#croatian tanks

[captain-price-unofficially]

M-95 Degman - Croatian MBT prototype based on the M-91 Vihor which was never adopted

[one-time-i-dreamt]

I was watching the Croatian version of Thomas the Tank Engine with my little cousin and for some reason they called him Tomas Tankenđinović.

[jareaul0ver]

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowgirl

Summary: A night out with the girls leads to an even better night at home with your girlfriend.

wc: 1.3k warnings: SMUTTY, touchy!nika, dom!nika, reader riding nika's abs, breast touching, slight fingering (?? i wouldnt even call it that, but i cant think of a better word), nika speaking in croatian because its hot as fuck pairings: nika muhl x fem!reader

UConn had just beaten Southern California, and they wanted to celebrate. They were moving onto the final four and they couldn't be more ecstatic. They wanted -- needed -- to celebrate.

Paige had told everyone about a bar that isn't too far from campus, and the team decided to go. You weren't on the team but as Nika's girlfriend you obviously were invited. All the girls loved you, and you loved them.

You sat on the couch of your dorm, waiting for Nika to finish getting ready. The theme of the bar that night was wild west. You were surprised when Nika said she had the perfect outfit, you never expected her to own anything country.

She finally left the bathroom and looked at you with a smile. "You ready?"

You looked up at her and raised your eyebrows. She looked good. She had a white cropped button up on, a pair of light wash jeans, a pair of cowboy boots, and a tan cowboy hat. A sliver of her stomach was showing, revealing her toned abs and belly button piercing.

You stood up and walked over to her, placing your hands on her waist. "God, you look.." You just laughed and shook your head. She blushed a little and took your face in her hands.

"You don't look that bad yourself." You were wearing an orange cropped tank top, a very short pair of jean shorts, and a pair of sneakers. You didn't own anything country.

She pulled your face close to hers and pressed a soft kiss on your lips. She pulled back and let go of you. "We don't want to be late."

A low groan was heard from behind her as she turned around to leave. She looked back and shot you a small glare. "Sorry." You mumbled before the two of you left.

The entire night, you couldn't keep your hands off each other. If Nika needed another drink, you went with her. If someone called you over to talk to you, she went with you. The sexual tension was thick, you were practically walking through a cloud of smoke when you were next to each other.

A guy dressed in full cowboy attire went onto the small stage and spoke into the microphone. "Alright, y'all, we're bringin' out the bull!" The entire bar cheered as another guy rolled out a mechanical bull.

Paige came in between you and Nika and put her arms around your guys' shoulders. "If one of you can stay on it for 45 seconds, I'll give ya twenty bucks."

Nika immediately shook her head no, but you shot Paige a daring glance. "Bet." You said, the alcohol you ingested had given you the confidence.

You waited in line for your turn on the bull. Once you finally got up there, you straddled the machine. It started slow at first, but quickly picked up speed.

At one point you glanced over at Nika, and the look she was giving you sent chills down your spine. You knew you were in for it later.

To everyone's surprise except nika's you lasted more than a minute on the thing. Once you finally fell off, Paige came over to you with a 20 dollar bill in her hand, reluctantly placing it in yours. You pocketed it and gave her a smirk.

You went to turn around, but felt a pair of hands on your waist. Nika leaned into your ear and whispered. "You're gonna pretend to be sick and dizzy after that, and we're going back to the dorm." The tone in her voice was easy to determine, and your body shuddered.

"Okay," you said breathlessly. You did as she said, both of you playing off your departure as your sickness.

The two of you walked into your dorm, and you shut the door behind you. Nika wasted no time in pressing her front against your ass, pinning your front against the door. You gasped and your eyes fluttered shut when you felt her placing hot kisses on your neck.

Her hands came around to your front, one slinking up the bottom of your shirt to massage one of your tits, the other moving to unbutton and unzip your shorts. "Nika." You breathed hastily.

"Hm?" She hummed against your neck, her breath making goosebumps rise.

"Where's-" She slipped her hand down past your underwear and ran a finger through your already soaked cunt. You groaned, leaning your forehead against the door. "Where's this coming from?" You made out between breaths.

"You looked so good riding that bull, baby. I can't help myself." She husked. She gathered up some of your slick and rubbed small circles against your sensitive clit.

A low whine escaped your lips at her touch. She pulled her hands away from you, but before you could protest, she was already carrying you over to your bed. She set you down and laid down on her back next to you.

She pulled you onto your lap and hooked her fingers in two of the belt loops on your shorts. "Off." She tapped your hip and you quickly obliged, slipping the shorts off and tossing them onto the floor.

She brought her hands up and lifted your top over your head, discarding it somewhere. This left you in only a pair of white, lacy panties.

Your chest heaved as you stared at her, watching her deep brown eyes flickering from every part of your body. She bit her lip and put her hands on your hips, pulling you up to rest on her stomach.

"So wet for me, I can feel it through your panties." She was right. You were soaked. It was almost funny how quickly she could turn you on. There wasn't much time to process her words, however, as she used the grip on your hips to start grinding you back and forth.

She took the hat off her head and placed it on top of yours, in true "save a horse, ride a cowboy" fashion.

"Fuck-" You groaned. You felt her toned abs underneath you. You started moving your hips on your own accord, creating a rhythm that felt perfect against your core.

You ground yourself against her, the same way you had to while riding the bull. "Been thinking about this since the second you got on that machine." She said lowly, keeping one hand on your waist, and bringing another up to knead the skin of your breast.

You threw your head back, and the hat slipped off. "Yeah?" You somehow managed through your pants. You rolled your hips further, and hit a spot just right. Her belly button ring had brushed against your clit. Her name spilled out of your lips in an ungodly sense.

Nika caught onto what you were doing, and dropped her hand back down to your waist, speeding up your motions. Your juices soaked your panties and covered her stomach. She didn't care how messy you were, she was loving this.

"That feel good?" She licked her lips as she watched you. You nodded your head frantically, but couldn't manage any words. "Speak, baby."

"Fuck.. yes, Nika-" she thrusted her body upwards, making your back arch. "Shit- I'm close, baby." You whimpered.

