrated numerous blunders during the invasion, the pro-war camp became more critical.

Oreshkin told the Kyiv Independent, "it's clear to Putin now that the threat comes not from pro-European opposition but from the ultra-patriotic camp."

"As soon as Putin disappoints people with meager military results, they start criticizing him," Oreshkin said in a July 26 interview with Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian publication. "The worse Putin's affairs are, the more his team is concerned with (cracking down on opponents)."

He also said that the window for allowed criticism is getting smaller by the day.

"Earlier, one was banned from using obscene words against the president," Oreshkin said. "Now, it's not enough. One is supposed to praise him and say that he's a strategic genius."

Russian political analyst Georgy Satarov said that "the regime tends to persecute anything that stands out," regardless of whether Putin's opponents are pro-war or anti-war.

He argued that Prigozhin's June 23-24 rebellion had contributed to the crackdown.

"Prigozhin's march was an important factor," he told the Kyiv Independent. "It demonstrated the regime's instability and triggered seismic changes."

Political blogger and journalist Michael Nacke also linked the crackdown on the pro-war opposition to the Wagner rebellion.

"It has become obvious to Vladimir Putin that criticism leads to mutinies," he said on his blog on July 10.

Girkin case

The main target of the July crackdown is Girkin, also known by his alias Strelkov. He played a key role in launching Russia's aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and espoused a radical militarist ideology that some characterize as fascist.

Girkin took part in the annexation of Crimea in February-March 2014 as one of Russia's proxies and later admitted that pro-Russian militants had forced members of Crimea's legislature to vote for a referendum on seceding from Ukraine.

In April 2014, a group of militants headed by Girkin seized the town of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast, effectively launching Russia's war in the Donbas. He said in a 2014 interview that he had pulled the trigger of the war, and it would not have begun without him.

After seizing the city, Girkin proclaimed himself the "defense minister" of Russia's proxies in Donetsk Oblast.

Girkin carried out extrajudicial executions in Sloviansk and later admitted to killing two Ukrainian civilians arrested by Russian militants.

In July 2014, Girkin's militants withdrew from Sloviansk and relocated to Donetsk, and he proclaimed himself the "commandant" of the latter city.

On July 17, 2014, Russian proxies in Donetsk Oblast used a Russian-supplied Buk surface-to-air missile to shoot down a civilian aircraft flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 people on board. In November 2022, The Hague District Court convicted Girkin and his subordinates in absentia for downing the plane and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Girkin later said that he had to leave Ukraine in August 2014 because the Kremlin believed he was too independent.

In 2014-2022, Girkin lambasted Putin for negotiating with Ukraine and refusing to launch a full-scale invasion.

He temporarily suspended his criticism of Putin after the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. However, he renewed his criticism as Russia's setbacks on the front piled up.

Girkin has attacked Putin for not going far enough in his efforts to defeat and destroy Ukraine. He has called for carrying out a full-scale mobilization of conscripts and the economy, introducing martial law, and setting the destruction of the Ukrainian state as Russia's official war aim.

He also lashed out at Putin for showing weakness by letting Prigozhin go unpunished after his rebellion.

In the weeks preceding his arrest, Girkin intensified his verbal attacks on Putin.

"For 23 years, a weakling who pulled the wool over the eyes of much of the population has been at the helm of the country," he wrote on Telegram on July 18.

"The country won't survive six more years with this cowardly and incompetent person. And the only useful thing he can do before the end is to transfer power to someone truly capable and responsible. It's a pity that this won't even cross his mind."

Girkin was arrested on extremism charges on July 21, and a Moscow court authorized keeping him in custody until Sept. 18.

The formal excuse for Girkin's arrest was a post he wrote on the Telegram and Vkontakte social networks on May 25, 2022. In the post, he complained about Russian proxy fighters in Donetsk Oblast allegedly getting no pay and called for "shooting" those responsible for that.

