Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #7

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter
There is no more railway communication between #Belarus and #Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the board of the Ukrainian Railways, announced this on the air of Current Time. He said thanks to the honest #Belarusian railway workers, refusing to disclose details.

NEXTA on Twitter
The #Belarusian military began to use the same rapid recognition system (red tape) that the “LPR” and “DPR” forces used in the early days of the invasion of #Ukraine.

^^^ Also today, the Ambassador and 11 staff members left the Belarusian embassy per @worldwatcher's post above.

Also today: The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Ukraine's General Staff: Putin transfers troops from Far East to Belarus. The troops are being moved from Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in order to make up for casualties in Ukraine, the General Staff said.

A lot going on in Belarus... MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Hromadske journalist Victoriya Roshchyna is probably taken prisoner by Russian invaders. On March 16, @HromadskeUA learned that she was detained by the Russian FSB. The last time Hromadske contacted Roshchyna was when she was on her way to Mariupol https://hromadske.ua/posts/zhurnalistka-hromadske-viktoriya-roshina-jmovirno-perebuvaye-v-poloni-v-rosijskih-okupantiv

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
"I went reporting on the ground to tell about people who have been living without communication all this time, under the barrel of guns, shelling, and the rumble of Russian tanks,"–a journalist wrote in her latest Facebook post before disappearing https://facebook.com/victoria.roschina/posts/4855373997893592

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Ukraine hasn't been able to confirm the type of the missile. But unnamed U.S. officials told CNN that Russia had indeed launched hypersonic missiles against Ukraine, the first known use of such missiles in combat.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
A new satellite image shows the state of destruction of the Mariupol theater, used as a shelter for local residents, bombed by Russia on March 16. The Russian word for "children" painted in large letters on the ground is seen in front of the entrance. PHOTO CREDIT: Maxar Technologies

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
"Yday Russian state media claimed Poland 'must be denazified'...It's time for Europeans to take heads out of the sand: we were always involved. This war is an attack on Europe" "My country? Europe" media listed events of Russia's attack on the west https://facebook.com/mycountryeurope/posts/4847223828706135

 

[sunshineray]

Are these the same hypersonic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads and reach the west without being detected? Will have to do some research on this.

Putin really does want to subjugate the world and hold them hostage with nuclear threat, and I must put IMO.

Even if Putin miraculously disappears, there will be others waiting to step in. I've got a huge pit in my stomach.

This is our future, this madness is our future???

"The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic aero-ballistic air-to-ground missile. It has a claimed range of more than 2,000 km, Mach 10 speed, and an ability to perform evasive maneuvers at every stage of its flight..."

Kh-47M2 Kinzhal - Wikipedia

 

[sunshineray]

Makes you wonder what's going on.

On one hand, Pavel Latushka is very sympathetic to Ukraine. I don't know the stance in the Belarusian Embassy in Ukraine.

On the other hand, they were given the 30 pieces of silver (upthread). According to Pavel, there is some movement in Belarusa that concerns him.

A military chronicle of the last few hours in #Belarus:
A convoy of military vehicles has been spotted near Kobrin. A convoy of military vehicles moves towards Slutsk. A fighter jet takes off in Baranovichi, missile launches in Mozyr. https://t.co/Nn1gRaMvUa

#Russia's convoy of petrol tankers moving in Bobruisk. A convoy of tanks moves in Minsk. Two helicopters take off from airfield in Minsk. Rocket launches in Mozyr. A military column is moving in Brest.
What is Lukashenko preparing for after evacuation of diplomats from #Kiev

https://twitter.com/PavelLatushka/status/1505203365193654273?t=TrZAMrRHEOpnZxljyWsIbw&s=19

Well Kobryn and Brest are way west by Poland's border with Belarus. Is Russia getting ready to use something it thinks will finally incite NATO to cross borders? Way west is either shoring up borders against or getting ready to invade borders. Those missiles mentioned look to be for Kyiv?

Just some thoughts, I don't know. Just very fearful of what Putin is planning. Belarus is not doing any of this without his directive, IMO

 

[PommyMommy]

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Shells that went down by parachute were first recorded in Kyiv yday. "The Russians are using the most brutal weapons,"–advisor to Defense Ministry said today, stressing that all war crimes will be investigated https://facebook.com/100379789287364/videos/507310474114279

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
In the temporarily occupied Crimea, some Russian marine units have lost up to 90% of their personnel, and there are no reserves to recover,–General Staff's of UA reports in its operational information, 18:00 EET https://facebook.com/MinistryofDefence.UA/posts/278997237746069

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Zelensky: "We now have a chance to show not only to Russia, but also to any aggressor in the world, any terrorist state that war will destroy not the victim, but the one who unleashed it." President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the citizens of Switzerland on March 19.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Russian units, manned by forced mobilization in the so-called DNR,massively refuse to take part in hostilities after suffering irreparable losses of >200 troops in the last 2 days They accuse Russian command of using them for "combat reconnaissance"to identify Ukraine army positions–Gen.Staff

 

[worldwatcher]

Isn’t this interesting..??!!
Just saw it on twitter..

