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

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 3 hrs ago
Russia fired record number of missiles, Ukraine’s air defense shot down most of them. According to The Insider, Russia fired at least 70 missiles against Ukraine on March 26. Only eight hit their targets, the rest were shot down by Ukraine’s air defense.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Ukraine, Russian delegations to meet in Turkey by end of March. According to lawmaker David Arakhamia, member of Ukraine’s peace talks delegation, the two sides will meet face-to-face between March 28 and March 30.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Zelensky gave an interview via videoconference to four journalists representing non-governmental Russian media on March 27. The Russian government called upon the media to not publish the interview, and said those who interviewed Zelensky will be investigated.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 1 hr ago
British-made shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles Starstreak are reportedly in Ukraine already. The first Ukrainian troops had been trained and were now deployed with Starstreak, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told The Mail.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Ukraine has eliminated:

• almost 12% of Russian troops
• 1/2 of Russian tanks
• more than 1/2 of Russian helicopters

out of Russia's initial invasion force. Graphic by @voxukraine

NEXTA on Twitter - 20 min ago
#Russian soldiers kidnapped seven people in the town of Snivsk in #Chernihiv Region. Among them is the town head, Alexander Medvedev, according to the #Snivsk city council.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 15 min ago
First captured Russian tanks T-72B3&T-90 are joining the Ukrainian army after repairs & training for soldiers. "We strengthened the guys with tablets, software; communication devices are coming to the unit," volunteers of Povernys Zhyvym fund reported.

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 27, 2022
'My personal tragedy': Ukrainians brace for attack on Odesa | AP News
The Black Sea port of Odesa is mining its beaches and rushing to defend its cultural heritage from a feared Mariupol-style fate in the face of growing alarm that the strategic city might be next as Russia attempts to strip Ukraine of its coastline.

The multi-cultural jewel, dear to Ukrainian hearts and even Russian ones, would be a hugely strategic win for Russia. It is the country’s largest port, crucial to grain and other exports, and headquarters for the Ukrainian navy.

[...]

“The only thing we’re really afraid of is that the other side has no principles whatsoever,” said Valerii Novak, a local businessman. He never considered himself a Ukrainian patriot, but when Russia invaded, something “just clicked” in him. He has refused to leave Odesa and joined thousands of people in basic training in how to use a gun.

Now he and other Odesa residents watch Russian warships move closer, in provocation. Western officials call the Russian ships a mix of surface combatants and the kinds used to put naval infantry ashore.

[...]

Now the city’s Italian baroque opera house, rebuilt in the 1880s, is one of the most heavily defended buildings in Ukraine. Major monuments elsewhere in Odesa are covered in sandbags. The contents of the fine arts museum, including Orthodox religious icons, have been moved into underground storage. Checkpoints are heavy throughout the historic city center.

Russian forces’ plans to take Odesa have been ruined by the Ukrainian resistance in Mykolaiv, a crucial land supply route, Shelest said. Without holding Mykolaiv, a Russian landing operation in Odesa from the sea would be suicidal.

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Macron warns against ‘escalation’ after Biden speech; Zelenskiy calls on west for planes and tanks | World news | The Guardian

2h ago 19:22
Ukraine prepared to discuss neutrality status as part of peace deal, Zelenskiy says
A key development from the Ukrainian president’s interview with Russian journalists, Reuters reports:

Ukraine is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia but it would have to be guaranteed by third parties and put to a referendum, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview aired on Sunday.

Speaking to a group of Russian journalists via video call, Zelenskiy said Russia’s invasion had caused the destruction of Russian-speaking cities in Ukraine, and said the damage was worse than the Russian wars in Chechnya.

[...]

1h ago 19:28
Turkish president pushes for a ceasefire in phone call with Putin: Reuters

New from Reuters:

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a telephone call on Sunday that a ceasefire and better humanitarian conditions were needed following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, his office said in a statement.

“Erdogan noted the importance of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the implementation of peace and the improvement of humanitarian conditions in the region,” his office said in a readout of the call.

[...]

1h ago 19:53
What Zelenskiy told Russian reporters
Russian independent new outlets are already facing warnings from Russia’s communications regulator that they are under investigation for conducting a video interview with Ukraine’s president, and that they are forbidden from distributing the interview.

