Day 834
Whale songs and trout-flavored buns
We listened to the entire press press conference.
Vova hinted that Russia could give high-tech weapons to non-state actors, that is, use terrorist groups to inflict significant damage on the United States - for example, if a Russian-supplied missile (and, most likely, crews trained in Russia) blow up a aircraft carrier in the middle of nowhere. Sam came to mind1.
What a jerk.
Yesterday evening, I bumped into the the publishers of The Black Sea Whale on Desyatynna St. after lugging a new empty olive suitcase up the hill from the city's central department store TSUM, where they sell trout-flavored bread (UAH 60 for one bun) on the 5th floor.
Here is a picture of the suitcase.
My neighborhood was dark when I got home. The soothing sound of diesel generators in the parking lot lulled me to sleep. Ukraine’s energy monopoly DTEK sent the rolling blackout schedule below.
Which brings me to an article appearing in The Financial Times the other day, titled Russia has taken out over half of Ukraine power generation. Country’s electricity capacity has dropped below 20GW, with Russian attacks causing worst blackouts since start of war.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry says the article is a hit piece containing disinformation and has all the hallmarks of a psychological operation that promotes enemy narratives.
The article uses references to anonymous sources in the Ukrainian government. This calls into question the reliability of the information provided, as it is not confirmed by official sources. The audience should understand that references to anonymous sources without specific confirmation are not reliable information, and the conclusions may be manipulative. For example, an unnamed representative of the Ukrainian authorities in the article state: “We must prepare for life in the cold and dark.” This statement is aimed at spreading fear and panic among the population.
The article contains false information that is presented as fact. In particular, it is stated that on May 31, a decision was made to double electricity tariffs for the population. This is an outright lie and manipulation.
Yikes!
In other news, Z and Uncle Joe are attending Emmanuel’s beano marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The French are considering sending a military contingent to Ukraine. Wonderful.
U.S. escalation in Ukraine needs a plan. Ukraine using American weapons to strike inside Russia won’t end the war (The Washington Post, June 3, 2024)