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

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Ukraine invasion: Russian forces have mobile crematorium that can 'evaporate' soldiers killed in attacks

Russia-Ukraine latest news: fighting on the streets of Kyiv; Zelenskiy vows ‘we won’t lay down our arms’
An excerpt from a diary, Larisa Kalik documents the Russian invasion and being forced to leave the city she loves:
There seemed to be noise, speed, chaos and fuss everywhere, but inside the apartment it was very quiet. Then I heard a sound outside the window, moving at great speed. I thought it was a rocket. The sound seemed to cut through the air; it flew like a whistle and I lay down on the floor in horror. Trembling, I burst into tears. For a few seconds I waited for an explosion, but nothing happened. I still don’t know what it was.

I gathered myself and looked out of the window. People were wheeling suitcases along the street; a siren sounded; birds flew in flocks. I found a piece of paper and wrote my name, my best friend’s phone number and my blood type. It is still in the pocket of my jeans as I write.

 

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Russia-Ukraine latest news: fighting on the streets of Kyiv; Zelenskiy vows ‘we won’t lay down our arms’
Two children among 25 killed in Kyiv, says mayor
35 people including two children have been killed in the heavy fighting overnight in Kyiv, according to the city’s mayor. No further details were available, but in a separate report from Reuters citing an interior ministry advisor, there were no deaths in the apartment block reportedly hit by a Russian missile.

Ukraine invasion: UK and US among 27 nations which have agreed to give more weapons and military aid to country, Sky News understands
“The assistance includes lethal aid, like ammunition, anti-tank weapons and anti-air weapons, and non-lethal aid such as medical supplies.”

Russia-Ukraine latest news: fighting on the streets of Kyiv; Zelenskiy vows ‘we won’t lay down our arms’
Vladimir Putin urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership, whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have has lodged itself in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people.”

Ukraine’s Jewish president Volodymyr Zelensky lost family in the Holocaust - The Washington Post
Putin is delusional and a liar. Neo Nazis he claims. President Zelensky is Jewish for heaven's sakes. Zelensky lost relatives in the Holocaust.

 

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Canadian telecoms waive fees for long-distance calls, texts to Ukraine amid Russian invasion

Canadian phone companies are waiving long-distance and text charges for calls to Ukraine amid Russia's assault on the country.

Bell Canada, Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and Shaw Communications Inc. have all announced customers will not be charged to help connect with loved ones in the embattled region.

Rogers and its mobile subsidiary Fido Solutions say long-distance and text charges will be set aside, as will roaming fees for clients in Ukraine until the end of March.

[...]

 

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Europe increases pressure on Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT

PARIS — As the world responds to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT is facing renewed scrutiny in Europe.

On Thursday, Poland — a longtime foe of Moscow — announced the country would ban the Russian TV channel.

Within the past few days, European capitals have also ramped up the pressure, imposing sanctions on the TV network’s editor-in-chief. The U.K. has questioned whether the channel should be allowed to broadcast in the country, and French lawmakers formally asked for its license to be removed — only weeks after Germany imposed an outright ban.

Described in the West as a propaganda tool for the Kremlin, RT — formerly known as Russia Today — is part of an effort to disseminate pro-Russian rhetoric asserting that President Vladimir Putin is a peacemaker and that the NATO alliance is an aggressive warmonger. The Russian ruler has repeated that rhetoric in recent days to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

 

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Alec Luhn on Twitter
Reports that a baby has been born in the Kyiv subway, where people are taking shelter @znua

 

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First publicly acknowledged military aid arrives in Ukraine since invasion
Poland has shipped a convoy with ammunition to Ukraine, according to the country's Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, making it the first publicly acknowledged shipment of military aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

“A convoy of ammunition we are donating to Ukraine has already reached our neighbors. We stand by the Ukrainians, and show solidarity against Russian aggression,"

 

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Nederland levert 200 luchtdoelraketten aan Oekraïne
The Netherlands has agreed to provide 200 Stingers.

