Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #6

[Arkay]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 8 min ago
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Ukrainian soldiers wounded in battle as they are getting treatment at the military hospital in Kyiv.

@PommyMommy
You do so much to inform us…thank you for all the time you spend on it.

I’m isolating this one that you included because I’m completely in awe.

Zelenskyy and his men, strolling openly through the streets on their way to visit the wounded…I don’t see any protection. Maybe they have bullet-proof vests on, I can’t tell; but no helmets, no guns, no hiding.

Then Zelenskyy giving the wounded that respectful head bow, listening to the soldiers’ stories, giving them medals…looks like he gave one to a nurse or someone, too..I literally have never seen a head of state expose himself this way. Not even in peacetime, much less as the primary target of a powerful tyrant.

I was once stuck on a crosstown bus in Midtown Manhattan on my way to a doctor’s appointment, because Obama was on his way to see a Broadway show. The frozen zone extended for blocks in every direction, for over an hour, before his entourage drove past. And of course this was peacetime, but the Secret Service takes no chances.

This courage is IMO the most remarkable I’ve ever seen from any leader. Imagine Putin going to Ukraine under bombardment, strolling the streets and checking in on his wounded Russian soldiers. A man who sits acres away from his own advisors even though he’s in his extremely secure Kremlin.

Zelenskyy IMO embodies the spirit of his grandfather, who was the only one in his family to survive the Nazi concentration camps.

If he survives I would wish for him to at the least receive a Nobel prize.

 

[dotr]

Live updates: Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine (cnbc.com)
''At least 596 people, including 43 children, have been killed since Russia began its invasion on Ukraine, the United Nations said. An additional 1,067 civilians, including 57 children, were wounded as of midnight on Saturday.

U.N. officials have said they believe actual casualties are “considerably higher,” as reports in some areas are delayed and others are pending confirmation.

Most of the casualties have been caused by the use of explosive weapons that have a “wide impact area,” including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, missiles and airstrikes, the agency said.''

''2 HOURS AGO
A second mayor captured by Russian forces, Ukrainian official says
A second Ukrainian mayor was abducted by Russian forces on Sunday according to Dmytro Kuleba, the nation’s top diplomat.

“Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter. ''

 

[PommyMommy]

@PommyMommy
You do so much to inform us…thank you for all the time you spend on it.

I’m isolating this one that you included because I’m completely in awe.

Zelenskyy and his men, strolling openly through the streets on their way to visit the wounded…I don’t see any protection. Maybe they have bullet-proof vests on, I can’t tell; but no helmets, no guns, no hiding.

Then Zelenskyy giving the wounded that respectful head bow, listening to the soldiers’ stories, giving them medals…looks like he gave one to a nurse or someone, too..I literally have never seen a head of state expose himself this way. Not even in peacetime, much less as the primary target of a powerful tyrant.

I was once stuck on a crosstown bus in Midtown Manhattan on my way to a doctor’s appointment, because Obama was on his way to see a Broadway show. The frozen zone extended for blocks in every direction, for over an hour, before his entourage drove past. And of course this was peacetime, but the Secret Service takes no chances.

This courage is IMO the most remarkable I’ve ever seen from any leader. Imagine Putin going to Ukraine under bombardment, strolling the streets and checking in on his wounded Russian soldiers. A man who sits acres away from his own advisors even though he’s in his extremely secure Kremlin.

Zelenskyy IMO embodies the spirit of his grandfather, who was the only one in his family to survive the Nazi concentration camps.

If he survives I would wish for him to at the least receive a Nobel prize.

Thank you for this excellent post, Arkay. Although I can't express it as well as you have, I can say that I am also in awe of this remarkable human being. Hearts all over the world are going to break if this man doesn't survive this. I pray every day that he does. MOO

 

[dotr]

Russia-Ukraine news and live updates (cnn.com)
''17 min ago
About 5,500 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland, Prime Minister says

From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy and Emmet Lyons in London

About 5,500 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said on Sunday.

“We’ve had about five and a half thousand into Ireland at this stage,” Martin told the BBC’s Sophie Raworth in an interview. “Our primary impulse is to assist those fleeing war… there is huge human empathy there obviously to help the women and children.”
“If Ukrainians come into Ireland, they will get access to our social protection. Access to our health services, access to our education, the right to work immediately. And we believe that is the correct thing to do in the context of the worst displacement of people and refugee crisis since World War II,” Martin said.

