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

[PommyMommy]

MAR 24, 2022
NATO - News: Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government - Brussels 24 March 2022, 24-Mar.-2022
[...]

We condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. We call on President Putin to immediately stop this war and withdraw military forces from Ukraine, and call on Belarus to end its complicity, in line with the Aggression Against Ukraine Resolution adopted at the UN General Assembly of 2 March 2022. Russia should comply with the 16 March ruling by the UN International Court of Justice and immediately suspend military operations. Russia’s attack on Ukraine threatens global security. Its assault on international norms makes the world less safe. President Putin’s escalatory rhetoric is irresponsible and destabilizing.

Ukrainians have inspired the world with heroic resistance to Russia’s brutal war of conquest. We strongly condemn Russia’s devastating attacks on civilians, including women, children, and persons in vulnerable situations. We will work with the rest of the international community to hold accountable those responsible for violations of humanitarian and international law, including war crimes. We are deeply concerned about the increased risk of sexual violence and human trafficking. We urge Russia to allow rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and safe passage for civilians, and to allow for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Mariupol and other besieged cities. We also condemn attacks against civilian infrastructure, including those endangering nuclear power plants. We will continue to counter Russia’s lies about its attack on Ukraine and expose fabricated narratives or manufactured “false flag” operations to prepare the ground for further escalation, including against the civilian population of Ukraine. Any use by Russia of a chemical or biological weapon would be unacceptable and result in severe consequences.

Russia needs to show it is serious about negotiations by immediately implementing a ceasefire. We call on Russia to engage constructively in credible negotiations with Ukraine to achieve concrete results, starting with a sustainable ceasefire and moving towards a complete withdrawal of its troops from Ukrainian territory. Russia’s continuing aggression while discussions are taking place is deplorable. We support Ukraine’s efforts to achieve peace, and those undertaken diplomatically by Allies to weigh in on Russia to end the war and relieve human suffering.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Video at link:

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1507087571452579841?t=wzMbOBXvRvRg55gOTG8c7w&s=19
#American volunteers on the battlefield in the #Kyiv region

They liberated the village, which had been under #Russian occupation for almost a month. https://t.co/Lh67gAiI2c

https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1507086401984212999?t=oiFpSFn7pDdYTDba0Ilvhw&s=19
17:00 EET Ukrainians liberated Lukianivka village 40 km to the east from Kyiv, continuing counterattack in that direction, along with some other directions.
Several Russian vehicles were captured, a soldier from the site reported
ЗСУ звільнили село Лук’янівка на Київщині

 

[PommyMommy]

Ontploffingen en brand aan boord Russisch landingsschip in Oekraïense haven Berdyansk. (With English translation on the page)

“Also worth noting is that the bow number on the forward landing craft (55 or 53) does not appear in the list of bow numbers on Russian landing craft. The bow numbers of the Bykov-class corvettes have been completely painted off, it is possible that the numbers on these ships have been changed.”

https://tsn.ua/ato/russian-pirates-...nd-names-on-their-military-ships-2015587.html ^

“Although the probably sunken Alligator-class landing ship is very old, losing this ship in this way is a great loss for Russia. Firstly, because part of the amphibious capacity is now being lost. But also because now the port of Berdyansk may no longer be usable for the Russians for some time. If the landing ship has indeed sunk, the quay at that location can no longer be used. The explosions were violent, so there's a chance for more damage than just the Alligator; think of cranes or objects where goods were stored.

Finally, it is a major setback in the totality of Russian setbacks. Until now, the deployment from sea was not very large, but it was successful. Certainly in the Sea of Azov there were several amphibious landings and the amphibious ships have been used a lot for a few days to move equipment to the battle area around Mariupol. This prosperity for the Russian navy has come to an end for the time being with a large fireball.”