Range up to 5 kilometers
The Stinger is a (portable) infrared-guided surface-to-air missile, according to the Ministry of Defense website . They are 1.5 meters long and weigh more than 16 kilos. With a speed of 2400 kilometers per hour, they can be used on targets within a radius of 0.5 to 5 kilometers.

Earlier, the cabinet agreed to send military goods to the country. (rivals and radar equipment) "The other goods will be shipped as soon as possible, but the Netherlands, like other countries, is struggling with logistical challenges."

 

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‘It’s not rational’: Putin’s bizarre speech wrecks his once pragmatic image

Looking dead-eyed into the camera on Friday, Vladimir Putin gave one of the most bizarre speeches of his 22 years as Russia’s leader, a directive that managed to sound alarming even in a week when he has ordered tanks into Ukraine and missile strikes on Kyiv.

“Once again I speak to the Ukrainian soldiers,” he said, addressing his enemy. “Do not allow neo-Nazis and Banderites to use your children, your wives and the elderly as a human shield. Take power into your own hands. It seems that it will be easier for us to come to an agreement than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.”

The speech seemed to be ripped from an alternate reality – or from the second world war, where Putin appears to be spending more of his time as he launches the kind of broad military offensive not seen in Europe for nearly 70 years.

All this week, Putin’s megalomaniacal tendencies have been on display like never before. He has summoned his aides for a surreal national security council that resembled a television reality show and launched tirades about Lenin and decisions made nearly 100 years ago.

(...)

But Putin’s unhinged appearances and apparent drive to war have raised questions of whether he remains a rational leader.

“Despite Crimea and everything else, Putin had always seemed an extremely pragmatic leader to me,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, the founder of R.Politik. “But now when he’s gone in this war against Ukraine, the logic in the decision is all about emotions, it’s not rational.”

Those emotions are deeply rooted in history and the historical injustices suffered by Russia. Dmitry Muratov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta, said he saw Putin as a man with “a historical map in his mind and a plan to use his military to achieve it”.

(...)

What's going on inside Putin's mind? His own words give us a disturbing clue | Michel Eltchaninoff

The Russian president’s dangerous sense of victimhood draws on 20th-century ideas of his country’s frustrated potential

(...)

It is necessary, then, to understand that what is actually happening in Ukraine is the result of a vision of Russia that is deeply embedded in the mind of Putin. In 2008, he punished Georgia for its desire to leave the orbit of the old imperial power. In 2014, he annexed Crimea and prevented Ukraine from joining Nato by starting the Donbas conflict. But that is not enough for him. He wants a confrontation with – and a victory over – a west that he holds responsible for the fall of the Soviet Union, for the weakness of Russia in the 1990s, and for the autonomous tendencies of the old Soviet republics.

(...)

What should we think of this perpetual sense of victimhood that allows the Russian president to artificially create situations in which Russia appears humiliated and insulted? Are these the actions of a rational leader? The answer is both simple and worrying. Putin has developed, over decades, a vision of the world that is paranoid but coherent. According to this vision, Russia has for centuries been the victim of an attempt to contain and dismember it. These attempts must be resisted. The logic of this is based on a belief that Russia’s passionarnost (a “bio-cosmic” inner energy or passionate substance) must not be constrained.

(...)

 

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Rusning efter jodtabletter efter rysk attack – Supernytt – Aftonbladet live
“
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday, Swedish pharmacies have noticed an increase in sales of medicines. Especially iodine preparations, which protect against radioactive substances, have been consumed and are completely sold out at Apotea, writes Sydsvenskan.

Iodine can be taken in conjunction with radioactive releases to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer. The County Administrative Board, for example, distributes iodine tablets to people who live within 12-15 kilometers of a nuclear power plant.

Apotea's CEO Pär Svärdson, tells the newspaper that sales of iodine products increased by 38,000 percent after the Russian invasion.

- Everything sold out at once. Our buyers have contacted the medicine companies to supplement, but everything is over there as well, Pär Svärdson continues.

