Leroy Merlin, for those who are curious like I was, appears to be the French version of Home Depot/Lowe's. barfo
Found this; https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/ar...erlin-says-it-will-exit-russia_6020859_7.html "The French retailer, who is accused of sponsoring Russia's war effort, said it would transfer control of Leroy Merlin to local management in Russia." ^^^Not sure what this means.^^^ "20% of Leroy Merlin's overall revenues"? ======================================================================================== French retailer Leroy Merlin says it will exit Russia The French retailer, who is accused of sponsoring Russia's war effort, said it would transfer control of Leroy Merlin to local management in Russia. French retailer Leroy Merlin said Friday, March 24, it would exit Russia, ending an 18-year presence that came under intense scrutiny after President Vladimir Putin's army invaded Ukraine last year. Unlike western companies that hurried to disengage from Russia after the attack, Leroy Merlin defiantly resisted calls to leave the country, saying it owed it to customers to keep them supplied and to local staff to keep them in work. Russia is Leroy Merlin's biggest foreign market with 113 stores, and contributes around 20% to the company's overall revenues. But Ukraine heaped scorn on the retailer for the stance, accusing it of sponsoring Russia's war effort. More on this topic Article réservé à nos abonnés War in Ukraine: French companies under fire over operations in Russia Leroy Merlin's parent company, Adeo, said it would transfer control of Leroy Merlin to local management in Russia, where it is among the biggest foreign employers. Adeo said the move "should preserve the jobs of the 45,000 employees and ensure that the company's activity remains at the service" of the population. "This process is the result of work initiated several months ago in compliance with international regulations," it said, adding that the transaction is subject to approval of Russian authorities. 'Waiting for months' "We don't know what the local authorities will say to us," French local daily La Voix du Nord quoted an unnamed management source at Leroy Merlin as saying Friday. "Other companies like Danone or Schneider have asked for a similar transfer of business control and they've been waiting for months for a response." A slew of foreign firms closed up shop in Russia last year in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions against Moscow. But the Mulliez family, which owns Leroy Merlin and other major French retailers including supermarket chain Auchan and the Decathlon sports shop network, stayed put. Adeo did say last year that it would suspend new investments in the country. But it also warned that any outright departure from existing commitments would expose it to the risk of "expropriation" by Russian authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called out Auchan and Leroy Merlin in a speech in Paris last year, saying they "must stop sponsoring the Russian war machine". In February of this year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Auchan of being a "weapon of Russian aggression" after a Le Monde investigation revealed its shops had been used to supply goods to the Russian army. The company said it was "very surprised" by the allegations. Around 500 French companies had operations in Russia before the war, making them collectively the biggest foreign employers in the country with 160,000 staff, according to the French economy ministry.
These are pretty much identical to Storm Shadow missiles that Britain has supplied. I still don't know if Ukraine is authorized to use either against targets in Crimea.
New York Times reports the thousands of female soldiers in Ukraine are not properly equipped. They are wearing men's uniforms and shoes, often way too large. The vests were designed for male bodies. Nearly all have yeast or urinary tract infections due to lack of places to urinate. It's been over a year! Time to recognize women fight too.
As a father of 3 daughters, is the infection from holding it too long due to lack of privacy? Or is there something else I'm not considering?
Ukraine definitely needs to do better. I think they have more women in combat positions than any nation in history. As for places to urinate. no one has this in combat zones. Hopefully the army will provide better education as to the need. Here is little bit about just one combat medic: Euromaidan Press · Natalia Depa, a resident of Lviv and a combat medic in the 218th Battalion of the 125th Brigade died at the front. She had enlisted with her father and brother when the invasion began. In civilian life, she owned a cosmetology and laser hair removal center. Natalia’s brother and father confirmed her death. “I wish I’d been a better brother. I regret doing so many bad things and not saying so many things. You’ll always be in my heart, my dearest sister,” wrote Ivan Depa, Natalia’s brother. The head of the NGO Varta1, Ihor Zinkevych, announced the tragic news. Natalia’s friends also shared their memories on social media. “You were my beautiful friend. You were a combat medic in the logistics division of the 218th Battalion of the 125th Brigade. You died for us, so that we could live in peace and safety. You died saving others. You were always smiling and cheerful, a brave heart, a friend who was always ready to help. You were my support and pride. Thank you for everything. I love you,” wrote Oksana, Natalia’s best friend.
Here is one volunteer group that is trying to remedy the problem of ill fitting uniforms for Ukrainian women soldiers that @crandc mentioned. I'll also post a link to radio free Europe story on this. https://armwomennow.com/en/ https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-women-fight-for-military-uniforms/32503248.html
Here is a nice roundup of Ukraine news. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/16/russia-ukraine-war-news/
This is the most heavily defended bridge in the world, not sure how these missiles got through, if that is what happened. Some russians believe it was surface (water) drones.
Is that near where Ukraine was sending multiple drone boats loaded with explosives at the Russian navy yesterday? I could see them using that as a diversion to move assets from the bridge to protect their ships.
No that was the naval base at Sevastopol, which is near the west end of Crimea. But i see your point. If they were scarce on air defense they might have shifted some.