“Speed is important in a situation like this,” he added.''

 

[GRT]

I think that China is watching this war against Ukraine very carefully. If Russia can take back Ukraine, and no one stops them, China can do the same with Taiwan.

I think that's very likely.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Mykolaiv zoo asks public to buy tickets to save animals from starvation. The southern city has been under attack for days. The struggling zoo, which has been shut down, is asking the public to donate by buying tickets online: Nikolaev Zoo - kontramarka.ua

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Zelenskyy went beyond his office circle and visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv. For the first time since the invasion. Video: Володимир Зеленський відвідав у госпіталі поранених захисників України. - YouTube

NEXTA on Twitter
1717 facts of war crimes of the #Russian army in #Ukraine have been documented.

NEXTA on Twitter - Video
Galina Danilchenko, head of the occupation administration of #Melitopol, said that #Russian propaganda channels began broadcasting in the city.

NEXTA on Twitter
Peskov announced negotiations between #Russia and #Ukraine for March 14, TACC

NEXTA on Twitter
The humanitarian aid convoy once again failed to reach #Mariupol "We stopped in #Berdyansk because of the crushing airstrikes in Mariupol itself, but tomorrow morning we will try to break through again," said #Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Collaborate Or Die: Ukrainian Councilor Alleges Russian Threats To Local Officials (rferl.org) - Video
Russian forces are threatening to shoot municipal officials in Kherson, according to a councilor from the Ukrainian city, where the Russian Army has seized control. Sergei Khlan said the Russians were searching for local activists and officials who were now in hiding. This is an excerpt from an interview with Current Time presenter Yevhenia Tahanovych on March 12.

 

[Dontknow?]

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
2m

Ukraine says that there were no foreign citizens among the 35 people killed in the missile attack on the military training ground in western Ukraine on March 13. Earlier, Russia claimed that the air strike killed "180 foreign mercenaries."

 

[CSIDreamer]

https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1503092202729312257?t=LL-nCdnM1oxvDh3BUStLHg&s=19

Again. Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results…

I really hope they're making progress. JMO

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Violinists across the world play for Ukraine

94 violinists from 29 countries play an old Ukrainian folk song called Verbovaya Doschechka.

An astonishing collaboration forming an international violin choir of support for Ukraine. Illia Bondarenko had to film this between explosions, because he could not hear himself play.

Nine other young violinists sheltering in Ukraine join in unison, and are accompanied in harmony by players from London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, the Hollywood Studios, and top violinists from all over the world including Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, Georgia, Poland, South Korea, South Africa, Moldova, Denmark, India, and the entire violin section of the Munich Chamber Orchestra

Ukrainian Violinists Play in Solidarity with 94 Other Violinists from 29 Countries | Open Culture

 

[Cool Cats]

GOP senator says a war between NATO and Russia 'would end pretty quickly'

"I think it'd end pretty quickly, because with the conventional forces that he's had there, we haven't seen this kind of ineptness in a long, long time," he continued.

Sébastien Roblin wrote at The Week that Russia's performance in the war so far has "gravely degraded Russia's military position in Europe — and above all its ability to compel with threats of force that fall under the nuclear threshold."

"Putin knows that no one wins a nuclear exchange. If he ordered a strike on the United States, a general would shoot him in the head," Sen. Lindsay Graham said during an appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. Graham has previously called for a Russian assassin to kill Putin.

 

[dotr]

Op-Ed: How Putin uses propaganda to show power - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
''BY MEGAN HYSKA
MARCH 13, 2022 rbbm,
When Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s denazifying Ukraine, he no doubt expects some people, in Russia and abroad, to believe him. Many in the West and on the international stage have expressed bewilderment at these claims. But this does not mean his propaganda strategy is failing. He is engaging in “hard propaganda,” which is meant to convey the speaker’s power — not persuade.

In contrast, propaganda scholars call efforts to genuinely persuade “soft propaganda.” Yet propaganda strategies can be crafted to function on both levels at once — to persuade those who are persuadable while simultaneously intimidating those who aren’t.

Here then is one way to understand the Kremlin’s present propaganda goals: a subset of the Russian public will be susceptible to persuasion that uses the denazification rationale, while an international audience, and probably many others in Russia, can be influenced only by a raw display of strength.''