Under New Scrutiny: China’s Nuclear Pledge to Ukraine
Beijing’s 2013 promise to protect Ukraine in a nuclear attack appears to now further muddy its stance on Russia’s invasion

Under New Scrutiny: China’s Nuclear Pledge to Ukraine - WSJ

 

[GRT]

Americans Want a No-Fly Zone—Until They Learn What That Actually Means

"It’s fully understandable that Zelenskyy would endorse any measure that would help Ukraine beat back Russia’s assault. What’s startling, though, is that his favored policy seems to enjoy the broad support of the American public. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 74 percent of Americans across the political spectrum said they supported a no-fly zone to protect Ukraine. But there’s a problem here: most people don’t seem to know what a no-fly zone actually is and what it would entail.

A no-fly zone is essentially a commitment to ensure that no enemy aircraft can enter a designated area. In order to make good on this pledge, the U.S. and NATO would have to patrol the skies above Ukraine with thousands of flights and shoot down any Russian planes that violated the banned airspace. Given that Putin has already ignored America’s warnings not to invade Ukraine and not to target Ukrainian civilians, it’s exceptionally unlikely that he would suddenly heed threats to stop sending planes into Ukraine. And destroying Russian aircraft would trigger all-out war between Russia and the West."​

 

[Cool Cats]

After fleeing Kyiv, 15-year-old twins cram to catch up at school in Paris

Ukrainian teenagers Sasha and Masha Litkovska at Jean de la Fontaine High School, after fleeing from Ukraine to France, following Russia's war in Ukraine, in Paris, France, March 17, 2022.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Opinions are like noses, everybody's got one. Websleuths does not allow opinion articles.

Please stick to MSM and other approved sources. WSers can form their own opinions based on factual news reporting rather than the zillions of opinions that exist in cyberspace.

 

[worldwatcher]

If Crimea "historically" belongs to Russia, these other regions "historically" don’t


7 parts of Russia that other countries could call theirs

 

[Mo Thuairim]

The Kyiv Independent reported today that Russia is illegally forcing untrained men living in the Russian-controlled Donbas region to fight and putting them on the frontlines.

“These people have never even held a machine gun in their hands,” said Oleksii, a 24-year-old resident of Russian-occupied Khrestivka in Donetsk, speaking of friends, classmates and former colleagues that he knows have been conscripted.

One Donbas resident named Anastasia told the news outlet that these civilians from Donbas are forced to serve in frontline positions, with Russian forces threatening to shoot them if they don’t comply.

(Edited to add the next story in the live feed, below)

Journalist Neil Hauer, a freelancer journalist reporting in Kyiv, has an interesting Tweet thread about the intensifying anti-Russian sentiment among Ukrainians that is directed at the average Russian, not just Vladamir Putin.

Neil Hauer(@NeilPHauer)
Something I've noticed over the past week or so here: almost every Ukrainian I spoke to has made it clear that they blame not only Putin, but the average Russian as much (or more) for this war. The view is: we overthrew our corrupt government, and they accept their murderous one.

March 19, 2022
Neil Hauer(@NeilPHauer)
The amount of animosity from the average Ukrainian towards the average Russian is already huge and growing more with every single new airstrike, every new civilian death. The effects of this war will last for generations.

March 19, 2022
Neil Hauer(@NeilPHauer)
And I'm saying this from Kharkiv. I think I saw more virulently anti-Russian views here than anywhere else in the country. The sense of betrayal here, of 'how could they possibly do this to *us*', is incredible.

March 19, 2022
Neil Hauer(@NeilPHauer)
The people we watched crawl out of the rubble today told us their relatives in Moscow didn't believe them. Videos of their destroyed home were met with 'it's a fake' or 'Nazis did it.' *Every* bond between Ukrainians & Russians - familial, cultural, historical - is being broken.

March 19, 2022
Russia-Ukraine war latest: Boris Johnson criticised for comparing conflict with Brexit, as 190,000 civilians ‘evacuated from frontline’ – live

 

[whiterhino]

whiterhino, I did not think your comments insensitive. I don't mind hearing everyone's perspectives, I was just sharing mine. I hope in doing so I didn't sound confrontational about yours. That was not my intent. My apologies if it sounded that way.

No need to apologize at all!! Your comment helped me see another side that I hadn't considered when I made my post.

I hadn't realized how tightly Putin was gripping his own country, his own people. So focused on Ukraine that I was unaware the people of Russia are also being oppressed.

 

[CSIDreamer]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1505290285965840386?t=Xo996YDpHXQ5K1ba9qSIOQ&s=19

️Over 6,600 people evacuated from hot spots on March 19.

Some 4,128 people, including more than 1,100 children, were evacuated from Mariupol to Zaporizhia. Nearly 1,820 people were evacuated from Kyiv Oblast. In total, eight of the planned 10 humanitarian corridors worked out.

 

[PommyMommy]

This is just sickening; the article mentioned in Mo's post above.

