Russia has awoken the blue dragon, with thousands of years of experience doing the same stuff russia is doing today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py-nk6e-FSI
Sweden, finland to join NATO? Germany defence budget is now larger than Russia.
Printable View
Russia has awoken the blue dragon, with thousands of years of experience doing the same stuff russia is doing today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py-nk6e-FSI
Sweden, finland to join NATO? Germany defence budget is now larger than Russia.
Guardian
6m ago 01:44
Ukrainian authorities have said a nuclear research facility has been bombed by Russian forces, accusing Moscow of “nuclear terrorism”.
Ukrainian newspaper, the Kyiv Independent, said the Kharkiv institute - home to experimental nuclear reactor - had been bombed, citing an announcement from the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine.
According to the inspectorate, the facility was struck with damage to the exterior and possibly numerous labs throughout the building.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The alternate point of view...
‘A necessary war’: reporting on the Ukraine ‘disagreement’ outside the west
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...tside-the-west
China's comments should be concerning to europe.
They picked the side with only $1.71t gdp (lots of fraud which china will be familiar with) vs $20T of credible value.
Oil traders - be careful out there...
10m ago 21:26
Oil prices fall again after volatile week
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/201...ormat&fit=max& Martin Farrer
The price of oil slipped back again on Friday and is set to record its biggest weekly drops since November after see-sawing on fears that more countries would ban Russian imports, balanced against other big producers bringing on more supply.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 1.42% to $107.78 at 2.25am GMT after dropping 1.6% in the previous session. US West Texas intermediate crude fell 0.13% to $105.88 a barrel, following a 2.5% decline on Thursday.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f2690...ormat&fit=max&
The Brent crude oil price this week so far. Photograph: Refinitiv
Having touched a 14-year high of $139.13 a barrel on Monday, Brent is on course to drop 7% on the week. It moved in a range of $25 on Thursday after the United Arab Emirates appeared to indicate that it would pump more oil to ease the ban on Russian supplies to the UK and US.
But the situation remains volatile and there seems little relief in sight for drivers being pummelled by rocketing fuel costs in many western countries.
Neil Wilson, an analyst at Markets.com in London, said: “For now markets are trading these headlines and crude remains super-volatile... treacherous markets.”
9m ago 02:35
The council of the European Union has “acknowledged the European aspirations” of Ukraine with EU leaders agreeing to support Ukraine in “pursuing its European path”.
European council president Charles Michel said “without delay” EU leaders “will further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in pursuing its European path”.
In a statement the council said:
The European Council acknowledged the European aspirations and the European choice of Ukraine ... The Council has acted swiftly and invited the Commission to submit its opinion on this application in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaties. Pending this and without delay, we will further strengthen our bonds and deepen our partnership to support Ukraine in pursuing its European path. Ukraine belongs to our European family...
Guardian
Recently released satellite images made available by US space technology firm Maxar Technologies provide a closer look at the unfolding situation on the ground in Ukraine.
The photos reveal a massive convoy of Russian troops that had stalled outside the Ukrainian capital largely dispersed and redeployed out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions.
One image shows some of Russian military vehicles repositioned along a line of trees near the village of Lubyanka, about 50km north-west of Kyiv.
Several of the redeployments shown in the satellite images appear near Antonov International Airport, which lies between Lubyanka and Kyiv, and suggests that the vehicles have not made any significant progress towards the capital...
Guardian
US Congress passes $13.6bn in aid for Ukraine
The US Congress has just passed a spending bill late Thursday evening, including $13.6bn in emergency aid for Ukraine.
Senators in the legislative body’s upper chamber followed their House of Representatives colleagues, who green-lit the $1.5-trillion package on Wednesday.
Senate democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer said:
We’re keeping our promise to support Ukraine as they fight for their lives against the evil Vladimir Putin.Senate approved the overall $1.5 trillion overall legislation by a 68-31 bipartisan margin, the Associated Press reports.
With nearly $14 billion in emergency aid, Congress will approve more than double what the administration originally requested.”
Guardian
03:37 US president Joe Biden will ratchet up the economic pressure on Vladimir Putin on Friday by calling for the end of normal trade relations with Russia, according to reports.
The move, reported by Reuters and Bloomberg citing anonymous Biden administration sources, would clear the way for increased tariffs on Russian imports and comes on top of widespread sanctions and the decision this week to ban oil imports from Russia by the US and UK.
Removing Russia’s status of “permanent normal trade relations” will require an act of Congress, one senior administration official told Reuters. But lawmakers in both houses of Congress have expressed support for such a move.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9455f...ormat&fit=max&
Peopleoutside a currency exchange office in Moscow. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/TASS
Outlawing all US trade with Russia would deepen the already serious economic problems facing Putin’s regime.Earlier on Thursday, the head of the International Monetary Fund said it expected to cut its global growth estimate due to the economic damage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.In addition to the damage to Ukraine, western sanctions will lead to a “sharp contraction” of the Russian economy, Kristalina Georgieva said.
Russia is “moving into a deep recession” with massive depreciation of the ruble and sinking purchasing power for its citizens, she said, adding that a debt default is no longer “an improbable event.
Chelsea F.C could go bust due to sanctions put on club and is basically owned by the UK govt and the losers are the fans
Aren't Russian Oligarchs donors to the British Conservative Party too? Didn't Boris Johnson tried to silence the investigation into Russian influence in British politics, including the Brexit vote and the general election? Maybe the UK government should put sanctions on itself...
On a more serious note...
Guardian
4m ago 07:48
UK technology minister, Chris Philp, warns there will be a “dramatic increased response” if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, which he said would be “an outrage against humanity”.
Describing it as “a line that Russian governments should not cross”, he told Times Radio:
Clearly, the use of chemical weapons, especially in an invasion where there are a very large number of civilians, would be an outrage against humanity.
I would say to anybody in Russia thinking about this: do not cross that line, do not inflict any more misery and suffering on the Ukrainian people.
They’ve already been shooting civilians who are fleeing down humanitarian escape corridors, they’ve been bombing and shelling hospitals including a children’s/maternity hospital, do not go any further in inflicting misery on the Ukrainian people.
It will trigger an increased response from the West, there’s a dramatic increased response, there’s no question about that. I’m not going to speculate about the form that’s going to take or pre-empt it, but that’s a line that Russian governments should not cross.
"What has US done with bat coronavirus in Ukraine? World deserves explanation"
By Global Times Published: Mar 10, 2022 09:42 PM
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1254577.shtml
Russia doesn't operate like the US where billionaires have all the power.
