Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #4

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Putin Orders a Surprise 36-Hour Cease-Fire for Orthodox Christmas​

''Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to cease fighting in Ukraine for 36 hours starting Friday at noon, Moscow time, in what appeared to be a rare sign of conciliation in an invasion that’s heading for its second year.

The Kremlin said Putin gave the order Thursday for Russian Orthodox Christmas. It follows an appeal by the patriarch of that church, which has close ties to the Kremlin.''

''Ukrainian officials denounced that as a trap. Kyiv has demanded Russia remove its troops from Ukraine as a condition for any ceasefire.''

 

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JAN 4, 2023

Sitting ducks? Russian military flaws seen in troop deaths

The Russian military’s top brass is under increasing scrutiny as more details emerge of how at least 89 Russian soldiers, and possibly many more, were killed in a Ukrainian artillery attack on a single building.

apnews.com

“The Russian military has a record of unsafe ammunition storage from well before the current war, but this incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to Russia’s high casualty rate,” the update added.

The Russian Defense Ministry, in a rare admission of losses, initially said the strike killed 63 troops. But as emergency crews searched the ruins, the death toll mounted. The regiment’s deputy commander was among the dead.

That stirred renewed criticism inside Russia of the way the broader military campaign is being handled by the Ministry of Defense.

Vladlen Tatarsky, a well-known military blogger, accused Russian generals of “demonstrating their own stupidity and misunderstanding of what’s going on (among) the troops, where everyone has cellphones.”

Russia's hypersonic missile-armed ship to patrol global seas

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a frigate armed with the country’s latest hypersonic weapons on a trans-ocean cruise in a show of force as tensions with the West escalate over the war in Ukraine.

apnews.com

Some military experts say a single, hypersonic missile-armed warship is no match for the massive naval forces of the U.S. and its allies.

But others noted that the frigate’s potential deployment close to U.S. shores could be part of Putin’s strategy to up the ante in the Ukrainian conflict.

“This is a message to the West that Russia has nuclear-tipped missiles that can easily pierce any missile defenses,” pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov wrote in a commentary.

Between battles, Ukraine's soldiers have a place to recover

Sitting on comfy armchairs in a low-lit room smelling of lavender and pine trees, the men take deep breaths as they close their eyes and listen to meditation music.

apnews.com

“This rehabilitation is helping soldiers, at least for a week, to put themselves together,” said Oleksander Vasylkovskyi, a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Vasylkovskyi remembers how soldiers suffered silently after returning home from fighting Russia in Ukraine’s Donbas in 2014. Suicide rates among veterans increased in the following years, with many untreated cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. He hopes a center like this can raise awareness of the need for mental health care and prevent suicides in the future.

Here, soldiers are offered a variety of treatments: aquatic therapy in a hot pool to heal muscle aches; red light therapy to improve heart and blood circulation, a salt room for better breathing; and for those having nightmares, electrosleep therapy — a Soviet-era low-frequency electrotherapy that is said to relax the nervous system and induce sleep.

Putin orders weekend truce in Ukraine; Kyiv won't take part

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his armed forces to observe a 36-hour unilateral cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Orthodox Christmas holiday.

apnews.com

Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Russian forces “must leave the occupied territories — only then will it have a ‘temporary truce.’”

Ukraine’s National Security Council chief Oleksiy Danilov told Ukrainian TV: “We will not negotiate any truces with them.”

He also tweeted: “What does a bunch of little Kremlin devils have to do with the Christian holiday of Christmas? Who will believe an abomination that kills children, fires at maternity homes and tortures prisoners? A cease-fire? Lies and hypocrisy. We will bite you in the singing silence of the Ukrainian night.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said it was “interesting” that Putin was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches on Christmas and New Year’s. “I think he’s trying to find some oxygen,” he said, without elaborating.

 

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JAN 6, 2023

Iranian drone maker sanctioned for supplying Moscow

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Friday hit six executives and board members of an Iranian drone manufacturer with sanctions after the firm allegedly supplied Moscow with drones that Russian forces have been using to attack Ukraine.

apnews.com

“Iran has now become Russia’s top military backer,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “Iran must cease its support for Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and delay these transfers and impose costs on actors engaged in this activity.”

