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

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https://wapo.st/3LYKRuZ

“The argument that Hitler made is very, very similar to the one Putin’s made,” said Dov S. Zakheim, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, and a former undersecretary of defense. Putin, he said, is claiming that the Ukrainian government is “mistreating these poor Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine,” who need Putin to come to their defense.

“So it’s the same playbook,” Zakheim said. “When [Hitler] bit off the Sudetenland, his argument was: ‘These people don’t want to be part of Czechoslovakia. They’re Germans.’ Putin’s saying the same thing about these people in Donetsk and Luhansk: ‘They don’t want to be part of Ukraine. They’re Russians.’ Same exact argument.”

With Thursday’s attack, “he’s expanding it,” Zakheim said. And the example of the late 1930s hints at how far that expansion could go.

 

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Lavrov Says Kyiv Lost Chance To Discuss Regional Security As Russia's Attack On Ukraine Continues
The United States has expelled Russia’s second-ranking diplomat in Washington in retaliation for the expulsion of the No. 2 U.S. diplomat in Moscow earlier this month, a senior State Department official said on February 24.

Biden to attend NATO summit from Situation Room as Putin invades Ukraine
President Joe Biden will attend an emergency NATO summit Friday morning from the White House Situation Room to coordinate next steps with Western allies as Russian President Vladimir Putin wages a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Natural gas transported from Russia is 'dirtiest' on Earth, - US

 

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Donald Tusk: EU capitals ‘disgraced themselves’

Former European Council President Donald Tusk said Friday that some EU governments had “disgraced themselves” by refusing to impose the toughest possible sanctions on Russia even as President Vladimir Putin was bombing Kyiv.

The remarkable rebuke by Tusk, who led meetings of the Council as president from 2014 to 2019, revealed deep divisions among Europe’s political elite at what is perhaps the Continent’s most acute moment of crisis since World War II.

“In this war everything is real: Putin’s madness and cruelty, Ukrainian victims, bombs falling on Kyiv,” Tusk posted on Twitter. “Only your sanctions are pretended [sic]. Those EU governments which blocked tough decisions (i.a. Germany, Hungary, Italy) have disgraced themselves.”

Tusk’s slap at Germany, the EU’s largest, richest member state and de facto leader of the union of 27 states, came hours after Chancellor Olaf Scholz led a group of leaders who blocked tougher sanctions during an emergency summit in Brussels.

In doing so, the EU heads of state and government rejected a personal appeal from Ukraine’s top leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, for the toughest possible sanctions against Moscow, including cutting Russia off from the SWIFT international payments system.

The United States, Britain and some EU capitals have all indicated they support such a ban, but some countries — including Germany Italy, and Austria — said they wanted to keep some further sanctions ammunition in reserve.

(...)

 

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Why the Toughest Sanctions on Russia Are the Hardest for Europe to Wield

Moscow relies on the money it makes by selling oil and gas, but that energy fuels Europe’s economy and heats its homes.

The punishing sanctions that the United States and European Union have so far announced against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine include shutting the government and banks out of global financial markets, restricting technology exports and freezing assets of influential Russians. Noticeably missing from that list is a reprisal that might cause Russia the most pain: choking off the export of Russian fuel.

The omission is not surprising. In recent years, the European Union has received nearly 40 percent of its gas and more than a quarter of its oil from Russia. That energy heats Europe’s homes, powers its factories and fuels its vehicles, while pumping enormous sums of money into the Russian economy.

Losing out on those revenues would be hard for Russia, which relies heavily on energy exports to finance its government operations and support its economy. Oil and gas exports provide more than a third of the national budget. But a cutoff would hurt Europe as well.

“You want the sanctions to hurt the perpetrator more than the victim,” said David L. Goldwyn, who served as a State Department special envoy on energy in the Obama administration.

(...)

Now, the European Union is Russia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 37 percent of its global trade in 2020. About 70 percent of Russian gas exports and half of its oil exports go to Europe.

The flip side of mutual interest is mutual pain.

European leaders are caught between wanting to punish Russia for its aggression and to protect their own economies.

So far, Germany’s decision on Tuesday to halt Nord Stream 2 — the completed gas pipeline that directly links Russia and northeastern Germany — is among the most consequential that Europe has taken, said Mathieu Savary, chief European investment strategist at BCA Research.

(...)