As journalists review the now publicly-posted footage from the 92-minute interview, they are highlighting some of the key points Volodymyr Zelenskiy made:

• Zelenskiy said he believes Putin was told that Ukrainians would welcome a Russian invasion, and claimed that Ukraine found Russian parade uniforms in early convoys, suggesting they were ready for immediate victory marches:
  • Tikhon Dzyadko on Twitter
  • max seddon on Twitter

• Zelenskiy also said that the bodies of Russian and Ukrainian people are lying in piles across Mariupol, and that Russians are not picking up the bodies of their own dead, or allowing Ukrainians to pick up their own wounded and dead, CNN analyst Bianna Golodryga reports:
  • Bianna Golodryga on Twitter
  • Bianna Golodryga on Twitter
  • Bianna Golodryga on Twitter

 

[PommyMommy]

Joint Statement of the United States and Germany on Support for Ukraine, European Energy Security, and our Climate Goals - United States Department of State

Nord Stream - Wikipedia

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 27, 2022
Leader Of Kremlin-Backed Separatists In Ukraine Planning 'Referendum' To Join Russia (rferl.org)

Leonid Pasechnik (file photo)

[...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions in February before launching a war against Ukraine to bring the country back under the Kremlin's sphere of influence.

Putin has backed separatists that control parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions with money, weapons, and troops since 2014 as he seeks to prevent Ukraine from joining Western-led organizations including the European Union and NATO.

"I think a referendum will be held in the near future," Leonid Pasechnik, the Luhansk separatist leader, said on March 27, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

[...]

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that such a vote in Luhansk would not be recognized.

"The Russian Federation does not abandon attempts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Any fake referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are legally null and void and will have no legal consequences," ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said in a statement to RFE/RL.

[...]

The Kremlin tightly controls elections inside Russia and in territories it holds to generate the outcome it seeks.

After seizing Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin immediately pushed through a "referendum" on joining Russia. Though Moscow claims citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of annexation, a leaked report from its Human Rights Council two months later put turnout at only 30 percent, with about half of those voting to join Russia.

[...]

The West has imposed sanctions preventing its companies from doing business in Crimea. It has also imposed sanctions on the separatist-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk.

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter- 1 hr ago
Zelensky: 'I told Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol they can leave the city, they refused.' They refused to leave behind injured and dead comrades and civilians, Zelensky told Russian journalists on March 27.

NEXTA on Twitter
A logistics base for #Russian troops has been deployed on the territory of #Belarus, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff has said. The agency noted that dozens of tons of rockets and artillery shells are transported from there to #Ukraine. Оперативна інформація станом на 18.00 27.03.2022 щодо російського вторгнення - YouTube

NEXTA on Twitter
The transport corridor passes through the town of Pripyat and a few hundred meters from the ChNPP containment facilities. Further storage of ammunition is carried out in #Chernobyl, where a temporary command post of a group of troops of the Eastern Military District is deployed.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Air warnings have been issued for all oblasts of Ukraine; all Ukrainian citizens instructed to shelter. Explosions are reported in Lutsk and Kherson

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 40 min ago
Powerful explosions heard in Kyiv, Lutsk, Kharkiv and Zhytomyr during air alert. The explosions can mean that Russian missiles hit targets or were taken down by Ukrainian air defense. Air alert went off in almost all of Ukraine’s regions.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 27 min ago
Significant fires broke out in Chornobyl Russian occupiers continue to ignore serious consequences of fires. As a result of combustion, radionuclides are released into atmosphere; wind can carry them over long distances,incl European countries–Reintegr.Minister Ірина Верещук - Прошу поширити це звернення, щоб лідери... | Facebook

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 7 min ago
Ukrainian pilot:"We have great morale. But it’s also limited, we don't want to die. For the guys with families…it’s way harder. Main problem is equipment. We are absolutely on different pages of techs, between modern Russian airforce & airdefenses and our stuff" DISPATCH: Interview With a Ukrainian MiG-29 Pilot

 

[PommyMommy]

DPG Media Privacy Gate
Russia shifts focus to the east of Ukraine but bombs in the west: 'This is a very smart tactic."

A sanctioned Russian oligarch says he's struggling to pay bills and isn't sure he can employ a cleaner or driver

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Ukraine ‘prepared to discuss neutrality as part of peace deal’, with talks between sides to resume | World news | The Guardian

2h ago 16:52
Watch the Ukrainian president’s interview with Russian reporters

The full interview with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, already the subject of a crackdown by the Russian government on the media outlets involved, is available here with English subtitles.

