Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #5

[CSIDreamer]

In a statement, Poland's foreign ministry said: "The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the president and the government, are ready to deploy - immediately and free of charge - all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States of America.”

There had obviously been talks with the US but whether they come to fruition remains to be seen. Whatever the case, you’d think a bit more discretion would be sensible. I really hope Russia and Ukraine reach an agreement and NATO can stay well away from enemy lines.

Definitely discretion. I'm growing more and more disturbed at what is just "out there" as far as info. Personally, I think the world leaders need to take a deep breath and GET IT TOGETHER. They are playing with fire here. JMO

 

[escape2sc]

Poland announces Migs to Germany and getting used F16s from US 6 hours ago
Pentagon dismisses the idea 2 hours ago.

This is theater - poorly executed . Does it make sense that it took the Pentagon 4 hours to dismiss Poland's claims ? Blinken was just in Poland 3 days ago, I am sure the planes were discussed. If Poland's statement was factual and the Pentagons statement was factual than our world leaders are far too similar to used car salesman for comfort. I do not believe a miscommunication on such a grand and public scale is possible.

It is in the best interest of Poland and NATO for Ukraine to remain an independent country rather than Russia conquer Ukraine and place Russian troops and nuclear missiles on Poland's border.

I do not believe Poland is going to throw the US under the bus on a whim. The US has around 5,000 troops permanently stationed in Poland with US aircraft. NATO countries are already supplying Ukraine with missiles and ammunitions - as far as Putin is concerned NATO is already in the war.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 8, 2022

Russian Ministries, Agencies Hacked In Apparent Anti-War Protest (rferl.org)
Late on March 8, the websites of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service, Culture Ministry, Ministry of Energy, and the State Statistics Agency carried an image with a small Ukrainian flag in the corner depicting a sole individual stopping a tank juxtaposed with an image with a small Russian flag of a group of protesters running from a police officer with a truncheon.

Between the two images was one word -- "Why?"

Voices Of Women In Wartime: 'How Can The Heart Bear It?' (rferl.org)
RFE/RL's reporters have gathered the voices of some of the women whose lives have been upended by the war, letting them tell their stories in their own words.

Poland Ready To Hand Over All MiG-29 Warplanes To U.S. In Germany (rferl.org)
The Polish government also appealed to other owners of MIG-29 jets to follow suit.

Former Soviet-bloc NATO members Bulgaria and Slovakia also still have Soviet-made fighter jets in their air forces.

Can China Help Bring Russia To The Negotiating Table? (rferl.org)
"We [Europeans] cannot be the mediators, that is clear.... And it cannot be the [United States] either. Who else?" Borrell said during the March 5 interview. "It has to be China, I trust in that."

BBC Announces It Will Resume English Reporting From Russia (rferl.org)
On March 4, the BBC said it had paused its reporting in Russia after the State Duma passed a law there that could impose a jail term of up to 15 years for anyone found to be intentionally spreading "fake" news.

"We have considered the implications of the new legislation alongside the urgent need to report from inside Russia. After careful deliberation we have decided to resume English-language reporting from Russia this evening," the BBC said in a statement.

 

[CSIDreamer]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1501381065851691016?t=zNLEDNpBebYuK2KYh5s8oA&s=19

️International Atomic Energy Agency loses contact with safeguards monitoring systems at Chornobyl.

Systems that monitor nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chornobyl, taken over by Russian forces, have stopped transmitting data, the IAEA said on March 8.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 6 hours ago
️ Russia destroys 61 Ukrainian hospitals.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko says the Russian military has damaged buildings and medical equipment.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 4 hours ago
️ CIA Director: Putin is not crazy.
However, Putin’s increasing isolation and insulation from conflicting views make him “extremely difficult to deal with,” said William Burns.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
️ Fitch downgrades Russian credit rating to imminent default.
“The ‘C’ rating reflects Fitch’s view that a sovereign default is imminent,” the credit agency said in a statement.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 3 hours ago
️ Hungary doesn't support ban on Russian energy.
The extension of the sanctions to the Russian energy sector would represent a “disproportionately large burden” for Hungary, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 17 minutes ago
️Air raid sirens in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and in Vasylkiv.
Residents are asked to go to the nearest shelter.

