Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #9

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war: missile strikes on Odesa threaten grain deal, says Ukraine; US calls Russian attack ‘outrageous’ – live

Ukraine’s infrastructure minister says, despite the attack, grain exports are still being prepared from the port

www.theguardian.com

2h ago 12.23

Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, has said Turkish officials are “concerned” following the Russian missile attack on Odesa, highlighting that the attack occurred a day after a deal to safely export Ukrainian grain was signed in Istanbul.

Akar said the Turkish defence ministry spoke to the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, and infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s signatory for the grain deal yesterday.

“We received the necessary information,” said Akar. “There was a missile attack there. They stated that one of the missile attacks hit one of the silos there, and the other one fell in an area close to the silo, but that there was no negativity in the loading capacity and capability of the docks, which is important, and that the activities there can continue.”

Akar added that he had also spoken with the Russian side: “In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1550852840419098626

https://twitter.com/x/status/1550830583940583425

https://twitter.com/x/status/1550858321254563840

 

[mickey2942]

I hear so much about "food security" and the effect of the Ukraine/Russia war. I really wonder about this...

 

[CSIDreamer]

I hear so much about "food security" and the effect of the Ukraine/Russia war. I really wonder about this...

Can you expound on your musing? True? Not true?

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 24, 2022

Russia to cut gas through Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity​

apnews.com
[...]

The Russian state-owned company tweeted that it would reduce “the daily throughput” of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to 33 million cubic meters as of Wednesday, saying it was shutting down a turbine for repairs. The head of Germany’s network regulator, Klaus Mueller, confirmed that the flow was expected to be cut in half.

Deliveries were at 40% of capacity after Nord Stream 1 reopened last week following 10 days of scheduled maintenance. The German government said it rejected the notion that technical reasons would lead to further gas reductions.

Russian President Vladimir “Putin is playing a perfidious game,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told news agency dpa. “He is trying to weaken the great support for Ukraine and drive a wedge into our society. To do this, he stirs up uncertainty and drives up prices. We are countering this with unity and concentrated action.”

[...]

EU struggles with how to cut off its reliance on Russian gas​

apnews.com
[...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has weaponized gas exports to pressure the bloc into reducing its sanctions over the war in Ukraine or to push other political aims. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called Russia’s cuts to gas deliveries “a form of terror” and urged European countries to respond by tightening sanctions on Moscow.

On the eve of an emergency meeting to discuss plans to cut EU gas use 15% over the coming months, envoys on Monday were still brokering a possible compromise that should keep all 27 nations in line by Tuesday night.

“This a still a work in progress,” said a senior diplomat who asked not to be identified because the talks were still ongoing.

The bloc is bracing for a possible full Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies that could add a big chill to the upcoming winter, leaving nations like economic juggernaut Germany especially exposed. But some other EU countries, like Spain and Portugal, which have little dependence on Russian gas, do not want to force such a major cut on their people.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551913851792375813

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551988869129797633

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[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1551997702422122496

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552032049401397248

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552038489759404032

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552548872379138048

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552599147651399681

https://twitter.com/x/status/1552654382633664513

 

[dotr]

Russia’s defence ministry says 40 POWs killed in Donetsk strike

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of carrying out strike that killed 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war in Donetsk region.

www.aljazeera.com

By Linah Alsaafin
29 Jul 2022

• ''Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the strike that killed 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the separatist region of Donetsk.
• Russian private military firm Wagner has likely been allocated responsibility for specific sectors of the front line in eastern Ukraine, Britain’s ministry of defence says.''

''French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have agreed to work “to ease the effects” of the war in Ukraine during talks in Paris, the French presidency said.

“The President and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia underlined the need to bring an end to this conflict and intensify their cooperation to ease the effects in Europe, the Middle East and the wider world,” a statement said.

Aides to the French president had indicated before the talks that Macron planned to urge Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production to help bring down crude prices.''

Ukraine’s military has denied carrying out an attack on a prison in separatist-held territory that Russia’s defence ministry said killed 40 Ukrainian prisoners of war, and blamed it on Russian forces.

“The armed forces of the Russian Federation carried out targeted artillery shelling of a correctional institution in the settlement of Olenivka, Donetsk oblast, where Ukrainian prisoners were also held,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.

“In this way, the Russian occupiers pursued their criminal goals – to accuse Ukraine of committing ‘war crimes’, as well as to hide the torture of prisoners and executions …”

''Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s internal affairs ministry, said the allegations were fake and blamed Russia for the attack.