She helped you speed up your pace. She felt your movements become more sporadic as you neared your orgasm. Sweat coated your body and you felt the knot tighten in your stomach. Nika could tell you were about to cum. "Cum for me, ljubavi."

Her speaking in her native tongue was enough for you to finally break. A string of curses, followed by her name left your mouth. Nika slowed the movement of your hips, letting you ride out your high, but trying not to overstimulate you.

You climbed off her lap and laid down next to her. She quickly got undressed, went to the bathroom and cleaned herself off, and laid back down, turning on her side to face you. You were laying on your back, your chest heaving. She gently cleaned you, trying to be careful around your sensitive area.

"Holy shit." You breathed out.

"Holy shit." She chuckled, wrapping her arm over your stomach and pulling you into her. You turned onto your side, tucking your head against her neck.

[cosmopretty]

Loss

Word count: 951 ( kinda short sorry )

a/n: this is a bit short but please send requests or ideas I need some

You sighed turning off your TV, your girlfriend's team lost there game againist Iowa and it was a bad loss. You didn't go to this game when usually go to all of them, today you were modeling for Dior and it was around the same time as the game. Luckily you got home in time to turn your TV on and see who won, sadly it wasn't Uconn. You grabbed your phone immediately going to text your girl.

You scoffed at the dry messages from your girlfriend saying she will come over later. You knew Paige was going to be in a bad mood, because of the game. She hated feeling like she couldn’t do what she loved.

Groaning you get from the couch and walk over  to your closet, grabbing Paige's hoodie you slip it on over your tank top. The hoodie slides down your knees but you don't mind that it's too big, that fact that it is Paige's it brings you comfort. You lay down on your bed and scroll through TikTok seeing people have already started talking about UConn's big loss rolling your eyes you exit the app and start watching YouTube.

Around a half hour later you hear your door open and you see your girlfriend walk in with her shoulders slumped, defeated. You rush up to her and wrap your arms around her shoulders pulling you closer to her. Paige hugs you tighter as if you might disappear. You rock back and forth " I'm so tired baby " Paige mumbles not moving to pull away from you at all. Nodding your " I know Paigey come on wanna lay down? " you ask her moving your arms from her shoulders standing up straight bending your head back to look at her. Paige looks down at you and nods, grabbing your hand pulling you back to your bed. She kicks her shoes off and lays her head on your chest.

You play with her hair " Wanna talk about it Paige? " you ask running your hands through her blonde hair. She shakes her head and squeezes your waist " Not really I just wanna be here with you " she mumbles.

You nod and pull her closer to you continuing to play with her hair. Paige leans her head up and looks at you " How was your day baby? The photoshoot? " she asks wanting to think of anything but the game. You smile and cup her cheek " It was good, they really liked me and want me to come model again for them. My day could have been better if I was with you, I missed you all day " Paige smiles at your words.

She puts her big hand on your head and pats your head " That's good baby " she says looking down at your lips before kissing you softly. You kiss back smiling into the kiss. You hear a knock on your door and Paige groans as you get up and go to the door.

—————-

Opening the door you see Nika standing out there looking down at you unshed tears in her eyes. Immediately you pulls her down into a hug " What's wrong? " you ask her concerned for your best friend. Nika shakes her head and mumbles something you can't hear. You pull her inside your dorm and close the door, Paige smiles sadly at Nika " I know the game was bad it's not your fault " Paige tells the other basketball player. Nika nods " Still we could have done better. I could have done better " she says disappointed. Going into the freezer you grab some ice cream and a few spoons before sitting on your bed motioning Nika to come too. You sit in the middle of the two girls and hand them spoons and turn on the TV to watch Shameless. Nika smiles at you and kisses your head " I love this show thank you " she mumbles.

You and Paige eat a few spoons of ice cream before hanging it Nika so she can the rest. Paige leans her head on your shoulder and kisses your neck, you push her off " Stop Paige our friend is right there " you whisper to the girl shaking your head. Paige groans and looks at Nika " Your the biggest cockblock you know that right? " Paige asks sarcastically.

The Croatian girl shakes her head " No Y/n is my best friend before you even started dating so I get first dips on her " she says smirking. Paige makes a face " No I'm the girlfriend I get first dips " she demands.

Groaning you look at both of them " How about I get first dips on myself thanks very much. Also Nika is single, she's lonely so Paige be nice to her please " you say. Paige flips you off as Nika moves to the couch eating the ice cream. As you lay with Paige she wraps an arm around you from behind " Your the best you know that " Paige says. Turning over you face her " No you are, I know you're disappointed from today but you will do so much better next game. Learn from your mistakes you the best player out there along your team and it was one off game it didn't define you. " you tell Paige brushing a loose strand behind her ear.

A tear leaves Paige's eyes and she wipes it fast and kisses you " I love you so much you always know what to say to me " she says pulling you into a tight hug. You smile and kiss her shoulder before turning back around to watch the show on TV. Paige rolls her eyes behind you and pulls you flush against her and closes her eyes and she slowly falls asleep.

[mesetacadre]

The Yugoslav volunteers in the International Brigades

Translated from this article, my own comments in [italicized brackets]

The total number of Yugoslavs in Spain differs according to researchers. The French historian, Hervé Lemesle, states that the total exceeds 1900, with the main contingent being Croatian, followed by Slovenes and Serbs. A majority were workers from many sectors and peasants. There were also doctors, engineers, teachers, journalists, and students. Most traveled from Yugoslavia, although there were groups of exileds or migrants from many European countries, as well as the US, Canada or Argentina.

The number of deaths (including MIA) in Spain is close to 800, a very high percentage (40%), although other studies estimate 32%. At any rate, it’s higher than the average losses for the International Brigades (27%). The most notorious victim was Blagoje Parović [Šmit, nom de guerre], part of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia’s Central Committee and political commissar of the XIII International Brigade, who died the first day in the Battle of Brunete. His remains were buried in the Fuencarral cemetery.