 

[Simply Southern]

No way… the US has like 1.3 million active duty personnel (plus roughly 800,000 reservists) spread out across the US and 800+ foreign bases and 10,000+ military aircraft. That’s not to say we are prepared for nuclear war. I’m not sure anyone could ever be prepared for that. But… I have to believe the US would never deploy the majority of our armed forces/military resources elsewhere and leave us sitting ducks.

I feel reassured. I didn't really know how many personnel.

I'm east/southern coast US., we have many bases. I see many articles for large number of troops and entire divisions, deployed. Many of our reserve medical personnel have been called up over the past month. My daughter was on the NC shore this weekend. Large number military cargo planes taking off, locals were solemn.
Moo...

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Definitely discretion. I'm growing more and more disturbed at what is just "out there" as far as info. Personally, I think the world leaders need to take a deep breath and GET IT TOGETHER. They are playing with fire here. JMO

We have to hope there’s a helluva lot more strategic stuff going on that we DON’T know about!

I’ve missed a couple of days of the BBC daily summaries, so here’s todays plus a link for them all.

Ukraine conflict: Your guide to understanding day 13

https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=Understanding+Ukraine&page=1

In other news, some of the lorries I helped pack boxes for have safely arrived in Przemyśl, Poland. I imagine they are overwhelmed with donations from all over the world.

Three trucks full of vital supplies arrive at Ukraine border following huge Yorkshire collection

 

[LadyL]

Thanks for that. So it appears Youtube may be the best way to go as far as trying to reach Russian citizens. I think they need to be reached. It will be too late for Ukraine, probably. But it may cause consequences for that disgusting war criminal.

I’m sure many of us wake up worried about Ukraine every morning. Wondering what horror happened over night.

I’m not hearing any commentator/pundit, anyone from anywhere who says that criminal is going to stop until Ukraine is destroyed.

Someone I listened to on the radio (I believe ex-US intelligence who spoke to Russian intelligence) stated that the policy of Russia is governed by the idea that if your neighbor’s house is better than yours, instead of building up your own, burn the neighbor’s down.

also, hacktivists have been trying to get the truth to the Russian citizens

Anonymous claims it hacked into Russian TV channels

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war: US rejects Polish plan to offer jets to Ukraine; Russia accused of breaking Mariupol ceasefire – live | World news | The Guardian
9m ago 22:02

Ukrainian authorities are reporting thousands of people have taken the opportunity to flee the city of Sumy after a humanitarian corridor was established.

Deputy chief of Staff Kyrylovska Tymoshenko said some 5000 people have been evacuated from Sumy and 1000 cars were able to leave the city.

Those evacuated were mostly women, children and residents of other countries, with a brief video posted to Telegram showing people leaving under the cover of darkness.

[...]

Zelenskiy also alleged Russian forces had fired on civilians attempting to flee.

[...]

 

[CSIDreamer]

Hey, look! Little bit of good news!

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1501388017461870592?t=h5RsBZD_FO14clJOuxWWeQ&s=19

️5,000 people successfully evacuated from Sumy to Poltava Oblast on March 8, according to Dmytro Lunin, who heads the Poltava Oblast Military Administration.

Those evacuated were mostly women and children, as well as citizens of Turkey.

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war: US rejects Polish plan to offer jets to Ukraine; Russia accused of breaking Mariupol ceasefire – live | World news | The Guardian
34m ago 21:42

The US Government may have opposed a Polish plan to ship jet fighters to Ukraine but it will be sending two Patriot anti-missile batteries stationed in Europe to Poland.

State Department Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that as a Nato-member, the move would help secure Poland’s airspace owing to its adjacency to the conflict.

“The main issue is to evaluate what Poland’s immediate needs are in the context of being a neighbor of this conflict,” Nuland said.

 

[gitana1]

The United States is good at finding ISIS leaders and Bin Laden and
neutralizing them, why cant they do the same with Putin the horrible
and his henchmen, before that monster destroys the world with his evil
obsession with Ukraine?

