Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #3

[PommyMommy]

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.

(...)

 

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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.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Danilov: Ukraine will receive a new batch of weapons from the U.S. in the coming days. The military expects Stinger air-defense systems, Javelin anti-tank missile systems, and other weapons, according to Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 19, 2022

Communication Breakdown: How Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Bogged Down (rferl.org)
"We have no communication. We don't have walkie-talkies. Nothing," a bedraggled Russian soldier tells his interrogators in another of the videos published by Ukrainian defenders this month posted to YouTube.

WARNING: Viewers may find the content of this video disturbing
Ukrainian Team Collects Dead Russian Soldiers To Exchange For Ukrainian POWs (rferl.org)
Video Caption: Russian forces are meeting fierce resistance and taking casualties as they try to move towards the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. On March 18, a Ukrainian special search group collected the dead bodies of Russian soldiers in the hope they could be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Russian Space Agency, Cosmonauts Deny Suits Were Tribute To Ukraine (rferl.org)
Russian officials have denied reports in the West that suggested Russian cosmonauts who joined the International Space Station (ISS) had donned yellow suits with blue trim in support of Ukraine.

"The flight suits of the new crew are made in the colors of the emblem of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, which all three cosmonauts graduated from," the press service of Russian space agency Roskosmos said on March 19 on its Telegram channel.

Father Of Child Killed In Russian Shelling: 'What Is All This For? For What?' (rferl.org)
Video Caption: Two-year-old Stepan Shpak was killed in Novye Petrivtsy, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on March 16 in shelling by the Russian Army. His father spoke to Current Time on March 17.

Telegram Trap: Minsk Snares Belarusians Seeking To Fight For Ukraine (rferl.org)
A Belarusian militia that calls itself the Kastus Kalinouski Battalion is using its Telegram channel to recruit men to fight against Russian forces in Ukraine and has set up a special chat within the social media app to exchange private, direct messages with potential volunteers.

It says it received no message from Hrybovich through the chat and warned he may have fallen prey to a fake chat set up by the authorities under Lukashenka. "If you are in Belarus or Russia -- do not use real names, hide your phone number from everyone, [or even] better -- buy a new SIM card," the Kastus Kalinouski Battalion wrote on its channel.

U.S. To Deploy Armored Unit To Bulgaria To Boost NATO's Eastern Flank (rferl.org)
The United States will deploy a Stryker armored-vehicle infantry company for a NATO battle group being established in Bulgaria as the Western alliance moves to shore up its eastern flank in the face of Russian aggression in the region.

 

[PommyMommy]

Pope visits Ukrainian children war refugees in Rome hospital (msn.com)

Pope Francis on Saturday made a surprise visit to young Ukrainian war refugees being treated in a paediatric hospital in Rome.

© Reuters/VATICAN MEDIA Pope Francis visits Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital to thank for caring for Ukrainian children

© Reuters/VATICAN MEDIA Pope Francis visits Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital to thank for caring for Ukrainian children

One of the pictures released by the Vatican showed the pope talking to a girl with a fully bandaged head and what appeared to be a tube in her throat.

© Reuters/VATICAN MEDIA Pope Francis visits Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital to thank for caring for Ukrainian children

Nineteen Ukrainian children are currently being treated at the two branches of the Bambino Gesu hospital for cancer, neurological conditions or serious war injuries caused by explosions, the Vatican said. About 50 children from Ukraine have been treated at the hospital since the war began.

© Reuters/VATICAN MEDIA Pope Francis visits Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital to thank for caring for Ukrainian children

"The blood and tears of children, the suffering of women and men who are defending their land or fleeing from bombardments shakes our conscience," Francis said in a message to a Church conference in Slovakia on Friday.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

West shifting from sanctions to Ukrainian military aid as war intensifies: experts (msn.com)
As the war in Ukraine becomes increasingly brutal, with Russian attacks killing and displacing civilians, experts say the international community is shifting its focus from sanctions to helping the Ukrainian military.