Sazonov and Satarov believe that Girkin's arrest could have been triggered by his latest criticism of Putin.

"The situation changed in 2022 – the limits of free speech were greatly restricted," Sazonov said. "(Girkin's latest verbal attack) was a straw that broke the camel's back."

Read also: Could mobilization, battlefield defeats cost Putin his regime?
'Angry Patriots'

The Kremlin has also begun to crack down on Girkin's associates from the Club of Angry Patriots – an alliance of pro-war imperialists opposed to Putin.

Pavel Gubarev, the chairman of the club, was detained on July 21 for protesting Girkin's arrest during a court hearing and was later released. The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, citing its sources, that Gubarev was being investigated by law enforcement for possible extremism.

Like Girkin, Gubarev has played a major role in Russia's war against Ukraine.

In March 2014, he proclaimed himself "the people's governor" – the leader of Russia's proxies in Donetsk Oblast. He also joined the Russian army as a volunteer fighter during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In July, the Russian authorities also opened an administrative case against another member of the Club of Angry Patriots, retired colonel Vladimir Kvachkov.

Kvachkov is a prominent nationalist and anti-Semite.

In 2005, Kvachkov was arrested on charges of organizing an assassination attempt on Putin's ally Anatoly Chubais, but he was acquitted in 2008.

In 2013, he was jailed on charges of preparing a mutiny in a way similar to Prigozhin. He was released from prison in 2019.

According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Kvachkov was planning to seize weapons at several military units, organize a march on Moscow and stage a coup d'etat.

One of the many bizarre details of the purported rebellion plan was that he was allegedly planning to use crossbows for the coup.

Another target of the crackdown is Boris Kagarlitsky, a left-wing columnist and chief editor of the Rabkor online publication. In July, Kagarlitsky was charged with "calling for terrorism on the Internet" and arrested until Sept. 24.

Kagarlitsky's stance is different both from the Club of Angry Patriots and the liberal opposition. He supported the Russian invasion of the Donbas in 2014-2022 but opposed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022-2023.

Read also: Russian hawks criticize regime’s war effort as Putin raises stakes

Prigozhin stays afloat

The only major critic of the Kremlin in the pro-war camp who has remained unpunished is Prigozhin. Despite the rebellion, he has been going back and forth between Russia and Belarus with impunity. His Wagner mercenaries even met with Putin in July.

"Apparently, Russia's leaders just scratched their heads (after the rebellion) and continued living as usual," Sazonov said.

Part of the Wagner mercenaries have relocated to a military camp in Belarus.

Meanwhile, the Russian independent outlet Agentstvo reported on Aug. 3 that Prigozhin's companies had signed state contracts worth at least 2 billion rubles ($21 million) after the Wagner rebellion.

"(Putin) can't have Prigozhin jailed immediately because he's popular among influential military leaders," Oreshkin said. "In several months, when Prigozhin becomes irrelevant, Putin will do whatever he wants to him – poison him or send him to Africa or Siberia."

Read also: Putin lacks troops in Ukraine but fears mobilization in Russia

Purge of generals

Despite failing to punish Prigozhin and Wagner mercenaries, the Kremlin has cracked down on the generals suspected of having links to Wagner.

One of them, Sergei Surovikin, disappeared from the public eye after the rebellion, and Russian media reported in June that he had been arrested due to his alleged links to Prigozhin. However, this has not been officially confirmed, and Russian lawmaker Andrei Kartapolov claimed in July that he was having a rest.

Surovikin was the commander of Russia's invasion force in Ukraine from October 2022 through January 2023 and was later demoted to deputy commander of the force.

According to Russian media reports, Surovikin enjoyed a close relationship with Prigozhin and Wagner mercenaries. However, he called on the mercenaries to stop the rebellion shortly after it began.