There were 16 Yugoslav women in the Health Services. The oldest was 43, while the youngest were only 22 years old. Most of the female volunteers arrived in Spain in 1937, from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia or countries such as Algeria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, and Uruguay. Some of those women had been active agents of the worker movement or even members of the CPY before leaving for Spain. Those who lacked medical training attended a preparation course beforehand. They worked in the hospitals of Murcia, Albacete, Benicasim, Denia, Madrigeras, Vic, and other cities. Avgust Lesnik writes: “There were 16 women: doctors Adela Bohunicki, Nada Dimitrijević-Nešković, and Dobrila Mezić-Šiljak, [as well as the nurses] Ana-Marija Basch (Baš), Olga Dragić-Belović (Milić Milica), Elizabeta-Liza Gavrić, Marija-Peči Glavaš, Marija Habulin, Lea Kraus, Tereza Kučera, Lujza Pihler (Demić Borka), Ottilia Reschitz-Zanoni, Ana Seles-Brozović, Kornelija Sende-Popović, Eugenia Simonetti, and Marija Šneeman”.

Borka Demic (right) in the Pasionaria Hospital of Murcia (colored by Tina Paterson)

If I were to be born again, I’d continue fighting for the ideals of my youth. Then, nothing was difficult and I don’t regret anything (Borka Demic)

The Yugoslav volunteers in the various units and arms

After the formation of the International Brigades, the Yugoslav volunteers were distributed throughout different units. For instance, the Edgar André battalion had 36, the Thälmann had 93, Garibaldi had 40, and Chapaiev had 78. The main body of Yugoslavs, however, were first integrated into the Balkan company of the Dombrowski battalion (120), and immediately after, into the Dimitrov battalion. By early 1938 a good portion of the Yugoslavs were integrated into two of the 129th Brigade’s battalions: Dimitrov (191) and Djaković (150). They were also a part of the 45th International Division (108)

There was Yugoslav presence in various arms and services: 4 in aviation; 12 in transport units, 1 in the navy, 33 in the International Brigades’ health service, and 26 in the guerrilla groups (one of the most experienced of which was Ljubomir Ilič). More important than this was their presence (131 members) in the artillery arm, of which there were 21 in the heavy artillery Slav Group, 22 in the 2nd heavy artillery Škoda Group’s Liebknecht Battery, 18 in the 3rd heavy artillery Group, 38 in the 4th anti-tank Group’s Stjepan Radić battery, 6 in the 35 Division’s Ana Pauker artillery Group, 5 in the 45 Division’s Rosa Luxembourg artillery Group, and 21 in the Gottwald battery. Furthermore, 65 Yugoslavs fought in the Spanish units of the Republican Army. (Avgust Lesnik)

They fought in almost every front in Spain, from the defense of Madrid to the very last battles of the retreat into France (Januray-February 1939) being an example of fearlessness and courage, because of which a good part of them received war medals from the Spanish Republican Government.

The Dimitrov battalion until December 1937

As has been explained in another article, the Dimitrov battalion was formed in January 1937 in the instructional base in Mahora. They entered battle the 12th of February in the Jarama battle, which finished the 27th of that same month. Then, until mid June, it stayed covering that from with the other battalions of the XV International Brigade.

After a two week rest in Ambite (Tajuña valley), the XV Brigade travelled to Madrid’s north to take part of the first great republican offensive in Brunete. Combat started during the night of the 5 to the 6th of July. The XV International Brigade was a part of, along the XIII and 16 BM, the XV Division under general Gal’s command [János Gálicz, a Soviet-Hungarian officer who also led the Lincoln Battalion]. The mission was to take the heights of Romanillos (XIII IB) and Mosquito (XV IB). It wasn’t possible because operations were slow and the brigades could not take the important francoist positions. The Dimitrov went as far as taking the Miraval Olive Grove, but in the 18th of July, when the first francoist counter-offensive commences, they lost it. Since that point, the republican positions began to retreat until the 22nd, when they were forced to cross back through the Guadarrama river. The XV IB was relieved the 26th of July and went back to where they began the offensive.

In late July, the Dimitrov returned to Ambite (Tajuña valley) and was able to reorganize: the battalion, that had arrived with 143 combatants, reached 563. In this way, in the 24th of August, it threw itself with renewed force against the Aragonian village of Quinto, which fell 26th. During the taking of the village and the Purburell hill, which defended them to the east, the Dimitrov battalion’s courage stood out. The same was true in the fierce week-long combat to subdue Belchite.

After this battle, the Dimitrov was detached from the XV Brigade and, during the few following months, was a part of, along with the Djuro Djakovic battalion, the 45th International Division’s Reserve Group. It was a period that they dedicated to military education and to the surveillance of the Huesca Front from the second line. In January 1938 they received the order to transfer to the Southern Front. Close to Almadén, in Chillón, the last International Brigade was formed, the 129th; composed of these two battalions plus the newly created Masaryk battalion.

The Djuro Djakovic Battalion

Composed primarily of Yugoslav volunteers, plus a few Czechoslovaks and Bulgarians, adopted their name in memory of that Croat revolutionary and member of the CPY, tortured and executed in 1929 by order of the king and dictator Alexander the First.

It was formed in April 1937 from the Balkan Company of the Dombrowski battalion. This Company had participated, with the Dombrowski, in the Defense of Madrid and in the battles of Boadilla, Jarama, and Guadalajara. Its excellent conduct pushed general Lukács [Béla Frankl, or Máté Zalka, nom de guerre Pál Lukács, a Hungarian veteran of the Russian Civil War, where he fought alongside the Bolsheviks, he died 2 months later in Huesca], leader of the XII IB, to convert the Company into the core from which the new Djure Djakovic battalion would arise. Its first combat happened in April 1937 in Santa Quiteria, in the Aragon Front, along the Rakosi battalion and the Karl Marx Division.

It returned to Carabaña (Madrid) to reorganize under the command of Bulgarian captain Jristov, and marched to Roquetes in June (close to Tortosa) to join the 150th IB (Dombrowski Brigade), formed in May from the Dombrowski, Rakosi, and André Marty battalions. This brigade plus the XII IB formed the 45th division, under the command of General Kléber [Manfred Stern, nom de guerre Emilio Kléber, a Ukranian Jew member of Soviet military intelligence], was sent to Madrid in early July to take part in the Brunete offensive as a reserve unit to the XVIII Army Corps.

