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[Elon Musk's family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, says Musk's fatherErrol Musk says far-right activist is 'a fine young man' and held meetings with Russian business figures]

#11

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:22:36 AM

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/11/elon-musk-family-foundation-took-tommy-robinson-to-russia-says-musks-father

Elon Musk's family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, says Musk's father
Errol Musk says far-right activist is 'a fine young man' and held meetings with Russian business figures

Elon Musk's family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, according to the billionaire X owner's father, who was with the British far-right activist in Moscow as he encouraged anti-migration protests in Britain.

Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – appeared last month in Moscow, from where he issued calls for supporters to take to the streets after a knife attack in Belfast. He shared video of himself in a luxury Moscow hotel with the older Musk, whose son has been a vocal supporter of Robinson.

"I brought him out to Russia," Musk's father, Errol, told the Guardian, adding that both men had held meetings with Russian business figures. He said the trip had been covered by the Musk Foundation, a private philanthropic organisation founded by Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk.

The visit to Moscow came at a time when Vladimir Putin's regime and its proxies have appeared to be forging links with European far-right figures. At the same time, Russia was also hosting Andrew Tate, the self-styled misogynistic influencer, and his brother, who posted footage of themselves firing weapons and riding in a tank in the apparent company of the Russian military.

Police in Britain subsequently stopped and seized Robinson's phones as he returned from a trip to Russia. While Robinson had previously visited Russia several years ago, this time he appeared to be more explicit in his praise for Russia, sharing footage of Russian ultra-nationalists holding a rally in memory of the murdered British teenager Henry Nowak.

Errol Musk, who also went to St Petersburg for an annual Kremlin-backed economic forum, said that Robinson was "a fine young man".

"He's very hotheaded, but at the same time, he's learning," claimed the South African, who has travelled to Russia in the past and at one point met Putin. A Russophile who said he believed that Russia had a "genetic advantage" over the west, Errol Musk holds firmly pro-Russian positions on the conflict in Ukraine.

Topics covered in meetings alongside Robinson included Russia's attempts to address a decline in births. "Tommy really got into these meetings," he said.

Musk senior said he had become familiar with Robinson after the far-right activist was imprisoned. Robinson has a number of convictions but sought the spotlight in particular after he was sent to prison for breaching a contempt of court order.

"So I contacted Tommy, I was asked on British television once what I think of Tommy," Errol Musk added.

Last month, Robinson told the Guardian that he had come to see the "beauty of a civilised society" after visiting Russia.

Prof Stephan Lewandowsky, at the University of Bristol, who has studied the threat posed to society by misinformation, said the visit by Robinson and Tate came against the backdrop of a hybrid war that Putin was waging against the west.

"Part of that means he will recruit anyone to undermine western democracy from within, whether that is Robinson, the Tates or others involved in more conventional politics," he said. "There is a pragmatic reason for the Russians to be making links like this.

"It is to their political advantage, but there is also clearly examples of ideological alignment to the extent that we are talking about ultra-nationalist birds of a feather."

The Guardian revealed earlier this year that the head of a leading British far-right group spoke at a summit of European extreme nationalist groups convened in Russia by an influential oligarch linked to Putin.

The event in St Petersburg was addressed by Mark Collett, a longstanding far-right activist and founder of Patriotic Alternative, which attempted to exploit the summer of unrest outside asylum hotels in Britain.

#12

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:03:51 AM

It might be marginally better than Maduro's rule 

Well, instead of Maduro and his cronies who pocketed their money, they're now beholden to Trump and his cronies who pocket their money. Just a different mob boss who rolled in.

#13

Off the Record / Re: Youtube Recommendations

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:02:19 AM

On the topic of actors we grew up with and getting on in years ...

Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson chatting with Harrison Ford for an hours.

#14

Off the Record / Re: Dead Pool 2026

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:00:52 AM

 

#15

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Syt - Today at 02:00:34 AM

Frankfurter Rundschau is credible, yes.

#16

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by Richard Hakluyt - Today at 01:40:43 AM

It might be marginally better than Maduro's rule 

#17

Off the Record / Re: Dead Pool 2026

Last post by Maladict - Today at 01:22:51 AM

RIP Sam Neill 

#18

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Zoupa - Today at 12:40:12 AM

I think I've said this before, but Ukraine wins by staying in the fight. It's not going to win by maneuver warfare or a brilliant new weapon system, not against the biggest country on earth with 5 times its population.

They win by making the russian army collapse, either because the center is so corrupt and unstable that they leave Ukraine, or their logistics are so degraded that they needto leave Ukraine. That's why Kursk is important and why hitting refineries and factories 1000 km deep into russia matters.