The Wall Street Journal also reported on July 13, citing its sources, that the Russian authorities had detained at least 13 senior officers suspected of disloyalty. Others were suspended or fired.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the detainees included generals Andrei Yudin, Vladimir Alekseyev, and Mikhail Mizintsev.

Another general, Ivan Popov, published a video address in July, saying that he had been fired from the post of commander of Russia's 58th army.

"Ukrainian troops haven't been able to defeat us on the front, but our senior commander has struck us in the rear, leaving the army without leadership at the most difficult moment in a traitorous and evil way," he said.

Popov said he had been dismissed after he complained of urgent problems, including procurement, a lack of counter-battery fire, and numerous casualties caused by Ukrainian artillery.

"If Prigozhin hadn't thought that some of the generals might join him, he wouldn't have started the rebellion," Oreshkin said. "However, the generals chickened out in the critical situation. Putin has prevailed and kept control, but now he has to purge the generals."

Read also: A coup against Putin: Wishful thinking or a real possibility?

What's next?

Although Girkin's associates have launched a public campaign in his support, it has been low-profile and has not led to any large-scale protests.

Sazonov believes that the growing dissatisfaction among the pro-war camp and the crackdown on hawks will not have much of an impact on the stability of Putin's regime.

He described Girkin's allies as a marginal group who do not have any influence and are constantly involved in scuffles and disputes with each other.

Oreshkin also said that unlike Prigozhin, Girkin and his associates do not have any military resources at their disposal and have not been involved in anything other than verbal attacks on the Kremlin.

Disloyal generals are more dangerous because they have military resources, according to Oreshkin.

"Putin has successfully sorted out this situation so far," he told the Kyiv Independent. "Generals see that Surovikin and others have disappeared and don't want to disappear too."

Oreshkin said, however, that the discontent of the pro-war camp, including both Girkin's allies and generals, may lead to some turbulence or rebellions only if Ukraine achieves victories on the front.

Sazonov agrees that the situation on the battlefield is crucial.

"Ukraine should stop hoping for some coup in Russia," he said. "Everything will be decided on the battlefield."

Read also: Is Putin going to launch a nuclear war?

Prigozhin still has value for Putin, but supports a competing centre of gravity – CNN

Ukrainska Pravda
Sun, August 13, 2023 

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin still has value to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Prigozhin himself has plans for Wagner activities in Africa, a position on which his position contrasts with that of the Kremlin.

Source: CNN referring to expert sources and its own analysis

Details: CNN recalls that just a few weeks after the failed rebellion, Prigozhin appeared on the sidelines of the recent Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, where he shook hands with a high-ranking official from the Central African Republic.

According to the media outlet, Prigozhin's freedom contrasts with the imprisonment of opposition leaders Vladimir Kara-Murza and Alexei Navalny on lesser charges than attempted coup.

Experts believe that the Wagner Group leader is still valuable to Putin, the media outlet writes.

Candace Rondeaux, director of Future Frontlines, an open-source intelligence service at the New America think tank, said that "Prigozhin's stock with the Kremlin has clearly taken a hit, but since Putin lost even more stock after the mutiny it seems he believes some utility remains in keeping Prigozhin around."

According to Rondeaux, Prigozhin's business acumen and ability to hide commercial profits through an opaque network of shell companies and offshore transactions is an asset to Putin's Russia, which has been hit by widespread Western economic sanctions.

"At this point, Prigozhin’s networks of shell companies are the best insurance Putin has to keep Russia’s war economy," she said.

"But it’s not likely to stay that way forever – eventually something has got to give. And there is a good chance once it does we’ll see more spectacular events closer to the border between Poland and Belarus," the expert added.

CNN also notes that Prigozhin has plans for the African area, where Wagner Group has already conducted a number of operations.

Speaking after the Wagner militants moved to Belarus, Prigozhin suggested that he would continue to focus on Africa.

"To ensure that there are no secrets and behind-the-scenes conversations, I am informing you that the Wagner Group continues its activities in Africa, as well as at the training centers in Belarus," Prigozhin said.

