Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #4

[JerseyGirl]

Russia-Ukraine war latest: UK sets out international ‘plan of action’ for crisis; Ukraine calls for more Nato help in meeting with US – live

Boris Johnson will seek to rally the international community to make a “renewed and concerted effort” to end Moscow’s devastating war, and launch a six-point plan of action that he will detail tomorrow (Sunday), the Agence France-Presse reported.

“In the days since Russia invaded Ukraine we have seen an unprecedented wave of international condemnation from across the globe,” Downing Street said.

“Nations across the globe have imposed the largest ever package of sanctions against a major economy.”

“Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression,” Johnson is to say.

Reuters adds:

Johnson also called for diplomatic paths for de-escalation with the full involvement of Ukraine’s government, stronger security in the European-Atlantic area, and an end to the “creeping normalisation” of Russian activities in Ukraine.

After meeting the prime ministers of Canada and the Netherlands on Monday, Johnson is due to host leaders from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - countries experiencing an influx of refugees caused by the invasion - on Tuesday.

Britain is planning to move more quickly to sanction Russian businessmen through new legal measures which will be sent to parliament on Monday.

 

[PommyMommy]

Lara Jakes on Twitter
Today at the UKR border: “We walked to the border, I don’t know how many hours,” said one 12-year-old girl, Venera Ahmadi, whose family left Kyiv after “we heard bombs” and were staying at a nearby refugee reception center in Korczowa. via @NYTimes
Blinken Arrives in Poland to Gauge Additional US Aid for Ukraine - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Lara Jakes on Twitter
From the story: The sounds of crying babies and truck engines punctuated an otherwise stunned silence among most of the arriving refugees, who shivered as they were led in small groups by border guards to a processing center just inside Poland. 2/

Lara Jakes on Twitter: "More
More: Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau estimated that as many as 1 million refugees from Ukraine would have fled to Poland alone by the end of this weekend. As of Saturday afternoon, that number stood at 700,000 and many of whom fled via the Korczowa-Krakovets crossing.

Lara Jakes on Twitter: "Kuleba
Kuleba: “Ukraine will win this war. The question is the price of our victory. And if our partners continue to take bold, systemic decisions to step up economic and political pressure on Russia, if they continue to provide us with necessary weapons, the price will be lower.” 4/

 

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: Officials: Russian forces intensify shelling | AP News - 10 minutes ago

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine — Russia has dropped powerful bombs on residential areas of the city of Chernihiv, a regional official said Saturday.

Vyacheslav Chaus posted a photo of what he said was an undetonated FAB-500, a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) air-dropped bomb.

“Usually this weapon is used against military-industrial facilities and fortified structures,” said Chaus, head of the same-named region of Chernihiv. “But in Chernihiv, against residential areas.”

[...]

 

[Herat]

I wonder if we are going to see Aeroflot or NorWind crews and cabin staff will defect this weekend as few last few flights to Cancun, Mexico City, Dehli, Dubai, Isanbul, UAR, Bangkok, Phuket, etc pull in for their last flights to more or less free countries

 

[PommyMommy]

FAB-500 - Wikipedia
The FAB-500 is a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead, primarily used by the Russian Air Force, former Soviet republics and customer countries. The original M-54 model was rolled out in 1954, shaped for internal carriage by heavy bombers, a low-drag M-62 version in 1962 was intended for fighter bomber external hardpoint carriage.[2][3] The bomb is unguided, features a single nose fuse, and is compatible with most models of Soviet aircraft.[4] The FAB-500 was largely employed over Afghanistan by Soviet and allied Afghan forces during the 1980s and saw use during the Syrian civil war where it was carried by both Russian and Syrian warplanes.[5][6][7] The M62 variant of the FAB-500 is used by present-day Russian military forces and has seen use in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]

Photo Credit: By Vitaly V. Kuzmin - Military-patriotic park Patriot - New photos part 3 - Vitaly Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0, File:FAB-500 M62 aerial bomb in Park Patriot 01.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

 

[JerseyGirl]

Canada tells its citizens in Russia to leave while they can

Canada told its citizens on today to leave Russia “while commercial means are still available,” saying security conditions were unpredictable and could deteriorate without notice.

“Flight availability is becoming extremely limited ... The ability of our embassy to provide consular services in Russia may become severely limited,” Canada’s foreign ministry said in a travel advisory.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will be heading to eastern Europe next week.

 

[Arkay]

I wonder if we are going to see Aeroflot or NorWind crews and cabin staff will defect this weekend as few last few flights to Cancun, Mexico City, Dehli, Dubai, Isanbul, UAR, Bangkok, Phuket, etc pull in for their last flights to more or less free countries

IMO that may depend on if they have families that they'd have to leave behind in Ukraine.
Also, Turkey's ruler has been erratic and tyrannical at times, although he seems to be on the side of Ukraine right now. But if I were defecting, I'd go to the west, so for me out of your choices, it would be Mexico.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Yesterday and today:

Ukraine conflict: Your guide to understanding day nine

Ukraine conflict: Your guide to understanding day 10

 

[worldwatcher]

Canada tells its citizens in Russia to leave while they can

Canada told its citizens on today to leave Russia “while commercial means are still available,” saying security conditions were unpredictable and could deteriorate without notice.

“Flight availability is becoming extremely limited ... The ability of our embassy to provide consular services in Russia may become severely limited,” Canada’s foreign ministry said in a travel advisory.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will be heading to eastern Europe next week.

That sounds like Russia will be invaded soon.