A ruler of a huge, developed nation like Russia is vastly different than some bum in a tent or hiding in a poor country. Putin is well guarded. If he’s taken out it will have to come from inside.

 

[gitana1]

This is so true, we all want to help Ukraine and we have helped a lot!!! Our hearts break for the people, suffering, lives lost.

Are we prepared for nuclear war. Most of the US Military, troops, aircraft and ships are in Europe. I'm really starting to worry.

Moo...

I feel sick. Every damn day. Just horrified for the Ukranian people. They’ve overcome much of the corruption of their past government and they’re so incredibly brave and tough. It sickens me.

And yeah, I’m worried for the world.

Putin isn’t going to back down, IMO and if he gets further backed into a corner he can do anything.

 

[gitana1]

also, hacktivists have been trying to get the truth to the Russian citizens

Anonymous claims it hacked into Russian TV channels

I saw some of that!! I love it. There’s got to be much more of that.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/08/ukraine-russia-irpin-war/

Putin is evil. What he has done to Ukraine is nothing short of criminal and a war crime.

Zelensky vowes to fight to the end. I get it. He is literally fighting for his country, democracy and freedom for his people.

But what will be left? Is there a point that the people there just want it to stop?
To give in to Putin?

I totally think Putin will never stop at Ukraine. Give him that and he will only take more. That is the big picture.
But..
I guess I just wonder if the average Ukrainian citizen that has lost or is loosing everything feels this way?

 

[Simply Southern]

There have been some things I have noticed of late, but I won't mention them here. I believe that the United States Air Force, and military has upped their readiness for a lot of things. I bet anyone who lives in a base town has noticed something.

Several bases run training missions in SW Virginia. They run, low, fast, shake the ground and boom. They roll and tumble, do bank turns close enough to see the pilot and wave, barely whiz over church steeples. They can be show offs at times. They run the valleys, lake and shoot up to the BRP and back around. It's several times a week. I've not seen or heard a jet in the last 6 weeks. I miss our pilots and pray for our troops daily. Moo..

 

[CoverMeCagney]

This is fascinating!! Nuclear button systems for the UK and USA explained. I wonder what Russia’s protocols look like.

COMMENT: Does Britain Really Have A 'Big, Red Nuclear Button'?

 

[Simply Southern]

I feel sick. Every damn day. Just horrified for the Ukranian people. They’ve overcome much of the corruption of their past government and they’re so incredibly brave and tough. It sickens me.

And yeah, I’m worried for the world.

Putin isn’t going to back down, IMO and if he gets further backed into a corner he can do anything.

The same, everyday.

I live a 4 hour drive to the White House, about hour and 15 minutes, as the crow flies. I'm really worried. We have no where to hide. The east coast is loaded with basses. The damage would be massive to our citizens and military.

Moo...

 

[cujenn81]

I would like to highly recommend the podcast called Pod Save the World.

“Pod Save America” cohost Tommy Vietor thought foreign policy was boring and complicated until he got the education of a lifetime working for President Obama’s National Security Council. On “Pod Save the World,” he and former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes break down the latest developments and bring you behind the scenes with the people who were there.

The last few episodes have been really insightful:

On Friday, they interviewed a 29-year-old mother of two on the ground in Odessa, Ukraine, as the city is preparing for an attack, and from Buzzfeed’s Christopher Miller who is reporting from the ground in Kyiv.

Last Wednesday they interview a 29-year-old Ukrainian refugee about her three-day journey from Ukraine to Istanbul and how she made the decision to flee.

On February 25, the hosts are joined by Ukrainian investigative reporter Tanya Kozyreva from Kyiv as it is under siege. During the interview, Tanya describes the dire situation in Kyiv, the Ukrainian peoples’ commitment to resist, and has to seek shelter after hearing explosions. They are also joined again by Max Seddon, Bureau Chief of the Financial Times in Moscow who shares how Russians feel about the invasion, and if sanctions could actually cause President Putin to stand down.

 

[sds71]

“The Capitals also stand in full support of our Russian players and their families overseas. We realize they are being put in a difficult situation and stand by to offer our assistance to them and their families," it added.

Washington Capitals release statement regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine