re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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A major fire broke out at a Russian oil depot in Engels. This oil depot is actively used by Russia to refuel strategic aviation at the Engels military airfield.

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Ukrainians have struck the Dyagilevo strategic aviation base located in Russia's Ryazan region – powerful explosions were reported at the scene.

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How much running water and plumbing could a Russian school get for every Kinzhal missile shot at Ukraine to kill innocent people?

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The clash about to define German defence & security politics Meet Roderich Kiesewetter @RKiesewetter - the security hawk and parliamentary sentinel whose uncompromising principles are colliding with party unity politics.

Two visions of the CDU's & Germany's future collide. Can they be reconciled? In view of Plötner's appointment at MoD will @bundeskanzler reintegrate him into a strong CDU/CSU phalanx in order to defeat the threats from adversaries, enemies and threats, both foreign & domestic?



1/ THE SOLDIER-STATESMAN - 30 years Bundeswehr service - NATO HQ Brussels & SHAPE executive officer - Heusinger Prize winner (best German graduate) - Battalion commander, multiple deployments - Real expertise in an age of political amateurs

2 UKRAINE: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH When Putin invaded Ukraine, Kiesewetter immediately & consistently called for:

Heavy weapons deliveries (Feb 2022)
Taurus missiles for Ukraine (Mar 2023)
"Der Krieg muss nach Russland getragen werden" ["The war must be carried to Russia"]

Merz prioritised party consensus and public opinion management. Two different leadership philosophies.

3 THE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCE Kiesewetter's uncompromising stance created tensions:

- Personal discussions with Merz (summer 2024)
- Removal from intelligence oversight committee
- Different vision clashing with party management Media prominence vs internal discipline. His approach: expertise over consensus. Merz's: unity over individual positions.

4 DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLE VS PARTY STRATEGY Jan 2025: Merz backed migration law that AfD would also support. Kiesewetter refused: "The CDU must be crystal clear that we will not allow ourselves to be associated with those who undermine our democratic order." Merz: Focus on legislative outcomes Kiesewetter: Focus on value stance & democratic optics

5 TWO LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHIES Merz' integration approach (includes Spahn, Kretschmer, Wüst, Günther):

- Pragmatic consensus-building
- Managing diverse party factions to get back to power
- Public opinion sensitivity
- Legislative effectiveness focus

Kiesewetter-Röttgen hawkish approach:

- Principle-driven positions
- Security expertise priority
- Moral clarity emphasis
- Alliance solidarity first

Despite the overlap between them, the tension remains.

6 MEDIA RECOGNITION Even across party lines, German media sees the truth:

Der Spiegel (deep red [SPD] since foundation, greenish): "The CDU's conscience on security"

Die Welt (Springer's populist conservative): "Silencing Kiesewetter is strategic mistake"

taz (the hard red daily): "A voice of principle in a party adrift"

ARD/ZDF (étatiste social democratic-green centrist): "Reflects deeper CDU identity struggle"

F.A.Z (centre-right/conservative): 'Der Oberst [Colonel] im Bundestag'

7 THE DEEPER END Behind the scenes, concerning networks emerge:

Spahn-Grenell "bridge-building" relationships
Lynch-Nord Stream 2 buyout attempts
Revival of Moscow-Wingas energy connections
Cross-party Russian influence operations
Kiesewetter threatens these cozy arrangements.

8 THE FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENT Kiesewetter: "Appeasement toward autocrats has cost Germany enough. We need clarity, not policy swings."
Röttgen: "The CDU must return to a foreign policy of values—not constant balancing."
Merz: "We must avoid going it alone and bring the population along."

Three quotes. Two irreconcilable approaches to power and principle.

9 WHAT'S REALLY AT STAKE This clash represents fundamental questions:
- Expertise-driven vs consensus-driven foreign policy
- Hawkish clarity vs pragmatic coalition management
- Individual principle vs party discipline
- Security specialist insight vs perceived broader political strategy

10 THE CURRENT TENSION Kiesewetter retains his role as foreign affairs spokesperson (more prominent than the intelligence role). He still has a platform.

In February 2025 on F.A.Z.'s podcast he explicitly warned about hybrid warfare threats – "Russland befindet sich nicht mehr nur im Informationskrieg, sondern greift in einer Vorstufe an" (Russia is no longer just engaged in information warfare but is attacking in a preliminary stage).

But the question remains: Can principled hawks coexist with consensus builders? In view of the threats to Europe and Germany, can they afford not to?

Two legitimate approaches to politics are colliding within the CDU, but they must be resolved within the summer to make this coalition government effective under existential time pressure for Europe & Germany.

11 WHY THIS MATTERS TO YOU If principled voices like Kiesewetter are silenced: - Ukraine loses a crucial advocate - German democracy weakens - Russian influence networks strengthen - Transatlantic alliance suffers Authoritarian appeasement becomes norm This affects ALL of us.

12 THE CHOICE FACING THE CDU/CSU Germany's largest party and leader of the new government must decide:

- Security expertise vs broader coalition appeal
- Hawkish foreign policy vs public opinion management
- Individual principled voices vs unified party messaging
- Kiesewetter's clarity vs Merz's integration approach

Both have political logic. The outcome shapes Germany's future role.

13 FINAL THOUGHT: In an era requiring both security expertise and political coalition-building, Roderich Kiesewetter represents the uncompromising voice of strategic clarity. Whether that voice can coexist with party management imperatives will define the CDU's future approach to foreign policy. END

This is based on extensive research into CDU/CSU internal dynamics and the systematic marginalisation of principled voices in German politics. Full analysis and profile available on substack 'Roderich Kiesewetter: The Transatlantic Conscience of German Security Policy' here: LINK @n_roettgen @NTenzer @John_ForemanCBE @CurtainSilicon @officejjsmart @JayinKyiv @ChuckPfarrer @calxandr @cwindley @DrChrisParry

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Roderich Kiesewetter

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Trump says it may be better to let Ukraine, Russia 'fight for a while'

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I wonder how many trolls from years past ended up as fodder for Russian meat assaults, and how long before the current set of trolls share the same fate. Life's cheap in Mother Russia.

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Drone strike on the territory of the Kronstadt UAV development enterprise in Dubna, Moscow Region. Where, among other things, Russian Orion UAVs are manufactured

Satellite imagery of the aftermath of the drone strikes on the Russian plant where Orion strike drones are assembled.

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Russian weapons plant hit by drones in Tambov Oblast, media reports attacks across country

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Drones struck a Russian military plant in Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, in the early hours of June 6, according to media outlets in Russia. Attacks were also reported in Russia's Saratov, Moscow, Tula, Belgorod, and Kaluga oblasts.

The JSC Progress Plant in the city of Michurinsk in Tambov Oblast came under fire overnight, Russian Telegram news channels reported, citing local residents. A drone allegedly hit the plant's workshop, causing a fire. Russian officials have not yet commented on the attack.

The JSC Progress Plant produces high-tech aviation and missile control systems, along with equipment for gas and oil pipelines. The plant was reportedly hit in a previous attack in December 2024.

On the same night, Russian outlets also reported that an oil refinery in Saratov Oblast came under attack. The Kristal Plant, which supplies fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield, was engulfed in flames after a drone strike. Ukraine has targeted the facility in past attacks.

A train derailed in Belgorod Oblast after an explosive device detonated under the tracks, Governor

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