 

[PommyMommy]

This Ukrainian ride-sharing service gave away its cars to help citizens flee

Bitcoin for bullets: inside the first crowdfunded war

 

[PommyMommy]

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 24 March 2022:

Ukrainian forces have launched strikes against high value targets in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, including a landing ship and ammunition storage depots at Berdyansk.

It is likely that the Ukrainians will continue to target logistical assets in Russian-held areas. This will force the Russian military to prioritise the defence of their supply chain and deprive them of much needed resupply for forces.

This will reduce Russia’s ability to conduct offensive operations, and further damage already dwindling morale.

https://twitter.com/defencehq/status/1507113449494659080?s=21

 

[PommyMommy]

Can the U.S. and allies freeze Russian gold? Yes. Here's how.

How much gold does Russia have?
Russian gold purchases increased in 2014, after the U.S. issued sanctions on Russia for Putin's invasion of Crimea. Now the country holds $100 billion to $140 billion in gold reserves, which is roughly 20% of the holdings in the Russian Central Bank, according to U.S. officials. Additionally, the Bank of Russia announced Feb. 28, shortly after several Russian banks were removed from the SWIFT bank messaging system, that it would resume the purchase of gold on the domestic precious metals market.

 

[PommyMommy]

"In January, as the saber-rattling over Ukraine grew louder, Russian Deputy Foreign MinisterSergei Ryabkov pointedly refused to rule outan enhanced Russian military presence in Venezuela, as well as elsewhere around the Caribbean, in response to NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe."

Maybe they'll decide they want some of Central America too?

Venezuela’s Crisis Could Be Another Casualty of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion

 

[PommyMommy]

Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine, Mariupol besieged (cnn.com)
Workers at Chernobyl power plant are being put at risk by Russian shelling in a nearby town, IAEA says

Russian shelling near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has prevented personnel from rotating to and from the plant, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.
Ukraine’s regulatory authority told the IAEA on Thursday that shelling was endangering ‘the homes and families of those operational personnel that ensure the nuclear and radiation safety" of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.''

Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine, Mariupol besieged (cnn.com)

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left), U.S. President Joe Biden (second left) and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) speak with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (center), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (third from right) and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (second from right) before a G7 leaders' family photograph on March 24, 2022. (Henry Nicholls/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

“We are united in our support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we are united in our resolve to defend our shared values, including democracy, respect for human rights, global peace and stability, and the rules-based international order,” the statement reads, before going on to list “transatlantic efforts to support the Ukrainian people.”

Among the efforts the leaders highlighted, Biden and von der Leyen said “the United States and the European Union are supporting the work of war crimes documentation experts who are gathering evidence on the ground in Ukraine,” in addition to outlining their efforts on issues like food security and humanitarian relief.''

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 24, 2022
Inside massacre of civilian evacuees outside Kyiv (kyivindependent.com)



The remains of the leading car in a convoy of evacuation vehicles that were fired upon by Russian forces in the urban village of Stoyanka-2, outside Kyiv. The driver and the forward passenger were killed. The passenger’s wife and child, who were sitting in the back, survived and escaped to the capital. (The Kyiv Independent)

In the village of Stoyanka-2 outside Kyiv, a half-dozen cars line the road, riddled with holes, their bodywork mangled by bullets and an explosion.

Their windows, bearing handwritten Ukrainian signs saying “Children” are perforated or shattered. The suitcases inside the vehicles appear to have been searched. The bodies have been recovered by volunteers or removed by Russian soldiers or locals.

This is what remains of the quarter of a 20-car civilian evacuation convoy that tried to escape the suburban town of Irpin on the morning of March 6. As the convoy entered Stoyanka-2, Russian forces opened fire, most likely from a nearby building, killing at least four people in the first five cars and wounding several more. The rest managed to back up, turn around and flee.

Oleksandr Syrtsov saw it happen directly in front of him.

“I saw with my own eyes how my loved ones were being shot to death… like cannon fodder,” he told the Kyiv Independent over the phone from Kyiv. “In 30 seconds, I lost my friend, my cousin, all my things, my documents, my car… all I kept was my life.”