Climate Fears on Back Burner as Fuel Costs Soar and Russia Crisis Deepens
“Europe is quite dependent on Russian gas and oil, and this is unsustainable,” said Sarah E. Mendelson, the head of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College in Washington. She added that the United States and its European allies had not focused enough on energy independence in recent years.
Overall, Europe gets more than a third of its natural gas and 25 percent of its oil from Russia. Deliveries have slowed significantly in recent months, while reserves in Europe have fallen to just 31 percent of capacity.

 

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Ukraine defense ministry tells residents to use Molotov cocktails in Kyiv (msn.com)
Ukraine's defense ministry is telling residents to make Molotov cocktails and firebombs to help fight back in Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the capital city.



In a Facebook post, the agency warned citizens they need to be ready to fight if Russian forces get into the city, BBC reported.

Residents need to "inform us of troop movements, to make Molotov cocktails [firebombs] and neutralise the enemy."

Hundreds of people died after the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine, with intelligence saying Ukraine's resistance was much better than expected.

Ukraine has barred men ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country in order to have more people to fight in the military.

As Russian troops close in on Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has intelligence that he is Russia's number one target with his family close behind.

[...]

 

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Twitter, Facebook, Instagram allowing Kremlin officials to promote war efforts on social media

Cyber attacks on Ukraine: The West must also protect itself - News - WDR
Hackers have been attacking targets in Ukraine for weeks. In January, for example, websites of the Ukrainian government - such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and dozens of other authorities and ministries - were hijacked. Hackers had exchanged the contents of the websites in a night action ("defacement") and left a threatening message in Russian, Ukrainian and Polish: "Be afraid!".

Just a few days before the invasion, hackers manipulated two of the country's major banks, disrupting payment transactions. But Ukraine's emergency system was also the target of hacking attacks - for hours, ambulances could no longer be coordinated. Such attacks can also claim human lives.

[...]

'Ghost of Kyiv': Lone fighter pilot credited with shooting down six Russian jets | Washington Examiner
[...]

Unconfirmed reports have gone viral on Twitter, with one video getting five million views for claiming that the fighter pilot has taken out six Russian jets since President Vladimir Putin ordered a "special military operation" in the country early Thursday morning local time.

Video footage shows what appears to be a Ukrainian MiG-29 jet flying around several cities in Ukraine. The pilot could earn the title of "fighter ace" for shooting down five or more enemy aircraft if the reports are true.

[...]

 

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American Latvian Forum

NO TO WAR protests in 53 Russian cities have started. 1,700 arrested so far. This is in St. Petersburg on 2/24/22. Yes! Let the Russian people start marching by the thousands & thousands & thousands & the tyrant will fall, gold palace & all. This change can only come from within by the Russian people themselves.
NO TO WAR!


The New York Times @nytimes
The U.S. met with China over three months to present intelligence showing Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine and to urge Beijing to help avert war, U.S. officials said. Chinese officials rebuffed the U.S. and shared the information with Moscow.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1497171785657331714

 

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Georgia-based troops deploying amid Russian invasion of Ukraine (ajc.com)
About 3,800 soldiers based at Fort Stewart near Savannah are deploying to Europe amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine to “reassure NATO allies, deter further aggression against NATO member states and train with host-nation forces,” the U.S. military announced late Thursday.

[...]

Ukraine invasion: What to know as Russian troops sweep in | WNCT
[...]

The Ukrainian military on Friday morning reported significant fighting in the area of Ivankiv, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Kyiv, as Russian forces apparently tried to advance on the capital from the north. It said one bridge across a small river had been destroyed.

[...]

Ukraine said it lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site after Ukrainian forces waged a fierce battle with Russian troops. A nuclear reactor at the plant 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Kyiv exploded in April 1986, sending a radioactive cloud across Europe. The damaged reactor was later covered by a protective shell.

Alyona Shevtsova, an adviser to the commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, wrote on Facebook that the staff had been “taken hostage” when Russian troops seized the facility. The White House press secretary expressed alarm, concerned that it could hamper efforts to maintain the nuclear facility.

[...]

 

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Londoners gather in peaceful demonstration to show support for Ukraine | CTV News
Many who attended the demonstration were asking for peace to be restored in Ukraine.

“My mom is hiding with her sister and her daughter and my father is fighting for our freedom,” said another demonstrator. “Mostly we’re just hoping for the better.”

Several Ukrainians who participated in the demonstration said it was hard for them to talk about the current situation, as they fear for them and their family’s safety.