That's partly because the few remaining options that could have a significant impact on Russia's economy — namely, a European ban on Russian oil and gas — are not feasible in the short term. It's also becoming clearer that the sanctions, while devastating, are not swaying Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's not hurting (Russia) enough to make them stop," said James Brander, a professor in international business and public policy at the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

UNICEF says 1.5 million kids fleeing Ukraine at risk of trafficking, exploitation (msn.com)
The United Nations Children's Fund says the threat of child trafficking and exploitation is "real and growing" as more than 1.5 million kids have fled Ukraine following Russia's attacks. According to the agency, a child becomes a refugee of the war nearly every second.

"The war in Ukraine is leading to massive displacement and refugee flows — conditions that could lead to a significant spike in human trafficking and an acute child protection crisis," UNICEF's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia said in a statement Saturday.

Between February 24 and March 17, more than 500 unaccompanied children were identified crossing from Ukraine into Romania, but the amount of separated children fleeing is probably much higher, UNICEF reported. The United Nations said more than 3 million people in total had fled Ukraine within 20 days.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

[URL='https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/19/russia-ukraine-war-latest-zelenskiy-urges-honest-peace-talks-without-delay-russian-forces-tighten-grip-around-mariupol-live']Russia-Ukraine war latest: Boris Johnson criticised for comparing conflict with Brexit, as 190,000 civilians ‘evacuated from frontline’ – live | World news | The Guardian[/URL]

2h ago 17:29
Ukrainian forces have defeated Russia in its initial campaign of the war, according to analysis from DC-based think tank Institute of the Study of War, ultimately leading to a stalemate between the two counties.

The institute describes Russia’s strategy as using “airborne and mechanized operations to seize Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and other major Ukrainian cities”.

“Russian forces continue to make limited advances in some parts of the theater but are very unlikely to be able to seize their objectives in this way,” the analysis reads. The fall of Mariupol is “unlikely” to change the outcome of the initial campaign dramatically.

The analysis notes that the Russia military continues to focus on localized fighting rather than launching large-scale operations. It concludes that there is a stalemate throughout most of Ukraine that, if continued, will “likely be very violent and bloody”.

 

[PommyMommy]

We urge Russia to stop this invasion now: UK statement at the UN Security Council, 18 March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Location:
''UN Security Council
Delivered on:
18 March 2022 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

''Mr President,

Only yesterday, this Council discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We heard from UN briefers about the devastating impacts on Ukraine, its people and its cities. On the region, to which 3 million refugees have fled. And on the wider international community, facing higher economic prices, and the consequences for countries in need of this Council’s attention.

Today however, we’ve had a rehash of amateurish disinformation, which we discussed and debunked last Friday.

It was nonsense then, and it is nonsense now.

As I said then – laboratories in Ukraine carrying out research on public health hazards are not a threat to international peace and security.

By contrast, President Putin’s illegal and inhumane invasion of Ukraine is the most significant threat to international peace and security we face today.

So today’s charade is really not worthy of a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council.

The only thing this Council needs to hear from the Russian Federation - we didn’t hear it yesterday, we haven’t heard it today – the only thing this Council needs to hear is that Russia’s troops are leaving Ukraine.

Ukraine does not want war. Russians and Ukrainians – soldiers, civilians, mothers, children - are dying.

Russia is isolated diplomatically, isolated economically and bogged down in Ukraine.

So we urge Russia to stop this invasion now, before any more damage is done in Ukraine – and also to Russia.

I thank you, Mr President.''

 

[PommyMommy]

Israeli flag raised at field hospital in Ukraine as gear, teams begin to arrive | The Times of Israel

Ukrainian workers construct tents for the Israeli field hospital being established in Mostyska, Ukraine. on March 18, 2022. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/The Times of Israel)

''MOSTYSKA, Ukraine – A week and a half after its advance team arrived, Israel’s field hospital in Ukraine began to take shape Saturday ahead of its planned Tuesday opening.

The hospital is being constructed in the small town of Mostyska, an hour-and-a-half outside Lviv in western Ukraine. On Saturday morning an Israeli flag was hoisted to fly alongside a Ukrainian one outside the elementary school whose grounds will be home to the NIS 21 million ($6.5 million) facility.

While the project was touch-and-go for days after the intention to erect it was first announced over two weeks ago, the Israeli hospital has overcome funding and security concerns, bringing its 17 tons of equipment from Israel into Ukraine on Saturday morning over the Polish border. The facility is a collaborative effort of the Health Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and Sheba Medical Center, which is operating the hospital.''

