Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 **Media Thread** NO DISCUSSION #5

[PommyMommy]

Governor: Russia’s war has damaged 15,000 civilian objects in Kherson Oblast. Russia’s full-scale invasion has damaged 15,000 civilian objects in Kherson Oblast, most of which are residential buildings, the regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin told Interfax Ukraine.

This number includes around 5,000 damaged houses that can not be restored, Prokudin said in an exclusive interview published on Sept. 1. Governor: Russia’s war has damaged 15,000 civilian properties in Kherson Oblast (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1697720851653628182

Ombudsman: Russia to introduce military training courses for students in occupied Crimea. Starting Sept. 1, Crimean students from grade five to nine will attend extracurricular activities called "Foundations of Military Training," Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on his Telegram.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1697828862196101144

Russia redeploys experienced troops from Luhansk Oblast to Ukraine’s south, introducing instead hastily gathered reserves The head of Ukraine’s Intelligence said Russians created the 25th Army as a strategic reserve but deployed it to Luhansk Oblast ahead of plans while redeploying the more experienced 41st army to fight Ukraine's offensive. Russia redeploys more effective troops from Luhansk Oblast to Ukraine's south - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1697867548551762218

 

[PommyMommy]

AUG 30, 2023

Russian officer is 'blown up by drone while mowing his lawn'

Alexei Chernykh, deputy chief of a local branch of the anti-corruption police, was blown up by a drone on Sunday at his home in the village of Schetinovka, local reports said.

www.dailymail.co.uk

[...]

Telegram channel Baza, which has known ties to Russian security services, said a drone dropped a bomb onto Chernykh's property on Sunday.

'A Ukrainian drone dropped ammunition on his site in Shchetynovka,' the Telegram channel reported. 'At that moment, Alexey was on his day off and was mowing [his] lawn,' it added, saying that he was killed in the incident.

[...]

If Chernykh's death is confirmed, he would become the latest high-ranking Russian official to meet his end since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine.

At least six generals have been confirmed by Russian sources to have been killed since February 2022 (including four which held the rank of Major General and two Lieutenant Generals), with Ukraine claiming the true figure to be 15.

Either way, the number of Russian generals killed in the conflict is unprecedented since the Second World War.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 4, 2023

Ukraine's defense minister resigns following Zelenskyy's announcement of his replacement

Ukraine’s defense minister has submitted a letter of resignation after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he would be replaced this week and named his successor.

apnews.com

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted a letter of resignation on Monday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be replaced and named his successor.

Oleksii Reznikov’s removal follows a scandal around the defense ministry’s procurement of military jackets. It was not the first similar case during the ongoing war.

Zelenskyy made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through “more than 550 days of full-scale war.” He named Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker, as the new defense minister.

“Reznikov was a good and prominent international negotiator, but it appears that there is chaos and disorder within the Ministry of Defense, which many deputies have taken advantage of, resulting in corruption scandals during the war,” said analyst Volodymyr Fesenko from the Kyiv-based Penta Center.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Fighting throughout Ukraine is grueling, even for hardened veterans. For inexperienced troops recently plucked from civilian life, it's something else altogether, Igor Kossov writes in his latest field report. New brigade bears heavy brunt of Russia’s onslaught in Kharkiv Oblast (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698735104573452756

Defense Ministry reports gains in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts; Russia demands concessions to relaunch grain deal; Romania denies Russian drone falls on its territory; and more Ukraine war latest: Defense Ministry reports gains in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts; Putin demands sanctions relief to revive grain deal (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698786298431946815

The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, plans to visit Russia this September, according to the NYT

Vladimir Putin will try to convince Kim Jong-un to give Russia artillery shells and anti-tank missiles, according to the NYT. NYT: Leader of North Korea to discuss weapons with Putin during visit to Russia (euromaidanpress.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698833568783343749

 

[PommyMommy]

Official: Latvian aid to Ukraine stalled by poor transit infrastructure. Latvian Transportation Minister Jānis Vītenbergs said that inadequate transportation infrastructure between his country and Ukraine has delayed aid deliveries. Official: Latvian aid to Ukraine stalled by poor transit infrastructure (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698841649210867913

Moscow closes airports. Russian media reported that airspace over Moscow was closed the night of Sept. 5. Flights have been canceled at Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Sheremetyevo airports.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698861792607478129

Russia claims drones shot down over Kaluga and Moscow regions. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that two drones were shot down over Russian territory on Sept. 5, one over the Kaluga region and the second over the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1698876746060234757

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 5, 2023

Cuba: Trafficking ring sent Cubans to fight with Russia against Ukraine

The announcement comes after Spanish-language media in Miami reported on Cubans being taken to Russia to fight alongside its military forces.

www.nbcnews.com

Cuban authorities said they have uncovered a human trafficking ring operated from Russia that recruits Cuban citizens to fight alongside its military forces in Ukraine.

The announcement, made late Monday by Cuba’s foreign ministry, comes days after local media in Miami reported on Cubans being taken to Russia to fight. The Miami affiliate of Telemundo, part of NBC Universal, interviewed two 19 year-old Cubans who said they were duped into going to Russia. They said a recruiter offered each a job in construction in exchange for $2,200, a Russian passport and the possibility of taking their families to Russia in the future.

Ukrainian intercepts show Russian soldiers’ anger at losses, disarray

Excerpts from 17 phone calls placed in early July by Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine - and intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence services - show them complaining about poor equipment and heavy losses.

www.reuters.com

Ukraine’s counteroffensive was in its second month when Andrey, a Russian soldier, called his wife to say his unit was taking heavy casualties. They were so badly equipped, he said, it felt like the Soviet forces in World War Two.

“They are *advertiser censored* us up,” Andrey said by telephone on July 12, comparing the onslaught to the worst moments of Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. “No ammunition, nothing ... Shall we use our fingers as bayonets?”

The conversation was one excerpt from 17 phone calls placed by Russian soldiers fighting in the south and east of Ukraine that were intercepted in the first two weeks of July by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the country’s main intelligence agency.

 

[PommyMommy]

While President Zelensky declared on Sept. 3rd that Rustem Umerov "needs no introduction," we provide some context about the former MP, founder of an investment company, and a Crimean Tatar who is poised to become Ukraine's next defense minister.
Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's soon-to-be defense minister? (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699861341081620621

The National Guard reports Russia is moving troops to the southern front line to 'strengthen defense'; The Ukrainian flag was raised in two settlements in Kharkiv Oblast near the border with Russia; and more. Ukraine war latest: Russia moving troops to southern front line to strengthen defense, Kyiv says (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699903703698792817

US, UK sanction members of Russian cybercrime ring. The U.S. and the U.K. imposed sanctions on 11 members of the Russian cybercrime group Trickbot in a coordinated effort, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Sept. 7.
US, UK sanction members of Russian cybercrime ring (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699963729578807585

 

[PommyMommy]

Ukraine war: 17 killed during attack on market in 'peaceful city'

CCTV, shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, appeared to show the moment of the explosion

President Zelensky has condemned a "deliberate" attack on Ukraine's "peaceful city" of Kostyantynivka.

At least 17 people, including a child, were killed in the blast, which took place on a busy market street in the middle of the day - a rarity.

Kostyantynivka, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, is near the front line.

Videos on social media show a bright orange explosion at the far end of a street where people were out shopping. Russia is yet to comment on the attack.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who has blamed Moscow, said those killed were "people who did nothing wrong" - and warned the death toll could increase.

Dealing with Russia, he said, meant turning a blind eye to the audacity of evil.

At least 33 people are thought to be injured. A market, pharmacy and shops are all reported to have been hit, resulting in a now-contained fire.''

''Speaking to Reuters news agency, she described seeing soldiers carrying a woman afterwards who "had an open fracture and her bone was sticking out from her leg".

Mr Zelensky described the attack as "utter inhumanity", while his wife Olena Zelenska said it showed "horrific cruelty".