Ukraine reclaims Kyiv cathedral amid church dispute

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian government has taken the main cathedral of the revered historic monastery from the church previously affiliated with Moscow's patriarchate and allowed its Ukrainian rival to use it for Orthodox Christmas services.

apnews.com

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which remained loyal to the Moscow patriarch since the 17th century, declared independence from Moscow’s Patriarchate after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The UOC gave Moscow a liturgical cold shoulder by dropping the commemoration of Moscow Patriarch Kirill as its leader in public worship and blessing its own sacramental oil rather than use Moscow’s supply.

JAN 7, 2023

Global food prices in 2022 hit record high amid drought, war

ROME (AP) — Global prices for food commodities like grain and vegetable oils were the highest on record last year even after falling for nine months in a row, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said, as Russia's war in Ukraine , drought and other factors drove up inflation and worsened...

apnews.com

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February exacerbated a food crisis because the two countries were leading global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other products, especially to nations in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia that were already struggling with hunger.

A first for reclaimed Kyiv cathedral: Christmas in Ukrainian

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Packing a cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

apnews.com

Overlooking the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in the 31 years of Ukraine’s independence, the service there was held in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army troops in uniform were among those singing well-known Ukrainian carols.

JAN 8, 2023

Bosnian Serbs award Putin with medal of honor

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Bosnian Serb separatist leader on Sunday awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin with the highest medal of honor for his “patriotic concern and love” for the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia.

apnews.com

Dodik, who visited Putin in September in Moscow, has maintained close ties with the Russian president despite Russia’s war in Ukraine. The medal will be presented to Putin during the next meeting between the two, Russian Ambassador Igor Kalbukhov said.

 

[PommyMommy]

https://ukraine.rcmp.ca/responseForm?lang=en

1. RCMP.ca

''Canada’s investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine​

Canada is aware of the serious allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This is a matter of grave concern, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has opened a national investigation into these allegations.

If you were a victim of or witness to possible war crimes, or crimes against humanity​

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is aware that many Ukrainians coming to Canada or already in Canada may have witnessed or experienced potential war crimes and crimes against humanity while in Ukraine. If this applies to you, the RCMP wants to hear your account of what happened. Your information could contribute to future criminal cases against those responsible for such reprehensible acts.

War crimes and crimes against humanity include some of the most heinous acts committed across the globe. The RCMP takes all allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity very seriously. We are committed to investigating such allegations to the fullest extent of the law, and to holding those involved in such crimes accountable for their actions.''

 

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JAN 12, 2023

Russian forces press deadly assault for breakthrough in east

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia said Thursday that its forces are edging closer to capturing a salt-mining town in eastern Ukraine, which would mark an elusive victory for the Kremlin but come at the cost of heavy Russian casualties and extensive destruction of the territory they claim.

apnews.com

More than 100 Russian troops were killed in the battle for Soledar over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks.

“The Russians have literally marched on the bodies of their own soldiers, burning everything on their way,” Kyrylenko said while reporting that Russian forces had shelled a dozen towns and villages in the region in the past day.

Russian forces are using mortars and rockets to bombard Soledar in an unrelenting assault, struggling for a breakthrough after military setbacks have turned what the Kremlin hoped would be a fast victory into a grinding war of attrition that has dragged on for nearly 11 months with no end in sight.

“Civilians are trying to survive amid that bloodbath as the Russians are pressing their attacks,” Kyrylenko said.

 

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Hiding Toys And Checkers On The Street: Ukraine's War Has Changed Children's Lives Forever​

Ukraine's war has forced 500,000 children to move abroad, but most remain in school. An estimated 75 percent of Ukrainian kids suffer from psychological damage. Current Time's Borys Sachalko talked with three students who have been through differing challenges to see how they're faring.

Captured By Russian Forces, This Ukrainian Soldier Has Disappeared​

A Ukrainian couple heard their son's voice off-camera on a video showing soldiers captured by Russian forces in Mariupol. They have been searching for him since he sent a final message on May 17, the day troops defending the Azovstal steelworks surrendered.

How Ukrainian Heart Surgeons Keep Operating Amid Blackouts​

At the Kyiv Heart Institute surgeons continue to perform life-saving operations despite blackouts. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the institute has had to prepare for all kinds of disasters, including using multiple diesel-powered generators and digging a well.