It's all about the KGB/FSB and military personel.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlo...ssia-siloviki/
G7 nations strip Russia of ‘most favoured nation’ status
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...russia-ukraine
I read this AM that putin has arrested the FSB’s chief of intelligence and his deputy, though it remains to be confirmed
Guardian
The situation in Ukraine’s besieged port city Mariupol is “desperate” and heading towards an “unimaginable tragedy” unless immediate action is taken, Médecins Sans Frontières has warned.
Stephen Cornish, head of the MSF Swiss office and one of those heading the medical charity’s Ukraine operation, told AFP:
Hundreds of thousands of people... are for all intents and purposes besieged.Cornish stressed that under international law, “civilians must be protected, they must be able to have their basic needs, food, water, medicine, and certainly kept outside of the conflict”.
Sieges are a medieval practice that have been outlawed by the modern rules of war for good reason.
As we can see, not only in Mariupol, but with credible reports coming from Kharkiv and Dnipro and other areas, every effort is not being made to spare civilians.“We are really heading towards an unimaginable tragedy,” he warned, insisting that “there is still time to avoid it, and we must see it avoided”.
Guardian
A third Russian major general has been killed in the fighting in Ukraine, western officials said.
They did not confirm the name of the deceased, but an hour earlier, Ukraine’s armed forces said that Maj Gen Andriy Kolesnikov had been killed in the fighting.
Western intelligence estimates that around 20 major generals would have been committed to the invasion of Ukraine, implying a relatively high casualty rate during the two-week long invasion, which they suggested was because they were deployed unusually close to front lines.
That could, in the words of one official, indicate that Russian troops in the front line “are unable to make decisions on their own, lack situational awareness or ... are fearful of moving forward”.
Kolesnikov was the commander of Russia’s 29th Combined Arms Army.
Guardian
7h ago 14:56
Ukraine accuses Russia of firing at Belarusian village from Ukrainian air space
Ukraine has accused Russian aircraft of firing at a Belarusian settlement near the border from Ukrainian air space in an attempt to drag Belarus into the war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian air force said that at 2.30pm local time (12.30pm GMT), the state border service received information that Russian aircraft had taken off from an airfield in Belarus, crossed into Ukrainian air space and then fired at Kopani, a village in Belarus, reports Reuters.
“This is a PROVOCATION! The goal is to involve the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus in the war with Ukraine!,” Ukraine’s Air Force Command said in an online statement.
The Ukrainian military said that two other Belarusian settlements were also targeted in the operation.
“We officially declare: the Ukrainian military has not planned and does not plan to take any aggressive action against the Republic of Belarus,” the security service said.
Guardian
Igor Gavrylko was at his home in west London when the Russian bombs began to fall on Ukraine, Luke Harding writes.
A British citizen originally from Ukraine, he had lived in the UK since 1996, working most recently for Nissan as a forecourt salesperson. He rang his boss. “I knew a Russian invasion was going to happen,” he said.My Ukrainian grandfather fought against the Red Army and the Nazis in world war two. Now it’s my turn to help.Gavrylko set off by car from Ealing and drove across Europe. By the time he arrived in Ukraine his elderly parents had already had a narrow escape. Russian missiles had destroyed the airport in their home town of Ivano-Frankivsk. He said: “My city was bombarded.”
Gavrylko arranged for his mother, sister and four-year-old niece to escape to Poland. His 74-year-old father, Bogdan, refused to leave.
Now based in the western city of Lviv, Gavrylko is one of thousands of volunteers from around the world who have come to Ukraine to defend the country from Russian attack. Some have Ukrainian roots. Others are military veterans with no family ties who have decided to fight with Ukraine’s army. According to Gavrylko, “several hundred” Britons have already arrived, including Ben Grant, the son of a Tory MP.
There are volunteers from Canada – which has a large Ukrainian diaspora community – and the US. A group of Canadians were spotted in Lviv’s Freedom Square this week, with a large Canadian flag on the back of their vehicle. They identified a cafe for breakfast using Google, only to discover it was closed. Others come from the Baltic states and Georgia, itself the victim of Russian aggression and a punitive five-day war in 2008.
Collectively, these recruits amount to the most significant international brigade since the Spanish civil war, when volunteers including leftwing intellectuals fought in communist-organised military units between 1936 and 1938 in support of Spain’s popular front government. Gavrylko said he was aware of these historical echoes. Ukraine, in his view, was now fighting Vladimir Putin and a 21st-century version of fascism.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/54652...ormat&fit=max&
‘My plan is there is no plan’: the foreign fighters flocking to Ukraine
Read more
Let us not forget the Russians aren't the first to uncover secret weapons facilities on foreign soils .
US General Colin Powell found similar facilities in Iraq and even produced the evidence before the UN. We all know how that ended. I expect Russia reserves the right to do the same.
The British rep to the UN may well express righteous outrage at Russian accusations but let's remind ourselves that what goes around comes around. Short memories...for those who may have forgotten...the fog of war.
Guardian
Western intelligence agencies are investigating a cyberattack by unidentified hackers that disrupted broadband satellite internet access in Ukraine coinciding with Russia’s invasion, Reuters has reported citing three people with direct knowledge of the incident.
More from Reuters:
Analysts for the US National Security Agency, French government cybersecurity organization ANSSI, and Ukrainian intelligence are assessing whether the remote sabotage of a satellite internet provider’s service was the work of Russian-state backed hackers preparing the battlefield by attempting to sever communications.
The digital blitz on the satellite service began on 24 February between 5 am and 9 am, just as Russian forces started going in and firing missiles, striking major Ukrainian cities including the capital, Kyiv.
The consequences are still being investigated but satellite modems belonging to tens of thousands of customers in Europe were knocked offline, according to an official of US telecommunications firm Viasat, which owns the affected network.
The hackers disabled modems that communicate with Viasat Inc’s KA-SAT satellite, which supplies internet access to some customers in Europe, including Ukraine. More than two weeks later some remain offline, resellers told Reuters.
What appears to be one of the most significant wartime cyberattacks publicly disclosed so far has piqued the interest of Western intelligence because Viasat acts as a defence contractor for both the United States and multiple allies.
Government contracts reviewed by Reuters show that KA-SAT has provided internet connectivity to Ukrainian military and police units.
Pablo Breuer, a former technologist for US special operations command, or SOCOM, said knocking out satellite internet connectivity could handicap Ukraine’s ability to combat Russian forces.
“Traditional land-based radios only reach so far. If you’re using modern smart systems, smart weapons, trying to do combined arms manoeuvres, then you must rely on these satellites,” said Breuer.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Moscow has repeatedly rejected allegations that it participates in cyberattacks.
Guardian
Germany’s biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, has joined the exodus of western businesses from Russia. In a statement posted on its website, the bank said it was “in the process of winding down our remaining business in Russia” and that there “won’t be any new business in Russia”.
As we have repeatedly said, we condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms and support the German government and its allies in defending our democracy and freedom,” the bank said.According to Reuters the bank has valued its gross exposure to loans in Russia at 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion).