Sales of prescription drugs also increased by 30 percent compared with last week at Apotea. (TT)”

 

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Navo stuurt meer versterkingen naar oostelijke lidstaten, Rusland bedreigt Finland en Zweden

NATO sends more reinforcements to eastern member states, Russia threatens Finland and Sweden

NATO countries are sending further military reinforcements east in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This was announced by the national leaders of the member states after a virtual meeting on Friday. Meanwhile, Russia threatens Finland and Sweden with "political and military consequences" if they join NATO.

The deployment of additional military resources involves elements of the NATO Response Force, NATO's rapid reaction force, which will be deployed for the first time this week in the context of collective defense.

The special NATO summit was attended by the EU and Finland and Sweden. The presence of those two countries provoked a threat to both countries from a spokeswoman for the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday. Finland and Sweden should not base their security on damaging the security of other countries. Their accession to NATO could have negative military and political consequences.' What the !!!

 

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Alec Luhn on Twitter
Russia bans reporting on shelling of cities & death of civilians in Ukraine. Reports calling its operation an "attack," "invasion" or "declaration of war" must also be deleted, it tells indie news outlets like @tvrain & @novaya_gazeta .
(h/t @KevinRothrock) https://rkn.gov.ru/news/rsoc/news74112.htm…

 

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Russia Attacks Ukraine: As It's Happening - The Moscow Times
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russians to pressure the Kremlin to stop the war in Ukraine immediately. Speaking in his native Russian, rather than his usual addresses in Ukrainian, Zelensky thanked the prominent Russians who have expressed their opposition to the invasion, and said the Kremlin's war would result in thousands of Russian casualties.

Addressing Russian Youtuber Yury Dud, Novaya Gazeta editor and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dmitry Muratov, and singer Valery Meladze, who had criticized the Kremlin, Zelensky said: “your conscience has been heard, and heard loudly.”

"We know that lots of Russians are shocked at the actions of their government. This is the right response."

 

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Russische aanval op Oekraïne: ontwikkelingen in en rondom Oekraïne

Ukraine. On 26 February , the cabinet informed the House of Representatives about the current situation in Ukraine, the Dutch positions, Dutch support for Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia in an EU context. These are a number of important points from the letter to parliament.

The Russian armed forces have bombed targets across Ukraine with missiles and planes, including in cities such as Kharkiv and Odesa and Kyiv's main airport. From Russia, Belarus and Crimea – illegally annexed by Russia – Russian armed forces have embarked on a large-scale military offensive.

This raid is another step in the escalation that began with a major build-up by Russia of troops and equipment on Ukraine's borders.

An uncertain and dangerous time has come for Ukrainians. At the time of the publication of the letter to parliament, an estimated 137 Ukrainian citizens have been killed and 316 injured. Ukrainians en masse are looking for a safe haven, in Ukraine itself, but also abroad.

The cabinet condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. Despite all international calls to de-escalate and opt for diplomacy, Moscow has knowingly opted for a large-scale military intervention. Russia is thus committing a cowardly act of aggression against the Ukrainian people, whom Moscow has consistently claimed to be a brother nation.

It is clear to the cabinet that Russia, and Russia alone, is responsible for this invasion and for the great humanitarian, economic, political and social toll it takes on the Ukrainian population. There is no justification whatsoever for this use of violence.

The cabinet emphasizes that this invasion is the work of the Russian government, not the Russian population. In recent weeks, the Kremlin has also fooled the Russian people into thinking they have no plans to invade Ukraine. The Russian invasion is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered.

The cabinet is also looking at the facilitating role Belarus plays in Russia's aggression. This aid is contrary to international law.

 

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Ukraine live updates: Kyiv under attack as missile strikes hit capital - BBC News
"We know that there have been numerous anti-war demonstrations in Russia and a host of Russian celebrities and influencers have shown their opposition to the war on their social media accounts.

Now an adviser to the Kremlin - Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) - has told the BBC his advice was that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not justifiable.