[Within just two days in June 2026, an elite Ukrainian unit attacked more than 230 Russian artillery systems, destroying 171 of them.]

#19

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by jimmy olsen - July 12, 2026, 11:47:00 PM

Is this considered a credible source in Germany? Because these are some incredible numbers.

Tranlsated with google
https://www.fr.de/politik/geheim-operation-auchan-ukrainische-drohnen-zerstoeren-russische-artillerie-94391717.html

Secret Operation "Auchan": Ukrainian civilian unit becomes a nightmare for Russian artillery
Status:July 11, 2026, 4:00 PM
From: Tim Krüger

A special unit of the Ukrainian National Guard has neutralized Russian artillery on an unprecedented scale in just two days.

Within just two days in June 2026, an elite Ukrainian unit attacked more than 230 Russian artillery systems, destroying 171 of them. The operation, now publicly known as "Auchan," marks one of the most concentrated drone attacks on Russian weapons systems since the start of the war. The operation was made possible by specially developed munitions, the technical details of which the Ukrainian side is deliberately withholding.


The attack was carried out by Lazar's Group , a special unit of the Ukrainian National Guard founded in 2022 by Pavlo Yelizarov, a former television producer and businessman. According to the unit, more than 98 percent of its personnel are civilians, and it relies on industrialized drone operations rather than traditional military structures. Kyiv authorities have so far attributed the destruction of approximately $15 billion worth of Russian military equipment to the group.

How Lazar's Group targeted Russian artillery

For the second phase of Operation Auchan, more than 800 drones were deployed on the eastern and southern fronts. The targets were deliberately chosen: Analysts from Lazar's Group had previously evaluated large amounts of collected intelligence and coordinated the operational planning with several other units, including the 412th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade NEMESIS. The result: 231 enemy artillery systems were hit, 171 of them completely destroyed according to Ukrainian figures – which, in their own estimation, corresponds to the equivalent of ten to fourteen artillery battalions, or about three artillery brigades.

A newly developed special munition played a crucial role. The warhead was designed by engineers at Lazar's Group specifically for this purpose and aims to permanently disable howitzers by selectively destroying the gun barrel. Published drone footage shows quadcopters operating over camouflaged artillery positions before explosions occur. Independent verification of the footage by external parties has not yet been possible. When asked, the National Guard of Ukraine stated only that all publishable information had already been released.


Operation Auchan: Two phases, 1,180 targets hit
The second phase of the operation, now revealed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense , followed an initial phase in 2025. At that time, Ukrainian drone units attacked 949 Russian targets within three days, with the stated aim of forcing Moscow to withdraw heavy armored vehicles from a mechanized offensive. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that this strategy halted the Russian offensive for six months. Across both phases, according to official Ukrainian figures, a total of 1,180 targets were hit over five days.

Fedorov emphasized the military significance of counter-artillery fire: according to him, ten to twenty percent of all Ukrainian casualties on the front are attributable to Russian artillery fire. Disabling Russian artillery systems is therefore not only tactically important, but also directly life-saving for Ukrainian troops. The sheer numbers also illustrate the speed of the attack: in June alone, Ukraine's unmanned systems forces destroyed 417 howitzers and 57 other artillery systems with sixteen of their best units – Lazar's Group achieved comparable figures in just two days.

Drone warfare as a strategic core element of Ukrainian defense

This operation exemplifies a fundamental transformation of Ukrainian warfare. While Ukraine initially had to contend with the enemy's massive artillery superiority at the start of the Russian war of aggression, it has gradually compensated for this structural disadvantage through the targeted development of drone capabilities.


The Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainian drone pilots recorded attacks on over 800,000 Russian targets in the first half of 2026 – almost twice as many as in the same period of the previous year.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in June that Ukraine aims to produce ten million drones domestically by the end of 2026, compared to four million in 2025.

Targeted drone strikes were essential for success in attacks on the Russian shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov , further increasing the pressure on occupied Crimea.

Russia's large territory is increasingly becoming a problem when it comes to defending against Ukraine's drone swarms.

The Lazar's Group represents a model that is increasingly being discussed as a blueprint: civilian expertise, industrialized production, and data-driven target acquisition as the basis for military effectiveness. Whether the novel special munition used in the second phase of Operation Auchan will be produced and deployed on a larger scale in the future remains to be seen. The Ukrainian side is keeping quiet on the matter – an indication that the system continues to be classified as operationally sensitive. Meanwhile, several techniques have also been developed to circumvent Russian defenses in particularly ingenious ways .

#20

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tonitrus - July 12, 2026, 11:06:45 PM

Nowadays, there's probably always going to be a "Putin is dead..." suspicion to all of these cases.