“To clarify: Deutsche Bank has substantially reduced its Russian exposure since 2014. Like some international peers and in line with our legal and regulatory obligations, we are in the process of winding down our remaining business in Russia while we help our non-Russian multinational clients in reducing their operations”.
Deutsche Bank also has a technology centre in Russia employing 1,500 computer specialists.
Among other international companies to have announced they are quitting Russia are the US banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.
Prior to launching a major assault on Kyiv - ISW's Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment - March 11, 22
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-11
"Putin reportedly fired several generals and arrested Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence officers in an internal purge. UkrainianSecretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov stated on March 9 that the Kremlin has replaced eight generals due to their failures in Ukraine, though ISW cannot independently verify this information.[21] Putin additionally detained several personnel from the FSB’s 5th Service, which is responsible for informing Putin about the political situation in Ukraine. The Federal Protective Service and 9th Directorate of the FSB (its internal security department) reportedly raided the 5th Service and over 20 other locations on March 11. Several media outlets reported that 5th Service Head Sergey Beseda and his deputy Anatoly Bolyukh are under house arrest on March 11.[22] Independent Russian media outlet Meduza claimed the 5th Service might have provided Putin with false information about the political situation in Ukraine ahead of his invasion out of fear of contradicting Putin‘s desired prognosis that a war in Ukraine would be a smooth undertaking.[23] Putin is likely carrying out an internal purge of general officers and intelligence personnel. He may be doing so either to save face after failing to consider their assessments in his own pre-invasion decision-making or in retaliation for faulty intelligence he may believe they provided him."
I guess you are right - the West is here clearly not on moral high ground. However - this does not make Russia's atrocities in the Ukraine right. Would you be ok if somebody rapes your daughter (or grandchild) just because other people including NZ policemen committed similar crimes before?
See - the child killer, liar and aggressor Putin needs to be stopped - even if he is not the only monster in the world.
Guardian
The Russian army has suffered its biggest losses in decades, according to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy said 31 Russian battalion tactical groups have now been rendered incapable of combat and that 500 to 600 Russian troops surrendered on Friday. The Guardian cannot independently verify these figures.
Guardian
7h ago 15:28Russia can only take Kyiv if it razes it to the ground, Zelenskiy says
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been speaking at a news conference in Kyiv, where he told reporters that Russia can only take the Ukrainian capital if it “razes the city to the ground”, Reuters reports.
Zelenskiy said he was open to discussions with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, adding that he had discussed the possibility of negotiations being held in Jerusalem with the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett.
He said he hoped Bennett would have a “positive influence” on peace talks with Russia.
Zelenskiy’s comments came after an unidentified Ukrainian government official said the Israeli PM had urged Zelenskiy to accept an offer made by Putin to end the war, as reported by Israel’s Walla news, the Jerusalem Post and US news site Axios.
Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskiy, denied the media report while a senior Israeli officer described it as “patently false”.
At no point did Prime Minister Bennett advise President Zelenskiy to take a deal from Putin - because no such deal was offered to Israel for us to be able to do so. Bennett has at no point told Zelenskiy how to act, nor does he have any intention to.
Guardian
9h ago 13:16
Russia warns that Moscow now considers arms shipments to Ukraine as 'legitimate targets' for military
A senior Russian diplomat has warned that from now on Moscow will consider arms shipments to Ukraine as “legitimate targets”.
The comments by the deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, reported by Sky News and BuzzFeed News, are likely to raise fears over a potential escalation in the conflict in Ukraine.
Ryabkov said that Russia had made its position clear to the US.
He said that Russia “warned the US that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets”.
Denouncing US sanctions against Moscow, he said they were an “unprecedented attempt to deal a serious blow to various sectors of the Russian economy”.
But he insisted that Russia did not intend to expel western media and businesses, adding: “We aren’t going to escalate the situation.”
Human nature at its worst...
Guardian
12h ago 10:59
Katy Fallon
Children are going missing and cases of human trafficking are being reported by aid groups and volunteers along Ukraine’s borders amid the chaos of the refugee crisis triggered by the Russian invasion, Katy Fallon reports.
Charities and rights groups working in neighbouring countries to receive refugees said they had seen cases of trafficking, missing children, extortion and exploitation as more than 2.5 million people crossed into neighbouring countries to escape the escalating violence.
Karolina Wierzbińska, a coordinator from Homo Faber, a human rights organisation based in Lublin, Poland, said the charity had seen cases of children being sent alone by desperate parents to meet relatives or friends across the Ukrainian border and arriving without anyone to meet them.
This is obviously extremely distressing for a child and can lead to them wandering around the station alone, disoriented and in the worst-case scenario, disappearing altogether. This, unfortunately, is not a hypothetical case – it has happened already.Homo Faber has been working at all four border crossing points to mitigate the risks and has set up a 24-hour helpline, operated by Ukrainian speaking volunteers trained to support women and children crossing the border.
We are also already getting reports of cases of human trafficking and women being offered work in Poland only to find the workplace is illegitimate, the employer is mistreating them, refusing to pay their salary on time. There are cases of extortion of personal documents or money.
Guardian
8h ago 14:37
The European Union faces soaring energy prices in the wake of sanctions imposed against Russia over events in Ukraine, a Russian foreign ministry official said, Reuters reports.
Russia was a reliable supplier of energy but was ready for a tough confrontation in the sector if necessary, Interfax quoted Nikolai Kobrinets as saying.
He did not provide details of what that confrontation might entail.
The EU could end up paying at least three times more for oil, gas and electricity, he said.
I believe the European Union would not benefit from this - we have more durable supplies and stronger nerves.
How much longer will their generosity last ?...
Guardian
4m ago 22:47
Ukraine's neighbors struggling to find shelter for refugees
While the rate of refugees streaming over the Ukrainian border has slowed as of today, Ukraine’s neighboring countries are still struggling to provide shelter for the estimated 2.6 million refugees, Reuters is reporting.
Hungary has received over 230,000 refugees, with 10,530 arriving on Friday. Romania reported 380,866, including 16,348 on Friday. Slovakia said it had 185,660 arrivals, with most continuing their journey further west, often to the Czech Republic, where officials on Friday estimated the number of refugees at 200,000.
Two-thirds of those fleeing have gone to Poland, an estimated 1.3 million - Poland’s border guard said 76,200 people arrived on Friday, which was actually a 12% drop from the day before.
Good article on Javelin capability / limitations - WaPo
Javelin anti-tank missiles key in Ukraine's fight against Russia
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/exp...against-russia
Guardian on Mariupol devastation, example of what might be coming for Kyiv ?
