Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #6

[LadyL]

'My city is going to be crushed': Kyiv resident

 

[Herat]

I don't really understand how Russia can nationalize companies that do not have their principle headquarters in Russia.

How can they take over Ikea? The company just stops sending them inventory and shuts down the stores. Removing them from Russia.

Likewise Toyota. They have a plant in St. Petersburg that manufacures RAV-4 and Camrys. So Russia takes it over and takes all their production equipment and inventory. What if no one in Russia can afford to buy cars? What if they can't get the steel or insulation, or computer chips or wiring once the current inventory runs out. Russia still loses.

 

[v0x]

I don't really understand how Russia can nationalize companies that do not have their principle headquarters in Russia.

How can they take over Ikea? The company just stops sending them inventory and shuts down the stores. Removing them from Russia.

Likewise Toyota. They have a plant in St. Petersburg that manufacures RAV-4 and Camrys. So Russia takes it over and takes all their production equipment and inventory. What if no one in Russia can afford to buy cars? What if they can't get the steel or insulation, or computer chips or wiring once the current inventory runs out. Russia still loses.

I haven’t heard about this, but from what I’ve read, no matter how this plays out, Russia loses. That’s the scary part. What will he do next after he realizes this?

 

[dotr]

March 10 2022
Why India's failure to take a hard stance on Russia could backfire | CBC News
''As Washington was raising the alarm about convoys of Russian military forces heading toward the Ukrainian border in early December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin were posing for cameras at a grand New Delhi palace.

During the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit, both leaders reaffirmed their "special and privileged strategic partnership," signing a military and technical co-operation pact to boost trade to $30 billion US per year, including a $5.4 billion US missile defence system for India.''

''Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago — shelling several major cities, hampering efforts to evacuate and causing the deaths of at least 400 civilians so far — India has abstained on every United Nations vote condemning Russia's actions. These include votes at the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council and at the International Atomic Energy Agency.''

'''We do not want to see Russia tilting entirely toward China'
From a foreign policy perspective, India and Russia diverge when it comes to a rising China.

China's leader, Xi Jinping, hosted a banquet for Putin in Beijing last month, declaring that Moscow and Beijing would be at the centre of the new global order and that their bilateral friendship knew "no limits." China, too, abstained on every vote aimed at curbing Russian aggression in Ukraine.''

 

[Cool Cats]

Here are the companies still doing business in Russia undeterred

 

[Charlot123]

Article from The Telegraph UK. It's behind a paywall, so I can't directly copy it, but here is the link and a few comments:

Xi Jinping 'unsettled' by Vladimir Putin's difficulties in Ukraine

Xi Jinping 'unsettled' by Vladimir Putin's difficulties in Ukraine
The Chinese leader has been surprised by the strength of the Western response, according to US intelligence

China is not allowing much free discussion of the war in China. However, we can be sure their military leadership is studying the Ukraine war, not only as it pertains to their wish to take over Taiwan, but also in terms of how poorly the Russian troops and plan seem to be performing. This will end up going back very negatively on their assessment of Putin's strength.

For the meantime China can deliver words against the conflict from afar. But they are observing every tick of the clock and every new development.

My notes: China is planning for 5-, 10-, and 50-years from now. Putin's viability is being very much scrutinized. They have a very ambitious China Road and Belt project that would link Europe, Russia, the mideast, eastern Africa, and continental Asia under a series of roads, giving them an immense economic impact on trade in every area. Their advantage in precious metals and non-oil resources would make them the world's economic powerhouse. Russia cannot possibly compete with this, and if Russia is far diminished by turnover and a crashed economy, they will be much more likely to sign on to allow China to provide the roads.

We should always keep our eyes on China, they are quite, but very methodical, extremely ambitious, and have absolute authority over their people.

After Russia invading Ukraine (and I did not believe it would happen), I assume that China will attempt to grab Taiwan. Maybe we need to start planning ahead, not when things have happened. (This was done during WWII, remember Nils Bohr's evacuation from Denmark). Taiwan has great university, one of the best in Asia.