“All Russian media are full of claims that Ukraine made a rocket strike on prison in Elenovka near Donetsk – where Ukrainian POWs were, mostly from Azovstal,” he said in a tweet.

“Obviously, Ukrainian Army would never shoot any object like that. It is either a fake altogether or another horrible Russian crime.”

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 29, 2022

Russia and Ukraine trade blame for shelling of POW prison

apnews.com​

Russia said Ukraine’s military used U.S.-supplied multiple rocket launchers to strike the prison in Olenivka, a settlement controlled by the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic. Separatist authorities and Russian officials said the attack killed 53 Ukrainian POWs and wounded 75.

The Ukrainian military denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka, and said it only aims for Russian military targets. It accused the Russians of shelling the prison to cover up the alleged torture and execution of Ukrainians there.

Kremlin warns US against 'provocative' moves toward China

apnews.com​

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China’s dealings with Taiwan during a phone call Thursday with U.S. President Joe Biden,

Speaking in a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia staunchly supports China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We believe that no other country has the right to call (that) into doubt or take any provocative steps,” Peskov said.

He warned the U.S. against “destructive” moves, adding that “such behavior on the international arena could only exacerbate tensions as the world is already overloaded with regional and global problems.”

Zelenskyy observes ships loaded with Ukrainian grain exports

apnews.com​

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a Black Sea port Friday as crews prepared terminals to export grain trapped by Russia’s five-month-old war, work that was inching forward a week after a deal was struck to allow critical food supplies to flow to millions of impoverished people facing hunger worldwide.

“The first vessel, the first ship is being loaded since the beginning of the war,” Zelenskyy said at a port in the Odesa region.

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553037518253314054

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553047627624759297

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553125152631791616

 

[sds71]

Russian energy firm cuts off gas to Latvia 'for not paying in roubles'

Gazprom said it had stopped gas shipments to Latvia over contract violations, but did not elaborate further - it is believed the move is over the country's refusal to pay in roubles

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Niner]

Russian energy firm cuts off gas to Latvia 'for not paying in roubles'

Gazprom said it had stopped gas shipments to Latvia over contract violations, but did not elaborate further - it is believed the move is over the country's refusal to pay in roubles

www.dailymail.co.uk

Well - no wonder my bill went from 26 euros to 100 next month....

 

[worldwatcher]

Not recent,but nevertheless (imo) important to post:

”In a democratic country, war is no reason to hamper the work of journalists,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. “Restrictions linked to national security are legitimate but must be proportionate. In view of the interference observed in the field, we urge the Ukrainian government to issue clear directives on reporting conditions and to ensure that they are respected by all the forces involved.”

RSF urges the Ukrainian authorities to lift arbitrary restrictions on reporters in the field

As well as risking their lives at the front line, some 9,000 or so reporters covering the war in Ukraine have difficulties gaining access to certain places and difficulties filming or taking photos, and even are occasionally detained. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns these abuses and...

rsf.org

 

[worldwatcher]

FYI — if interested...

Gas storage EU:

Gas Infrastructure Europe - AGSI

agsi.gie.eu

 

[dotr]

Ex-KGB Agents Explains What Putin is Doing (Jack Barsky Interview)​

July 31 2022

Putin's health is under fresh scrutiny amid footage of limp right arm

The clip captured the moment Putin, 69, was given a tour of a military museum as part of a weekend of festivities marking Russia's Navy Day, celebrated on the last Sunday of every July

www.dailymail.co.uk

• ''Putin was seen seemingly unable to move his right arm to swat away mosquitoes
• He only used his left arm to slap the insects away and itch all around his head
• The incident took place during a tour of a military monument by Ksenia Shoigu
• Russia's president was seen walking awkwardly with a slight limp beside the defence minister's daughter
• Putin is rumoured to be suffering from a variety of significant health issues ''

''The clip captured the moment Putin, 69, was given a tour of a military museum as part of a weekend of festivities marking Russia's Navy Day, celebrated on the last Sunday of every July.

The Kremlin chief is seen speaking with Ksenia, daughter of defence minister Sergei Shoigu, when mosquitoes begin buzzing around the right side of his face.

Putin raises his left arm in an attempt to swat them away while his right arm hangs limply by his side.

He continues to itch and swat all around his head with one arm before walking alongside Ksenia with a slight limp as she continues her tour.

