Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #6

[LadyL]

The Ukrainian sisters separated by war

 

[fred&edna]

"The role of fear in generating respect is a central feature of Russian strategic culture. Sergey Medvedev, a political science professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and Marshall Center faculty alumnus, contends that Russia’s most successful export commodity was not hydrocarbon energy but fear. Russia is not afraid that neighbors are afraid of Russia, it fears that its neighbors do not fear Russia. This fear of not being feared helps account for Russia’s regional hegemony and strategic behavior."


By Dr. Graeme P. Herd, Marshall Center professor

Dec 2021

Russia’s 21st Century Imperialism


IMO The entire link is worth a read but, regarding the part I snipped, Ukraine wasn't showing enough fearful respect of Putin/Russia. Ukraine preferred freedom not evil tyranny. I feel so sad.

 

[PommyMommy]

[URL='https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/11/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-we-are-dealing-with-a-terrorist-state-says-zelenskiy-biden-plans-fresh-russian-trade-crackdown-live']Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Russia may be planning to use biological weapons, US says, as Russia warns of ‘uncontrolled spread of bio agents’ | World news | The Guardian[/URL]
From 4h ago

Satellite images show Russian forces are getting closer to Kyiv and are firing artillery toward residential areas, Reuters reported.

Maxar Technologies said multiple homes and buildings were on fire and widespread damage and impact craters could be seen throughout the town of Moschun, northwest of Kyiv. Reuters could not independently verify the images.

Maxar said one image showed elements of a Russian artillery battalion actively firing in a southeasterly direction, a bright muzzle flash coming from one of the guns. It said it could not confirm the battalion’s targets, but that the damage observed in Moschun was about 7 km (4.3 miles) southeast of the artillery deployment.

Another image showed long lines of cars carrying people trying to flee Kyiv, and another showed that fires continued to burn at Antonov Airport.

Russian forces bombarded cities across the country on Friday and appeared to be regrouping for a possible assault on Kyiv as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had reached a “strategic turning point” in the conflict.

Maxar Technologies believe this satelite image is of destroyed homes and fires in town of Moschun. Photograph: AP

Moschun Ukraine to Kyiv Ukraine - Google Maps

 

[Angleterre]

When Hitler annexed Austria WWII began, even though there was no shooting because the soon-to-be Allies appeased and rationalized and did nothing.
When Hitler took over the Sudetenland it was the same.
Not until 1939 did the shooting start.
Just my opinion, WWIII has already begun. Putin’s goal is his fantasy of a new Russian/USSR empire. There are only two ways to stop him 1) the Russian people rebel or 2) the West militarily puts a stop to it, a scary thought for sure.


“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Martin Niemoller
Pastor
Nazi Germany

I had never heard of Pastor Martin Niemoller until two weeks ago when my daughter had a weekly History test and
Pastor Niemoller was mentioned as to the action he took and agreements made during Hitlers atrocities and assault under the guise of his ideology to make the world a better place by eradication of certain groups of people. Evil Hitler and his war seems to be repeating history once again only this time it’s Putin !!!!

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 5 hrs ago
Governor: Russia controls 70% of Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai says the entire region is under heavy fire.

NEXTA on Twitter - 4 hrs ago
Zelenskyy: The kidnapping of the mayor of #Melitopol is a war crime against democracy. I assure you that 100% of people in all democratic countries will know about it, and the actions of the #Russian occupiers will be equated with those of ISIS terrorists.

NEXTA on Twitter
The photo shows a crater that was left by the bombing near the village of #Miliach. The village is located in #Ukraine in the #Rivne region 8.5 kilometers from the border with #Belarus, reported http://Zerkalo.io

NEXTA on Twitter - Video
#Ukraine's Enerhoatom claims that Russian soldiers are using the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as a military base. The ministry publishes a video with #Russian military equipment on the site in front of the plant.

NEXTA on Twitter
The #Russian Service of BBC writes that they have information about what is happening in the Mozyr morgue Earlier, Belarusian and #Ukrainian independent media reported that hospitals in southern #Belarus were allegedly overfilled with the bodies of the Russian soldiers. 1/2

NEXTA on Twitter
“The bodies are not even taken to a refrigerator, but to an ordinary room - 5x5 m2, they are stored there for a while, they rot, stink - then bodies are taken away somewhere.” “The soldiers themselves do this everything is guarded only the head of the department has access.” 2/2

NEXTA on Twitter
According to his BBC source, "no one knows how many dead bodies there are, but everyone is horrified by what's happening. Doctors think that somewhere there is a mobile crematorium or they just bury them somewhere".

