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Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #9
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Lengthy article. Snippets don't do it justice.
JAN 18, 2023
www.wsj.com
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed papers to award Mr. Kiryeyev a posthumous medal for “exceptional duty in defense of state sovereignty and state security.”
[...]
The Feb. 24 invasion tested Russia’s investment and Ukraine’s resistance. Mr. Kiryeyev, who had a foot in both countries, was caught in the middle.
This article was based on financial and intelligence documents and interviews with U.S. and Ukrainian government officials, current and former members of Ukrainian security agencies, as well as Mr. Kiryeyev’s family, friends, bodyguards and business associates.
[...]
During Mr. Yanukovych’s presidency, Andriy Klyuyev served as secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defense council, as well as first deputy prime minister. ...
[...]
As Russia began amassing troops on the Ukraine border in the spring of 2021, Gen. Budanov said he summoned Mr. Kiryeyev to Ukraine’s military intelligence headquarters, a compound known as The Island and located on a peninsula along Kyiv’s Dnipro River.
Gen. Budanov appealed to Mr. Kiryeyev’s patriotism, he said, and asked him to use his financial and security contacts to try to infiltrate Russia’s military intelligence. “He had the necessary circle of acquaintances. Financial transactions were carried out through him,” the general said. “That’s why he had communication with everyone, including very influential people.”
[...]
In fall 2021, as U.S. military and spy agencies began warning of the Russian threat, Mr. Kiryeyev learned from his sources that Moscow was readying to invade, Gen. Budanov said, and became the first to sound the alarm in Ukraine.
[...]
Five days later, on the afternoon of Feb. 23, Mr. Kiryeyev handed Gen. Budanov fresh intelligence: Russian President Vladimir Putin had just given orders to invade in the early morning.
Mr. Kiryeyev also knew the main point of attack, Gen. Budanov said.
At 8 a.m. on Feb. 24, low-flying sorties of Russian attack helicopters landed troops at Antonov Airport, several miles north of Kyiv. The Kremlin had planned to commandeer the airport to fly in troops and equipment for an assault on the capital.
Mr. Kiryeyev’s tip gave Ukraine a precious few hours to shift troops to counter the Russian assault, Gen. Budanov said. After a fierce battle with the Russians, the airport was damaged beyond use by the invading forces.
[...]
JAN 18, 2023
Russian Spy or Ukrainian Hero? The Strange Death of Denys Kiryeyev
Hours before Russia sent troops into Ukraine last February, Mr. Kiryeyev warned of Moscow’s plan to capture Kyiv. Days later, he was killed by security agents. “If it were not for Mr. Kiryeyev, most likely Kyiv would have been taken.”www.wsj.com
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed papers to award Mr. Kiryeyev a posthumous medal for “exceptional duty in defense of state sovereignty and state security.”
[...]
The Feb. 24 invasion tested Russia’s investment and Ukraine’s resistance. Mr. Kiryeyev, who had a foot in both countries, was caught in the middle.
This article was based on financial and intelligence documents and interviews with U.S. and Ukrainian government officials, current and former members of Ukrainian security agencies, as well as Mr. Kiryeyev’s family, friends, bodyguards and business associates.
[...]
During Mr. Yanukovych’s presidency, Andriy Klyuyev served as secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defense council, as well as first deputy prime minister. ...
[...]
As Russia began amassing troops on the Ukraine border in the spring of 2021, Gen. Budanov said he summoned Mr. Kiryeyev to Ukraine’s military intelligence headquarters, a compound known as The Island and located on a peninsula along Kyiv’s Dnipro River.
Gen. Budanov appealed to Mr. Kiryeyev’s patriotism, he said, and asked him to use his financial and security contacts to try to infiltrate Russia’s military intelligence. “He had the necessary circle of acquaintances. Financial transactions were carried out through him,” the general said. “That’s why he had communication with everyone, including very influential people.”
[...]
In fall 2021, as U.S. military and spy agencies began warning of the Russian threat, Mr. Kiryeyev learned from his sources that Moscow was readying to invade, Gen. Budanov said, and became the first to sound the alarm in Ukraine.
[...]
Five days later, on the afternoon of Feb. 23, Mr. Kiryeyev handed Gen. Budanov fresh intelligence: Russian President Vladimir Putin had just given orders to invade in the early morning.
Mr. Kiryeyev also knew the main point of attack, Gen. Budanov said.
At 8 a.m. on Feb. 24, low-flying sorties of Russian attack helicopters landed troops at Antonov Airport, several miles north of Kyiv. The Kremlin had planned to commandeer the airport to fly in troops and equipment for an assault on the capital.
Mr. Kiryeyev’s tip gave Ukraine a precious few hours to shift troops to counter the Russian assault, Gen. Budanov said. After a fierce battle with the Russians, the airport was damaged beyond use by the invading forces.
[...]
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In '20 Days in Mariupol' doc, the horrors of war illuminated
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Associated Press video journalist Mstyslav Chernov had just broken out of Mariupol after covering the first 20 days of the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian city and was feeling guilty about leaving.
apnews.com
The day after, a theater with hundreds of people sheltering inside was bombed and he knew no one was there to document it. That’s when Chernov decided he wanted to do something bigger. He’d filmed some 30 hours of footage over his days in Mariupol. But poor and sometimes no internet connections made it extremely difficult to export anything. All told, he estimates only about 40 minutes of that successfully made it out to the world.
“Those shots which went out were very important. They went on the AP and then to thousands of news outlets,” Chernov said. “However, I had much more. ... I thought I should do something more. I should do something more with that 30 hours of footage to tell a bigger story and more context to show the audience of the scale.”
Chernov decided then that he wanted to make a documentary. That film, “20 Days in Mariupol,” a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” premiered Friday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where it is playing in competition.
[...]
Ukrainian Street Market Provides Lifeline For Frontline Residents
People living in Bakhmut, perhaps the most bitterly contested town in Ukraine, travel 12 kilometers west to Chasiv Yar to stock up on necessities or draw their pensions.
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JAN 24, 2023
Ukraine corruption scandal claims several top officials
Several senior Ukrainian government officials have lost their jobs as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces a burgeoning corruption scandal.
apnews.com
Tymoshenko asked to be relieved of his duties, according to an online copy of a decree signed by Zelenskyy and Tymoshenko’s own social media posts. Neither cited a reason for the resignation.
Deputy Defense Minister Viacheslav Shapovalov also resigned, local media reported, alleging his departure was linked to a scandal involving the purchase of food for Ukraine’s armed forces. Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko also quit.
In all, four deputy ministers and five regional governors were set to leave their posts, the country’s cabinet secretary said on the Telegram messaging app.
Authorities did not announce any criminal charges against the outgoing officials. There was no immediate explanation.
[...]
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JAN 24, 2023
apnews.com
On Sunday, a deputy infrastructure minister, Vasyl Lozynsky, was fired for alleged participation in a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency detained him while he was receiving a $400,000 bribe for helping to fix contracts for restoring facilities battered by Russian missile strikes, according to Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. He was put under house arrest, told to surrender his passport, ordered to wear a monitoring device, and told not to communicate with witnesses.
In a video address Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, “Any internal problems that hinder the state are being cleaned up and will be cleaned up. It is fair, it is necessary for our defense, and it helps our rapprochement with European institutions.”
JAN 25, 2023
apnews.com
In what would be a reversal, the Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Tuesday, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians begins to erode. A decision to send a bit more than 30 tanks could be announced as soon as Wednesday, though it could take months for the tanks to be delivered.
U.S. officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.
apnews.com
After weeks of hesitation that created impatience among Germany’s allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Wednesday that his government would provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 battle tanks and approve requests by other countries to do the same.
The German government said it would initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, or 14 vehicles. The goal is for Germany and its allies to provide Ukraine with 88 of the German-made Leopards, which comprise two battalions.
“This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international partners,” Scholz said in an address to German lawmakers.
apnews.com
Moscow has portrayed the battle for Soledar, which lies near the city of Bakhmut, as key to capturing the entire Donbas.
The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.
Ukraine’s military, which has held out in Soledar against a monthslong onslaught of superior Russian forces, has said its fierce defense of the eastern stronghold helped tie up Russian forces.
Russia claimed almost two weeks ago that it had taken Soledar, but Ukraine denied it.
Many of Russia’s troops around Soledar belong to the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and the fighting reportedly has been bloody.
Ukraine corruption scandal claims several top officials
Several senior Ukrainian government officials have lost their jobs as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces a burgeoning corruption scandal.
apnews.com
In a video address Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, “Any internal problems that hinder the state are being cleaned up and will be cleaned up. It is fair, it is necessary for our defense, and it helps our rapprochement with European institutions.”
JAN 25, 2023
In reversal, US poised to approve Abrams tanks for Ukraine
Officials say the U.S. is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront against the Russians appeared to begin eroding.
apnews.com
U.S. officials said details are still being worked out. One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.
US, Germany to send advanced tanks to aid Ukraine war effort
Germany and the United States have announced that they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine. It's the first stage of a coordinated effort by the West to provide dozens of the heavy weapons to help Kyiv break combat stalemates as Russia’s invasion enters its 12th month.
apnews.com
The German government said it would initially provide Ukraine with one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks, or 14 vehicles. The goal is for Germany and its allies to provide Ukraine with 88 of the German-made Leopards, which comprise two battalions.