 

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter - 1 hr ago
#Russian aviation has significantly reduced its presence in the #Ukrainian sky This is reported in the Command of the Air Force of #Ukraine. During the day, the Ukrainian air defense forces shot down three occupant helicopters.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Russian diplomat: "We have plans against NATO." Igor Kalabukhov, Russian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said in an interview with Bosnia's Face TV that Moscow is “assessing the geo-strategic situation" and will respond to threats.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Head of Donetsk Military-Civil Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said thousands of Mariupol residents who managed to escape from Russian bombs are starving to death in occupied Manhushi and Melekin. Russian occupying forces refuse to provide food, water and safe passage.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
There were no casualties from Russia's strike on a weapons stockpile in Ivano-Frankivsk Obl in morning of 19 Mar, Ukraine's Air Command spox says. Russians claimed they destroyed it with the 1st ever use of Kindzhal hypersonic missiles; Ukraine does not yet confirm https://pravda.com.ua/news/2022/03/19/7332813/

NEXTA on Twitter - 37 min ago
#Russian troops are approaching Belarus-Ukraine border and will try to cross it "I speak now my personal opinion but I would assess situation of introducing #Belarus into a military conflict as 60 to 40. A week ago it was 40 to 60." This was stated by Advisor to MIA of #Ukraine.

NEXTA on Twitter
He also called it an "alarming signal" that Belarusian diplomats left #Ukraine Denisenko believes that Lukashenko still does not want to be dragged into the war. "His army is small, about 40 000 soldiers. We are ready for their invasion but we certainly do not want it," he said.

 

[PommyMommy]

“We waited at the border for 20 hours”: A school principal on her harrowing escape from Ukraine
[...]

“My partner and I moved to Kyiv in January 2021. The initial plan was to keep our house in Mississauga and return once my two-and-a-half-year contract was up. ...

[...]

“In the months leading up to the Russian invasion in February, I heard troubling news of escalating tensions in the region. The Canadian government sent several letters warning Canadian citizens in Ukraine about the growing threat of war, advising people like me to get out of the country. But Ukrainians thought it was just talk, that nothing would actually happen.

[...]

“In the early morning hours of February 24, I heard explosions in the distance. I realized that Kyiv was being attacked by the Russian military. My partner and I decided to leave the country right away. We tried to go to the nearest airports, but they were all closed. A childhood friend offered to give us a ride to the city of Boryslav in my home region of Lviv Oblast—a 600 kilometre drive that took 18 hours. A relative then took us to the Polish border.

“About 23 kilometres from the border, we hit a log jam. ,,. Some of the people around us said they’d been waiting in traffic for more than 30 hours. So we left my relative’s car and decided to walk. It took four hours to reach the border, where we found a crowd of people, packed together like sardines, waiting to be processed through the first customs checkpoint.

“My partner and I waited 20 hours in that crowd. We were outdoors and exposed to the elements. At first, the weather was fine, but it got colder as time passed, and then it started raining. There was no room to sleep, and you risked losing your spot if you left to go to the bathroom, so we all stayed put. I didn’t see anyone eating anything. I hadn’t eaten for almost an entire day, but the situation was so intense that I didn’t even realize I was hungry.

[...]

“... I also hope that humanity as a whole will learn some lessons from this war. We cannot have dictators like Putin manipulating and bullying the world like this. We need to put in place measures that prevent this kind of conflict from happening ever again.”

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 19, 2022
Ukraine war: Western agents seek to get inside Putin's head - BBC News
[...]

Understanding his state of mind will be vital to avoid escalating the crisis into even more dangerous territory.

There has been speculation that Russia's leader was ill, but many analysts believe he has actually become isolated and closed off to any alternative views.

[...]

Mr Putin's initial military plan looked like something devised by a KGB officer, one western intelligence official explains.

It had been created, they say, by a tight "conspiratorial cabal" with an emphasis on secrecy. But the result was chaos. Russian military commanders were not ready and some soldiers went over the border without knowing what they were doing.

[...]

"Putin is likely not mentally ill, nor he has changed, although he is in more of a hurry, and likely more isolated in recent years," says Ken Dekleva, a former US government physician and diplomat, and currently a senior fellow at the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations.