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan: China to face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions. Sullivan is due to meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on March 14.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Russian vehicles couldn't pass Serpent's Walls - thousands y.o. slopes that were protecting Ukrainian lands, Territorial Defense writes. They likely mean the walls near Bilhorodka, Kyiv Obl. but didn't provide the exact photo. The remnants of the walls remain in different places

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Humanitarian aid couldn't reach Mariupol again. However, it turned not backward but to the neighboring city, Berdiansk from where it will try to reach Mariupol again tomorrow, Minister for Reintegration Iryna Vereshchuk said.

NEXTA on Twitter - Video
While the head of the Catholic Church calls to stop the massacre in #Ukraine, in #Moscow the #Russian Orthodox Church "blesses" the head of the Russian Guard, Zolotov, for the genocide of the #Ukrainian people.

Except for Belarus, all of Russia’s ‘allies’ in the EAEC and OCST have failed to support Moscow on Ukraine | Euromaidan Press
If one to view the Russo-Ukrainian war as a stress test for Russia’s allies in the Eurasian Economic Community and the Organization for the Collective Security Treaty, all of them except for Belarus failed to come through for Moscow: they have remained neutral in what one Moscow commentator sees as “a silent betrayal.”

[...]

OMG @Mo Thuairim, chills from head to toe listening to those violinists! Thank you for posting. xo

 

[Cool Cats]

Putin is 'lashing out,' U.S. adviser says of Western Ukraine missile strike

Russian President Vladimir Putin, "frustrated" by Ukraine's surprisingly stiff resistance, is increasingly escalating the scope of the war, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Russia fired waves of missiles at a Ukrainian military base in Lyiv, which is near the Polish border and far from the frontlines of the war.

"This does not come as a surprise to the American intelligence and national security community," Sullivan said on CNN's "State of the Union.”

"What it shows is that Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought that they would make against major cities including Kyiv, that he is expanding the number of targets, that he is lashing out, and that he is trying to cause damage in every part of the country," Sullivan continued.

 

[Cool Cats]

Russia and Ukraine give brightest assessment yet of progress in talks on war

 

[sunshineray]

I'm just thinking of the number of Russian POWs in Ukraine. I have no idea how many detention facilities they're putting them in. It occurs to me with these food shortages going on, it isn’t going to be easy to care for them. Also, positive Putin doesn't care. JMO

Weren't the Russian soldiers already suffering inadequate supply lines for food and water...raiding stores and farms to eat?

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war latest news: dozens reportedly dead after military base hit; US journalist killed by Russian forces | World news | The Guardian
1h ago 14:50

Zelenskiy urged Microsoft, Oracle and SAP to stop supporting their contracts and products in Russia on Sunday. Microsoft has stopped accepting new clients in Russia but Zelenskiy said moves like this were half measures, and presented it as a black-and-white decision. Microsoft, SAP and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

ETA: Володимир Зеленський on Twitter - President of Ukraine
Now can be no 'half' decisions or 'halftones'! There is only black and white, good or evil! You are either for peace or support the bloody Russian aggressor to kill Ukrainian children and women. @Microsoft @Oracle @SAP, stop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!

10m ago 15:53

US officials say Russia has requested military equipment from China since the start of the invasion, according to the Financial Times. This has sparked fears in the White House that China may decide to help Russia and undermine western efforts to aid Ukraine.

Another person told the FT that the US was “preparing to warn allies about the situation amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia”.

“Other US officials have also said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine approaches the start of its third week,” the FT report said.

 

[sunshineray]

What’s next ,after China?
Iran?
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/as-the-world-shuns-russia-over-its-invasion-of-ukraine-iran-strengthens-its-ties-with-moscow/

And don't forget that crazy little man in North Korea who loves to shoot off missiles when he's feeling ignored.

 

[worldwatcher]

And don't forget that crazy little man in North Korea who loves to shoot off missiles when he's feeling ignored.

I didn't forget..sadly!

 

[Cool Cats]

Weren't the Russian soldiers already suffering inadequate supply lines for food and water...raiding stores and farms to eat?

Yes. In their truck convoys gas and oil and food supplies have gotten destroyed by Ukrainian forces. The trucks in the back carrying oil and gas have especially been targeted and that kills the fuel feeding their trucks and stops them in their tracks.

Putin's troops given food 7 years out of date as low morale and military flaws hinder invasion

Russian armored convoy caught in Ukrainian ambush: video

 

[CSIDreamer]

.

Russia and Ukraine give brightest assessment yet of progress in talks on war

I feel like this video negotiation with work groups *might* be paying off. JMO