“This is the result of intensive consultations, once again, with our allies and international partners,” Scholz said in an address to German lawmakers.
Ukraine forces pull back from Donbas town after onslaught
Ukrainian forces say they have conducted an organized retreat from a town in the eastern region of the Donbas, handing the Kremlin’s forces a rare but modest battlefield triumph after a series of setbacks in the invasion that began almost 11 months ago.
apnews.com
The accomplishment takes the Russian forces a step closer to Bakhmut, but military analysts say capturing Soledar is more symbolic than strategic.
Ukraine’s military, which has held out in Soledar against a monthslong onslaught of superior Russian forces, has said its fierce defense of the eastern stronghold helped tie up Russian forces.
Russia claimed almost two weeks ago that it had taken Soledar, but Ukraine denied it.
Many of Russia’s troops around Soledar belong to the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and the fighting reportedly has been bloody.
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Someone needs to test those air defense systems. JMOJAN 19, 2023
Scholz has been wary of pressure, insisting that Germany wouldn’t go it alone and pointing to a need to ensure that NATO doesn’t become a party to the war with Russia, though every time so far Berlin has eventually moved ahead. He portrays his cautious weighing of each step as a virtue.
Germany pressed on tanks for Ukraine; Kyiv airs frustration
Germany faces mounting pressure to supply battle tanks to Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is airing frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry as Western allies confer on how best to support Ukraine nearly 11 months into Russia’s invasion.
In Davos Wednesday, Scholz avoided directly answering a question about Leopards, saying Germany will remain one of Ukraine’s top weapons suppliers and that “we are never doing something just by ourselves, but together with others — especially the United States.”
German officials have conveyed their hesitancy to allow allies to give Leopards unless the U.S. also sends Ukraine the Abrams, according to a U.S. official who wasn’t authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The package, valued at $2.5 billion, does not include tanks, which has become a point of contention as Germany has indicated it will not send its own Leopard tanks to Ukraine unless the U.S. sends the Abrams. The U.S. has said that the Abrams tank, which is propelled by a complex turbine engine similar to an aircraft jet engine, would not be a good fit for the current fight because of its frequent maintenance and fueling needs.
$2.5 billion aid sends Strykers, but no tanks, to Ukraine
The Pentagon says the U.S. will send 90 Stryker combat vehicles and an additional 59 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in addition to hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The ammunition included in the package will replenish the U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket artillery systems, the NASAMS air defense systems, the Bradleys’ 25 mm cannon and hundreds of tow missiles for the Bradleys’ anti-tank weaponry. The package also includes eight additional Avenger air defense systems, 350 Humvees, 53 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPS, thousands of anti-armor rockets and an additional 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
JAN 20, 2023
Residents of eastern Bosnia’s city of Gorazde do not need imaginations to understand the suffering of Ukraine’s people. Three decades ago, they endured more than three years of extreme hardship as Bosnian Serbs pummeled their city with rockets and artillery from the surrounding hills.
Bosnian war survivors share survival tips with Ukraine
GORAZDE, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Residents of eastern Bosnia's city of Gorazde do not need imaginations to understand the suffering of Ukraine's people.
The long siege during Bosnia’s 1992-95 interethnic war cut off Gorazde from access to electricity, food, medicine and the outside world. The people there found creative ways to keep lights on and heating working, survival tips they now are sharing with civilians plunged into darkness and cold by Russia’s relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.
Social media posts on Friday said air-defense systems have been installed in several spots in Moscow, including atop the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters.
Social media report anti-aircraft systems placed in Moscow
Social media posts on Friday said air-defense systems have been installed in several spots in Moscow, including atop the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters.
Russian officials have not commented on the reports of weaponry resembling a Pantsir-S1 mobile anti-aircraft system spotted on the roofs of a building in central Moscow about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) east of the Kremlin and of the Defense Ministry, which looms along the Moscow River across from Gorky Park.
Reports earlier in the week said S-400 mobile surface-to-air missile units were seen near the sprawling Losiny Ostrov forest park on Moscow’s northern border and at an agricultural institute in the capital.
Wondering if day after pills are made available to the raped females?
ETA, YES!
April 2022
''Charities are working to deliver emergency contraception into Ukrainian hospitals as reports of rape rise.
Nearly 3,000 packets of morning-after pills have been sent to areas of the country most affected by the Russian invasion.''
Jan 25 2023 rbbm.
www.thestar.com
''Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence.
''IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine—Early in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two Russian soldiers entered a home near Kyiv, raped a 22-year-old woman several times, sexually assaulted her husband and forced the couple to have intercourse in their presence, according to a United Nations report. One of the soldiers then forced their young daughter to perform a sex act.