 

[PommyMommy]

Ukrainian forces push Russian troops out of their positions south of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, the General Staff reports General Staff: Ukrainian offensive make Russians retreat south of Bakhmut (euromaidanpress.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699836175073308816

Russian forces shell Sumy Oblast, damaging kindergarten. The attacks damaged a kindergarten, grocery store, adminstrative building, private home, motorcycle, garage, and two power lines in the Krasnopillia settlement.
Russian forces shell Sumy Oblast, damaging kindergarten (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699976127559749835

ISW: Ukrainian troops make 'tactical gains' in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and near Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces made gains in two sectors of the front, advancing in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and south of Bakhmut, the ISW wrote in its Sept. 7 report. ISW: Ukrainian troops make 'tactical gains' in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and near Bakhmut (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1699988709012046096

 

[PommyMommy]

Mobile Medical Unit Brings Care To Frontline Ukrainian Villages​

Medical volunteers continue to travel to villages in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region to bring care to civilians near the front line. Current Time's Boris Sachalko reports.

'They Used Them As Cannon Fodder': The Migrants Sent From Prison In Russia To Death In Ukraine​

Many Central Asian migrants are among the estimated 50,000 prisoners who were sent from Russian jails by the Wagner mercenary group to fight in Ukraine. While some volunteered with promises of early release, there are accounts that others were coerced to enlist.

 

[PommyMommy]

Deadly Russian Missile Attack Hits Ukrainian City Of Kostyantynivka​

At least 16 people were killed and many others wounded when a Russian missile struck a busy market in the Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka. The attack came hours after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit.

'They Don't Care Where They Hit': Ukrainians React To Russian Missile Attack On Market​

At least 17 people were killed and many others were wounded on September 6 when a Russian missile struck a busy market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka. RFE/RL correspondent Serhiy Horbatenko spoke to eyewitnesses at the scene of the attack.

 

[PommyMommy]

ISW: Russia bolsters its defenses as Ukrainian forces advance.

Russian forces are changing their communications structures and adapting electronic warfare systems in response to the counteroffensive's continued advance, the ISW wrote.
ISW: Russia bolsters its defenses as Ukrainian forces advance (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700354973643448565

Russia has highly likely redeployed its forces from other areas of the front line as Ukrainian forces advance beyond Robotyne, limiting Russian forces' chances of carrying out offensive operations, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 9. UK Defense Ministry: Ukrainian forces put increasing pressure on Russian defensive lines (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700442995831550460

Ukrainian flag flies over Avdiivka and Russian-occupied Donetsk. City official: Ukrainian flag flies over Avdiivka, then Russian-occupied Donetsk (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700468826138173946

 

[PommyMommy]

Zelensky: Preparations underway to protect Ukraine's critical infrastructure through winter. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 9 that plans are being implemented to protect Ukraine's energy and critical infrastructure from Russian missile and drone strikes through the winter.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700489025373561114

Sky News: UK citizen fighting in Ukraine found dead with hands bound behind back. U.K. citizen Jordan Chadwick, 31, who went to Ukraine to fight with the International Legion, has been found dead in Ukraine, Sky News reported on Sept. 9, citing the U.K. Foreign Office.

According to Sky News, Chadwick was found dead "in a body of water with his hands bound behind his back." No more details of his death were provided.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700539706134384856

Voting is underway in sham "regional elections" in occupied Ukrainian territories as Russia seeks to consolidate its control over these regions. Read more here:
Russia holds sham 'elections' in occupied Ukrainian territory (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700569671009776105

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 8, 2023

Ukraine blasts Elon Musk for thwarting an attack on Russia's fleet

The tech billionaire said Thursday that he had told his engineers not to turn on the Starlink satellite network over Crimea to prevent a planned attack on the Black Sea fleet last year.

www.nbcnews.com

[...]

According to excerpts published by CNN, a soon-to-be-released biography of the SpaceX CEO claims that Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his Starlink satellite network over Russian-occupied Crimea last year in order to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s naval fleet.

[...]

“By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military (!) fleet via #Starlink interference, @elonmusk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities,” he added.