But a concern now is that reliable information is still not finding its way into Mr Putin's closed loop. His intelligence services may have been reluctant before the invasion to tell him anything he did not want to hear, offering rosy estimates of how an invasion would go and how Russian troops would be received before the war. And this week one Western official said Mr Putin may still not have the insight into how badly things are going for his own troops that Western intelligence has. That leads to concern about how he might react when confronted with a worsening situation for Russia.

[...]

"Putin's self concept does not allow for failure or weakness. He despises such things" says Ken Dekleva. "A cornered, weakened Putin is a more dangerous Putin. It's sometimes better let the bear run out of the cage and back to the forest."

 

[PommyMommy]

Dozens feared dead in Russian attack on Mykolaiv barracks, as Putin ‘panicked’ by revolution fear | The Independent
''Rescue work is ongoing at the site of a Russian air strike on a Ukrainian barracks where soldiers were sleeping.

Witnesses reported seeing dozens of bodies pulled from the rubble as one serviceman told AFP at least 200 soldiers were sleeping in the facility in the southern city of Mykolaiv when it was hit.''

Authorities are yet to release an official death toll.''

''It isn’t clear how many marines were inside at the time, and rescuers were still searching the rubble for survivors the following day. But a senior Ukrainian military official, who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive information, estimated that as many as 40 marines were killed, which would make it one of the deadliest known attacks on Ukrainian forces during the war.''

''Meanwhile, Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin has been “panicking” over the prospect that Russian people could overthrow his authoritarian government.

This fear was a factor in the Russian president’s decision to launch the invasion, the prime minister said, adding that Mr Putin feared civilians would demand the free press and free elections that Ukraine has.''

 

[PommyMommy]

Russian-Ukraine war latest: thousands of Mariupol residents ‘being deported to remote parts of Russia’ – live | World news | The Guardian

18m ago 22:32
The New York Times has some more detail on the claims by Mariupol City Council that residents are being taken to Russia against their will.

Pyotr Andryuschenko, an assistant to the city’s mayor, accused Russian forces of taking “between 4,000 and 4,500 Mariupol residents forcibly across the border to Taganrog” without their passports.

Andryuschenko said thousands of people had been sheltering at a sporting complex in the city centre, and he believed many of those inside were being taken to Russia.

Other Mariupol residents said they had heard from friends and neighbors who relayed having been taken across the border without their consent. Eduard Zarubin, a doctor who left the city on Wednesday, said he had been in touch with three families who had been forcibly taken to Taganrog by Russian soldiers.

“Now the Russians are walking through the basements, and if there are people left there, they forcibly take them to Taganrog,” Mr. Zarubin, 50, said.

In one case, he said, the whole family of one of his friends was taken away, as was the family of his friend’s brother.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Russian troops halt convoy of buses traveling to evacuate residents of Mariupol.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
According to the Berdyansk city council, the convoy was heading to Berdyansk from Zaporizhzhia to pick up fleeing Mariupol residents but was stopped by Russian occupying forces near the village Azovske, three kilometers from Berdyansk.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
The convoy was not allowed to enter the city limits and the drivers were not permitted to spend the night.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Air raid alerts go off in almost every region of Ukraine. Sirens have been activated in the Sumy, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne, Volyn, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Odesa oblasts.

 

[PommyMommy]

This Ukrainian Rock Star Traded His Mic For A Rifle To Fight The Russian Army
Andriy Khlyvnyuk is one of Ukraine’s biggest rock stars. As the frontman for BoomBox, one of Ukraine’s biggest bands, he had a hectic March lined up, playing 10 concerts in four countries over 25 days.

[...]

But that was before the Russian bombs started falling on his country.

Instead, Khlyvnyuk has swapped his microphone for a high-powered assault rifle and his leather jacket for an armored vest, and is now fighting side-by-side with his Ukrainian compatriots against invading Russian forces that are pounding the country with airstrikes and heavy artillery.

“This is my duty. Ukraine is my home,” the 42-year-old Khlyvnyuk said. “And it’s not that easy to push me out of my home.”

[...]