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1507143265933484035?t=Nlk3JFiCj7DI_37DWcnldQ&s=19

️Mariupol City Council calls for help as residents begin to die from starvation.

More and more people are left without any food while multiple attempts to create humanitarian corridors and to provide aid have failed as Russian troops continue to violate ceasefire agreements.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Ukrainian army: Russia wants to end war by May 9. According to intelligence from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops are being told that the war must end by May 9 – widely celebrated in Russia as the day of victory over the Nazi Germany.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 4 hrs ago
Russia claims that it will open a humanitarian corridor to allow foreign ships to leave Ukrainian ports. The supposed corridor would be 3 miles wide an open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 25. Earlier, Russia claimed there were drifting mines in the Black Sea.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 30 min ago
General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces: Some Russian units retreat towards Slobozhanksy after losing 50% of personnel. Russian forces continue to blockade Sumy and Kharkiv but some units have reportedly withdrawn to Russia due to the significant casualties.

One month of Russia's war in photos (kyivindependent.com)

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Zelenskiy calls for Nato military aid ‘without restrictions’, as western leaders gather – live | World news | The Guardian

36m ago 21:15
Russia is running out of precision guided munitions and it is more likely to rely on so-called dumb bombs and artillery, a senior Pentagon official said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl speculated that he did not believe President Vladimir Putin wanted to have an all out conflict with Nato.

Earlier, we reported that three US officials claimed Russia is suffering high failure rates as high as 60% for some of its precision-guided missiles while its forces have taken heavy casualties and are low on supplies.

'A Source Of Death': Air Bases In Russia, Belarus, And Crimea Used In Moscow’s Assault On Ukraine (rferl.org)
The Russian military jets and helicopters attacking Ukraine may be taking off from roughly 40 air bases, according to an analysis by Schemes (Skhemy), an investigative news project run by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in cooperation with UA: Pershy television. Schemes examined satellite images from the private, U.S.-based company Maxar Technologies.

Ukraine has said that Russian jets flying over the Black Sea have hit the Lviv region in the west. Russia is actively using airbases located on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea to bomb Ukraine, Oleksandr Musiyenko, head of the Center for Military Legal Studies in Kyiv, told Schemes.

 

[PommyMommy]

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
"How to start and steal a Russian tank" - one of the many instructions on total resistance an official Ukrainian Army website offers Ukrainians. Instructions valid for T72 & T90 tanks How to start and steal a Russian tank - Center for National Resistance (mod.gov.ua)

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Main NATO summit decisions

• NATO promises to protect Ukraine from chemical & bioweapons; their use "would lead to dire consequences" for Russia
• 4 additional multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia
• NATO does not intend to send troops to Ukraine

NEXTA on Twitter - 5 hrs ago, Video
#American volunteers on the battlefield in the #Kyiv region They liberated the village, which had been under #Russian occupation for almost a month.

NEXTA on Twitter
Forbes: Ukrainian army now has 43 more tanks than at the beginning of the war According to analysts, since the beginning of the war, #Russian army has lost 530 tanks, while the Armed Forces of #Ukraine have lost 74 of their own, but captured 117 enemy tanks.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
In occupied territories, Russians destroy Ukrainian books that don't fit Russian world ideology - Ukrainian intel These include history of Maidan revolutions, war in Donbas, Ukrainian liberation struggles, Ukrainian history school books Mazepa, Petliura, Bandera are in list of forbidden names

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
CNN: Ukraine tells the U.S. it needs 500 Javelins and 500 Stingers per day. A recent request provided to U.S. lawmakers points to a growing need for American-made Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles as the Russian invasion continues on multiple fronts.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 24, 2022
Russian defence minister resurfaces on TV – but for just a few seconds | Russia | The Guardian
[...]

