Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #11

[PommyMommy]

Winter has come to many regions of Ukraine. But, adverse weather conditions do not stop war. Ukrainian servicemen dig in and continue fighting for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Photo: 43 Separate Mechanized Brigade

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731539828578336984

Due to the border blockade by the Polish & Slovakian protesters & the Hungarian ban, it now takes 2 weeks to deliver military cargo from the EU to Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen and volunteer Madiar, who is currently delivering boats, explained the situation Ukraineʼs economy lost €400 mn due to the Polish border blockade. Some military cargo also blocked, including 1000s of tourniquets - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731659144476655789

#Estonia may close its border with Russia at any moment following the example of #Finland, so local authorities warn Estonians against traveling to #Russia, as they "may find themselves in a deadlock, when it will be very difficult to return" - the head of the Estonian Border Guard Service in an interview with Yle.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731386500338602105

 

[PommyMommy]

Media: Russia planned interference campaigns to disrupt Finnish, Swedish NATO accession.Russia tried to hinder Sweden and Finland's NATO accession, the Finnish media outlet YLE reported, citing leaked Russian intelligence documents. Media: Russia planned interference campaigns to disrupt NATO accession of Finland, Sweden (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731711954555654549

Guardian: UK nuclear site hacked by Russian, Chinese groups.Russian and Chinese-linked cyber groups have hacked a major nuclear waste site in the U.K., a year-long investigation by the Guardian revealed on Dec. 4.
Guardian: UK nuclear site hacked by Russian, Chinese groups (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731746730809381350

‘I’m afraid we’ll never find them:’ Russia holds thousands of Ukrainian civilians hostage
‘I’m afraid we’ll never find them:’ Russia holds thousands of Ukrainian civilians hostage (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731791851265376576

 

[PommyMommy]

Frontline report: Ukrainians encircle and eliminate Russian war criminals near Donetsk's Avdiivka Russian forces adjust strategy in Avdiivka. Ukrainian fighters maintain control and launch successful counterattacks. Frontline report: Ukrainians encircle and eliminate Russian war criminals near Donetsk's Avdiivka - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731803093220704460

Ukrainian gunners preparing an artillery position on the frozen ground in the war zoneThe frosty weather complicated building fortifications and setting up artillery positions on the front.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731818203943190930

Polish official: Russia could attack NATO within 3 years.Poland’s national security agency estimates that Russia could attack NATO in less than 36 months, the head of the country’s National Security Bureau said in an interview with Polish media outlet Nasz Dziennik on Dec. 2.

The national security agency’s prediction comes in response to a report published by German think tank DGAP, warning Western nations that Russia may launch a direct attack against NATO in “as little as six to 10 years” - an assessment Poland’s National Security disagrees with.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1731892291759943886

 

[Niner]

snipped...

Media: Russia planned interference campaigns to disrupt Finnish, Swedish NATO accession.Russia tried to hinder Sweden and Finland's NATO accession, the Finnish media outlet YLE reported, citing leaked Russian intelligence documents. Media: Russia planned interference campaigns to disrupt NATO accession of Finland, Sweden (kyivindependent.com)

What else is new? They do this ALL the time...

snipped...

Polish official: Russia could attack NATO within 3 years.Poland’s national security agency estimates that Russia could attack NATO in less than 36 months, the head of the country’s National Security Bureau said in an interview with Polish media outlet Nasz Dziennik on Dec. 2.

Oh great...!! That means I have less than 3 years to win MILLIONS in Lotto here - to move back to the States!!

 

[margarita25]

 

[PommyMommy]

These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of Dec. 9, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733371660827312500

Starting on 1 January 2024, Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories will be denied medical services unless they consent to accept Russian passports, Ukraine’s National Resistance Center reported. Ukrainians in occupied territories face healthcare denial without Russian passports - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733464377813024805

“If the world gets tired, they will simply let us die,” Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's First Lady, said, highlighting the existential threat Ukraine could face without sustained international support.
"If the world gets tired, they will simply let us die," Zelenska says - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733491263519821965

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 6, 2023

US files war crime charges against Russians accused of torturing an American in the Ukraine invasion​

[...]