Prigozhin's forces are already involved in activities in Sudan, where Wagner supplies rebels fighting against the Sudanese army, and are also active in the Central African Republic and Libya.

It may also be active in Niger, following the recent military coup. In a recent Telegram message, Prigozhin hinted that Wagner might be ready to offer its services there.

"What happened in Niger has been brewing for years. The former colonisers are trying to keep the people of African countries in check. In order to keep them in check, the former colonisers are filling these countries with terrorists and various bandit formations. Thus creating a colossal security crisis," the Wager Group leader said.

"The population suffers. And this is the (the reason for the) love for PMC Wagner, this is the high efficiency of PMC Wagner. Because a thousand soldiers of PMC Wagner are able to establish order and destroy terrorists, preventing them from harming the peaceful population of states," Prigozhin said.

CNN notes that Prigozhin's position was at odds with that of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which called for the "speedy release" of Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum by the military.

"By defying Putin and evading punishment, Prigozhin seems to have built and sustained a competing center of gravity to the Kremlin," the newspaper writes.

In her recent analysis, Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, noted that Prigozhin has effectively destroyed the "power vertical" – Putin's long standing top-down system of rule.

"Putin’s much-hyped ‘power vertical’ has disappeared. Instead of a strong hand, there are dozens of mini-Prigozhins, and while they may be more predictable than the Wagner leader, they are no less dangerous. All of them know full well that a post-Putin Russia is already here – even as Putin remains in charge – and that it’s time to take up arms and prepare for a battle for power," CNN quoted Stanovaya as saying.

Background: The Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) is trying to save money on salaries for its mercenaries because of financial pressure, UK Defence Intelligence reports. "If the Russian state no longer pays Wagner, the second most plausible paymasters are the Belarusian authorities," the intelligence review suggests.

In six months Prigozhin will either be dead, or there will be a second coup – Bellingcat Head

Ukrainska Pravda
Fri, August 11, 2023

Investigative journalist Christo Grozev from Bellingcat predicts that in half a year, either Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Wagner Group, "will be dead," or "there will be a second coup" in Russia.

Source: Grozev in an interview with the Financial Times

Quote: "Putin... called Prigozhin a traitor.

Everyone knows what they do with ‘traitors’ and Putin hasn’t done that.

He [Putin – ed.] wants to see him [Prigozhin – ed.] dead.

He can’t do that yet.

In six months Prigozhin will either be dead or there will be a second coup."

Details: Grozev also said that he does not think that any part of the Russian elite, with the exception of the military-industrial complex, sees the sense in the Russian war against Ukraine.

In his opinion, "they’re not speaking out" because of a "prisoner's dilemma".

The investigator, answering a question, commented on the possible overthrow of Putin: "It could go one of two ways.

Either the prisoner’s dilemma can be broken, or they will just get rid of him through a better co-ordinated coup.

You don’t have that yet among the oligarchs, or with any of the ministers, or the FSB [Russia’s security service – FT].

But it is unpalatable for the rest of the elite to live in a North Korea 2.1 [because of the sanctions imposed against Russia – ed.] with their bank accounts frozen.

Other triggers could happen. Say a reversal of fortunes on the frontline."

Background:

• On the evening of 23 June, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, said that the Russian regular army had launched a missile strike on the rear mercenary camps,  and because of this, 25,000 mercenaries of Prigozhin were allegedly going to "restore justice".

• On the morning of June 24, Prigozhin claimed that he took control of the military facilities of Rostov-On-Don, including an airfield; after that Prigozhin said they were "heading for Moscow", and that his soldiers shot down three Russian helicopters. Wagner Private Military Company mercenaries also seized military facilities in the Russian city of Voronezh.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin in an emergency address said that Russia is "fighting for survival", and that there are attempts to "organise a rebellion" in the country.

