Everywhere traitors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the head of the country’s security service and its prosecutor general on Sunday, citing hundreds of criminal proceedings into treason and collaboration by people within their departments.

“In particular, more than 60 employees of the prosecutor’s office and the [Security Service of Ukraine] have remained in the occupied territory and work against our state,” Zelenskyy said.

“Such an array of crimes against the foundations of the state’s national security, and the links recorded between Ukrainian security forces and Russian special services raise very serious questions about their respective leaders,” he said.

He also dismissed Ivan Bakanov, the head of Ukraine’s security service, the SBU. Bakanov was a long-time friend of Zelenskyy’s, according to Ukrainian news agencies.

More here.

This was all avoidable.

Daily Mail- Conscripts are being given call-up papers on the beaches of Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky’s army suffers heavy losses

Like many of his male friends, Serhiy no longer leaves his home in western Ukraine for fear of being sent to the front line to replace soldiers killed or injured in the fight against Russia.

The construction worker spends his days hiding from military officials serving call-up papers at bars, beaches, checkpoints, malls and even church services.

As casualties mount on both sides, there was anger last week after Ukraine’s military revealed plans to bring in permits prohibiting men eligible for conscription from leaving the region where they are registered under martial law.

This restriction of movement for men aged 18 to 60 was criticised by President Volodymyr Zelensky and revoked, but it highlights the struggle for a nation suffering more than 20,000 casualties a month – officials admit up to 200 troops are killed and 800 wounded daily.

But the dumbest group of world leaders we’ve ever seen decided to play stupid games instead of honoring commitments.

Biden and NATO will fight Putin to the very last Ukrainian.

I spoke today with a long-time Ukrainian soldier & contact who's been in Donbas since 2014; he's now in a leadership role. He was wounded by 82mm mortar days ago & hospitalized. 2 pieces of shrapnel remain stuck in him. He confirmed Ukrainian forces are suffering huge casualties.

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 4, 2022

Read the rest of the thread.

The giggling “Ukrainian farmer towing Russian tank” tweets from Canadian journos have evaporated.

And just like that, healthcare and education are no longer a priority.

Nation.Cymru – ‘Not right’: UK Government dips into Welsh and Scottish budgets for £1bn Ukraine military aid

“What is not right is using money that should be for investment in devolved areas, like health and education, to fund a non-devolved spending area – military aid and defence.

Good thing everyone got their covid shots and no longer need the NHS. Also…

Mirror- UK’s ‘mad’ plan to cut 9,500 soldiers will ‘break’ rest of the Army, says former chief

General Lord Richard Dannatt feared cutting troop numbers from 82,000 to just 72,500 will pile unsustainable pressure on what is left of the force.

“It’s a mere fact of life, we will break the remainder of our Army if our Army is not large enough, trained well enough and equipped well enough to do what the Government of the day wants us to do,” the retired officer, who was head of the Army during operations in Afghanistan, told Sky News.

“You can’t make people work endlessly with such small numbers, so numbers in terms of our land forces really, really matter.”

When you watch Ukrainian officials lovingly interviewed by CNN or BBC, they often have photos of national hero Stepan Bandera on their wall.

He's a Nazi collaborator who mass-murdered Jews and Poles.

Watch German journalist @TiloJung interview Ukraine's Amb to Germany on this👇 pic.twitter.com/5AyLljs3qO

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 2, 2022

Is back on the menu.

Bloomberg- US Quietly Urges Russia Fertilizer Deals to Unlock Grain Trade

The US government is quietly encouraging agricultural and shipping companies to buy and carry more Russian fertilizer, according to people familiar with the efforts, as sanctions fears have led to a sharp drop in supplies, fueling spiraling global food costs.

The term “bigots” comes to mind.

Financial Post- Canada’s unofficial boycott of all things Russia catches up to Russian-speaking businesses

Elisaveta Ioussoupova didn’t expect any issues when she sent her assistant to the bank to deposit some cheques. It was routine at Ioussoupova’s Winnipeg-based private law practice, where she focuses on wills, immigration and business transactions. To Ioussoupova’s surprise, the bank refused the cheques, and instead asked for documents it had never requested before.

“I said, ‘Listen, I’ve been with this bank for so long and I have millions of dollars going through this branch,’” Ioussoupova recalled. (She often uses the branch as a third-party trust for large transactions, such as real-estate.) “We come here every day.”

Once again we see Canadian banks abusing their power and their customers.