Thousands cross borders out of Ukraine, men told to stay and fight (alaraby.co.uk)

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, crossed into Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Friday as Russian missiles pounded the capital Kyiv and men of fighting age were told to remain.

Many waited for hours in freezing conditions to leave Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion.

Iryna, 36, and her mother set out from Kyiv on Thursday with her two girls aged 2 and 4, before crossing into Ubla in Slovakia.

"We left my husband there, so he is still there supporting our government," she said on Friday at a hotel in the border town of Snina. "We pray for Ukraine and I hope everything will be fine," she said.

In Poland, which has the region's largest Ukrainian community of about 1 million people, authorities said wait times to cross the border ranged from 6-12 hours in some places.

At Medyka in the south of Poland, some 85 km (52 miles) from Lviv in western Ukraine, roads were packed with cars, police directing traffic, and people hugging loved ones after they arrived on the Polish side. An internet map site showed a third of the way congested with heavy traffic.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Putin implies nuclear attack if West interferes in Ukraine. Why it's not just an empty threat | CBC News
''Asked whether Putin's use of the phrase "such consequences that you have never encountered in your history" was tantamount to threatening that Russia would use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it was indeed understood as such.

However, he said it should be clear to Putin that NATO also has nuclear weapons.

"Yes, I think that Vladimir Putin must also understand that the Atlantic alliance is a nuclear alliance. That is all I will say about this," Le Drian said Thursday on French television TF1''

He said that Russia and the U.S. have approximately equal numbers of nuclear weapons that could strike each other. But Russia has more short-range weapons that could take out America's European allies.''

"Even the use of one of these weapons would be a world-altering event," he said

 

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‘Tell my kids I love them.’ How a N.J. man stuck at the Ukrainian border is fleeing the Russian invasion. - nj.com
[...]

The professional basketball player based in Ternopil feared for his life even before he watched Russian President Vladimir Putin announce on television a military operation against the Eastern European nation.

[...]

“He was just really panicky, saying, ‘I gotta get out of here. I don’t know what’s going on. It’s crazy,’” Marissa Jones told NJ Advance Media from her family’s home in suburban Maryland. “He actually said that to me, ‘I’m scared because I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I want to get out of here.’”

Jones then gave her a message to share with his four boys, ages 8, 5 and 2-year-old twins.

“Tell my kids I love them,” he told Marissa.

[...]

As of early Thursday afternoon, Jones was safe but still trying to cross into neighboring Romania, a member of NATO. In a series of text messages with NJ Advance Media, he said he was among more than 500 people seeking refuge at the border.

[...]

Jones wasn’t alone in his attempt to flee for safety. U.S. officials estimate 20,000 to 30,000 Americans were living in Ukraine, according to a Feb. 18 NPR report.

[...]

Jones decided to drive to the nearest airport and try to catch a flight home.

But his escape became even more chaotic when Russian forces reportedly seized control of Antonov International Airport, located in a suburb of Kyiv, cutting off the potential route.

[...]

By 8 p.m. in Ukraine — 1 p.m. Eastern — Jones told NJ Advance Media he was among hundreds of refugees in the Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi.

[...]

What isn’t the news showing, he was asked.

“How (Russia) is really taking over, sending bombs in certain places,” he said. “My friends and teammates are losing their foundation. And some of my teammates may have to join the war.”

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

'RUSSIAN WARSHIP, GO F--- YOURSELF': Kyiv to honour troops killed on Snake Island | Toronto Sun
''A Ukrainian official said 13 soldiers had been killed and he circulated an audio clip that he and media outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda said was an exchange between Ukrainian and Russian forces.''

“This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise you will be bombed.”

“Russian warship, go **** yourself,” came the reply.''

 

[PommyMommy]

Mary Regan on Twitter
Many EU countries including Ireland want to “go beyond” the sanctions agreed by the EU today, @simoncoveney
says. A third EU sanctions package that includes the Swift system - “may well be passed in the next few days,” he says @rtenews

Dan Linden on Twitter
U.S. State Dept. updates #Ukraine travel advisory: "Do not travel to Ukraine due to armed conflict and COVID-19.” http://ABCNews.com


Departing from protocol, pope goes to Russian embassy over Ukraine - CNA (channelnewsasia.com)
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis went to the Russian embassy to the Holy See on Friday (Feb 25) to relay his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine to Moscow's ambassador, in an unprecedented departure from diplomatic protocol.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope spent more than half an hour at the embassy.