It is the first prosecution against members of the Russian armed forces in connection with atrocities during Moscow’s war against Ukraine and it is the first time the Justice Department has brought charges under a nearly 30-year-old statute that makes it a crime to subject an American to torture or inhumane treatment during a war.

The charges are largely symbolic for now, given the unlikely prospects of the department bringing any of the four defendants, who are fugitives, into custody. ...

[...]

The American told federal agents who had traveled to Ukraine last year as part of an investigation that the Russian soldiers had abducted him, stripped him naked, pointed a gun at his head and badly beaten him, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

He was also subjected to harsh interrogation methods, threatened with sexual assault and forced to participate in his own mock execution, according to a five-count indictment unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of Virginia.

[...]

“Cases like this one are among the most complex the FBI works, but bringing them is essential to deterring crimes like these and showing would-be perpetrators that no one is above the law and the war crimes will not go unpunished,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

[...]

Independent human rights experts backed by the United Nations have said they have found continued evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces, including torture that ended in the rape and death of women up to age 83.

[...]

The four defendants are identified as Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan and Dmitry Budnik, both of whom are described by prosecutors as commanding officers in Russia’s armed forces, as well as two lower-ranking officers identified only by their first names.

[...]

 

[Niner]

snipped by me...

The American told federal agents who had traveled to Ukraine last year as part of an investigation that the Russian soldiers had abducted him, stripped him naked, pointed a gun at his head and badly beaten him, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.

He was also subjected to harsh interrogation methods, threatened with sexual assault and forced to participate in his own mock execution, according to a five-count indictment unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of Virginia.

That I can believe. We have a place here in Riga called the "Stūra māja"/"Corner House". It was where the KGB did their interrogations... during the occupation time - 1940 to 1990 - 50 years under the Soviets... VERY glad my parents escaped!!



It is now a museum as part of the Occupution Museum. I have heard some gruesome comments about the tour - blood on the walls, bullets in the walls... and the small cells people were left in. I have not gone there yet... Maybe when my sister comes in March we can take a tour.

 

[dotr]

Mothers reveal they let Russian soldiers rape them to protect girls

EXCLUSIVE: Russian soldiers have raped Ukrainian women since the full-scale invasion began 21 months ago as part of a pattern of systematic sexual violence.

www.dailymail.co.uk

10 December 2023
"It's a common tactic in the war for Russian soldiers to rape women in front of their husbands and children in order to traumatise entire families, Ukrainian case workers, lawyers and researchers have all told MailOnline.

READ MORE: I was raped and beaten by a Russian soldier beside a pile of used condoms... I felt dirty, like I was a disgrace and my boyfriend left me because of it. But this is how I turned my life around​

'Women have told me how the Russian soldiers would tell their children "You should remember us Russians, who we are, and you should remember this for all your life" as they raped their mothers in front of them,' Ms Orel says from her home near Kyiv.

One mother was raped in her home by Russian soldiers and they forced her teenage son to watch, leaving him traumatised and suicidal.

'The mother was suffering from severe shame and her son had tried to commit suicide before they came to our team of psychologists for help,' Ms Orel, who works with victims of rape and their families, says.

The reason why Russian soldiers rape women in front of their families is to instil as much fear and trauma as possible so that it passes through generations, Ms Orel says''

 

[cujenn81]

Mothers reveal they let Russian soldiers rape them to protect girls

EXCLUSIVE: Russian soldiers have raped Ukrainian women since the full-scale invasion began 21 months ago as part of a pattern of systematic sexual violence.

www.dailymail.co.uk

10 December 2023
"It's a common tactic in the war for Russian soldiers to rape women in front of their husbands and children in order to traumatise entire families, Ukrainian case workers, lawyers and researchers have all told MailOnline.

READ MORE: I was raped and beaten by a Russian soldier beside a pile of used condoms... I felt dirty, like I was a disgrace and my boyfriend left me because of it. But this is how I turned my life around​

'Women have told me how the Russian soldiers would tell their children "You should remember us Russians, who we are, and you should remember this for all your life" as they raped their mothers in front of them,' Ms Orel says from her home near Kyiv.

One mother was raped in her home by Russian soldiers and they forced her teenage son to watch, leaving him traumatised and suicidal.