Russia is known to have used its naval ships in the Black Sea to strike deep into Ukrainian territory and impose an effective blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea coast, which is crucial to global grain shipments.

“As a result, civilians, children are being killed,” Podolyak said. “This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego. However, the question still remains: why do some people so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder? And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?”

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 9, 2023

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 564 of the invasion

G20 declaration ‘nothing to be proud of’, says Kyiv; Ukraine warns against lifting sanctions as Russia pushes grain deal; Ukraine condemns lack of progress for a tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders

www.theguardian.com

• The Ukrainian foreign ministry has responded to the joint declaration by G20 leaders, describing the sections relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “nothing to be proud of”. Foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko called out the declaration for not outright naming Russia. “It is clear that the participation of the Ukrainian side would have allowed the participants to better understand the situation.”
• An adviser to the head of the office of Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned about the consequences of lifting sanctions against Russia, which pushed for a grain deal in the joint G20 declaration that would lift the international Swiftbank payments system ban on some Russian banks. “Even the slightest lifting of sanctions on Russia or any discussions suggesting such an option have consequences,” Mykhailo Podolyak said.
• G20 leaders adopted a consensus declaration on issues facing the bloc after some disagreement over the wording on the war in Ukraine. Western countries had pushed for strong condemnation of Russia while Russia blocked a compromise that was “acceptable otherwise for everyone else”, an EU diplomat told Reuters.
• The wording on a portion of the declaration on Ukraine noted the “different views and assessments” on Russia’s war, but underscored that all states must act in a manner “consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN charter in its entirety”. It called for the “timely and effective” implementation to ensure “immediate and unimpeded” deliveries of grain, food stuff and fertilisers from Ukraine and Russia.
• Ukraine’s top diplomat, Dmytro Kuleba, has condemned the lack of progress on the creation of a tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders and on the transfer of frozen assets. The foreign minister said the G7 group “stands firmly” in favour of a hybrid tribunal based on Ukrainian legislation. This would not allow for the immunity of Vladimir Putin and other leading Russian figures to be stripped – an unacceptable option for Kyiv.
• Ukraine’s newly nominated defence minister, Rustem Umerov, has called on Kyiv’s partners to increase deliveries of heavy weapons, amid a long and difficult counteroffensive against Russian forces. “We are grateful for all the support provided … we need more heavy weapons,” Umerov said in an embargoed speech released on Saturday.
• At least five blasts were heard early on Sunday across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Reuters witnesses reported. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said air defence systems were engaged in repelling a Russian air attack.
• Kyiv residents are fearing a property grab by developers, with the war not diminishing the appetite for prime property in the city, or halting the scramble to get hold of empty plots for construction. While developers seek to take advantage of Russia’s invasion, it has also spurred opposition to their plans.
• New fragments of a drone similar to those used by the Russian military were found on Romanian soil, the president and defence ministry said on Saturday – the second discovery of its kind in Romanian territory this week.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety after a surge in fighting near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The UN atomic watchdog said its experts at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant reported hearing explosions over the past week.
• Zelenskiy said on Saturday he had agreed to begin bilateral talks with Japan over security guarantees at a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, in Kyiv.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 9, 2023

UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety as fighting spikes near a plant in Ukraine

The United Nations atomic watchdog has warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety from a spike in fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose forces continued pressing their counteroffensive.

apnews.com

The International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts deployed at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week, in a possible indication of increased military activity in the region. There was no damage to the plant.

“I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a statement issued late Friday.

NATO member Romania finds new drone fragments on its territory from war in neighboring Ukraine

NATO member Romania found new drone fragments on its territory near the border with war-torn Ukraine, which the Ministry of National Defense said are “similar to those used by the Russian army.”

apnews.com

NATO member Romania found new drone fragments on its territory Saturday near the border with war-torn Ukraine, which the Ministry of National Defense said are “similar to those used by the Russian army.” It was the second such discovery in Romania this week.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis responded Saturday by saying in a statement that the findings indicate there has been “an absolutely unacceptable violation of the sovereign airspace of Romania, a NATO ally, with real risks to the security of Romanian citizens in the area.”