12m ago 23:24
The Maxar Technologies satellite photos of Mariupol, released today, shows just some of the devastation wrought by Russian forces since they surrounded the southern Ukraine port city 12 days ago.
More than 1,500 civilians have died. Humanitarian aid groups on the ground are reporting that the residents remaining have no access to running water or medications.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b99b3...ormat&fit=max&
This multispectral satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows artillery craters in the fields and damaged buildings in the Zhovtnevyi district in western Mariupol, Ukraine, during the Russian invasion, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP) Photograph:
AP
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/906de...ormat&fit=max&
UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT
This Maxar satellite image taken and released on March 12, 2022, shows burning apartment buildings on Zelinskovo Street in western Mariupol, Ukraine. -
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is deteriorating quickly and has become catastrophic in a number of cities, the Russian military said on March 12, 2022, speaking on the 17th day of what Moscow has termed a “special military operation”.
(Photo by various sources / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies “
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/70968...ormat&fit=max&
A satellite image shows a multispectral close up view of apartment buildings and fires, in the western section of Mariupol, Ukraine March 12, 2022. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. DO NOT OBSCURE LOGO. Photograph: Maxar Technologies/Reuters
This multispectral satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a view of fires in an industrial area in the Primorskyi district of western Mariupol, Ukraine, during the Russian invasion, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies via AP) Photograph
The current geopolitics of oil...
The problem with banning Russian energy resources
https://asiatimes.com/2022/03/the-pr...rgy-resources/
Guardian
29m ago 19:37
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder met Russian President Vladimir Putin for several hours on Thursday evening in a bid to end the war in Ukraine, Germany’s Bild am Sonntag (BamS) reported, although it was unclear what was achieved.
Citing a person with detailed insight into Schroeder’s activities, the newspaper said Schroeder had also had a long talk with one of Putin’s closest advisers.
He left Moscow early on Saturday morning with his wife and flew to Istanbul, the paper said, without disclosing any further details of the conversations.
The former chancellor, who is a personal friend of Putin and has links to Russian companies, had met a group of Ukrainians with links to the country’s delegation for peace talks with Russia in Turkey on Monday evening, reported BamS.
The source told BamS that Schroeder was currently the only person to have had direct contact with both Putin and top Ukrainian officials.
Politico reported the meeting had not been agreed to with German government sources. Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment on the meeting beyond saying that he would take note of any results and include them in other efforts he was involved in.
Schroeder, Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor from 1998 to 2005, is on the board of Russian oil giant Rosneft and is chairman of the shareholders’ committee of the company in charge of building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has been shelved.
He has faced calls from some German government politicians to step down from his roles over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports.
What goes into building a modern US submarine...
First Columbia Ballistic Missile Submarine Begins to Take Shape
https://news.usni.org/2022/03/08/fir...eid=cc0f71bf89
Hear hear - it is inconvenient for some countries to look for alternative energy sources ... and even the mighty US does not seem to be able to replace a minute amount of 10% just by saving energy. Impossible - the 8 cylinders need to get their work out every day, never mind that the Russians (or their paid Syrian contractors) are killing innocent civilians by the thousands.
Impossible to ask the child to take the school bus or even (shudder) walk or bike to school - we clearly need to keep the SUV running to join the queue with the other parents driving their little angels to school and back.
Does not matter that Russians are killing other peoples children, we need to buy their oil, because our children are too spoilt to walk.
Just wondering how the world survived without Russian oil through WWII - pretty disgusting to hear the whingers these days calling for supporting the trade with Russia when millions of innocent human lives as well as the freedom of the Western world is at stake.
Very sad to see that some people in the Western World are not able anymore to even consider making sacrifices. Never mind a handful of million of Ukrainian lives bombed out of their livelihoods. Its more important we keep consuming every drop of oil we used to. Need to keep the launch running. We are entitled to do that, aren't we?
You can actually turn the engine off at busy traffic lights to save feul.
I sigh whenever I see long lines of cars going nowhere but with all their engines in idle.
Imagine if she was one of our daughters...
STUFF
6 hours ago
'That's what dads do': US man goes to Ukraine for daughter
As millions of refugees flee Ukraine, a Massachusetts man has gone to the country to help his daughter and grandson escape.
William Hubbard recently flew to Poland and crossed the border to Ukraine on foot before joining his daughter, Aislinn, and her 8-month-old son, Seraphim, at their home near Kyiv, WCVB-TV reports.
Aislinn moved to Ukraine in 2018 at age 16 to study ballet at the prestigious Kyiv Choreographic College. She tried to leave before Russia began its invasion, but her son does not have a birth certificate or passport because he was born in a home during the coronavirus pandemic.
William previously flew to Ukraine to help arrange a DNA test to prove Seraphim's US citizenship, but it was unsuccessful.
Hubbard and his wife, Deborah, spent weeks trying to help from their home in Fitchburg. But as Russian forces advanced, William decided to make his way to Aislinn and Seraphim and help them flee.
"I did what any dad would do, I guess, in this situation," Hubbard told WCVB-TV.
Once he was in Ukraine, Hubbard took a train to Kyiv and reunited with his daughter and grandson. They packed their belongings and four cats and said goodbye to Aislinn's boyfriend, the father of Seraphim, who was not able to leave the country.
The three fled west, joining other refugees heading for neighboring countries. On Friday, the three were waiting at the border with Slovakia. Even without a passport for his grandson, Hubbard said he was confident they will be allowed to cross the border.
That's what dads do,'' he said. They take care of their family."
For what little it's worth, the Western military aircraft over Eastern Europe are now flying with transponders off - even the tankers.
Guardian
4m ago 03:14
Nato chief says Russia may use chemical weapons
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has said Russia may use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine and that such a move would be a war crime.
Reuters reports that Stoltenberg told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the Kremlin was inventing false pretexts to justify the possible use of chemical weapons:
In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories.Stoltenberg added that although the Ukrainian people were resisting the Russian invasion with courage, the coming days are likely to bring even greater hardship.
Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself could plan chemical weapons operations under this fabrication of lies. That would be a war crime.”
Guardian
21m ago 03:23
Quick snap from US president Joe Biden, who issued a stern reflection on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s objectives.
Putin was counting on a divided NATO, a divided West and quite frankly, a divided America. But he got none of that,” Biden tweeted on Saturday afternoon.
1st country down?
Guardian
4m ago 04:14
Moldova’s foreign minister Nicu Popescu has said his country is approaching a “breaking point” in its ability to shelter those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
The number of refugees staying in Moldova is around 100,000 but represents a 4% increase in the national population and would be equivalent in proportion to 2.5 million refugees arriving in the UK in a fortnight, the BBC reports.
Popescu told the BBC that Moldova was “Ukraine’s most fragile neighbour” with fewer financial resources, and less resilience in security, health care and education.