'The mother was suffering from severe shame and her son had tried to commit suicide before they came to our team of psychologists for help,' Ms Orel, who works with victims of rape and their families, says.

The reason why Russian soldiers rape women in front of their families is to instil as much fear and trauma as possible so that it passes through generations, Ms Orel says''

I still can’t believe the world is just standing by (for the most part) and allowing this to happen!!!!

 

[PommyMommy]

General: Russia conducting fewer assault operations in southeast.Russian forces are conducting fewer assault operations in the southeast but intensifying their air attacks once again, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, head of the Tavria group of Ukrainian forces, said on Dec. 10.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733846227534381187

UK Defense Ministry: Russia's Dec. 7 strike likely start of campaign against energy infrastructure.

The coordinated Russian missile strike against Kyiv and central Ukraine on Dec. 7 was likely "the start of a more concerted campaign" aimed at degrading energy infrastructure, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its Dec. 10 report. In its intelligence bulletin on X, the Defense Ministry said that Russian forces had likely used Tu-95 planes to fire Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles on Dec. 7 – the first time they were used since Sept. 21.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733835427260289069

Amid challenging weather, Russian forces launch offensives to seize initiative before Russia's 2024 elections. Ukraine fortifies defenses, remaining open to future counteroffensives, maintaining strategic flexibility, ISW says.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733864283094585762

 

[sds71]

Concerning news out of Russia as @navalny's team says he's missing. His spokesperson says that since last Friday, his lawyers have tried to access two penal colonies near Moscow where he may be. But they were told he's at neither. Yarmysh said he has been missing for six days.

https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/1734220403734667419?s=20

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 11, 2023

Allies of imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny say they haven't heard from him in 6 days

Allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are sounding the alarm and saying that neither they nor his lawyers have heard from him in six days

abcnews.go.com

Allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sounded the alarm on Monday, saying that neither they nor the politician's lawyers have heard from him in six days.

Navalny, who is serving a 19-year term on charges of extremism, was due to appear in court Monday via video link but didn't, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. She said prison officials cited electricity problems. Lawyers in recent days also haven't been able to access Navalny, according to Yarmysh.

“It is already the sixth straight day that we don't know where Alexei is and what is happening to him,” Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Navalny, 47, has been behind bars since January 2021. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. His arrest came upon his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

[...]

 

[Niner]

DEC 11, 2023

Allies of imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny say they haven't heard from him in 6 days

Allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are sounding the alarm and saying that neither they nor his lawyers have heard from him in six days

abcnews.go.com

Allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny sounded the alarm on Monday, saying that neither they nor the politician's lawyers have heard from him in six days.

Navalny, who is serving a 19-year term on charges of extremism, was due to appear in court Monday via video link but didn't, spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. She said prison officials cited electricity problems. Lawyers in recent days also haven't been able to access Navalny, according to Yarmysh.

“It is already the sixth straight day that we don't know where Alexei is and what is happening to him,” Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Navalny, 47, has been behind bars since January 2021. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official corruption and organized major anti-Kremlin protests. His arrest came upon his return to Moscow from Germany, where he recuperated from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

[...]

It is too bad he decided to go back to Russia from Germany.... And I read Putin is running for a 5th Presidential election. I highly doubt there will be an opponents...

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 10, 2023

Life in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine is grim. People are fleeing through a dangerous corridor

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, thousands of people have fled occupied regions of the country over myriad routes.

apnews.com

SUMY, Ukraine (AP) — Whenever 52-year-old Anna is agitated, she senses the chilling touch of a gun barrel between her brows — a haunting reminder of an encounter with a group of Russian soldiers on her street about a year ago.

On that day, amid tears and screams, the soldiers threatened to kill her and her husband, fired bullets on the ground between their feet and then dragged her brother-in-law to an unknown location, apparently furious that he couldn’t guide them to where they could find alcohol.

Two weeks later, Anna’s husband, who himself had been hospitalized previously because of heart problems, found his brother’s body in the forest, not far from the village where they lived, in a Russian-occupied area of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Two weeks after that, he died.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

UK announces naval coalition with Norway to support Ukraine.

The U.K. announced on Dec. 11 a new Maritime Capability Coalition with Norway to support the Ukrainian Navy and the procurement of two British minehunters by Kyiv.