Ukraine's new defense minister reveals priorities in firs...

Rustem Umerov told a summit in Kyiv that Ukraine needs more "heavy weaponry" from its foreign allies.

www.newsweek.com

The new minister said foreign military aid will be among his foremost priorities. "Weaponry: We need it today. We need it now. We need it more."

He went on: "I take this opportunity to address our international partners. We're stronger together. We're grateful for all the support provided. But we need to continue our war coalition efforts to win this war."

Umerov also pointed out that "Ukrainian warriors today are sacrificing their lives for the core values of democracy and freedom. They need backup from your side, the partners. This backup is weapons."

 

[PommyMommy]

#Russians are trying to protect their military aircraft from drones with metal mesh.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700806075816038411

Biden close to decision on sending long-range missiles to Ukraine - FT

The decision to send Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles may be made soon, the Financial Times quoted sources in the Biden administration as saying.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700859776643543319

Frontline report: Ukrainian troops break through the Russian defenses south of Verbove, capturing new trenches, despite resistance. Following the failure in the south of the village, Russians are reinforcing their positions in the east. Frontline report: Ukrainians gain ground south of Verbove, despite resistance - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700865823483568588

 

[PommyMommy]

Exiled mayor: Russia building cell towers in occupied Melitopol to eavesdrop on residents. Proxy officials in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have set up cell towers to eavesdrop on residents and search for "dissidents", exiled mayor Ivan Fedorov reported on Sept. 10.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700813594579927486

Top US General: Ukraine has about 30-45 days for the offensive before weather worsens. Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said on Sept. 10 that Ukraine likely has about 30 to 45 days for the counteroffensive before the weather worsens on the ground.

The summer counteroffensive, which has seen Ukraine liberate more than a dozen villages in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, is going slower than expected, Milley said, but he added that Ukraine is still "progressing at a very steady pace." Top US General: Ukraine has about 30-45 days for the offensive before weather worsens (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700840505188196772

The speaker of the Operational Command "South", Natalia Humeniuk, said that soon the Crimean bridge "will no longer be fully functional". "First of all, he has very little time left, remember - the construction is redundant. Secondly, the damage there is quite significant and threats are inevitable," Humeniuk said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700887847216033880

 

[PommyMommy]

Military: Southern forces liberate another 1.5 square kilometers near Robotyne. Ukrainian forces liberated 1.5 square kilometers of territory near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the past 24 hours, Tavria grouping spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said on Sept. 10.

He said that the Russians are clinging tenaciously to every square meter of captured soil, but Ukraine's defenders are making that very difficult for the enemy. Military: Southern forces liberate another 1.5 square kilometers near Robotyne (kyivindependent.com)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700849946541674672

Russian military reveals firing positions while shooting at Ukrainian flag A giant flag carried by air balloons from the Ukrainian-controlled town of Avdiyivka to occupied Donetsk made Russians reveal their firing positions, which was used by Ukrainian Army. Russian military reveals firing positions while shooting at Ukrainian flag attached to balloons - Euromaidan Press

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700904715985580240

Today, russian terrorists attacked a vehicle of the international humanitarian organisation Road2Relief in Chasiv Yar, killing two volunteers - the director of Road2Relief, Emma Igual, a Spanish citizen who studied at the University of California at Berkeley, and Anthony Ihnat, a Canadian citizen. Two other volunteers, both German citizens, were injured. Road2Relief's efforts are entirely focused on civilian projects: the evacuation of civilians in war zones, medical evacuation, humanitarian aid distribution to frontline communities, and the provision of mobile clinics that assist local residents who are unable to leave their homes. They make every effort every day to mitigate the consequences of the systematic terror of civilians by the russian occupiers. A painful, irreparable loss. Emma and Anthony will forever be in our hearts.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1700886417142956542

 

[PommyMommy]

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, setting the stage for a meeting with Putin​

Russia and North Korea say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, where he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

apnews.com