Rumours were beginning to circulate that they may have been punished over the bungled invasion, which has failed to capture key Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv or Kyiv and plunged Russia into economic isolation.

[...]

Within an information vacuum, the rumours about Putin’s anger at his subordinates has also remained just that.

[...]

Sensing a problem, the Kremlin promptly returned Shoigu to television. The clip released on Thursday was unusual: a security council teleconference with Vladimir Putin, where Shoigu was said to have reported “progress in the special military operation and efforts being made by the military to provide humanitarian aid, ensure security, and restore vital infrastructure on the liberated territories”.

But you wouldn’t know that because the sound was turned off. And Shoigu appeared for just seconds, as his camera was briefly unblocked to reveal him sitting in front of several Russian flags at an undisclosed location. His arm moved, proving it wasn’t just a picture of the defence minister returned to television to dispel rumours about his demise.

And then, just as quickly, he was gone again.

 

[PommyMommy]

Alec Luhn

@ASLuhn
Scripps environmental journalism fellow interested in the far north. Former Russia correspondent for @guardian& @telegraph

Chilling Russian military intercepts. "First remove our 'property' from the residential area, then cover the residential area with artillery."

Quote Tweet

Christiaan Triebert

@trbrtc

· Mar 23

In another transmission, we hear the repeated order to cover the entire residential neighbourhood with artillery after the “property” (хозяйство) has been removed — a likely codeword for Russian personnel or equipment. This could be a war crime.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1506748705080291328

10:45 AM · Mar 24, 2022

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 24, 2022
Ukrainian Citizens Continue To Mobilize Against The Russian Invasion (rferl.org)

1Women working in cramped conditions make soldiers' vests in Vynohradiv in western Ukraine on March 23.

3Volunteers bake bread for servicemen in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on March 22.

6A volunteer in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhya makes steel plates that will be used for armored vests.

8Volunteers make body armor and backpacks in Zaporizhzhya on March 21.

11Volunteers rest among bags of clothes that need to be sorted and distributed in Lviv on March 19.

 

[PommyMommy]

Mariupol authorities estimate that 300 people were killed in Russian strike on theater
The Mariupol city council says it now believes about 300 people died in the Russian attack on Mariupol's theater 9 days ago, which was being used as a shelter for as many as 1,300 civilians.

EU signs US gas deal to curb reliance on Russia

New fears for Chernobyl: Russian troops are now attacking the homes of plant staff | Daily Mail Online

Biden heads to Poland where he will refugees cast out by Putin's Ukraine invasion | Daily Mail Online

Ukraine war: More than 400,000 civilians 'taken hostage' by Russia | Daily Mail Online

 

[PommyMommy]

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 3 hrs ago
Ukrainian Police Gen. Vyacheslav Abroskin offers to surrender himself to Russia in exchange for the evacuation of Mariupol children "Let me into Mariupol to gather the children... At the last checkpoint on the way back with the children, I'll surrender," he wrote. https://facebook.com/100008480501304/posts/2851638315128824/

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Abroskin to the Russian troops: "I am a police general who from 2014 to 2018 organized opposition against you first-hand in Donetsk Oblast. I am included in your sanctions lists. I am on your wanted list." (cont)

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Abroskin to the Russian troops: "My life belongs to me alone and I offer it in exchange for the lives of children who still remain in Mariupol."

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Reuters: US estimates an up to 60% failure rate for Russian missiles attacking Ukraine. Earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said 467 Russian missiles hit Ukraine since Feb. 24. A total of over 1,200 missiles were launched by Russia since the war began.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Russian troops shelled a municipal hospital in Kharkiv's Osnovyanskyi district, killing 4 A humanitarian aid center is located in the attacked hospital, the Kharkiv Police said that seven people were wounded, four of them died. https://t.me/suspilnekharkiv/10191

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Synyehubov: Russian forces shell Kharkiv airport. According to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synyehubov, Russia attacked the Kharkiv airport using multiple launch rocket systems. Russia also attacked the city with Grad and Uragan missile launch systems.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 25 min ago

• Russia transfers new troops to Belarus to replenish its assault force
• 4 Russian warships entered Azov Sea, crossing the Kerch Strait

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war: Mariupol theatre bombing death toll ‘at least 300’ as UN reports mass graves in city – latest | World news | The Guardian

4h ago 05:36
Northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv cut off by Russian forces
The northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv has in effect been cut off by Russian forces, the regional governor said this morning according to reports from Reuters.