NEXTA on Twitter
In #Luhansk Region, the #Russian military have already occupied 70% of the territory. Russian TV channels there are beginning to plug in, according to the head of the Luhansk regional administration, Serhiy Gaidai. The soldiers disperse local protesters with shots.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 3 hrs ago
NBU: Banking system remains functional under challenging conditions, no significant outflow of funds. The National Bank of Ukraine reported that despite the war, all systems are operating and obligations are met as it made preparations ahead of the invasion.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 1 hr ago
CNN reports several explosions in Kyiv. Chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward noted “a nonstop volley… of just heavy booms in the distance” overnight on March 12. Heavy fighting continues in the areas outside Kyiv, including in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 4o min ago
WSJ: US hedge funds told to freeze Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich’s assets following sanctions by the U.K. government on March 10. The instructions likely thwart the oligarch’s recent efforts to sell his interests in a series of hedge funds.

 

[Satchie]

This is one lay what led Russia to invade:

West made mistake in promising Ukraine NATO membership: Borrell

This professor called it and blamed the West in 2015 after Russia invaded Crimea:

He explains the situation very clearly. I’m not sure I agree with all he says. But at this point I’m thinking the best bet is if Ukraine agreed not to join NATO/EU with conditions. Maybe Putin will leave.

I question your first link, it appears to have been spread by Tass, the Russian news agency. <modsnip - link to Tass not permitted>

The interview with Borrell was on French TV, in French. Ukraine : "Poutine mérite d’être jugé", déclare sur LCI le chef de la diplomatie européenne, Josep Borrell

There's no indication in the summary of the interview that he talked about 'mistakes'
(I can read French but not willing to listen to an 8 min interview).

But really, why would the head of the EU foreign policy, who is working extemely closely with the US and NATO during this crisis, make wild comments on live TV about past "mistakes", exactly what Putin wants to hear?

JMO

 

[CrimeAway]

I think I may have just found a dying flea in my house. I am currently conducting a de-brief with said flea, about his/her's involvement in any imaginary bio-weapons programs. I will let you know how the interrogation goes.

Reminder to self; call vet for more Bravecto stat. Talk to neighborhood deer about their SHEER RUDENESS of hosting bio-weaponized fleas and ticks in my backyard.

 

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter - 3 hrs ago
Eastern front holds the line Photos by documentary photographer Anatoly Stepanov, who is currently at the eastern front in #Ukraine. Last photo: Wounded Ukrainian soldier Vasily just after a battle in the #Luhansk region. A few days ago he lost his son, also a soldier.

NEXTA on Twitter - Video
One of the #Russian bloggers cries that in two days her Instagram will stop working She does not care at all about the thousands of dead people, including her compatriots. Obviously, her biggest worry right now is that she won't be able to post pictures of food from restaurants.

NEXTA on Twitter
It is reported that the shelling of #Nikolaev continues. Putin's troops are trying to break through to #Odessa.

NEXTA on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Russia begins a hidden mobilization "Now there is what is called hidden mobilization, the entire population, unfortunately, of our temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and annexed Republic of Crimea is being mobilized," said head of Defense Ministry.

Trey Yingst on Twitter
Heaviest shelling I’ve heard from Kyiv since the war started

NEXTA on Twitter - 45 min ago
"Tonight is a very tense night. #Kyiv residents, defense forces and officials are very concerned that we could be on the verge of a major #Russian onslaught," #CNN reporter Matthew Chance reports from #Kyiv.

 

[gitana1]

When Hitler annexed Austria WWII began, even though there was no shooting because the soon-to-be Allies appeased and rationalized and did nothing.
When Hitler took over the Sudetenland it was the same.
Not until 1939 did the shooting start.
Just my opinion, WWIII has already begun. Putin’s goal is his fantasy of a new Russian/USSR empire. There are only two ways to stop him 1) the Russian people rebel or 2) the West militarily puts a stop to it, a scary thought for sure.


“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Martin Niemoller
Pastor
Nazi Germany

Maybe. But maybe it’s not about imperialism. I know it’s long but the YouTube video I posted above gives a different take on the causes of this. And thus the ways to end it. I’m not sure. But it does match what I learned in history class a couple decades ago about the balance of power before each past world war. When the balance between differing factions becomes weighted one direction, or appears to be, it causes aggression.

What that professor said in the video I posted that made some sense is he talked about the Monroe Doctrine and what would happen if China forged an alliance with Canada and Mexico and thus began installing military sites in those nations, what would our response be?

Inviting Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO was that sort of threat to Russia, he says.