• The Office of the President of the Russian Federation anticipated that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group fighters would likely reach Moscow’s outskirts in just a few hours, with fighting expected near Russia’s capital. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Vladimir Putin urgently left Moscow for his residence in Valdai. A convoy of Wagner Group forces was spotted 400 kilometres from Moscow.

• On Saturday evening, after a conversation with Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Prigozhin said that his mercenaries were turning their convoys around and going in the opposite direction to set up field camps. The criminal case against Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was to be closed and he would "go to Belarus".

A Ukrainian arms dealer accused of corruption is now one of the country's top weapons suppliers

Charles R. Davis
Sat, August 12, 2023

Ukrainian soldiers load ammunition into a 2s9 artillery vehicle in Donetsk Oblast on April 14, 2023.

Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images


Ukrainian Armored Technology has emerged as a top weapons supplier for Kyiv.


The company, whose sales have skyrocketed, is believed to be controlled by Serhiy Pashinsky.


Before the war, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy described Pashinsky as a "criminal."

A Ukrainian arms dealer widely suspected of corruption before Russia's full-scale invasion has now emerged as a top weapons supplier for the government in Kyiv.

Serhiy Pashinsky, a former member of parliament, is today head of Ukraine's arms trade association. Sales at his company, Ukrainian Armored Technology, have jumped from less than $3 million before the war to hundreds of millions of dollars today, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Ukrainian Armored Technology has since February 2022 helped secure scores of bombs and bullets across Europe for use by the country's armed forces, according to the Times. Since the war began, it has been one of Kyiv's most reliable suppliers.

That's despite the fact that Pashinsky, before the war, was a pariah, a man who was put under house arrest over a road rage incident and described by Zelenskyy himself as a "criminal" amid allegations of corruption.

But, according to the Times, Pashinsky's ties to arms dealers made officials overlook those earlier accusations. Bulgaria, for example, would not sell Ukraine the Soviet-era ammunition it needs, the Times reported, fearing it would invite retaliation from Russia. Pashinsky was able to negotiate a deal whereby the ammunition was sold to a middleman in Poland who in turn passed it on to Ukraine, for a cost.

Ukrainian Armored Technology experienced a windfall. In 2021, according to the Times, it reported just $2.8 million in sales. In 2022, that figure rose to more than $350 million.

The company's use of middlemen may have been essential in the early days of the war. But Ukraine's reliance on them is a reminder of the country's decades-long struggle with corruption, one that its leadership is once again taking steps to publicly address.

The Times noted that Pashinsky and Ukrainian Armored Technology are once again the subject of an anti-corruption investigation. And the outlet's report comes a day after Zelenskyy announced the firing of military officials tasked with recruitment, citing reports that some were accepting bribes in return for exempting men from the draft. Ukraine, Zelenskyy said earlier this year, will not "return to the way things used to be."

"Of course, now the main focus is the issue of defense, this is the issue of foreign policy, this is the issue of war," he said. "But this does not mean that I do not see and hear what is being said in society at various levels, both at the central level and in the regions."

Despite concerns about corruption in Ukraine, however, experts told Insider last year that there's no evidence that weapons meant for the front lines are being diverted to the black market in any sizable numbers.

Zelenskyy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests.

Nathan Rennolds
Updated Sun, August 13, 2023 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said via his Telegram channel on Friday that he'd dismissed the heads of Ukraine's regional-military committees as investigations into corruption in Ukraine's armed-forces recruitment continue.

Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo


In one poll, 77.6% of surveyed Ukrainians said Zelenskyy was responsible for government corruption.


The survey included 2,011 interviews with people from 135 settlements in Ukraine.


It came out as Zelenskyy dismissed all the heads of Ukraine's regional-military committees.

Nearly all surveyed Ukrainians — 89% — in a newly released survey said corruption was the country's most serious problem after the war against Russia. The poll came out as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched an investigation into bribery related to military recruitment.