The clip is the latest of a litany of videos which appear to show the Russian president walking with a limp, struggling with strange ticks including odd foot and leg contortions, and un-coordinated movement. ''

 

[dotr]

Drone explosion hits Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters

A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honoring Russia's navy, authorities said.

www.cp24.com

July 31, 2022 2:35PM EDT

''KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honoring Russia's navy, authorities said.

Meanwhile, one of Ukraine's richest men, a grain merchant, was killed in what Ukrainian authorities said was a carefully targeted Russian missile strike on his home.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone explosion in a courtyard at the naval headquarters in the city of Sevastopol. But the seemingly improvised, small-scale nature of the attack raised the possibility that it was the work of Ukrainian insurgents trying to drive out Russian forces.


A Russian lawmaker from Crimea, Olga Kovitidi, told Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti that the drone was launched from Sevastopol itself. She said the incident was being treated as a terrorist act, the news agency said.

Crimean authorities raised the terrorism threat level for the region to “yellow,” the second-highest tier.''

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553745385784483842

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553763358339366912

https://twitter.com/x/status/1553813821961158656

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 31, 2022

US envoy: Russia intends to dissolve Ukraine from world map​

apnews.com
[...]

Thomas-Greenfield cited evidence of mounting atrocities including the reported bombings of schools and hospitals, “the killing of aid workers and journalists, the targeting of civilians attempting to flee, the brutal execution-style murder of those going about their daily business in Bucha,” the suburb of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv where local authorities said hundreds of people were killed during its occupation by Russian forces.

She said there is evidence Russia forces “have interrogated, detained forcibly, deported an estimated hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, including children -- tearing them from their homes and sending them to remote regions in the east.”

Nearly 2 million Ukrainians refugees have been sent to Russia, according to both Ukrainian and Russian officials. Ukraine portrays these journeys as forced transfers to enemy soil, which is considered a war crime. Russia calls them humanitarian evacuations of war victims who already speak Russian and are grateful for a new home.

[...]

 

[dotr]

31 Jul 2022

Russia-Ukraine latest updates: Putin announces new naval doctrine

Ukraine news from July 31: The move casts the US as the main rival and sets out Russia’s maritime ambitions.

www.aljazeera.com

• ''President Vladimir Putin has signed a new naval doctrine that cast the US as the main rival and set out Russia’s global maritime ambitions for crucial areas such as the Arctic and the Black Sea.''

Ukrainian grain tycoon killed in Mykolaiv shelling as Putin threatens 'lightning speed' response to interference | CNN

A Ukrainian grain mogul and his wife were killed after the southern city of Mykolaiv came under intense shelling on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin used his nation's Navy Day to issue more militaristic threats to anyone undermining Russia's...

www.cnn.com

''(CNN)A Ukrainian grain mogul and his wife were killed after the southern city of Mykolaiv came under intense shelling on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin used his nation's Navy Day to issue more militaristic threats to anyone undermining Russia's "sovereignty and freedom."
Grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadaturskyy and his wife, Raisa, died in the attack, according to a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vadaturskyy was the founder of Mykolaiv-based Nibulon, one of Ukraine's largest grain producing and export companies.
The businessman's death was a "great loss for Mykolaiv ... and all of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "For more than 50 years of his career, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy made an invaluable contribution to the development of the region and the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industries of our country."
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said cluster munitions blew out windows and destroyed balconies. "Mykolaiv was under mass shelling today. Probably the strongest one of all time," he said in a statement.''


''In a speech commemorating Russia's Navy Day in Saint Petersburg, Putin did not make any mention of Russia's war in Ukraine, but said his country's "current situation is demanding very decisive actions."
"We will provide protection firmly and by all means. The key here is the capabilities of the Navy, which is able to respond with lightning speed to anyone who decides to encroach on our sovereignty and freedom," Putin said.
Putin said delivery of the country's Zircon hypersonic cruise missile systems would begin in the coming months. Russia said in May that it successfully tested the Zircon missile over a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).''

It seems to me that they have not recruited any ''real men'' so far, imo.

Russia is recruiting thousands of volunteers to replenish its ranks in Ukraine. Prior experience isn't always required | CNN

Across Russia, volunteer battalions are being formed to deploy to the war in Ukraine, joining the so-called "special military operation" declared by President Vladimir Putin in February.

www.cnn.com

''The Perm posting -- under the headline "A Job For Real Men" -- seeks "courageous, daring, brave, self-confident, extraordinary, well-rounded patriots of our nation."