Dutch minister of defence:
Ollongren: 'Expect NATO to call on our troops within days'

Her predecessors already called for more money to go to Defence, but Minister Kajsa Ollongren may well go down in the history books as the prime minister since Relus ter Beek (1992) who achieved the NATO standard. “Ukraine is a game changer."

DPG Media Privacy Gate

 

[Herat]

IMO that may depend on if they have families that they'd have to leave behind in Ukraine.
Also, Turkey's ruler has been erratic and tyrannical at times, although he seems to be on the side of Ukraine right now. But if I were defecting, I'd go to the west, so for me out of your choices, it would be Mexico.

Yes, that's exactly what they are doing.

More Russians, Ukrainians seek asylum at U.S.-Mexico border

 

[LadyL]

Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war

 

[LadyL]

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia

‘Rest in peace, dear comrade’ — on Russian TV, analyst toasts to the end of the country’s stock market

Young Ukrainian volunteer killed delivering aid to dog shelter near Kyiv: ‘She was a hero

In a city north of nuclear site attacked by Russians, youth have mobilized to defend Ukraine

 

[dotr]

3 hours ago
David E. Sanger and Anton Troianovski
(1) Ukraine-Russia Live: Putin Threatens to Strip Ukraine of Statehood - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
U.S. intelligence weighs Putin’s two years of extreme pandemic isolation as a factor in his wartime mind-set.
''The White House effort to design a strategy to confront Russia over its invasion of Ukraine is linked to an urgent re-examination by intelligence agencies of President Vladimir V. Putin’s mental state. The debate is over whether his ambitions and appetite for risk have been altered by two years of Covid isolation, or by a sense that this may be his best moment to rebuild Russia’s sphere of influence and secure his legacy. Or both.

Throughout the pandemic, Mr. Putin has retreated into an intricate cocoon of social distancing — though he allowed life in Russia to essentially return to normal. The Federal Protective Service, Russia’s answer to the Secret Service, built a virus-free bubble around Mr. Putin that far outstrips the protective measures taken by many of his foreign counterparts.''

 

[sds71]

@ZekeJMiller

White House: President Biden called President Zelenskyy of Ukraine this evening. They spoke from 1818 – 1850 EST.

 

[LadyL]

I had to laugh at this one. It's a bit late Ya think?

Canada warns against all travel to Russia: Leave while ‘means are still available’

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 1 hour ago
️100,000 Ukrainians join Territorial Defense Forces.
According to the National Guard of Ukraine, 100,000 Ukrainians have joined the newly established volunteer branch of the Armed Forces since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine.

 

[sunshineray]

Kadyrovites leave psychoneurological hospital seized earlier today

Kadyrovites leave psychoneurological hospital seized earlier today

Sure hope they took their mines with them

 

[Tiff23fr]

Huge move:

BREAKING: Mastercard and Visa suspend all operations in Russia

More: Visa and Mastercard cards account for 74% of payment transactions in Russia - WSJ

https://twitter.com/bnonews/status/1500234200913518599?s=21

https://twitter.com/bnonews/status/1500238754438594564?s=21

Being a citizen of either country is such a horrible situation right now. Putin is destroying Ukraine. He his destroying the people of Russia. I doubt he cares that many have lost life savings, jobs from companies that have pulled out, and if Mastercard and Visa were being considered as an emergency back up plan that is now gone as well. (I support the move by Mastercard and Visa, but have empathy for those that are in need of a lifeline.)

How can the citizens of Russia rise against his reign while being silenced and threatened? Hopefully, there are a few revolutionists working an underground citizen network. JMO

 

[Herat]

That sounds like Russia will be invaded soon.

Dutch minister of defence:
Ollongren: 'Expect NATO to call on our troops within days'

Her predecessors already called for more money to go to Defence, but Minister Kajsa Ollongren may well go down in the history books as the prime minister since Relus ter Beek (1992) who achieved the NATO standard. “Ukraine is a game changer."

DPG Media Privacy Gate

No Russia is not going to be invaded soon.

The issue is that numerous Russian commercial flights out of Russia are going to cease on March 8, less than 3 days from now as Russia has to sequester most all of it's commercial planes inside Russia to prevent them from being seized outside of Russia. A large proportion of their commercial airlines actually least their planes from companies based in Bermuda or Ireland and they don't actually own those planes.

There will be far fewer commercial flights out of Russia after Tuesday, and Canada wants their citizens to be on them, as well as nationals of other non-Russian countries.

Otherwise, they are going to have to stand in line for the few Turkish Air, Emirates, Air Qatar, and Korean Air flights that will be allowed to fly into and out of Russia.

If I were Canadian in Russia, I'd be working on a one-way ticket on Korean Air to Seoul, and thence on to Canada

 

[SouthAussie]

Being a citizen of either country is such a horrible situation right now. Putin is destroying Ukraine. He his destroying the people of Russia. I doubt he cares that many have lost life savings, jobs from companies that have pulled out, and if Mastercard and Visa were being considered as an emergency back up plan that is now gone as well. (I support the move by Mastercard and Visa, but have empathy for those that are in need of a lifeline.)

How can the citizens of Russia rise against his reign while being silenced and threatened? Hopefully, there are a few revolutionists working an underground citizen network. JMO

It sounds as if the Russian people will be able to use their credit cards within Russia. But they won't be able to use them for transactions outside Russia.


Within days, all transactions initiated with Visa cards issued within Russia will no longer work outside of the country and any Visa cards issued outside of the Russia will no longer work within the country, the company said.
Visa, Mastercard suspend operations in Russia over Ukraine invasion