A full Russian assault on Ukraine’s third largest city of Odesa, 48km from Moldova’s border, would likely trigger an “overwhelming” influx of refugees and would be a “complete catastrophe for the humanitarian situation”.
Depends if they seriously want to exponentially increase the risk, it would hardly be the sane thing to do, but who knows for sure?...
After all - Putin's assessment might be he still considers NATO militarily weak, Germany's not in a good state of readiness and Russia took out a satellite (#1524) used partly for military operations making Ukraine forces partially blind in a larger campaign...
Guardian
36m ago 05:38
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/201...ormat&fit=max& Lorenzo Tondo
More on the situation unfolding this morning from Guardian reporter Lorenzo Tondo who brings us the latest developments from Lviv.
Large columns of smoke were seen rising from the direction of the a military base in Yavorivabout 50km north-west of Lviv.
Preliminary data indicates that Russians have fired eight missiles around 6am.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/29171...ormat&fit=max&
Statues in Lviv wrapped in padding to protect them from possible Russian attack. Photograph: Alessio Mamo/The Observer
Lviv, a magnificent UNESCO world heritage site, 50 miles from the border with Poland and a safe haven for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Ukrainians, was so far untouched by the bombings. But its 700,000 residents knew that, at some point, the time would also come for them.
The citizens of Lviv, among the strongest supporters of the country’s separation from the Soviet Union, are well aware that their town, described as the soul of Ukraine and a symbol of Ukrainian nationalism, represents everything the Kremlin despises. This could be the westernmost military attack since the Russian invasion began.
Guardian
31m ago 05:50
The attack on the military base so close to the border with Poland follows a warning on Saturday from Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, that western shipments to Ukraine were “legitimate targets” for attack.
Supporters of Ukraine, including the UK, Germany and the United States, have been urgently shipping thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv in response to Moscow’s aggression.
Ryabkov said that Russia had “warned the US that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets”.
Here’s our full story on that from Peter Beaumont in Lviv:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...lin-warns-west
Guardian
5m ago 06:17
Russia launches missile attack on Ukrainian military base near Lviv
To provide some more clarity on the attack this morning near Lviv, northwestern Ukraine, here is what we know so far.
Russian airstrikes hit the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre (IPSC) in the Yavoriv district, about 50km south-west of Lviv and about 25km from the border with Poland.
The IPSC is a large military base that includes a training centre for soldiers, predominantly for peacekeeping missions.
According to information released from the Lviv regional military administration and later confirmed by Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, Russian forces launched 8 missiles.
The latest attack indicates that Russia is stepping up its assaults in the west of the country and may be a deliberate attack on incoming western shipments of military and humanitarian aide to Ukraine.
AP
Iranian missiles reportedly hit US consulate in Iraq
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/ira...XY4USMN3IZXYA/
Guardian
12m ago 07:26
Russian forces are attempting to surround Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, Britain’s defence ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry said in an intelligence update this morning:
Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.The ministry notes that Russia is “paying a high price for each advance” as the Ukrainian armed forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country.
Russian forces advancing from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa.”
Guardian
2m ago 07:42
The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report this morning, claiming Russian forces are continuing to use civilian infrastructure for military needs, placing units and equipment at high-risk objects and carrying out shelling on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.
“The moral and psychological condition of enemy troops that participated in battles with the armed forces of Ukraine continues to deteriorate, desertion and refusal to comply with orders are increasing,” the report reads.
The military also claims a large number of wounded are undergoing treatment but a shortage of blood supplies is hindering surgical operations.
“The reserves accumulated for the citizens of the Republic of Belarus are being taken - about 2/3 of the reserve has been redirected to the needs of Russian soldiers,” the report adds.
Guardian
10m ago 07:50
The cyber hacking group Anonymous has published a message specifically designed to reach Russian citizens, allegedly urging Russians to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.
According to a translation offered by various commentators over Twitter, the clip in part reportedly says:
"You are being trapped behind an iron curtain of propaganda, with your government attempting to keep you from being a part of the international conversation, out of fear for what you might find out.
The regime of Vladimir Putin has been carrying out war crimes with his recent invasion of Ukraine, which has caused a massive refugee crisis and countless deaths.
It is a terrible situation that you have been put in, but your only option to prevent the impending economic collapse and potential world war is to take actions to resist the war and the regime of Vladimir Putin.
Putin has put the Russian population up as a sacrifice. At this point, the most peaceful way that this conflict could end would be for the people of Russia to rise up against Putin and remove him from power.”
Guardian / FT
29m ago 19:53
Russia has asked China for military equipment since the start of the invasion
US officials say Russia has requested military equipment from China since the start of the invasion, according to the Financial Times. This has sparked fears in the White House that China may decide to help Russia and undermine western efforts to aid Ukraine.
Another person told the FT that the US was “preparing to warn allies about the situation amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia”.
“Other US officials have also said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine approaches the start of its third week,” the FT report said.
Guardian
7h ago 13:31
Delegates from both sides of peace talks say there has been progress
Delegates from both sides of peace talks have sounded positive, ahead of more negotiations in the next few days.
Ukrainian negotiator and presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said talks had become more constructive.
“We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively. I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days,” he said in a video posted online.
Leonid Slutsky, a Russian delegate said there had been significant progress and they hoped to soon arrive at a “joint position”, Reuters reports.
The state-owned RIA news agency said he was comparing the state of talks now with those when they first started, saying there had been “substantial progress”.
“According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing,” Slutsky said. It was not clear what the scope of any such documents might be.
Three rounds of talks between the two sides in Belarus, most recently last Monday, had focused mainly on humanitarian issues and led to the limited opening of some corridors for civilians to escape fighting.
This comes a day after the French and German presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz said Vladimir Putin did not show a willingness to end the war during a call on Saturday.
Guardian
11h ago 09:39
Duda says that transferring MiG-29 jets to Ukraine is not possible, and thinks that having a no-fly zone could be the start of world war three.
He tells BBC’s Sophie Raworth: “Due to allied responsibility, because of that we can’t transfer [the planes], because we believe our allies could make a grudge against us and it could place Nato in a difficult situation.
“Transferring planes, or trying to defend the skies over the Ukraine against Russian combat aircraft, well this is a decision which is a strictly military one and a serious one, because it means that Nato jets will have to be sent into Ukrainian airspace and there would be a confrontation between NATO aircraft and Russian aircraft, and it means the opening of a third world war.
Duda said he does fear Russia turning its attentions to a potential invasion of Poland, if it succeeds in Ukraine. He said he believed that Nato allies would defend them if it happened. He quotes Poland’s former president, Lech Kaczyński, who said “Today is Georgia, tomorrow it might be Ukraine, then the Baltic states an after that a time may come for Poland” after Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.