 

[Betty P]

Here are the companies still doing business in Russia undeterred

I wonder about the banks, Wall Street investment firms, etc. They're still helping Putin and many of his Russian oligarch friends.

ETA: Goldman Sachs claims they are "shuttering" their business in Russia. We'll see. Wonder who else will follow and whether financial ties will be cut completely?

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/10/gol...ong-the-first-wall-street-banks-to-do-so.html

 

[Herat]

I wonder about the banks, Wall Street investment firms, etc. They're still helping Putin and many of his Russian oligarch friends.

ETA: Goldman Sachs claims they are "shuttering" their business in Russia. We'll see. Wonder who else will follow and whether financial ties will be cut completely?

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/10/gol...ong-the-first-wall-street-banks-to-do-so.html

I'm wary of the pendulum swinging too far to the west and allowing China to sweep in and provide all those services and products. I have to think the Chinese would just love to be selling Chinese-made Toyotas to Russia, too.

Marriott and International Hotels surprises me a bit. I guess they fear losing their brick and mortar investments. Hard to think of how they can maintain standards with a massively shrinking international guest population and a local population who's budgets don't allow western hotel travel anymore.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Why Vladimir Putin's war has not been swift

(...)

Eoin McNamara is a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. He says: "Russia, at least in the early phases of this war, has relied on a lot of conscript soldiers, very young men, only just out of school, and often away from home for the first time [have been] sent to the border with Ukraine over the last few months".

He says while these things can happen in war planning, the conscripts "have essentially been lied to, they were told that they were just going for training exercises and all of a sudden they find themselves in live battle against the very, very motivated enemy on the ground defending their country in Ukraine.

"So, morale is low, motivation is low and experience is low, and this has led Russia to suffer quite a number of battlefield casualties."

(...)

Mr McNamara says because they are now bitter adversaries, we forget that these two states were once part of the same union, and that senior Ukrainian army officers would have received a remarkably similar military education to the Russians.

"The Ukrainians knew how the Russians were likely to fight." (BBM)

He cites the typical Russian military doctrine of putting their armour out in front.

"That armour blitzes the opposition and then the logistics, which are the lifeblood of any army as it moves forward, delivering ammunition, delivering fuel, delivering food and other supplies to soldiers as they march forward."

But Mr McNamara says the Ukrainians hit the Russian supply chains, after letting the armour go through.

"In this asymmetric conflict that should otherwise advantage Russia, that [targeting of logistics] has devastated Russia's advance and has now probably made Vladimir Putin's vision of a short and sharp...victory an impossibility."

(...)

Another factor that may have slowed Russia’s progress in Ukraine is the quality of the intelligence President Putin was relying on before waging war.

Domitilla Sagramoso is a senior lecturer at the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

She blames this on the structure of the Russian political system, that is firmly ruled from the top with little room for dissent.

"It’s possible that within the intelligence community, analysts may feel that they had to provide a particular kind of answer [to Putin]."

She says they were probably never provided with enough information ahead of the invasion to properly war-game scenarios.

"It seems to have been the case that Putin decided to keep the decision to actually use force so secret that the analysts were not asked to really examine these scenarios."

Dr Sagramoso says it’s clear there were serious problems inside the structures of the Russian intelligence community.

She says it’s ironic and indeed quite astonishing, given Vladimir Putin’s background in the world of espionage, adding "That's the area where one would have expected him to really know how things work."

(...)

 

[dotr]

House leader asks for Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to speak in Canadian parliament next week | Globalnews.ca
''Government House leader Mark Holland has asked House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to approve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking to Canada’s Parliament next week.

Zelenskyy has accepted an invitation to speak to MPs and senators and Holland proposes he do so at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday.''

''Holland says this would give Canadians a chance to hear directly from Zelenskyy about the “urgent and dire” situation in his country, which was invaded by Russia just over two weeks ago''

 

[sds71]

Satellite images taken on Thursday show a large Russian military convoy, last seen northwest of Kyiv near Antonov airport, has largely dispersed and redeployed, a private U.S. company said on Thursday.