He said many of his colleagues in the foreign ministry were also “very surprised, shocked and even devastated” to see what was happening..."

 

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Ukraine live updates: Kyiv under attack as missile strikes hit capital - BBC News
France seizes Russian cargo ship in Channel

The French navy has intercepted a cargo ship in the English channel bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg, the BBC has learned.

French officials told the BBC that the ship was intercepted in line with new EU sanctions and say it has been redirected to the northern port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer.

“A 127 meters long Russia cargo ship called the 'Baltic Leader' transporting cars has been intercepted overnight by the French Navy in the Channel and escorted to the Port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in Northern France," the official said.

"It has been taken to the French port after a request by the French government because it is suspected of belonging to a company targeted by EU sanctions against Moscow. French boarder forces are currently investigating the cargo ship. Crew aboard the 'Baltic Leader' has been cooperating with French authorities.”

The Russian embassy in France is seeking explanations from the French authorities over the seizure, Russia's RIA news agency said.

 

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Vladimir Putin's inner circle: Who's who? - CNN

Russia-Ukraine latest news: Zelenskiy says Putin’s plan ‘derailed’; captured Russian soldiers ‘don’t know why they are here’ ***

90 tons of U.S. military aid arrives in Ukraine as border tensions with Russia rise
The US starting sending military aid earlier this year, anticipating conflict. Biden committed an additional 600 million in Friday.


Poland receives US army equipment in effort to bolster eastern flank against Russia
WARSAW, Feb 4 - U.S. military equipment has begun to arrive in Poland, the Polish defence ministry said on Friday, to reinforce NATO's eastern flank as the West and Russia wrangle over Russia's military presence near the Ukrainian border.

Reporting by Alicja Ptak; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

 

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Alec Luhn on Twitter
As many of us have been noticing,@Twitter
@Facebook
&
@Instagram
service is being frequently interrupted in Russia. # of complaints skyrocketed. Many posting against the war, & Russia said it would "restrict" Facebook for taking down pro-Kremlin fakes @meduzaproject


Kevin Rothrock on Twitter
I was just briefly locked out of my Twitter account and forced to delete a tweet from yesterday with a video showing airstrikes against Mariupol. Okay...

 

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[URL='https://www.foxnews.com/world/ireland-news-host-rte-mccullagh-russia-ambassador-filatov-ukraine-war-invasion']Russian ambassador called 'apologist for slaughter' in Ukraine by news host[/URL]

Exclusive: Inside the military's secret army, the largest undercover force ever
The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called "signature reduction." The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies.

 

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Canadian companies at risk from Russia cyberattacks in retaliation from sanctions | CP24.com
''TORONTO - Canadian businesses are at risk of being targeted for online attacks if Russia chooses to retaliate against government sanctions, a cybersecurity expert said Friday.

Karim Hijazi, founder and CEO of Texas-based cyberintelligence firm Prevailion, said that Canadian companies could be victims of bad actors trying to compromise critical infrastructure and government entities.''

''Hijazi also noted that malware Russia would activate is already in Canada.
“They've already installed the plumbing they need to do the damage,” he said.
A spokesperson from the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) said in an email that the federal government agency is watching for cyberthreats directed at financial, energy and telecommunications sectors.''

 

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Russia to restrict Facebook access for 'censoring' its media | Toronto Sun
''Moscow has also increased pressure on domestic media, threatening to block reports that contain what it describes as “false information” regarding its military operation in Ukraine, where Russian missiles were pounding Kyiv and families cowered in shelters.

The state communications regulator said Facebook had ignored its demands to lift restrictions on four Russian media outlets on its platform – RIA news agency, the Defence Ministry’s Zvezda TV, and websites gazeta.ru and lenta.ru.

Meta’s head of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said in a statement on Twitter: “Yesterday, Russian authorities ordered us to stop the independent fact-checking and labeling of content posted to Facebook by four Russian state-owned media organizations. We refused. As a result, they have announced they will be restricting the use of our services.”