“We do not want to be in the Russian sphere of influence, we dragged ourselves out of it, and we don’t want to go back there.
“I was born in a state not fully sovereign, or free. When someone talks about Russian socialism or communism, a shiver goes down my spine. Never again do we want to have Soviet soldiers here, do we want a Russian sphere of influence here. It would be contrary to our laws and this is destroying us as a nation. This is a destruction of our traditions.”
Russia targets Ukrainian military base near Polish border in escalation
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-polish-border
Guardian
9h ago 11:45
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-...ormat&fit=max& Dan Sabbagh
Western intelligence believes that Vladimir Putin’s personality has changed dramatically over the past five years, with the 69-year-old Russian leader displaying increasing and obvious paranoia about his health.
But while the shift in character is marked, intelligence sources say, there is an underlying mystery about what could be the cause – with possible explanations ranging from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, the onset of dementia or the use of steroids for treatment of another condition.
“The big tell that Putin is concerned about his health is that he is so obviously worried about coronavirus,” an intelligence source said, citing his insistence on sitting at a distance from foreign leaders such as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, or some of his own key figures, such as defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
He only met China’s president, Xi Jinping, last month after elaborate coronavirus precautions were taken on both sides.
“Coverage of Russia is pretty good from both a human and signals intelligence perspective,” a western source added.
“But there is a grey spot when it comes to Putin’s personal health. What we know is that there has been an identifiable change in his decision making in the past five years.”
Speculation about Putin’s long-term health is widespread amongst Russia experts in the West’s intelligence agencies.
Similar claims were reported in the Mail on Sunday over the weekend, but ultimately there is no firm evidence to back up any of the theories circulating. Putin is believed to have had three Covid vaccine treatments. One western source said he had taken the Pfizer vaccine, although the president himself said in June last year that he had received Russian Sputnik jabs.
Guardian
6h ago 15:06
Thousands protest in support of Ukraine in Berlin
Crowds have gathered in Berlin in support of Ukraine, marching through the centre of the city in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
The landmark was a symbol of German division during the cold war when the country was split into its separate East and West countries. Post-unification it was seen as representing peace and freedom.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d479d...ormat&fit=max&
Protesters demonstrate in support of Ukraine in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on 13 March. Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EP
Guardian
3h ago 18:50
Zelenskiy calls on software companies to stop supporting its products in Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Microsoft, Oracle and SAP to stop supporting their contracts and products in Russia on Sunday. Microsoft has stopped accepting new clients in Russia but Zelenskiy said moves like this were half measures, and presented it as a black-and-white decision. Microsoft, SAP and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"Now can be no 'half' decisions or 'halftones'! There is only black and white, good or evil! You are either for peace or support the bloody Russian aggressor to kill Ukrainian children and women.
@Microsoft
@Oracle
@SAP
, stop supporting your products in Russia, stop the war!"
Updated at 7.06pm GMT
Guardian
2h ago 19:08
Power has been restored to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukraine’s national energy company Ukrenergo announced on its Telegram channel, according to CNN.
The plant’s electrical system was damaged during a 9 March Russian attack.
“Ukrainian specialists … completed repair works on the 330kV line … and resumed power supply to the Chernobyl NPP and town of Slavutych,” Ukrenergo posted on its Telegram channel.
Guardian
25m ago 21:06
Oracle says it was the first to stop all of its operations in Russia in response to a tweet from President Zelenskiy urging the company as well as Microsoft and SAP to cease supporting all products in Russia.
https://twitter.com/Oracle/status/15...y1L-hXGVG3pUjA
Well that will do it...
Guardian / CNN
22m ago 21:37
Access to Instagram in Russia appears to be restricted across multiple providers. The government notified users earlier today that the service will cease to be available following Meta’s, the parent company of Instagram, decision to allow users in Ukraine to post anti-Russian messages such as “death to the Russian invaders.”
“An email message from the state communications regulator told users to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russia’s own “competitive internet platforms”,” according to CNN.
https://twitter.com/netblocks/status...nsxMTn3JpKsBrg
Russia sends message with Yavoriv strike but attack on Poland unlikely
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...oland-unlikely
NATO has been flying CAP for the past couple of weeks. Why else do you think the tankers have been flying their racetracks non-stop, not to refuel the int aircraft. A couple of times those patrols had transponders on also over that period. If the tankers are going to play in civil airspace along airways then they will have to have transponders on to enable TCAS. There is no other 99-100% way to separate mil and civil AND there is a lot of traffic. Otherwise they will have to close the airspace.
I saw an AME flight at the weekend which was very interesting. The AME helo(mil) stayed within Polish airspace and did a couple of things which suggested the situation of the team on the ground.
Guardian / FT
2h ago 00:35
US security advisor warns Beijing it would face consequences if it helped Moscow
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, told CNN on Sunday that Washington believed China was aware that Russia was planning some action in Ukraine before the invasion took place, although Beijing may not have understood the full extent of what was planned.
He warned Beijing that it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine, according to a Reuters report.
Sullivan told NBC television on Sunday:
We will ensure that neither China, nor anyone else, can compensate Russia for these losses.Sullivan plans in his meeting with Yang to make Washington’s concerns clear while mapping out the consequences and growing isolation China would face globally if it increases its support of Russia, one US official said, without providing details.
In terms of the specific means of doing that, again, I’m not going to lay all of that out in public, but we will communicate that privately to China, as we have already done and will continue to do.”
The security adviser also told CNN that Washington was watching closely to see to what extent Beijing provided economic or material support to Russia, and would impose consequences if that occurred. Sullivan told the outlet:
We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them.Beijing, a key trading partner of Russia, has refused to call Russia’s actions an invasion, although Chinese President Xi Jinping last week did call for “maximum restraint” in Ukraine after a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”
Xi also expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains, amid growing signs that Western sanctions are limiting China’s ability to buy Russian oil.
However, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-backed Chinese Global Times newspaper, said on Twitter: “If Sullivan thinks he can persuade China to participate in sanctions against Russia, he will be disappointed.”
Trade made up about 46% of Russia’s economy in 2020, much of that with China, its biggest export destination, according to Reuters.
Guardian
1h ago 01:26
The UK defence ministry has just released its latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, claiming Russian naval forces are “effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade”.
The report reads:
Russian naval forces have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade.
Russian naval forces are also continuing to conduct missile strikes against targets throughout Ukraine.
Russia has already conducted one amphibious landing in the Sea of Azov and could look to conduct further such operations in the coming weeks.”
Guardian
40m ago 01:51
The Ukrainian military has just released its daily operational report, claiming cases of “mass refusals by Russian servicemen” to partake in the war on Ukraine.
According to military officials, Russian forces continue to destroy stationary military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law.