The Djakovic battalion did not have any special role in Brunete, but it did in the following offensive towards Zaragoza (24th of August - 7th of September), as was expressed in Wladimir Stopczyk’s final report as Commissar of the XIII IB: “It has been told to me how, when they had been encircled and cut off there was no panic whatsoever, nor any case of disobeying an order. They conducted themselves with an equal parts spirit of sacrifice and discipline, as they continue to do so, as well as the soldiers of our Brigade’s other battalions. I have to specially remark the Djakovic battalion’s attitude who, despite the heavy losses suffered in the last scuttles, with intense fire from fascist artillery and aviation, maintained a dignified and heroic attitude”.

Both in this instance as in the October attack against Fuentes de Ebro, this battalion suffered many losses. Afterwards, the Dimitrov and Djakovic battalions were designated as the 45th Division’s Reserve Group. This division, from October 1937 to January 1938, remained in the Litera region as reinforcement of the first line at the Huesca front.

The 129th International Brigade

In February 1938, these two battalions, with the predominantly Czechoslovak Masaryk battalion, formed the 129th IB, in Chillón, close to Almadén. It was led by the Polish Wacław Komar [born Mendel Kossoj, known in Spain as Wacek Komar, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and member of the Polish Communist Party until his retirement in 1967]. In addition to these battalions, the 129th IB had at its disposal an anti-tank battery made up of Yugoslavs, a mortar company and a cavalry squadron. In late March 1938. the 129th IB was transferred to the area around Morella, where it suffered heavy losses. The fascist troops led by general Aranda and the Italian Divisions advanced with numerous human and material resources, and the three battalions suffered severe losses. To this, the errors of the Republican command must be added, despite which the volunteers fought with high valor. Finally, in the 4th of April, the 129th evacuated the fort of Morella and retreated to rebuild its forces in Benassal, northeast of Castellón.

Yugoslav volunteers of the Djakovic battalion during the strategic retreat in Teruel

Once rebuilt and rearmed (the brigade once surpassed 2000 members), it initiated a series of defensive combats in the 17th of April in the province of Teruel in the context of the battle of the Levant. The scarcely-known feat began in Ejulve, in the province of Teruel’s north. For three months, these volunteers had the leading role in a strategic retreat of 225km [139.8 miles], through the mountains of Teruel, which brought them up to the Javalambre front, passing through Mora de Rubielos. In this last front, the 129th IB kept the defense and carried out a few attacks, highlighting the 18th of September attack to take the road from Teruel to Sagunto, the last swan song of a brigade that covered itself in glory during its short 7 month lifespan.

The Yugoslav volunteers at the end of the war in Spain

The international volunteers were disbanded in the 24th of September. In the center-south area it was done 2 weeks after, in early October. Those who remained in the Catalan region were concentrated in Campdevanol, north of Ripoll. A good part of the Yugoslavs, presents in the 129th IB and the artillery units, were concentrated in the Admiral’s headquarters in Valencia. In December, they were transported to Almusafes until they were able to travel to Barcelona by boat the 20th of January.

Days later, before Barcelona’s fall and the coming republican collapse, most of the Yugoslavs offered themselves as volunteers to help in the task of preventing the fascist advance, which they did from the 26th of January until February 6th. This is how Svetsilav Dorevic told it: “The end of our fight has come, the internationals’ last compromise was to help the Spanish fellows to contain the enemy at least a little bit, so the evacuation that had to be done could be done without panic and in order, so it did not fall prey to the enemy, as well as to prevent the capture of people at risk of death”.

After, came the concentration camps in Argeles sur Mer, Saint Cyprien, Collioure, Gurs, and others. Many managed to escape, others were transferred to the French work camps, others to the French resistance, as well as the resistance in other European countries. The metallurgical worker Koturović (“Cot”), of Belgrade, was a legendary hero of the French Resistance Movement, in which Ljubomir Ilič, Vlajko Begović, and Lazar Latinović also played a marked role.

Almost 350 were able to return to Yugoslavia, of which 250 joined the partisan fight beared by Tito [Another international volunteer] and the CPY. Around 150 perished in the national liberation war from 1942 to 1945. Many of those organized insurrections, led guerrilla detachments, or were unit chiefs. Because of their merits in the fight against the fascist invaders, the Popular Hero of Yugoslavia medal was awarded to more than 50 ex-combatants of the International Brigades, amongst which were Franc Rozman, Koča Popović, Kosta Nadj, Vladimir Popović, Peko Dapčević, Iván Rukavina, Danilo Lekić, Dušan Kveder, Veljko Kovačević, Srećko Manola, Vlado Cetković, Vojo Todorović, Otmar Kreačić, and Vicko Antić. All the rest were awarded with high medals.

[mariacallous]

Hungary’s double standards regarding the defence of sovereignty have reached a surreal point. The question is whether the PM will solve the situation by sacking his political director.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian government has remained sceptical over Western support to Ukraine and sanctions against the aggressor Russia (even if Prime Minister Viktor Orban has always gone along with these sanctions in the European Council). This stance was justified for pragmatic reasons: Ukraine’s assimilative policies against the ethnic Hungarians in the Transcarpathia region on the one hand, and Hungary’s dependency on Russian natural gas on the other. Like them or not, such arguments are something that are worthy of consideration. But last week Orban’s political director, Balazs Orban (no relation) went much further.

In a conversation with the pro-government media site Mandiner, Balazs Orban said that taking the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 as a starting point, “we probably wouldn’t have done what President Zelensky did two and half years ago, because it was irresponsible, because it was obvious that he had put his country on the defensive, that so many people had died. If we had been asked, we would not have advised it. Because we have learned that we have to be careful here, and we have to be careful with very precious Hungarian lives. You cannot just throw them away.”

It’s hard to know what he meant by putting “his country on the defensive”, since this situation arose after a Russian attack. An attack that Viktor Orban, who was in Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin in the weeks before the Russian army invaded, commented on afterwards by saying he didn’t know Putin planned an offensive, only that he saw “there was trouble” ahead.

Perhaps what Balazs Orban meant was that Ukraine should have proffered peace talks (even when there was no war yet) and with it concessions in advance, in response to Putin’s anti-NATO threats at the end of 2021.