Natalia Krapiva ‍ on Twitter
NEW:@ZelenskyyUa just gave a remarkable interview to Russian independent
@meduzaproject @kommersant @novaya_gazeta & @tvraine, who defied Russian
government orders not to release it. Here are some highlights in English.

[...]

16m ago 18:56
Zelenskiy claims that 2,000 children from Mariupol have been taken by Russia: CNN

One of the most striking claims in the Ukrainian president’s interview with Russian reporters was Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s assertion that Russia has “stolen” 2,000 children from Mariupol during attempts to evacuate civilians from the city, CNN reported.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter
The USS Forrest Sherman arrived at the port of #Gdansk, #Poland.


NEXTA on Twitter
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of #Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny reports that in order to discredit the #Ukrainian defense forces, the enemy is shooting staged videos and asks to trust only official sources.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Zelensky, during his interview to Russian media, criticized the Russian authorities' treatment of the killed soldiers, who are either abandoned or taken home in what he described as "garbage bags." He said he didn't understand why the soldiers' families were accepting it.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Zelensky on Russians abandoning their killed soldiers: “It’s scary because when this is how they treat their own people, then how do they treat others? It’s barbarism and it will end badly."

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Zelensky: "In Ukraine, we understand what we are fighting for. And what about you? What is going on in your country, in Russia? I don’t understand it. It’s a tragedy, and a tragedy that is harming us."

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Powerful explosions in Lutsk, Kyiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, and Zhytomyr during an air raid late evening on March 27,– adviser at UA Presidential Office @Podolyak_M
and Oblast Heads. In Lutsk, there were missile strikes on the oil depot,–Lutsk Oblast Head

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
There is still a high probability of involvement of Belarus armed forces in the aggression against Ukraine. Transportation of rockets by road transport to the area of Kalinkovichi is recorded. Air reconnaissance continues in the areas of Kovel, Varash, Sarny,–Gen.Staff, 24:00

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia and Ukraine to start next round of live negotiations in Turkey in the coming days

Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet on Monday in Istanbul, Turkey, for the next round of in-person peace talks, a Ukrainian negotiator said Sunday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to discuss the negotiations.

"Stressing the need for the immediate establishment of ceasefire and peace between Russia and Ukraine as well as the amelioration of the humanitarian situation in the region, President [Erdoğan] said that [Turkey] would continue to lend every kind of support regarding the process," Turkish Presidency's communications office said Sunday.

Chief Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia confirmed that the peace talks will be held March 28-30. A Russian negotiator said they would start on Tuesday.

 

[PommyMommy]

Cost of living in Russia rose more than 14% after invasion of Ukraine - National | Globalnews.ca

 

[PommyMommy]

N.S. fisherman trapped by Russian shelling as he tries to drive Ukrainians to safety

These Russian journalists found a way to report from outside the country - CNN

Georgi Markov - Wikipedia - Weaponized Umbrellas

Turkey to host next round of Russia-Ukraine negotiation talks

USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) - Wikipedia
USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy and is the second US Navy ship to bear the name. She is part of Destroyer Squadron 28.

 

[PommyMommy]

Russia-Ukraine war latest: Ukraine ‘prepared to discuss neutrality as part of peace deal’, with talks between sides to resume | World news | The Guardian

36m ago 22:27
Civilians in Ukraine continue to fight back in creative, new ways.

According to Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova, who is based in the western city of Lviv, local coffee shops are displaying Russian losses in their windows.

Hanna Liubakova on Twitter
#Ukraine Lviv. The losses of the Russian army are mentioned and renewed daily at the door of the famous Lviv Coffee Mine.

[...]

1h ago 02:56
In an earlier interview for Russian media, published and transcribed by the presidential offie of Ukraine, Zelenskiy spoke of a “cultural split” that has taken place towards Russians in Ukraine.

"A global historical and cultural split took place during this month. It’s not just a war, I think it’s much worse.”

Zelenskiy noted that before the war some Ukrainians were loyal to Russia but after the destruction of their cities and death of civilians, this attitude has changed to hatred, adding that he believed the damage is “irreparable”.