The coalition's goal is to deliver "ships and vehicles to strengthen Ukraine's ability to operate at sea" and provide "training, equipment, and infrastructure to bolster security in the Black Sea."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734135524363763860

Our Kyiv screening of our War Crimes Investigations Unit's latest documentary "Faces of Torture" was a powerful experience.

Watch the full documentary for free on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/watch?v=U_rWDBS9TTo&t=67s

It tells the story of survivors of the most notorious Ukrainian prisoners of war camp in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast: Olenivka prison.This prison-turned-camp became infamous due to reports of abuse and torture inflicted upon its prisoners.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734208746786615346

 

[PommyMommy]

Media: Zelensky to speak at US Senate on Dec. 12, meet House speaker.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak at the Senate in the morning of Dec. 12 during his visit to the U.S. and will also meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 11, citing an unnamed Senate aide and Johnson's spokesman Raj Shah. The planned meetings come as the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine is in question and existing funds are almost depleted.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734247342314807325

Zelensky arrives in US, speaks at National Defense University.

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the U.S. on Dec. 11 and spoke at the National Defense University along with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. "Ukraine is the first front in the war against freedom," Zelensky said during the speech. His visit comes as the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine is in question and existing funds are almost depleted.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734269678954967260

Navalny 'no longer on list' of prisoners at penal colony, whereabouts unknown.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been transferred to another location from his penal colony but the prison authorities are refusing to say where, Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh posted on X on Dec. 11. The authorities have denied Navalny's lawyers access to the politician for six days, and his current whereabouts are unknown. The Kremlin has been trying to prevent Navalny from communicating with the outside world.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734300791756767343

 

[PommyMommy]

Multiple Powerful Explosions and Air Raid Sirens heard within the Ukrainian Capital City of Kyiv in the last few minutes, following reports of possible Ballistic Missile launches from Western Russia.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734743970024956109

At least 1 Apartment Building and several Cars are on Fire in the Dnipro District of Kyiv, as a result of Falling Debris from what is claimed to have been Intercepted Ballistic Missiles which were Shot Down over the City.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734747420221653199

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 12, 2023

Ukraine faces heavy attack from air and cyberspace while Zelenskyy in US presses for more funding

Local officials say Ukraine has came under heavy attack from the air and from cyberspace. Officials said Tuesday that nearly 600 Russian shells, rockets and other projectiles rained down on the southern Kherson region.

apnews.com

[...]

“The war with Russia has many dimensions, and one of them is in cyberspace,” Kyivstar Director-General Oleksandr Komarov said in a statement.

The company didn’t estimate when services might be restored. It said its specialists were working with law enforcement agencies and special state services on solving the problem.

Kyivstar’s traffic began dropping at 9 a.m. local time and was nearly at zero by noon, Doug Madory, an analyst at the network integrity firm Kentic Inc., said in a tweet.

“Traffic was slow decline instead of being abruptly cut all at once,” Madory told The Associated Press. He said that was similar to what happened in a March 2022 cyberattack on Ukrtelecom, the country’s legacy telecom, which was then seventh among Ukrainian providers in internet traffic volume.

Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest destination for internet traffic, Madory said.

But the attack had more far-reaching consequences. It disrupted the air raid warning system in part of the Kyiv region, according to the head of the Kyiv regional administration, Ruslan Kravchenko. Similar disruptions were also reported in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine, while some ATMs of state-owned Oschadbank stopped working as a result of the Kyivstar attack, the bank’s press office told local news outlet Suspilne.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

The Number of Civilians who were Injured tonight in the Ukrainian Capital City of Kyiv as a result of the Russian Ballistic Missiles Attack has now Risen to 34 with at least 12 of those requiring Hospitalization; Ukrainian Officials are claiming that all of the Missiles were Intercepted by Air Defense Batteries with the Damage and Casualties being caused by Falling Debris.
View attachment 467751 View attachment 467752

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734771623125753975

Air Force: Ukraine downs 10 drones, 10 missiles launched by Russia overnight. Ukrainian forces downed 10 Shahed "kamikaze" drones and 10 ballistic missiles launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported in the morning of Dec. 13.

The drones were launched from the occupied Crimea, almost all of them have been downed over Odesa Oblast.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1734815333545119969