But we don’t know for sure, because Mandiner’s journalist neglected to ask him to specify what he meant by it. Moreover, it was not a real interview situation, as Balazs Orban was present as a co-host of the podcast: a strange role for the prime minister’s political advisor in the media, even in Hungarian circumstances.

However, his argument about “irresponsible defence” raises several questions. In order to avoid such a rash situation, shouldn’t the Hungarian government publicly list which counties or districts would be ceded without “irresponsible defence” in the event of an attack? Should people in Baranya, for example, prepare for learning Croatian, or should they also learn the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet as well? Is there such thing as “irresponsible defence” for NATO members, or, if the others defend us, is that responsible? And who would defend those who do not want to defend themselves?

The lesson (not) learned from 1956

By drawing parallels with the anti-Communist revolution of 1956, Balazs Orban desecrated the collective historical memory, hurting especially the government’s camp, the political right. Although he did not literally say the ’56 heroes should not have resisted the Soviet tanks, many think that his words implied this.

Balazs Orban tried to explain himself on this point in a video published on Facebook a couple of hours after the scandal exploded, and a day later he apologised. That same day, his boss, the prime minister, distanced himself from his political director’s comments. Viktor Orban underlined that the issue of the 1956 revolution should not have been involved in any discussion about war and peace in Ukraine, and drawing this parallel was a mistake by his political director. Whether this was merely a light reprimand or a message to resign is not yet clear.

It is worth recalling that Viktor Orban became famous for his speech at the reburial of Imre Nagy and other martyrs of the 1956 revolution in June 1989. Since then, the categorical anti-Communism and anti-Russian stance of his Fidesz party has largely disappeared. Viktor Orban’s leaning towards Putin’s Russia has long been seen as controversial, especially since the war in Ukraine. And in his speeches on October 23 over the last few years, the day commemorating the 1956 revolution, Orban regularly talks about a “Brussels” that Hungary should now resist, convincing many of his supporters that it is worse than Moscow.

In the context of the 1956 revolution, politicians of the government and Fidesz often blame the West (especially the US) for failing to help the revolution; now they also blame the West for helping Ukraine too much. However, it is obvious that the global geopolitical situations are not comparable at all.

Sovereignty protection against Brussels vs against Moscow

The statement from the prime minister’s political director crossed a red line not just because of the awful parallels with 1956, but also because it shows crystal clear how perverse the government’s ideas are about protecting sovereignty.

While criticising the manner and intensity of Western support to Ukraine and doubting the effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia are legitimate and relatively widely shared concerns, condemning an attacked country for defending itself is not something any “sovereigntist” government can afford to do.

This is especially controversial in the context of the Hungarian government’s constant ‘freedom fight’ against the EU. The EU has not attacked Hungary through military means, but it wants to enforce reforms in order to eliminate corruption and comply with rule-of-law-principles. In answer to that, the government regularly accuses “Brussels” of intervening in Hungarian sovereignty by “trying to settle illegal immigrants here” and “pushing LGBTQ+ propaganda to brainwash our children”. The latter was the basis for the government’s child protection agenda – an issue that was seriously undermined by former president Katalin Novak, who pardoned a pedophile’s accomplice. That was more than just a mistake, and she was forced to resign in February.

Balazs Orban is in a far less important position, at least formally: he is not a president, nor even a minister, just a “political director”. And he has said something which is barely compatible with the sovereignty agenda. It would be logical for him to step down: if the prime minister is ever in need of his ideas and insights, he can be kept in a less visible position, as an advisor for instance.

However, it is not certain that will happen. Viktor Orban’s Fidesz has demonstrated many times it can manage a 180-degree turn in rhetoric within a very short space of time, or simply explain away controversies by repeating hundreds of times that the media and opposition are echoing “pro-war propaganda”.

Hungary is a NATO member and, as such, is not threatened by military aggression. The Hungarian government’s fight for sovereignty is so far limited to a rhetorical fight against the West. More recently, this manifested itself in the setting up of the Sovereignty Protection Office last year. The office’s tasks are to conduct inquiries into specific cases of suspected foreign disinformation and foreign influence on democratic decision-making, and mapping organisations that might influence voters’ intentions or the outcome of elections. Yet without the ability to levy sanctions, its entire activity amounts to little more than public bullying.

Lately, the Sovereignty Protection Office got its own Research Institute, which is supposed to support the office’s activities. Fun fact: the Sovereignty Protection Research Institute is led by Jozsef Horvath, who started his career as an agent of the Communist security services in the era of state socialism. Who knows, Hungary might even one day return to the Communist line concerning the protection of sovereignty: do not resist Moscow.

[patientlibrarian]

Tuesday November 26 - Tank top Tuesday with a touch of theatre

more! more!

Hello everyone, everywhere, hope your day goes as you would wish it to.

Well we've certainly had some activity in our Goran world. Here are some pics and a vid from Goran's instagram account today from the Croatian Theatre Awards yesterday night.

See many, many more pics and vids at:

Wonderful news that the same cast will be performing the same play next year for the Festival. Marked in on my 2025 calendar alrleady!

[walkingthroughthisworld]

Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas and multinational partner forces engage in a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) that was attended by the U.S. Emassador to Lithuania, Robert Gilchrist, on Feb. 12, 202… (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

PABRADE, Lithuania - Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas, working side by side with multinational and allied forces, concluded their Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise training Feb 13, 2020.

Dutch artillery, Croatian mortar, Lithuanian and Norwegian fire support and the Baltic Air Police were some of the major assets involved in the execution of this enormous military exercise.

"A successful CALFEX is when my company commander walks out of here with a standard operating procedure and every single one of my leaders, whether it's a tank commander, a Bradley commander, a squad leader, a team leader…They walk out of here understanding their SOP's, having codified the lessons that they've learned throughout the entire train-up," said Lt. Col. Stephen Johnson, commander of the 1-9 CAV.

This large scale combined exercise involved assets from across the entire battlefield spectrum operating in a seamless, synchronous fashion.

Mortar teams working cooperatively were no exception.