"He went to express his concern over the war," Bruni said, declining to give details about the visit or the conversation.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Departing from protocol, pope goes to Russian embassy over Ukraine

The visit by a pope to an embassy to talk to an ambassador in a time of conflict is unprecedented in living memory.

Foreign envoys are usually summoned by the Vatican's Secretary of State or meet with the pope in the Apostolic Palace.

In an interview with Reuters of Feb. 14, before the invasion, Ukraine's ambassador to the Vatican, Andriy Yurash, said Kyiv would be open to a Vatican mediation of the conflict.

Link to the Press Conference Nato Meeting Feb 25

Live streaming : Extraordinary virtual summit of NATO Heads of State and Government


Live streaming : Extraordinary virtual summit of NATO Heads of State and Government

 

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Turkey says it cannot stop returning Russian warships from accessing Black Sea
Turkey cannot stop Russian warships accessing the Black Sea via its straits, as Ukraine has requested, due to a clause in an international pact that allows vessels to return to their home base, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday.

Russian troops attack orphanage, kindergarten in Ukraine | ABC4 Utah
As Russian forces continue their attack raid on Ukraine, reports say Russian forces have launched an attack on an orphanage and kindergarten in Ukraine.
According to Newsweek, the orphanage is located in Okhtyrka, a small city in Ukraine’s Sumy province.

Casualties have been reported, some among them children, but no definite total is yet known. Severe injuries among victims have also been reported.

 

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Russia bans British airlines from its airspace - BBC News
''British airlines have been banned from landing at Russia's airports and from crossing its airspace, the Russian civil aviation regulator has said.

Russia said the move was a response to "the unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authorities".

On Thursday, the UK banned Russia's national airline Aeroflot from landing in Britain.

The measure was part of sanctions introduced following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told ITV: "I think that's their retaliation for us yesterday banning Aeroflot from using and landing in the United Kingdom. That's their tit for tat response."

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said the measure was taken "as a response to unfriendly decisions by the UK aviation authorities regarding the restriction on regular flights of aircraft owned, leased or operated by a person associated with Russia or registered in Russia".

 

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Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russian forces have allegedly blocked Kyiv from the west

Russian tank maliciously crushes civilian car with driver inside

Russian Forces Attack Kindergarten in Ukraine, Casualties Reported: Officials (msn.com)
Newsweek
Isabel van Brugen - 2h ago
''Ukrainian children have reportedly been injured after Russian forces targeted a kindergarten in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba on Friday called for an investigation following reports that Russia launched an attack on a kindergarten and an orphanage in Okhtyrka, a small city in Ukraine's Sumy province.

"Today's Russian attacks on a kindergarten and an orphanage are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute," he said in a statement on Twitter. "Together with the General Prosecutor's Office we are collecting this and other facts, which we will immediately send to the Hague."

Ukraine's foreign minister says Russian troops attacked kindergarten and orphanage - LBC
"Ukraine defeated that evil and will defeat this one. Stop Putin. Isolate Russia. Severe all ties. Kick Russia out of (everywhere)."

 

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NATO's multimedia website

https://www.natomultimedia.tv/app/asset/663177

US Army AH-64 Apache helicopters have arrived in Latvia. While in Latvia, they will participate in Saber Strike 2022, a US-led exercise held in the Baltic states.
Synopsis
About 20 US Army AH-64 Apache helicopters, part of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, flew from Katterbach Army Airfield in Ansbach, Germany, where they are forward-deployed, on 24 February. While in Latvia, they will participate in Saber Strike 2022, a US-led exercise held in the Baltic states.

The Apaches join approximately 300 soldiers from the US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade who had arrived at Rīga International Airport earlier that day. Major Scott Kuhn, a spokesman for US Army Europe and Africa, said “The deployment of these forces is evidence of our strong and unremitting commitment to our NATO Allies and partners.”

12 additional Apaches will be sent from Greece to Poland.

Footage includes shots of Apache helicopters arriving at Lielvārde Air Base in Latvia.

 

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Watch live: NATO press briefing on Russia's invasion of Ukraine | DW News

Ukrainians Take Shelter in Underground Train Stations After Russian Invasion

 

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A US Army infantry battalion task force has arrived in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reinforce NATO’s presence in the eastern part of the Alliance

Video on the NATO website:

https://www.natomultimedia.tv/app/asset/663176