Russia’s launch of short range ballistic ‘Iskander’ missiles from the territory of Belarus continues, the report adds while noting that attempts to capture Mariupol remain unsuccessful.
Guardian
8m ago 02:27
Negotiations are set to continue between Ukraine and Russia on Monday with officials on both sides offering cautious optimism despite little evidence that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s position has changed.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak confirmed talks will take place with Russia on Monday via video link.
“Again. Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results…” Podoliak said in a Twitter post on Sunday.
“Russia is starting to talk constructively,” Podolyak added over Telegram, noting that Russia “is much more sensitive to Ukraine’s position”. “I think we will reach some concrete results, literally, in a few days.”
For further news in the foreseeable future just go to
https://www.theguardian.com/world/li...08ec6557dfcb41
Another sign of russia becoming third world..
Asking china for both military and economic assistance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...-live-updates/
Russia has a flat tax and plenty of oligarchs ... thought you would find it better.
Plus soo much oil and gas exploration to siphon off for some mates.
Davexl.
Respectfully, can I suggest that the regurgitation of multiple daily articles from the Guardian is not really suited for this thread? Surely if most folk wish to get 'up to the minute' updates, then they can access various news sources from across the globe themselves?
I note that there is a specific Ukraine related thread which may be more appropriate for these numerous media posts you wish to disseminate? Whether there is an appetite from ST's to be given regular media updates on that thread, I guess you would be best to ask.
I'll consider it FTG, just trying to document the war as it represents Geopolitical Risk in all its glory (Not). Getting sick of maintaining this thread anyway and all the other news sources involved - though the Guardian is head & shoulders above all the others...
Guardian
3h ago 02:49
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-...ormat&fit=max& Julian Borger
The United States will try to persuade China not to supply arms to Russia at a high-level meeting in Rome which the White House sees as critically important not just for the war in Ukraine but also for the future of the global balance of power.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, in the Italian capital amid reports that Russia has asked China for weapons to bolster its faltering invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan will point out that the US briefed Beijing on Vladimir Putin’s intentions months ahead of the invasion, but that the Chinese leadership ignored those warnings, mistakenly believing that Putin was bluffing to gain leverage, according to sources familiar with plans for the Rome meeting. Sullivan will also argue that if China supplies weapons to Moscow it will be a further, historic mistake, and a turning point in global politics.
The White House is anxious to prevent the Ukraine war further cementing a division of the world into two opposing blocs.
Guardian
4h ago 11:14
Summary
The time in Kyiv is 1.15pm. Here is a round-up of the main headlines so far today:
- Talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday have started and communication between the two sides is hard but ongoing, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter.
- One person was killed and three injured when a shell hit a residential building in north-west Kyiv on Monday morning, Ukraine’s state emergency services said. The nine-storey residential apartment building reportedly caught fire from Russian shelling after 5am.
- The Antonov aircraft plant in Kyiv has been shelled by Russian forces, the Kyiv city administration said in an update on its official Telegram account on Monday morning. At least two people were killed and seven injured, it said.
- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said assertions from US officials that Russia asked Beijing for military equipment for its campaign in Ukraine were “disinformation” from the US. The comments came during a regular Chinese foreign ministry briefing in Beijing, Reuters reported.
- Ninety children have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Ukraine since Russia invaded on 24 February, the Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office said on Monday.
- A pregnant woman and her baby have died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth, the Associated Press has learned. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher had circled the world, epitomising the horror of the attack.
- Germany will reportedly purchase up to 35 F-35 fighter jets, a government source told Reuters.
- The US will try to persuade China not to supply arms to Russia at a high-level meeting in Rome.
- The UK defence ministry claims Russian naval forces are “effectively isolating Ukraine from international maritime trade”, its latest defence intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine reads.
- Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, is reportedly in Ukraine alongside Russian forces, according to footage shared by Chechen television channels and posted to Kadyrov’s Telegram account.
- Vladimir Putin will be “held responsible” for war crimes in Ukraine at the international criminal court in The Hague, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, has pledged, saying the UK would help gather the necessary evidence.
- The CEO of controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI said the Ukraine defence ministry has started to use its services, according to Reuters.
- Ukrainian president Zelenskiy urged Nato to impose a no-fly zone after the attack on the military base that brought the fighting close to the Polish border. “If you don’t close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on Nato territory,” he said.
- Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday the full implementation of sanctions by European Union countries would help put pressure on Russia to stop attacks.
- The German multinational pharmaceutical company Bayer has suspended advertising and investments in Russia, it announced today.
- Russia’s defence ministry admitted responsibility for a rocket attack on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a military base, near the Polish border on Sunday.
Guardian
1h ago 19:00
Summary
It is 9pm in Ukraine. Here’s where we stand now:
- “Almost all” of the Russian advances in Ukraine “remain stalled”, a senior US defence official said during a background briefing, CNN reports. Russian forces moving on Kyiv have not appreciably progressed over the weekend but the official noted that the US believed Russia was trying to “flow in forces behind the advance elements” moving to the north of the Ukrainian capital.
- The mayor of Ukraine’s frontline city of Kharkiv said the city had been under constant attack by Russian forces, Reuters reports. Speaking on national television, Ihor Terekhov said Russian troops had fired at central districts causing an unspecified number of casualties.
- A Russian airstrike hit a residential building in Kyiv as Moscow’s forces stepped up their brutal campaign to capture Ukraine’s capital and other major cities. One person was found dead in the nine-storey apartment building, officials said, with three more people hospitalised as air raid sirens sounded in the capital and other cities hours before Ukrainian and Russian negotiators were set to resume talks.
- The Antonov aircraft plant in Kyiv was shelled by Russian forces, the Kyiv city administration said in an update on its official Telegram account on Monday morning. At least two people were killed and seven injured, it said.
- Ukrainian authorities have denied accusations by Russia after a Ukrainian missile allegedly exploded in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk killing 20 civilians. Ukrainian military spokesman Leonid Matyukhin said the missile, that carried warhead shrapnel, was in fact a Russian rocket. The Russian and Ukrainian claims cannot be independently verified.
- There are reports that Russian forces blew up explosives at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine’s parliament earlier said Russian troops planned to begin “disposal” of ammunition in front of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station.
- At least nine people were reportedly killed and nine more wounded in an airstrike on a television tower in Ukraine’s northern Rivne region today. “There are still people under the rubble,” governor Vitaliy Koval said in an online post, Reuters reports.
- Ninety children have been killed and more than 100 wounded in Ukraine since Russia invaded on 24 February, the Ukrainian general prosecutor’s office said. “The highest number of victims are in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson, Mykolayiv and Zhytomyr regions,” it said in a statement.