"The goal for mortars here is to enable the maneuver elements in the company CALFEX to be able to get onto their objectives with ease," said 1st Lt. Alexander Shuler, a 1-9 CAV mortar platoon leader. "The thing that's really cool about working with the European nations, including Croatia, is that they're so used to working with other nations. A large part of us coming here to Europe is building upon that interoperability."

Indeed, Croatian Soldiers were an essential component of the mortar exercises as they worked closely with 1-9 CAV Soldiers throughout the CALFEX.

"The non-commissioned officers that we work closely with were really helpful," said 2nd Lt. Ante Validzic, with the 3rd mechanized infantry of the Croatian Land Forces. "They assisted us with everything we needed. If we combine our strengths, and work on our weaknesses, we can be strong together."

Training in Lithuania offered the Soldiers many tactical benefits that are not as readily available back in the United States.

"One of the great things about the 1-9 being up here in Lithuania is that they have the training facilities right here at their doorstep," said Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Alexander Yazzie. "During this exercise, they had the fuelers come, they brought in ammo, they executed a Logistics Resupply Point (LRP) after contact. They were able to not only incorporate the fire maneuver, the shoot - move - communicate portion, but they incorporated the sustainment portion as well which was great because that's the first time I've seen that done in a CALFEX."

Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Carey, the battalion command sergeant major was equally impressed with his Soldiers' ability to engage and take down potential enemy opposition.

"The one thing that really stood out to me was the violent execution of Battle Drill Six (room clearing exercise) by our infantry. There's a lot of training that leads up going into that live fire drill," said Carey. "They've trained for several weeks in preparation for this, and again the violence of action was very impressive. We're here to train and we're here to deter our adversaries. We don't have any distractors, that's our focus here."

The CALFEX is an enormous undertaking in scale and scope. This exercise allows leadership to assess and increase the military readiness and lethality of all the joint participants. Combining forces on such an enormous scale showcases our interoperability, and promotes regional stability, thereby enhancing relationships with our allies.

"We actually got to shoot gunnery with the Germans and the Norwegians, just being able to interact with them - I actually got to grade them, I got to VCE (Vehicle Crew Evaluator) them through their gunnery," said Staff Sgt. John Waite, an M1A2 B Co., 3rd platoon tank commander. "They were phenomenal. Their platforms and tank crews were amazing. They're always just thirsting for knowledge, the same as us. It's been one of the most amazing experiences during my time in the army."

The CALFEX is a very fast paced, multi faceted, strategic exercise. The ability of Soldiers to adapt and adjust to a fluid, ever changing battlefield environment is key to their success.

Of course, everything doesn't always go as planned.

"A Platoon leader's track (U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle) went down, just cut off on him. He worked through it, and what was great is the battalion commander let him work through it, he didn't give him the answer," said Yazzie. "So when a platoon sergeant's vehicle goes down, you have to jump track. Ultimately, he worked through it, he did really well and continued on with the mission."

Countless hours of training, endless logistics and the Soldiers' collective fighting spirit make for a very formidable fighting force that continues to protect the freedoms and independence of all within the European theater.

"This was just a world class amazing exercise, and I'm really proud of the Soldiers. Moving forward, we're going to document all the lessons learned. We're going to make sure that we don't make the same mistakes that we learned from this time, and that we can pass them off to the future leaders," said Johnson. "We all transition. We're going to switch out leaders, we're going to switch out Soldiers and they've got to be able to pick up where we left off. We're going to continue to be lethal, we're going to continue to train and continue to get better."

[inaaontheskyways]

Since all my OCs come from different corners of the Spiral and are of varying mythological beings, I decided to compile a list of both their origins and occupations!

(Sidenote: some details about certain worlds! Those in purple belong or were reimagined by me, those in green are just canon worlds renamed by me, and those in red belong to @prince-of-khrysalis and @brewbellwizardry!)

Caelum: Eva (Filipina-Palestinian-Calé/angel; astralmancy/Eden caretaker)

Lemuria:

Kalpana (Nepali/cthulhi; spatiomancy/avatar)

David (Jewish American/lich; chronomancy/conman)

Milagro (Dominican/sylph; thaumaturgy/hoop aerialist)

Heroica:

Vontae (Black American; physical, hero trainee)

Iina (Navajo; mental, fashion major)

Airam (Nicaraguan-American; almighty, freelance hacker)

Binna (Korean-American/A.I.; reality/idol)

Melanie (White American/virus; reality/villain sidekick)

Kamiyah (Black-Ecuadorian; disempowered, street racer)

Empyrea:

Eranuhi (Armenian Lom/pixie; solarmancy/Miracle Mitch's assistant)

İnayət (Azerbaijani/pig; divination/keytarist)

Shushana (Georgian Jewish/alphoi; lunarmancy/singer)

Grizzleheim:

K'ila (Greenlandic Inuit/snow angel; thaumaturgy/martyr)

Greko (Finnish/näkki; privateer/Ironclaws leader)

Cedine (Afro Norwegian; musketeer, Wolf ranger)

Othi (Swedish Romani; swashbuckler, Splithoofs fighter)

Sarai (Danish Jewish; buccaneer, wanderer)

Darkmoor:

Sevastjan (Estonian/werewolf; solarmancy/W.C. Forces guardsman)

Vidas (Lithuanian, vampire bat; thief)

Līga (Latvian/gargoyle; chronomancy/bounty hunter)

Greeta (Estonian; necromancy, Rickoyoto student)

Polaris:

Prokhor (Russian; divination, Ravenwood student)

Hadria (French Algerian, arctic hare; La Révolution lieutenant)

Théane (Monégasque/matagot; conjuration/bartender)

Hilol (Uzbek, courtesan)

Nima (Buryat, half-polar bear; cigarette boy)

Gamassa:

Priscila (Cuban/avialtri; umbramancy/researcher)

Jacinto (Afro Venezuelan/changeling; conjuration/Arcana student)

Roshan (Iranian, half-bunny; ex maiden-in-training)

Yuuto (Japanese/cambion; mysticism/hitman)

Karamelle:

Goldie (Austrian Jewish; conjuration, Ravenwood student)

Elise (Papuan/gnome; theurgy/figure skater)

Aulia (Indonesian, half-raccoon; housespouse)

Rayner (German Turk/elf; lunarmancy/doctor)