Of course there’s a huge difference- Russia isn’t a democracy. But we did nothing when he invaded and took Crimea. We did nothing when he aided the maniac in Syria in order to prevent democracy from spreading there. He invaded Georgia and committed gross human rights against the people there just as he did in Crimea and Syria We did nothing.

So why would the West step in now?

I don’t know. It seems hopeless to me. We are just sitting here watching a nation and it’s people be destroyed.

 

[margarita25]

 

[gitana1]

I question your first link, it appears to have been spread by Tass, the Russian news agency. <modnsip -link to TASS not permitted>

The interview with Borrell was on French TV, in French. Ukraine : "Poutine mérite d’être jugé", déclare sur LCI le chef de la diplomatie européenne, Josep Borrell

There's no indication in the summary of the interview that he talked about 'mistakes'
(I can read French but not willing to listen to an 8 min interview).

But really, why would the head of the EU foreign policy, who is working extemely closely with the US and NATO during this crisis, make wild comments on live TV about past "mistakes", exactly what Putin wants to hear?

JMO

Thank you for vetting that. I certainly don’t want to spread Russian propaganda.

I know it’s long, but could you maybe watch some of the YouTube video I posted? Or respond to the comments I made about it in my last post?

 

[PommyMommy]

I had to snip the heck out of this...so much more at the link. MOO

Ukraine Project | Institute for the Study of War (understandingwar.org)

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 11

[...]

The Kremlin likely seeks to increase its combat power by drawing Belarus into the war and leveraging Syrian proxies, in addition to ongoing efforts to directly replace Russian combat losses through individual conscripts that are unlikely to be well-enough trained or motivated to generate effective new combat power. ...

[...]

Click here to expand the map below.

[...]

1. Russian aircraft likely conducted an attempted false-flag attack on Belarusian territory ... Ukrainian authorities reported at 2:30 pm local time on March 11 that two Russian aircraft had entered Ukrainian airspace before returning to Belarus and launching an airstrike against the Belarusian town of Kopani.[3] Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov additionally stated on March 11 that Ukraine is “fully confident” that Russian aviation is preparing to strike several Belarusian settlements, including Kopani, from Ukrainian airspace to force Belarusian leadership to join Russia’s war in Ukraine.[4] Russian forces have not conducted any additional false-flag attacks as of this publication. The Belarusian Ministry of Defense denied that the strikes occurred.[5] Ukraine's State Centre for Strategic Communications separately stated that “according to preliminary data, Belarusian troops may be drawn into an invasion on March 11 at 21:00 local time [2pm EST]." ...

Belarusian President Lukashenko additionally met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on March 11 to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine.[7] Lukashenko claimed Ukraine would have attacked Belarus if Russia had not launched its preemptive “military operation” and expressed support for the Russian operation.[8] Lukashenko separately claimed that “foreign mercenaries” are moving toward Belarus and intend to draw Belarus into the war so that Belarusian troops “expose the western sector.” ...

2. The Kremlin announced plans to deploy foreign fighters, including up to 16,000 Syrian fighters, to Ukraine. Putin stated Russia will help international “volunteers” who want to defend Donbas travel to Ukraine, framing this effort as a counterbalance to Kremlin claims of “Western mercenaries” fighting for Ukraine.[11] Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed Russia has already received 16,000 applications from the Middle East, primarily from troops that ”helped in the fight against ISIS.” ...

3. Russia continues to rush individual replacements to frontline combat units amid rising casualties, including among hard-to-replace general officers. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on March 11 that Russian units continue to suffer heavy losses and are struggling to deliver supplies to units in combat.[15] Ukrainian forces’ capture of a Russian supply column with ammunition on March 11 supports this assessment.[16] The Ukrainian General Staff stated Russia is transferring reserves across Russia to its combat units and began sourcing conscripts from prisons in Rostov Oblast in exchange for amnesty. ...

Putin reportedly fired several generals and arrested Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence officers in an internal purge. Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov stated on March 9 that the Kremlin has replaced eight generals due to their failures in Ukraine, though ISW cannot independently verify this information.[21] Putin additionally detained several personnel from the FSB’s 5th Service, which is responsible for informing Putin about the political situation in Ukraine. The Federal Protective Service and 9th Directorate of the FSB (its internal security department) reportedly raided the 5th Service and over 20 other locations on March 11. ...

Russian forces are engaged in four primary efforts at this time:

• Main effort—Kyiv (comprised of three subordinate supporting efforts);
• Supporting effort 1—Kharkiv;
  • Supporting effort 1a—Luhansk Oblast;
• Supporting effort 2—Mariupol; and
• Supporting effort 3—Kherson and advances westward.

[...]