Maxar Technologies said images show armored units maneuvering in and through the surrounding towns close to the airport. It said images also show convoy elements further north have repositioned near Lubyanka with towed artillery howitzers in firing positions nearby. (Reporting by Eric Beech; editing by Diane Craft)

Russian military convoy northwest of Kyiv has dispersed, redeployed -Maxar

 

[Dontknow?]

Steve Herman
@W7VOA

#Russia warplanes have bombed the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which contains an experimental nuclear reactor, according to
@Gerashchenko7
.

 

[CSIDreamer]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1502033951606591496?t=8iIQNr44CBcK4Bb5kL0p4w&s=19

️#Russians shelled Nizhyn in the #Chernihiv region with Hurricanes during the day. Eight wounded and two dead are known - said Nizhyn Mayor Oleksandr Kodola.

Me: Are Hurricanes still the ones with machine guns or such on them?

 

[otto]

Anyone who has Netflix might be interested in watching Bombardment, about Denmark, the Gestapo and WW2. It shows the terror that children in that environment experience.

 

[SouthAussie]

The British public will be able to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees

The public will be able to offer accommodation to Ukrainian refugees as the government announces a new route to the UK for those fleeing the Russian invasion.

After criticism of the government’s strategy and the bureaucratic delays facing Ukrainians with family ties to the UK, the British public will be asked to house refugees who have no family ties who would be eligible to work, access state benefits and public services.

UK government to allow members of public to house Ukrainian refugees

 

[Sundog]

I'm wary of the pendulum swinging too far to the west and allowing China to sweep in and provide all those services and products. I have to think the Chinese would just love to be selling Chinese-made Toyotas to Russia, too.

Marriott and International Hotels surprises me a bit. I guess they fear losing their brick and mortar investments. Hard to think of how they can maintain standards with a massively shrinking international guest population and a local population who's budgets don't allow western hotel travel anymore.

Would China be able to sell cars that are manufactured in China to Russia, since the most popular cars are joint ventures between China and the foreign manufacturer (e.g. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda [the top four sellers in China] and GM and Ford). Most of these companies I think have pulled out temporarily from selling their products in Russia, so since they are joint partners with China, I wonder if China would be able to sell them in Russia - even though manufactured in China.

 

[Dontknow?]

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
6m

Russia puts forth new requirements for humanitarian corridors. Russia is demanding lists of all evacuating vehicles and accompanying officials and forbids any communications equipment, except for Red Cross representatives.

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
8m

The corridors are planned for Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/with_replies

 

[otto]

House leader asks for Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to speak in Canadian parliament next week | Globalnews.ca
''Government House leader Mark Holland has asked House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota to approve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking to Canada’s Parliament next week.

Zelenskyy has accepted an invitation to speak to MPs and senators and Holland proposes he do so at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday.''

''Holland says this would give Canadians a chance to hear directly from Zelenskyy about the “urgent and dire” situation in his country, which was invaded by Russia just over two weeks ago''

Does it say what the goal, or hoped outcome will be? Does Trudeau think that Canada is not aware of the situation in Ukraine?

I'm not convinced that it's a good idea for someone with a bit of double-speak to broadcast to Canada. For example, when NATO said no to imposing a no-fly-zone, for the obvious reason that NATO cannot interfere, Ukraine might say that the West agrees with, or allows, the Russian demolition of Ukraine. The West does not agree with that. The truth is that the West cannot become involved on Ukraine soil, water, or air without risking Russian retaliation against NATO. Pointing fingers versus stating facts.

 

[CSIDreamer]

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
6m

Russia puts forth new requirements for humanitarian corridors. Russia is demanding lists of all evacuating vehicles and accompanying officials and forbids any communications equipment, except for Red Cross representatives.

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
8m

The corridors are planned for Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/with_replies

They have just got to get them out of there.

 

[sunshineray]

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1502014053748772872?t=bPcfH_dNmUG1evtbrTcnfA&s=19

"As of 10 March, Russian invaders have killed more Ukrainian civilians than Ukrainian military personnel from all defense structures," Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov said. https://t.co/VZfmffZhrp

Wow