MAR 19, 2022
Russia throws untrained civilians from occupied Donbas into hot spots of its war in Ukraine (kyivindependent.com)
[...]

Russia’s proxies wrongfully accused Ukraine’s Armed Forces of escalation, announced a demonstrative evacuation of women and children from Donbas to Russia and launched a mobilization campaign conscripting all men under 55.

[...]

His former colleagues from the Komsomolets Donbasu coal mine, however, have faced a different fate. Oleksii says that they were abducted by Russian-backed militants right from their workplaces and deployed to the southern front in Mariupol, a city in Donetsk Oblast that has seen some of the heaviest fighting since Feb. 24.

[...]

“They (militants) walk around, knock on all the apartments’ doors, looking for men,” Ivan said.

They send conscripts to what they assure is a 3-7-day military exercise but when they arrive they are deployed to fight Ukraine, according to Ivan.

[...]

Several women in the closed Komsomolets Donbasu coal mine VK group said that someone they know has already been notified that their sons, about 18-years-old, were killed in combat.

[...]

According to the intelligence unit of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, the vast majority of mobilized Donbas residents are sent to the hottest spots without special training “to clear obstacles and dig trenches.” The losses among new recruits reach 70-80%, the ministry said.

It also reported that Russia uses the Donetsk Metallurgical Plant to burn the corpses of Donbas residents killed in battle to hide the actual number of casualties.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Mariupol council: Russian occupiers forcibly move thousands of Mariupol residents to Russia. The civilians were allegedly taken to camps where Russians checked their phones and documents and then forcibly moved some of them to remote cities in Russia.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Several thousand Mariupol residents were illegally deported to Russia over the past week Acc to Oblast Council, they were taken to filtration camps. After their phones and docs inspection, some were driven to remote Russian cities; others' fate is unknown https://t.me/mariupolrada/8913

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
The deported Mariupol residents are mostly women and kids who were hiding in shelters in the Left Bank district. Fightings took place there. To save people's lives, Ukraine's army withdrew from these places of mass gathering. Russian army made use of it illegally deporting locals

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 1 hr ago
Chinese senior official calls sanctions against Russia 'outrageous.' According to Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng, the measures will only worsen the global economy and hurt ordinary people. He said during a security forum in Beijing that “sanctions cannot solve problems.”

NEXTA on Twitter - Video
The dog of #Chernihiv pyrotechnicians named Patron continues to serve Since the beginning of the war, together with sappers,he has neutralized about 90 explosive objects, according to the State Emergency Service of #Ukraine.

NEXTA on Twitter - Video, 43 min ago
Buses with wounded invaders in #Gomel. It is also reported that more than 2,500 dead were taken to #Russia from there.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 38 min ago
Despite the EU sanctions, a Russian cargo plane flew from Moscow to Slovakia and returned to Russia, Ukrayinska pravda reports referring to public online radar data. The purpose of the flight is unknown.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

(Snipped by me)

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Several thousand Mariupol residents were illegally deported to Russia over the past week Acc to Oblast Council, they were taken to filtration camps. After their phones and docs inspection, some were driven to remote Russian cities; others' fate is unknown https://t.me/mariupolrada/8913

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
The deported Mariupol residents are mostly women and kids who were hiding in shelters in the Left Bank district. Fightings took place there. To save people's lives, Ukraine's army withdrew from these places of mass gathering. Russian army made use of it illegally deporting locals

Filtration camps? If it is true that Mariupol residents are being brought to filtration camps, these are essentially modern-day concentration camps. What the Russians did to Chechens in their filtration camps was obscene.

From Human Rights Watch:

TORTURE IN DETENTION

RUSSIA / CHECHNYA

Throughout the war, Russian forces systematically beat, tortured or otherwise mistreated Chechens in captivity, blatantly violating Russia's obligations under the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Russian forces held Chechens in so-called filtration camps or "filtration points." Russian and international human rights organizations and inter-governmental organizations condemned torture in these camps.38 By the summer of 1996, most official filtration points in and near Chechnya were closed, but recent Human Rights Watch/Helsinki interviews with victims confirm that Russian forces, obviously undaunted by any threat of being held criminally responsible for their actions, had continued to torture Chechen captives at PAP-1, the one remaining official filtration camp in Grozny,39 at "unofficial" filtration points, at the Khankala military base,40 and in the filtration point in Piatigorsk. Because so many Chechens may remain in detention, and because the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has failed to respond adequately to documentation of torture in detention, the subject warrants the continued attention of the international community.

(...)

 

[Dontknow?]

The Kyiv Independent
@KyivIndependent
1h

Russia claims Ukraine plans to attack Western diplomats in Lviv. Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov accused Ukrainian fighters from the Azov battalion of preparing to attack the U.S. and other Western diplomats in Lviv and putting the blame on Russia.

 

[LadyL]

Pope visits Ukrainian children war refugees in Rome hospital

 

[LadyL]

West shifting from sanctions to Ukrainian military aid as war intensifies: experts

 

[LadyL]

UNICEF says 1.5 million kids fleeing Ukraine at risk of trafficking, exploitation