“Some Russians have reached out to show support. Some say they are ashamed,” Khlyvnyuk said. “But I don’t need this feeling of shame. I need things to change. Shame does not bring back kids and schools…,” he trailed off rubbing his eyes as he referred to the more than 100 children killed in Russia’s war and the dozens of school buildings decimated by rockets.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia conceals deaths of Crimean soldiers in Ukraine war amid overcrowded morgues | Euromaidan Press
Crimea resists
Several small local protests against the war in Ukraine have taken place in Crimea amid the repressive occupation regime. The ability to obtain information from within the peninsula is very limited ... Participants of those protests were fined or arrested.

[...]

Political persecutions in Crimea are ongoing
On 16 March 2022, Crimean Tatar human rights activist Abdureshyt Dzhepparov was arrested after the search conducted in his house by the occupying law enforcement agencies. A few days ago, Mr. Dzhepparov told in an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet LB.ua about the devastating casualties of the Russian army that are obvious for Crimea residents (full morgues and overcrowded hospitals).

[...]

Russia conceals deaths of Crimeans fighting on its side
The number of Crimean residents killed as a result of participating in the occupying army is growing. While Russia continues to hide the real figures, instances appear on social media.

[...]

Analyses of information from open sources indicate reports of a series of funerals all over Crimea: on March 14 in Kerch, on March 12 in Sevastopol and Alushta, on March 10 in Sevastopol (two persons), on March 9 in Sevastopol, on March 7 and March 5. These are residents of the peninsula of Crimea, Ukrainian citizens who illegally obtained Russian citizenship after the beginning of the occupation.

[...]

Wounded Russian soldiers are sent to Crimea
In a previous briefing, we reported that hospitals in Crimea, especially in its northern part, are packed with wounded Russian soldiers. We are receiving more and more confirmation of this. Sources in the peninsula in Simferopol have noted the characteristic odour of dead bodies, presumably coming from train cars that are stationed at the railway station.

[...]

Key concerns of Crimeans
[...]

Among the key requests are issues related to crossing the border to third states due to the problem of documentation (currently, the Mission jointly with the MFA are working on solving this problem) and how to avoid conscription and mobilization by the Russian armed forces. Foreign fighters are addressing the Mission on how to join the international battalion of the Ukrainian armed forces.

[...]

War crimes in Crimea
War crimes and crimes against humanity are taking place not only in mainland Ukraine but also in occupied Crimea. Among these crimes are:

• Conscription and mobilization of residents of Crimea to the ranks of the Russian armed forces and other military formations, in particular for the purpose of participating in hostilities in mainland Ukraine;
• Propaganda of war and violence against Ukraine, in particular with the use of the educational system in Crimea;
• Persecution of Ukrainian citizens, including activists, Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, journalists in Crimea in the context of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 19, 2022
Lawmakers reject Russian official's request to return Alaska: 'Never, ever, ever' (yahoo.com)
[...]

Russian parliament member Oleg Matveychev on a TV program addressed waves of sanctions against Russia in response to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, saying leaders should “think about reparations.”

“The harm these sanctions caused us cost money. Return of possessions, including possessions of the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and even parts of Russia that are now occupied by the United States,” Matveychev said on Sunday, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

The host of the show asked Matveychev about the return of Alaska and Fort Ross, which was established by Russians in California, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

“This is my next point – recognizing Alaska, Fort Ross and Antarctica,” Matveychev responded, according to the Anchorage Daily News. “We actually discovered it, so it rightfully belongs to us.”

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Air raid alerts go off in almost every region of Ukraine. Sirens have been activated in the Sumy, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Rivne, Volyn, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Odesa oblasts.

NEXTA on Twitter - 1 hr ago
The car of the #Russian Embassy in #TelAviv.

NEXTA on Twitter
#Switzerland is ready to mediate or to hold negotiations. This was stated by the president of the confederation, Ignazio Cassis, speaking at a rally in #Bern under the slogan "Solidarity with #Ukraine, stop the war!"

NEXTA on Twitter
#Australian authorities have announced that they will stop exporting alumina and aluminum ores to #Russia as part of new sanctions over the military invasion of #Ukraine. Supplies from #Australia account for about 20 percent of Russia's total alumina needs.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 21 min ago
Three people killed following Russian attacks in Rubizhne. Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai says that 24 houses and apartment buildings were destroyed in Rubizhne and Severodonetsk over the past 24 hours. 7 people were evacuated and 3 people killed, including 2 children.