 

[Bit of hope]

@Reevellp

Grim development from one of the southern Ukrainian cities under Russian occupation. Ukraine says the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who had insisted the city remained Ukrainian, was kidnapped by Russian forces today- CCTV shows him led away. He has been charged with terrorism

https://twitter.com/Reevellp/status/1502427476194123779?s=20&t=Qs7I2yhvXoDgPTUwnKKXsg

“Burgemeester van Melitopol ontvoerd door Russische soldaten”

According to the prosecutor of the separatist region of Lugansk, the man is being considered for terrorism. Fedorov is accused of “assisting and financing terrorist activities” and “being part of a criminal group” in a message posted on the prosecutor's website. According to the prosecutor, he is a member of the "Right Sector", a nationalist Ukrainian paramilitary group that the Russians say is partly responsible for a genocide against the Russian-speaking inhabitants of the region. According to independent experts, this is not the case.

Ukraine's foreign ministry has accused Russia of committing a war crime by kidnapping Fedorov. “The kidnapping of the mayor is a war crime under the Geneva Convention, which does not allow hostages to be taken in war.”

 

[Satchie]

Thank you for vetting that. I certainly don’t want to spread Russian propaganda.

I know it’s long, but could you maybe watch some of the YouTube video I posted? Or respond to the comments I made about it in my last post?

I listened to the beginning...of course, he's an academic, it's his job to talk about the world in terms of abstract ideas.

My personal reaction is to be fairly offended about his assumptions that nations such as Ukraine, and my country, Canada, are just helpless pawns in the hands of the majors powers such as the US. I think that is a cold war mindset that younger generations don't share.

JMO

 

[margarita25]

In case anyone missed it, first few seconds of clip, imperative/ quote on avoiding WW3

 

[StarryStarryNight]

Maybe. But maybe it’s not about imperialism. I know it’s long but the YouTube video I posted above gives a different take on the causes of this. And thus the ways to end it. I’m not sure. But it does match what I learned in history class a couple decades ago about the balance of power before each past world war. When the balance between differing factions becomes weighted one direction, or appears to be, it causes aggression.

What that professor said in the video I posted that made some sense is he talked about the Monroe Doctrine and what would happen if China forged an alliance with Canada and Mexico and thus began installing military sites in those nations, what would our response be?

Inviting Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO was that sort of threat to Russia, he says.

Of course there’s a huge difference- Russia isn’t a democracy. But we did nothing when he invaded and took Crimea. We did nothing when he aided the maniac in Syria in order to prevent democracy from spreading there. He invaded Georgia and committed gross human rights against the people there just as he did in Crimea and Syria We did nothing.

So why would the West step in now?

I don’t know. It seems hopeless to me. We are just sitting here watching a nation and it’s people be destroyed.

I understand your point, I’m not so sure I agree with the professor. It seems he’s drawn it a little too black and white. I totally agree we have allowed Putin to get away with way too much.
I do think the West has always had a hard time understanding Russia and their obsession with their security. If you look at their open geography and history of being invaded by hoards from east and west over the centuries you kinda get it. We certainly don’t have that problem being secured by large oceans etc.
At some point though, countries need to let their histories be history and move forward. A lot of atrocities have been committed trying to settle old scores from hundreds of years ago.
Russia, in my opinion, is ready to do that, but…they are ruled by a man who is looking backward and not forward. Ukraine poses no threat to Russia except in his head. Unfortunately he’s calling the shots.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Week In Russia: Unprovoked War And 'Unspeakable Suffering' (rferl.org)
Russian forces appeared to make progress from the northeast in their slow fight toward Ukraine’s capital, while tanks and artillery pounded places already under siege with shelling so heavy that residents of one city were unable to bury the growing number of dead.

In past offensives in Syria and Chechnya, Russia’s strategy has been to crush armed resistance with sustained airstrikes and shelling that levels population centers. That kind of assault has cut off the southern port city of Mariupol, and a similar fate could await Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine if the war continues.

[...]

Mariupol’s death toll has passed 1,500 in 12 days of attack, the mayor’s office said. Shelling forced crews to stop digging trenches for mass graves, so the “dead aren’t even being buried,” the mayor said.

[...]

In a multi-front attack on Kyiv, the Russians’ push from the northeast appeared to be advancing, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to give the U.S. assessment of the fight. Combat units were moved up from the rear as the forces closed to less than 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the capital.

New commercial satellite images appeared to capture artillery firing on residential areas between the Russians and the capital. The images from Maxar Technologies showed muzzle flashes and smoke from the big guns, as well as impact craters and burning homes in the town of Moschun, outside Kyiv, the company said.