"I think this is the worst disappointment that has happened. Disappointment that turned into hatred of the nations. I have no answer as to how it can be returned, there is no answer as to whether it will ever return.”

[...]

2h ago 02:13
The Ukrainian military has released its latest operational report as of 10pm local time, claiming Russia has withdrawn troops that were surrounding Kyiv after suffering significant losses.

The withdrawal has “significantly decreased” the intensity of Russia’s advance, the general staff of the armed forces said.

Officials added that they believed Russia was also transporting ‘Iskander’ missiles to Kalinkovichy in the Gomel region of south-eastern Belarus.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Perilous moment for Ukraine nears as Mariupol looks set to fall: Petraeus

As the war in Ukraine moves into its second month, fears grow of Mariupol’s fall to Russia.

Ukraine defends strategically important Mariupol amid relentless attacks

‘God has left Mariupol’: diary entries chart horror of besieged city in Ukraine

 

[PommyMommy]

March 28 2022
Russia-Ukraine war latest news: Kremlin says talks in Turkey may now start on Tuesday – live | World news | The Guardian
''Russia's Novaya Gazeta suspends publication after official warning
Novaya Gazeta, the Russian newspaper whose editor Dmitry Muratov was last year awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has said it will suspend its activities until “the end of the special operation in Ukraine”.

It comes after the newspaper received a second official warning from the Russian state communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor.

Roskomnadzor said Novaya Gazeta failed to mark a non-governmental organisation mentioned in one of its stories as a “foreign agent” in accordance with Russian legislation.''
....
''Germany has said individuals who display the letter “Z” to show support for Russia’s war in Ukraine could be liable to prosecution.

The letter “Z” has been used as a marking on Russian military vehicles taking part in the conflict'' and has become the main symbol of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.''

A T-shirt with the symbol ‘Z’ on it is being sold in a souvenir shop in Moscow. Photograph: Vlad Karkov/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock
....
''The European Commission has called on governments to halt the sale of citizenship to investors and to suspend the sale of visas to Russians and Belarusians.

The move comes amid concerns that people hit by EU sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may be holders of EU golden visas or passports, Reuters reports.

The European Commission said:
Some Russian or Belarusian nationals who are subject to sanctions or are significantly supporting the war in Ukraine might have acquired EU citizenship or privileged access to the EU, including to travel freely in the Schengen area, under these schemes.''

 

[PommyMommy]

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 6 hrs ago
Armed Forces: Russia attempts to break through defenses near Kyiv. According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian troops are attempting to advance on Kyiv from the northwest and east, capturing nearby roads and villages. Russian forces are currently being held back by Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Armed Forces: heavy fighting near Izyum continues. According to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russia continues to attack villages of Topolske, Kamyanka, and Sukha Kamyanka near the city of Izyum, southeast of Kharkiv.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 4 hrs ago
No humanitarian evacuations to take place on March 28, due to potential provocations. According to Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, humanitarian corridors won’t take place following intelligence reports that Russia plans to stage provocations along evacuation routes.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 3 hrs
Kharkiv shelled over 200 times within 24 hours. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synegubov said that Russia had used artillery, multiple rocket launch systems, and mortars to shell the city.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Fighting near Kyiv disrupts power supply. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, as a result of fighting near Kyiv, two high-voltage power lines have been damaged, leaving several of Kyiv’s western neighborhoods without power.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
Zelensky: Some mayors abducted by Russia turned up dead. “(Russians) are kidnapping the mayors of our cities. Some of them we cannot find. Some of them we have already found, and they are dead,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with The Economist.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter - 1 hr ago
Peskov: No plans for Putin-Zelensky meeting. Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, says that Putin isn’t planning on meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky following the fourth round of Ukraine-Russian negotiations on March 29 in Istanbul.

The Kyiv Independent on Twitter
Mariupol authorities estimate that about 160,000 people are left in besieged Mariupol, out of the pre-war population of over 400,000. All of them need to be evacuated from the city due to the deepening humanitarian crisis, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on March 28.

 

[PommyMommy]

NEXTA on Twitter - 5 hrs ago
There will be no humanitarian corridors in #Ukraine today. This was announced by Iryna #Vereshchuk. According to her, the #Ukrainian intelligence is aware of planned provocations, so the corridors will not be opened for security reasons.