A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, in cooperation with the US Agency for International Development project "Support of Leader Organizations in Combating Corruption in Ukraine," found that: "Second only to the war, corruption is perceived as the most serious problem in Ukraine by 89% of citizens.

"Despite a notable improvement in the public perception of corruption prevalence, 94% of respondents still consider corruption to be pervasive across Ukraine."

The survey was conducted in winter and included interviews with over 13,000 people, including internally and externally displaced Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, over 75% of Ukrainians in a second survey said they believed that Zelenskyy was responsible for corruption in the country's military and government administrations, Interfax-Ukraine, a Ukrainian news agency, said.

Interfax reported that in the survey — which it said the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology carried out for the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation think tank — 77.6% of surveyed Ukrainians said they believed that the president was "directly responsible" for the corruption. The report cited a statement by the think tank's executive director, Petro Burkovskyy.

"Procrastination in solving problems that undermine people's faith in victory will also hit the president himself," Burkovskyy said.

The Interfax-Ukraine report said that for the second survey, the institute carried out 2,011 interviews in July with people from 135 settlements in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy: Recruitment bribes at a time of war is 'high treason'

On Friday, Zelenskyy said he dismissed the heads of Ukraine's regional-military committees as investigations into corruption in Ukraine continued, particularly in its armed-forces recruitment.

"We are dismissing all regional military commissars," a statement on Zelenskyy's official Telegram channel said. "This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery during war is high treason."

The military officials are accused of taking cash and cryptocurrency bribes or helping people eligible to be called up to fight to flee Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a video posted on social media, BBC News reported.

Last month, Ukrainian investigators detained the former military commissioner of the Odesa region on charges of illegal enrichment, dereliction of duty, and evading military service, local reports said.

Investigators allege that he and his family bought property in Spain and luxury automobiles worth $4 million.

There are about 1,795 military commissars in Ukraine, of whom about 135 are under surveillance by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, Newsweek reported.

The commissars, Zelenskyy's Telegram message added, will be replaced by "soldiers who have been to the front or who cannot be in the trenches because they have lost their health, lost their limbs, but have retained their dignity and have no cynicism — they can be entrusted with this recruitment system."

Corruption scandals have plagued Ukraine during recent years, with then-Vice President Joe Biden saying in 2015 that it was eating the country "like a cancer."

A video shows an advanced Russian T-90 tank destroyed by a $500 hobby drone fitted with explosives, says Ukraine military

Alia Shoaib
Sun, August 13, 2023 

A screenshot from a video of a Russian T-90 tank falling off a cliff and being destroyed by Ukrainian attack drones.Ukrainian Air Assault Forces/Telegram

A video shows a Russian T-90 tank falling off a small cliff and becoming stuck.

It became a sitting duck for Ukraine's attack drones.

Ukraine has been rigging cheap drones with explosives and striking expensive Russian equipment.

A video appears to show the moment a Russian T-90 tank falls off a small cliff and is then destroyed by a Ukrainian attack drone.

The Ukrainian Air Assault Forces shared footage of the incident on Telegram, which shows the tank slipping off a leafy cliff face and appearing to become stuck halfway down.

The next shot shows the vehicle being struck by a drone, which causes it to explode.

"Another enemy tank - done," the 80th Air Assault Brigade said in the post.

Russian T-90 falls of a cliff and is targeted by Ukrainian FPV drone

by u/tomina69 in CombatFootage

The successful strike was carried out using a FPV (first-person-view) drone, the post said, which are cheap hobby drones that Ukraine is re-inventing to take out Russian equipment worth millions.

The amateur loitering munitions can be armed with with a makeshift warhead and severely damage expensive tanks and weapons systems worth millions of dollars, imposing far greater costs on the enemy, Insider previously reported.

"The whole point is cost," Samuel Bendett, a Russia defense and technology expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, told Insider. "These are extremely cost effective."