In a devastated village east of the capital, villagers climbed over toppled walls and flapping metal strips in the remnants of a pool hall, restaurant and theater freshly blown apart by Russian bombs.

[...]

Zelenskyy said authorities were working on establishing 12 humanitarian corridors and trying to ensure food, medicine and other basics get to people across the country. Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed in the invasion, along with many Ukrainian civilians.

[...]

At least until recently, Russians have made the biggest advances on cities in the east and south while struggling in the north and around Kyiv.

Russia said Friday it used high-precision long-range weapons to put military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west “out of action.” The attack on Lutsk killed four Ukrainian servicemen, the mayor said.

Russian airstrikes also targeted for the first time Dnipro, a major industrial hub in the east and Ukraine’s fourth-largest city, with about 1 million people. One person was killed, Ukrainian officials said.

[...]

American defense officials said Russian pilots are averaging 200 sorties a day, compared with five to 10 for Ukrainian forces, which are focusing more on surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and drones to take out Russian aircraft.

The U.S. also said Russia has launched nearly 810 missiles into Ukraine.

[...]

 

[gitana1]

I understand your point, I’m not so sure I agree with the professor. It seems he’s drawn it a little too black and white. I totally agree we have allowed Putin to get away with way too much.
I do think the West has always had a hard time understanding Russia and their obsession with their security. If you look at their open geography and history of being invaded by hoards from east and west over the centuries you kinda get it. We certainly don’t have that problem being secured by large oceans etc.
At some point though, countries need to let their histories be history and move forward. A lot of atrocities have been committed trying to settle old scores from hundreds of years ago.
Russia, in my opinion, is ready to do that, but…they are ruled by a man who is looking backward and not forward. Ukraine poses no threat to Russia except in his head. Unfortunately he’s calling the shots.

I agree that Ukraine poses no threat to Russia. But it may pose a threat to Putin. Why did he aid the Syrian dictator in squelching the revolution there? Because democracies, especially strong ones, show his own people how things could be. Ukraine was doing well and getting better every day- economically, politically. Having that so close to him threatens his own status as ruler.

But putting that aside, I can understand how Russia in general would feel about having NATO military forces installed at yet another border with them. Just like we would feel if Russia or Russian allies amassed military installations in Canada and Mexico along our border.

So instead of allowing that to happen, he’s utterly destroying the nation and its people while the world watches.

I would love to hear how everyone feels about what, if anything, should be done. I just don’t know. I want to know what each person here thinks.

 

[Bit of hope]

1582 doden in Marioepol, evacuatie weer mislukt • VN: niets bekend over biologische wapens in Oekraïne

17 HOURS AGO

Drone from Ukraine flies over NATO territory and crashes in Croatia
A Russian-made military reconnaissance drone has flown over several NATO member states from a Ukrainian war zone without raising the alarm. The unmanned aircraft eventually crashed on the outskirts of the Croatian capital Zagreb. This is reported by the Croatian authorities. No one was injured in the crash.

The drone, flying at an altitude of 1,300 meters, came down minutes after entering Croatian airspace late Thursday night. The Croatian Defense Minister has called it a very serious incident and has announced an investigation. According to him, it is still unclear whether the drone comes from the Ukrainian or Russian army. It is a reconnaissance drone from the Soviet era.

 

[Bit of hope]

TODAY, 05:51

"Russian army approaches Kyiv, explosions also heard"

The Russian army has again moved closer to the Ukrainian capital Kiev, according to the American space technology company Maxar, according to new satellite images. The army would fire artillery fire towards residential areas. Several city blocks and buildings in Mosjoen, a city northwest of Kiev, are on fire, according to Maxar.

CNN reporters heard explosions in or near the capital last night. It is not known whether explosions actually took place, and where exactly they were. A correspondent for the US news channel describes the sound as "a non-stop volley of only heavy thumps in the distance".

The CNN correspondent goes on to say that she sees Ukrainian soldiers "all over the city". "They have defensive positions along all the main roads leading into the city. And they have set up tank traps," she says. "Even if the Russian forces are able to surround the city, it will still be a fierce battle to get to the center."

Air- raid sirens went off again in several cities across the country last night, according to the BBC . That happened in Kiev, but also in Odessa, Kharkov and Lviv, among others:

Satellite images from yesterday showed that the huge Russian convoy that had been stationed near Kiev since last week has split up. Parts of the 60-kilometer convoy are now centered around Kiev, further encircling the capital.

The convoy had previously been stationary for a few days. According to experts, this may be due to logistical problems, such as too little food, a lack of fuel and poor maintenance of the equipment.