- A convoy of more than 160 cars departed from Mariupol today, local officials said, in what appeared to be the first successful attempt to evacuate civilians from the encircled Ukrainian city. After several days of failed attempts to deliver supplies to Mariupol and provide safe passage out for trapped civilians, the city council said a local ceasefire was holding and the convoy had left for the city of Zaporizhzhia.
- Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said Russian forces were “behaving like terrorists” and Putin had started a “full-scale war” in the centre of Europe that could “become a third world war”. Addressing the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, he said Europe “chose the road of pacifying the aggressor” for years instead of “defending the values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”.
- Vladimir Putin’s decision to order Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert is a “bone-chilling development”, United Nations chief António Guterres said. The UN secretary general said a further $40m (£30.7m) would be allocated to ramp up humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
- A close ally of Putin has admitted Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has not gone as quickly as the Kremlin had wanted, Reuters reports. National guard chief Viktor Zolotov blamed the slower than expected progress on what he claimed were far-right Ukrainian forces hiding behind civilians, an accusation repeatedly made by Russian officials.
- Russia has denied reports that it has asked China for military equipment, claiming it has sufficient military clout to fulfil all of its aims in Ukraine without any need for help from Beijing. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops could take “major population centres under full control” in Ukraine.
White House faces oil standoff with Saudi Arabia and UAE as prices soar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...+15+March+2022
So what do we know so far?
Russia hasn’t able to wage a war of mobility, so is slowly surrounding and besieging cities. This means that the Russians are effectively immobilized and are static targets. They are able to create havoc by local and long-range bombardment, and to advance slowly – nibbling away taking territory here and there, but not take large swathes of territory and to disrupt Ukraines internal supply lines.
But the Ukranians do not have the weaponry to take advantage of the Russian’s immobility – we also saw this with their inability to inflict serious damage on the sitting duck that was the Russian “40-mile-freedom-convoy”.
The conclusion is that the Russians have lost the initiative as far as movement goes, but that the Ukranians are unable to take advantage of this.
So there’s effectively a stalemate, but with Russia slowly gaining ground. Who or what would change this?And how could they do it?
I guess the methods are pretty well known.
1) Lead a guerrilla war in all occupied territories (and I am sure they do that). The Russian terrorists need to expect bombs / mines and small weapon fire against them 24/7 where ever they are - this will tire them down.
2) cut off the supply lines to the sitting ducks by surgical attacks (like destroying bridges, block infrastructure bottlenecks - quite difficult to prevent for the attacking Russian terrorists
3) Undercover attacks and sabotage against significant Russian infrastructure in Russia (like electricity, gas fields, oil fields, pipelines, and potentially nuclear plants in Russia (less of a problem for Europe given the predominant winds from the West)).
Talk with them in the only language the Russian terrorists and child killers understand.
Guardian
The United States told allies that Russia has requested military equipment from China, including missiles, drones, and armoured vehicles, and that China “responded positively” to the request, the Financial Times reports. China denies the story. The US is believed to have told Beijing it would be a “historic mistake” during an “intense” session of talks in Rome on Monday.
Gutsy Lady...
‘They’re lying to you’: Russian TV employee interrupts news broadcast
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...a-ovsyannikova
Oil trend correction...
7m ago 00:14
Still on economics, and the price of oil slipped more than 5% during Monday’s session and could come under more pressure in Tuesday’s trading. The prospect of more constructive talks between Russia and Ukraine was the reason, according to analysts.
Brent futures – the international benchmark – fell 5.1% to settle at $106.90 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 5.8% to settle at $103.01.
Reminds me of a line from C.P. Snow's The Corridors of Power - "The only way to deal with paranoids is to give them something to be paranoid about".
However, what are the Russians doing in the meantime?
It took nine years and fourteen thousand dead soldiers for the USSR to leave Afghanistan. Is that a realistic timeframe for a static war of long-range bombardment in a predominantly urban European country?
The only way to break stalemates is to escalate. And who will do that? And how?
Australia and the netherlands persuing legal action for MH17.
It doesn't look well for those govts that they partly covered it up for the benefit of today's foremost war criminal.
I fear we are in a world war already... and now it is just a question of the temperature of that war.
I don't know what will happen, but I speculate that the loser is Russia... and the winner will be China.
China doesn't do 'friends' it does family and business. Russians aren't family... so this is business. If China plays its cards right - which they will - then they have acquired access to the vast resources of the Russian federation. Australia may feel the effects. Putin may not admit it, but I think he will do whatever Xi says in future. Delaying the invasion until the end of the Olympics was just the start. Maybe Russian navy will be invited to help liberate Taiwan or patrol South China Sea.
Incredible invite...
23m ago 21:23
'Choose dignity': Zelenskiy urges Russian troops to surrender
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has his latest address to urge Russian troops to choose giving up arms over the “shame” of continuing with the war.
Speaking in Russian, Zelenskiy said: “On behalf of the Ukrainian people, we give you a chance to live. If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as humans have to be treated: with dignity. The way you have not been treated in your army. And the way your army doesn’t treat our people. Choose.”
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d6d20...ormat&fit=max&
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Photograph: Telegram He also said the war had become a “nightmare” for the Russians,and claimed that their troops were fleeing the battlefield and leaving arms and equipment for the Ukrainians.
Here is the first part of his speech. It’s a long address so I’ll post the rest in two more chunks.
Free people of the free country, the 19th day of our resistance has come to end. Another hard day that made us closer to the victory and peace for Ukraine. As before, the enemy is perplexed. They didn’t expect such resistance. They believed their propaganda that lied about us for decades.
They still can’t recover but have begun realizing that they won’t achieve anything by war. Their soldiers know it. Their officers understand it. They flee from the battlefield, leaving behind their vehicles and equipment. We take the trophies and use them for defence of Ukraine. Russian forces have de-facto become a supplier of equipment for our army. They couldn’t imagine it in a nightmare.
[In Russian] I want to tell Russian soldiers, those who have already entered our lands and those who are only being sent to fight against us. Russian conscripts, please, listen to me attentively. Russian officers, you have already understood everything. You won’t be able to take anything from Ukraine. You will take lives – you are many – but yours will be taken too.
What are you dying for? I know, you want to survive. We hear in your intercepted calls what you really think of this war, of this shame, and of your state. Your conversations with each other, your calls home to your families, we hear everything. We make conclusions. We know who you are. That’s why I offer you a choice: On behalf of the Ukrainian people, we give you a chance to live. If you surrender to our forces, we will treat you as humans have to be treated: with dignity. The way you have not been treated in your army. And the way your army doesn’t treat our people. Choose.
You're not the only one that thinks that. Famed billionaire investor Bill Ackman does too https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/07/russ...ate%20Saturday.
Already are:
Japan Again Raises Concern Over 10 Warship Russian Navy Surface Group
https://news.usni.org/2022/03/11/jap...eid=cc0f71bf89