Avalon:

Vaino (Welsh Romani; pyromancy, Ravenwood student)

Carmel (Welsh Jewish; necromancy, alchemist)

Meriful (Scottish Romani/anthusiai; necromancy/druid)

Darina (Afro Irish, half-deer; budding writer)

Marleybone:

Sestiva (Irish; necromancy, Ravenwood student)

Zakhi (Afro Scottish; buccaneer, Shatterhands tank)

Trainet (Scottish Romani, mouse; Quarrel Mob moll)

Wysteria:

Bisera (Bulgarian Turk; thaumaturgy, assitant librarian)

Peritz (Jewish Canadian; theurgy, Pigswick student)

Monquista:

Zãne (Basque/aidegatxo; divination/smuggler)

Yeniel (Afro Spanish/anjana; theurgy/healer)

Jamilla (Portuguese Jewish/anjana; mysticism/astrologist)

Cosme (Spanish; stellarmancy, aristocrat)

Wizard City:

Tiena (English Romani; lunarmancy/handyman)

Alura (Black Canadian; conjuration/W.C. Forces artificer)

Epimetej (Bosnian/half-draconian; pyromancy/Ravenwood student)

Coloratura:

Ithal (Irish Romani; sorcery, W.C. Forces knight)

Cherie (Haitian/elf; spatiomancy/concubine)

Zulekha (Lebanese/ghost; chronomancy/ex-concubine)

Kinna (Welsh; pyromancy, head priestess)

Dragonspyre:

Ivan (Serbian; necromancy, Dragonhorn Order knight)

Uana (Romanian; divination, Storm Department major)

Yakov (Bulgarian Jewish; thaumaturgy, Chivalric Forces trainee)

Mateja (Slovenian; pyromancy, Dragonhorn Order knight)

Qendräk (Albanian Ashkali; conjuration, Myth Department major)

Eldra (Croatian Romani; theurgy, Life Department major)

Andrej (Macedonian; sorcery, Balance Department major)

Vitalia:

Ariele (Italian Jewish‐Tunisian/half-guinea pig; dualism/Shatterhands bag-boy)

Lereia (Italian Jewish-Tunisian, porcelain doll; hitch-hiker)

Luretta (Sicilian Moroccan, half-unicorn; Resistance spy)

Valente (Genovese, unicorn; Armada soldier)

Aquila:

Titania (Greek; privateer, Shatterhands 2nd-in-command)

Zinon (Greek/elf; mysticism/wanderer)

Spisene (Greek Romani; divination, Arcadia student)

Taysa (Afro Greek/asteriai; stellarmancy/Arcadia student)

Mirage:

Yousef (Saudi/vampire; thaumaturgy/House of Tabbi captain)

Wafae (Afro-Omani/avialtri; spatiomancy/wanderer)

Ku-aya (Iraqi/udug; umbramancy/Silenus' ward)

Krokotopia:

Meresamun (Nubian; chronomancy, Temple of Balance priestess)

Kreianos (Nubian/half-krok; pyromancy/Medjai commander)

Fibruniyah (Copt/undine; divination/ferrywoman)

Wagguten (Berber; sorcery, Temple of Balance trainee)

Zafaria:

Resego (Tswanan; necromancy, Arcanum researcher)

Umklomelo (Zulu/tikoloshe; necromancy/blacksmith)

Mooshu:

Dechen (Tibetan; theurgy, Ravenwood student)

Choua (Hmong; mysticism, Shatterhands witch)

Nengmei (Chinese/huli jing; pyromancy/bride-to-be)

Zayaa (Mongolian/frog; thaumaturgy/Shangri Baa apprentice)

Rajah:

Fulki (Santhal/guhyaka; conjuration/princess)

Zeenat (Pakistani/genie; miraclism/Fulki's contractor)

Yago:

Luntian (Bisayan/kataw; lunarmancy/babylan)

Liwliwa (Iloco/diwata; stellarmancy/loner)

Wallaru: Jiemba (Wiradjuri/mimih; solarmancy/Didgeri dragon caretaker)

Celestia:

Aroha (Maori/ice construct; thaumaturgy/Ravenwood student)

Fielea (Tongan/swan maiden; astralmancy/Eight Legs agent)

Mikaere (Maori/lunari; spatiomancy/bodyguard)

Skull Island:

Julien (White Caribbean; swashbuckler, Shatterhands captain)

Haydée (Puerto Rican/elf; sorcery/Gravulum Order researcher)

Aviarios:

Daniel (Jewish American; underground fighter)

Lázaro (Cuban-American/cagueiro; lunarmancy/private eye)

Audélia (Jewish American, half-canary; tabloid reporter)

Tiara (Japanese-Chumash, ladybug; aspiring starlet)

Cool Ranch:

Otaktay (Lakota; musketeer, Shatterhands sniper)

Jewel (Black American, half ball-tailed cat; magician)

Basilio (Mexican, coyote; sheriff)

Heyra (Mexican/duende; solarmancy/amateur monstrologist)

Coatlán:

Tlacelel (Nahua/nagual; chronomancy/bounty hunter)

Nayeli (Zapotec/cactus dryad; sorcery/photomancer)

Melodioso:

Odalis (Panamanian/myrmeki; theurgy/bride)

Yasmin (Brazilian/boiúna; sorcery/mercenary)

Painé (Chilean/carbunclo; astralmancy/bard)

El Dorado:

Raymundo (Colombian/solari; solarmancy/prince)

Yadira (Colombian/stellari; stellarmancy/princess)

Khrysalis:

Nona (Assyrian/pyros; stellarmancy/shadow hunter)

Isidora (Guatemalan/squirrel; conjuration/war messenger)

Shay (Irish Jewish/sea slug; pyromancy/code breaker)

InvictaMane: Kem (English Romani/incubus; theurgist/court jester)

[peoplecallmelucifer]

Ok I had a few people ask me how knowing another language can make it so you have less people to share your jokes with in response to m poem "jokes" on @peoplecallitpoetry qnd the answer is thaz when you learn a new language tue opportunities for jokes grow exponentially because now you can make jokes that only work if you know both languages involved. So the only people who will get to wnjoy those jokes are the other people who speak those languages .... and the more languages you get involved... the less people you have to share the joke with.