The cost of a single FPV drone tends to be around $400 to $500, or roughly the cost of a new Playstation.

A Russian T-90 tank in Moscow's Red Square during a Victory Day parade rehearsal on May 6, 2010.ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

An account called War Monitor on X, formerly known as Twitter, which tracks events in the conflict in Ukraine, said that the destruction of the T-90 took place south of Klishchiivka in Donetsk, near Bakhmut, the scene of the most fierce fighting of the 18-month war.

The 80th Air Assault Brigade, one of the Ukrainian Army's oldest and most battle-hardened formations, was deployed to Bakhmut last month, according to an exclusive report in the Jerusalem Post.

Russia has suffered huge equipment losses during its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, with visually documented losses of over 2200 tanks, per open-source tracking website Oryx.

Ukrainian Security Service show destruction of rare Russian Terminator-2 armoured combat vehicle

Ukrainska Pravda
Sat, August 12, 2023

Military counterintelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) have destroyed a "peerless" Russian Terminator-2 tank support armoured combat vehicle.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine

Details: This rare specimen of Russians burned down from several strikes by kamikaze drones.

Quote: "They tried to pull out the damaged Terminator with the help of a T-80 tank, but…

The SSU specialists hit it too!"

Reference: According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the combat vehicle has "a high level of security, firepower and handling".

Also, "thanks to powerful and universal weapons", it allegedly can "effectively destroy enemy firing points, fortifications, infantry using grenade launchers and anti-tank systems, as well as combat tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armoured targets of the enemy."

 

A video appears to show Ukraine's drones destroying a Russian 'Terminator' in the second confirmed loss of the prized armored vehicle

Alia Shoaib
Sun, August 13, 2023

A screenshot from a video showing Ukraine striking a Russian BMP-T armored vehicle, nicknamed the "Terminator."The Security Service of Ukraine/X

Ukraine says it destroyed a prized Russian "Terminator" armored vehicle with attack drones.


A video shows the weapon being struck and pulled away by a T-80 tank that is also hit.


This appears to be the second confirmed loss of the hi-tech vehicle used to support tanks.

A video appears to show Ukraine destroying a Russian BMP-T armored vehicle, nicknamed the "Terminator," in the second confirmed loss of the prized fighting vehicle.

The Security Service of Ukraine shared a video showing the vehicle maneuvering through a field before being struck from above by drones.

Troops appear to be seen running from the vehicle following the strike. Another clip shows the damaged vehicle being pulled by a T-80 tank before more strikes rain down from above.





"This rare model of enemy weaponry burned down after only a few hits from kamikaze drones," the SBU said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"They tried to pull out the downed Terminator with a T-80 tank but, it was also hit!"

It is unclear when and where the video was taken, and Insider could not independently verify it.

A BMPT Terminator armored fighting vehicle heads to Red Square for a Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II, June 24, 2020.Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images

The hi-tech "Terminator" is designed to support tanks and can simultaneously engage three targets using its four weapon systems.

The armored vehicle has a weapons arsenal that includes twin 30 mm guns, four high-speed Ataka anti-tank missiles with a nearly four-mile range, two AG-17D grenade launchers, and a coaxial 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun.

The vehicle, which is manufactured by Uralvagonzavod, the main tank producer for the Russian military, was first designed in the 1980s. The Russian army is believed to have only 10 of the vehicles.

A serviceman washes a BMPT Terminator armored fighting vehicle designed to support tanks as part of preparations for the Victory Day military parade, in Moscow, April 23, 2019.Anton Novoderezhkin\TASS via Getty Images

Despite the vehicles' impressive appearance, there are likely too few to impact the battlefield significantly, the UK defense ministry previously said.

Any successful strikes on these vehicles are likely embarrassing for Russia, as the weapons are media darlings.

Russia has suffered huge equipment losses during its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, with visually documented losses of over 11,600 vehicles and equipment, per open-source tracking website Oryx