This is one of the stories of rape that has emerged from Ukraine as Russian-occupied towns have been liberated and investigations have begun. Though sexual assault is a war crime, many of these investigations indicate deliberate Russian use of rape as a military tactic to express power and undermine Ukrainian morale. Tragically, it may be much more common than has been reported.''
“Humankind does not know how to cope with this trauma,” said Susanna Anhelova, a senior trauma therapist for female survivors of Russian violence in Ukraine. “We do not have words in our language to describe this.”
''Fear of reprisals from their Russian aggressors also deters survivors from reporting sexual violence or seeking help. Just before the Star’s interviews of released Russian prisoners of war, one observer heard the former PoWs agreeing not to share stories of rape and torture. They feared their comrades still in prison might be punished for their disclosures.''
ETA, YES!
Ukraine war: Volunteers deliver emergency contraception pills
Nearly 3,000 packets of morning-after pills have been sent to the country as rape reports rise.
www.bbc.com
''Charities are working to deliver emergency contraception into Ukrainian hospitals as reports of rape rise.
Nearly 3,000 packets of morning-after pills have been sent to areas of the country most affected by the Russian invasion.''
Jan 25 2023 rbbm.
‘It is clearly a strategy’: The truth is emerging about Russia’s use of rape in the war on Ukraine
The UN has documented about 100 cases of rape, mostly of women and children, during the invasion. But it says that is a fraction of the incidents.
''IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Ukraine—Early in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two Russian soldiers entered a home near Kyiv, raped a 22-year-old woman several times, sexually assaulted her husband and forced the couple to have intercourse in their presence, according to a United Nations report. One of the soldiers then forced their young daughter to perform a sex act.
This is one of the stories of rape that has emerged from Ukraine as Russian-occupied towns have been liberated and investigations have begun. Though sexual assault is a war crime, many of these investigations indicate deliberate Russian use of rape as a military tactic to express power and undermine Ukrainian morale. Tragically, it may be much more common than has been reported.''
“Humankind does not know how to cope with this trauma,” said Susanna Anhelova, a senior trauma therapist for female survivors of Russian violence in Ukraine. “We do not have words in our language to describe this.”
''Fear of reprisals from their Russian aggressors also deters survivors from reporting sexual violence or seeking help. Just before the Star’s interviews of released Russian prisoners of war, one observer heard the former PoWs agreeing not to share stories of rape and torture. They feared their comrades still in prison might be punished for their disclosures.''
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Have mercy on us. I am an old Frenchwoman and I know how horrible war in Europe can be. My parents and grandparents suffered a lot. Stop the war: leave it to the Ukrainians and the Russians. That’s their problem. Please.
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New barrage of Russian strikes in Ukraine kills at least 11
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more missiles and self-exploding drones at nearly a dozen Ukrainian provinces early Thursday, causing the first war-related death in Kyiv this year and killing at least 11 people overall, according to Ukrainian authorities.
apnews.com
Self-exploding drones swept in overnight before the missile strikes. As air raid sirens echoed across the country, civilians, some tugging pet dogs on leashes, poured into subway stations, underground parking lots and basements to seek shelter.
It was the first such barrage of Russian firepower across the country since Jan. 14.
Russia has carried out massive strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities since early October, part of a strategy to try to hamper Ukrainian forces and to keep civilians in the cold and dark this winter before what many experts predict could be a springtime offensive as more conscripts reach the battlefields.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko acknowledged that some sites were hit, resulting in emergency power outages.
In Kyiv’s southern Holosiivsky district, Arkadii Kuritsyn, 53, said he heard a loud explosion that blew out windows of several trucks parked next to his scrap metal business and snapped several trees in a nearby wooded area in half.
But the strikes did not reach what appeared to be the intended target: a nearby district power plant. The industrial area has witnessed several missile attacks already, due to its proximity to the power station, said Andrii Tarasenko, 36, who works in a factory nearby.
“I am not surprised it was targeted again,” he said. “We’ve gotten used to it.”
[...]
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Ukrainians Say Fighting 'Intense' In Bakhmut As Russia Masses Artillery
As Ukrainian artillery pounds Russian positions, a military doctor said work in his field hospital is increasingly intense and a drone unit reported that Russia was massing further columns of artillery. Current Time correspondent Andriy Kozukov reports from the front line.
Save Son Or Patient? A Ukrainian Medic's Agonizing Choice
When a Russian air strike destroyed an apartment block in Dnipro on January 14, pediatric anesthesiologist Nadia Yaroshenko was momentarily faced with an agonizing choice: try to save her trapped 12-year-old son or stay with a child on the operating table.
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