My favorite bilingual joke is "Tenk juri veliku mačku" it's pronounced simmilar to "thank you wery much" bit it means "a tank is chading after a big cat"

Another is simly the word gorilla because in serbo-croatian "gori" means "it burns so Goir LA means Los angeles is engulfed in flames

The list foes one and on and on and that's not even counting for bilongual dissonance where the same phrase can have a completely opposit meaning

For example smoking someone in USA= Shooting them

Smoking somwone in the balkans= giving them a blowjob

[historyandwarfare]

Yugoslav Stuart-Pak Self-Propelled Gun

Introduction In mid-1944., Yugoslav Partisans received a number American light tanks M3A3 Stuart from the British. These were used to equip the First Tank Brigade of NOVJ (“People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia”), which was raised in Bari in summer of 1944. by the British. Unit was given 56 Stuart Vs, and landed on Croatian coast in autumn of 1944. As several tanks had damaged turrets, these…

[captain-price-unofficially]

A Serbian boy watches a Yugoslav People's Army tank moving into the Serbian border city of Sid, 20 Sept 1991

[darkmaga-returns]

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that the Tsentr battlegroup pushed deeper into Ukrainian defenses and took control of the settlement of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

"Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup continued their advance into the enemy's defense and liberated the settlement of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the MoD statement said.

The Russian army also launched strikes on Ukrainian airfields and energy facilities which supply the defense industry. Air defense intercepted six HIMARS rockets and downed 78 drones.

"Operational-tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces' groups struck the infrastructure of military airfields, energy facilities supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex, as well as concentrations of enemy personnel and military equipment in 142 locations," the report stated.

Other Developments

The Sever battlegroup reported eliminating up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles and seven motor vehicles while targeting units of the 71st Jaeger Brigade and the 113th and 120th Territorial Defense Brigades near Volchansk and Liptsy in the Kharkov region.

The Zapad battlegroup improved its tactical positions, neutralized personnel and equipment from seven Ukrainian brigades and repelled two counterattacks, inflicting up to 570 casualties. Destroyed assets included a US M113 armored personnel carrier, several artillery systems, electronic warfare stations and three ammunition depots.

The Yug battlegroup inflicted losses of up to 655 servicemen, three tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, and an armored personnel carrier in combat with formations of eight Ukrainian brigades in various areas. Destroyed equipment included Western-made artillery pieces, a Croatian multiple rocket launcher, electronic warfare stations and two ammunition depots.

The Vostok battlegroup improved its front-line positions, repelled two counterattacks and inflicted losses of up to 145 personnel, a tank and three armored fighting vehicles of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and the 127th and 128th territorial defense brigades in Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions.

The Dnepr battlegroup struck personnel and equipment of four Ukrainian brigades, causing up to 90 casualties and destroying seven motor vehicles and a D-20 howitzer near settlements in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

[cyberbenb]

Croatia to provide Ukraine with 30 tanks, 30 infantry fighting vehicles in exchange for German Leopard tanks

Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anusic signed a memorandum with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, under which the Croatian side will receive Leopard 2A8 tanks in exchange for the equipment it wil Source : kyivindependent.com/croatia-t…

[mariacallous]

Colleagues from the Social Democratic Party, SDP, the current and former presidents of Croatia and many friends said their last farewells on Wednesday to Predrag ‘Fred’ Matic, member of the European Parliament, war hero and former prisoner-of-war.

An MEP for the SDP and a former Croatian Defence Minister, Matic died aged 63 in Zagreb on Friday in hospital after complications from a gallstone operation.

The funeral took place at Zagreb cemetery, and before that, a memorial service was held in the Vatroslav Lisinski hall in the capital.

Matic, whom everyone nicknamed ‘Fred’, was an unusual politician in Croatia. Despite his experience of the wartime siege of Vukovar and torture in Serbian prison camps, he did not become a hardliner.

Instead, he advocated for human rights throughout his political life. In 2022 in Brussels, he was declared the best MEP in the field of human rights protection by The Parliament magazine.

During the war in Vukovar, he destroyed eight tanks and one armoured personnel carrier. He was captured on November 19, 1991 and sent to prison camps in Stajicevo, Nis and Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia.

SDP head Pedja Grbin, as well as the president of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, and the former president, Ivo Josipovic, addressed the commemoration, which began with a video of Matic talking about his experiences in the prison camps.

“Fred was a man who retained a characteristic that few people have … In people, you notice that they have changed, but in a small number of people, that spark of boyhood remains, the devilish smile. One of them was Fred. Fred’s eyes remained open, he kept smiling. We were colleagues, friends, he was a great friend,” said Milanovic.

SDP MEP Biljana Borzan gave her speech in tears.

“Fred was my political comrade. He was a good husband, father, brother, son. A good man. His expression of views was admirable. He was not swayed. He always had a dose of humour. Fred was the best person I knew. Thank you, eternal glory to you, my friend,” said Borzan.

“He replaced heroism in war with heroism in peace. He was a man of peace,” said former President Josipovic, adding that he was attacked with lies by those for whom the war had not ended – often because they still draw privileges from it, talking about an ugly episode when Matic was Minister of War Veterans and when an 18-month-long sit-in protest outside the veterans’ ministry took place.

Matic was born on June 2, 1962 in Pozega. He went to school in Borovo Naselje near Vukovar and did a degree at the Faculty of Education in Osijek in 1986, graduating as a primary school teacher. He worked at primary schools in Vukovar until 1990.

After the war started in 1991, he joined the defence of Vukovar, which was besieged for three months by the Yugoslav People’s Army and Serbian paramilitaries before it fell. Matic was captured and imprisoned in Serbian camps, where he was tortured and abused.

From 1994 to 1998, he was head of the Office of General Affairs in the office of the Chief of Defence Staff. From 2000 to 2004, he was spokesman for the office.

In 2000, he became an adviser to the then minister of war veterans, Jadranka Kosor. From 2008 to 2010 he was an external member of the parliamentary committee for veterans and from 2010 he was an adviser to President Josipovic on veterans’ affairs. In 2011, he was appointed Minister for Veterans.