“The city has been conditionally, operationally surrounded by the enemy,” Governor Viacheslav Chaus said on national television, adding that the city was under fire from artillery and warplanes.

3h ago 05:55
Finland’s national railway operator will suspend services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia on Monday, closing one of the last public transport routes to the European Union for Russians.

Reuters report that operator VR had been directed by the state that it was no longer appropriate to run the service, “So we are suspending the traffic for the time being,” head of passenger traffic Topi Simola said.

Trains from Russia to Finland’s capital Helsinki have been full of Russians since the invasion of Ukraine. The border between Finland and Russia remains open for crossings by private car.

2h ago 07:32
Russian forces have partially created a land corridor to Crimea from territory in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Ukraine’s defence ministry said.

“The enemy was partially successful in creating a land corridor between the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and part of Donetsk region,” it said in an online post.

It comes after British intelligence said on Friday Ukraine’s forces had retaken towns 35km east of Kyiv.

2h ago 07:44
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister says Ukraine wants a humanitarian corridor for Chernihiv on Saturday, Reuters reports.

Iryna Vereshchuk said negotiations with Russia on creating humanitarian corridors were difficult, with Russia wanting civilians to evacuate to Russian-controlled territory.

[...]

1h ago 08:16
Video appears to show Russian shelling of civilians receiving humanitarian aid in Kharkiv

Video:

Oleksandra Matviichuk on Twitter
Russians fired on the Nova Poshta postal department in Kharkiv, where Kharkiv residents were receiving humanitarian aid. Here the video of a rocket hitting a crowd of civilians in line #RussiansWarCrimes

Oleksandra Matviichuk on Twitter
Love is watching together a Russian warship burning. Source spokesman of the Odesa Military Administration. #StandWithUkraine

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 25, 2022
Some prominent Russians quit jobs, refuse to support war | AP News
[...]

A number of public figures have condemned the invasion of Ukraine and left their posts at state-run institutions and companies, which could signal divisions in Russia’s official ranks over the war. So far there have been no indications that the resignations have reached into Putin’s inner circle.

The handful of departures came as Putin blasted those opposing his course as “scum and traitors,” which Russian society would spit out “like a gnat.”

Some of the high-profile figures who have turned their backs on the Kremlin because of the war:

ANATOLY CHUBAIS

On Wednesday, the Kremlin confirmed media reports about the resignation of Chubais, 66, who was the architect of Yeltsin’s privatization campaign. The reports, citing anonymous sources, said he stepped down because of the war. He hasn’t publicly commented on his resignation.

Under Yeltsin, Chubais reportedly recommended the administration hire Putin, a move that was widely seen as an important stepping stone in Putin’s career. Putin became president of Russia in 2000, when Yeltsin stepped down.

[...]

ARKADY DVORKOVICH

Arkady Dvorkovich once served as Russia’s deputy prime minister and is currently chairman of the International Chess Federation, or FIDE. He criticized the war with Ukraine in comments made to Mother Jones magazine on March 14 and came under fire from the Kremlin’s ruling party.

[...]

FIDE banned a top Russian player for six months for his vocal support of Putin and the invasion.

Two days after Dvorkovich’s comments, a top official in the United Russia party demanded that he be fired as chair of the state-backed Skolkovo Foundation. Last week, the foundation reported that Dvorkovich decided to step down.

[...]