NEXTA on Twitter
Negotiations between #Ukraine and #Russia are scheduled to begin this evening in #Istanbul.

NEXTA on Twitter - 4 hrs ago
Talks between #Russia and #Ukraine will continue in a face-to-face format, #Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov has confirmed. Moscow expects the negotiations to be successful.

NEXTA on Twitter - 4 hrs ago
#Putin's press secretary Dmitri #Peskov: #Russian-#Ukrainian negotiations are unlikely to begin today in #Istanbul, it could happen tomorrow.

NEXTA on Twitter
The International Committee of the Red Cross stated that it is still unable to provide assistance to the besieged city of #Mariupol because it requires #Russia and #Ukraine to guarantee safe passage.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 3 hrs ago
Ukrainian intelligence publishes list of 620 Russian FSB agents taking part in Russian criminal activities in European countries. List includes names, passports addresses, car models & license plates, etc Сотрудники ФСБ россии участвующие в преступной деятельности страны-агрессора на территории Европы (gur.gov.ua)

NEXTA on Twitter - 2 hrs ago
The next round of negotiations between #Ukraine and #Russia will begin on Tuesday at 10:00 in Istanbul, said David Arahmia, a participant of the negotiations.

NEXTA on Twitter - 30 min ago, Video
#Ukrainian rescuers received machinery and equipment from #France 27 units of fire-fighting and rescue equipment, as well as rescue equipment are already in #Ukraine.

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Mariupol before the Russian invasion. PHOTOS: https://t.me/mariupolnow/

Euromaidan Press on Twitter
Mariupol these days PHOTOS: https://t.me/mariupolnow/, https://t.me/polkazov/

Euromaidan Press on Twitter - 3 min ago
Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, has been fully liberated - the city's mayor

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 28, 2022
Russia shifts focus to try to grind Ukraine's army in east | AP News
[...]

The bulk of the Ukrainian army is concentrated in eastern Ukraine, where it has been locked up in fighting with Moscow-backed separatists in a nearly eight-year conflict. If Russia succeeds in encircling and destroying the Ukrainian forces in the country’s industrial heartland called Donbas, it could try to dictate its terms to Kyiv and, possibly, attempt to split the country in two.

The Russian military declared Friday that the “first stage of the operation” had been largely accomplished, allowing Russian troops to concentrate on their “top goal — the liberation of Donbas.”

[...]

“Russia has shifted tactics ... to redistribute its forces and prepare for the next active stage of the war,” Sunhurovskyi said.

The Russian forces encircled the key strategic port of Mariupol and besieged it for weeks, hammering it with rockets and artillery in a carnage that killed thousands of civilians. The fall of Mariupol would free up Russian forces there and allow them to engage in a potential pincer movement together with another group of troops moving from Kharkiv in the northeast to try to encircle the Ukrainian military in the east.

“Russian forces appear to be concentrating their effort to attempt the encirclement of Ukrainian forces directly facing the separatist regions in the east of the country, advancing from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south,” the British Ministry of Defense said Sunday.

[...]

A senior U.S. defense official also noted the latest Russian focus on Donbas. The official said Putin may now hope to take full control of the east while keeping other Ukrainian forces occupied with the defense of Kyiv and other areas and then try to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to formally surrender control over Donbas and recognize Russia’s ownership of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

MAR 28, 2022

Civilians clear rubble from Russian missile-hit school in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Injured Russian soldiers freeze & appear terrified as they are awarded medals for invading Ukraine

Ukraine War: Analysis - Russian forces 'withdrawing' from some areas

 

[PommyMommy]

Donbas - Wikipedia
The Donbas or Donbass (UK: /dɒnˈbɑːs/,[1] US: /ˈdɑːnbɑːs, dʌnˈbæs/;[2][3] Ukrainian: Донба́с [donˈbɑs];[4] Russian: Донба́сс [dɑnˈbɑs][5]) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in south-eastern Ukraine.[6][7] Parts of Donbas are controlled by separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War: the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.[8][9][10] The word Donbas is a portmanteau formed from Donets Basin, an abbreviation of "Donets Coal Basin" (Ukrainian: Донецький вугільний басейн, romanized: Donetskyi vuhilnyi basein; Russian: Донецкий угольный бассейн, romanized: Donetskii ugolnyi bassein). The name of the coal basin is a reference to the Donets Ridge; the latter is associated with the River Donets.