Here we go again-Ukraine once again [Archive] - Page 40

Dargo

02-11-23, 02:31 PM

Russia is draining a massive Ukrainian reservoir, endangering a nuclear plant
Russia appears to be draining an enormous reservoir in Ukraine, imperiling drinking water, agricultural production and safety at Europe's largest nuclear plant, according to satellite data obtained by NPR.

Since early November 2022, water has been gushing out of the Kakhovka Reservoir, in Southern Ukraine, through sluice gates at a critical hydroelectric power plant controlled by Russian forces. As a result, satellite data shows that the water level at the reservoir has plummeted to its lowest point in three decades. Separate images provided by the commercial companies Planet and Maxar show water pouring through the gates, and shoreline along the giant reservoir emerging as a result of the rapidly falling water levels.

At stake is drinking water for hundreds of thousands of residents, irrigation for nearly half-a-million acres of farmland, and the cooling system at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Late last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of the potential risk posed by dropping water levels at the reservoir.

"Even though the decreased water level does not pose an immediate threat to nuclear safety and security, it may become a source of concern if it is allowed to continue," the IAEA's director General Rafael M. Grossi said in a statement.

The Kakhovka Reservoir is a massive, man-made lake roughly the size of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It is the final body of water in a network of reservoirs along Ukraine's Dnipro River. Since the 1950s, it has been used to provide drinking and irrigation water to parts of Ukraine's southern districts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. A lengthy canal leading from the reservoir also supplies Russian-occupied Crimea.

The reservoir is essential to supplying water to otherwise arid farmland in the southern part of the country, according to Brian Kuns, a geographer at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences who has studied farming in southern Ukraine. A network of canals leading from the reservoir irrigates roughly 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of farmland that is used to grow sunflowers, grain and vegetables. "It's very important locally," Kuns says.

The reservoir was also a critical source of water for the Crimean Peninsula, which is supplied via a 403-kilometer (250 mile) canal. After Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Ukraine diverted water from the canal, leaving the peninsula parched. Following Russia's larger invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, one of the goals was to restore Crimea's water supply, and Russia did so that summer by diverting water out of the reservoir.

Russia appeared to have spent several months using the Kakhovka Reservoir to refill a network of reservoirs in Crimea, according to David Helms, a retired meteorologist with decades of experience working for the U.S. federal government, most recently at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. "There's 23 reservoirs; they're topped off," he says.

Then on Nov. 11, 2022, as Ukrainian forces advanced, Russian troops blew up a road over the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Dam, which controls the water level on the reservoir.

Initially some feared that the explosion would damage the dam and spill water from the reservoir, but Helms says it seems to have destroyed the road, while leaving the dam's sluice gates mostly intact.

However immediately after the detonation, it appears that Russian forces deliberately used two gantry cranes on the Russian-controlled side of the dam to open additional sluice gates, allowing water to rush out of the reservoir.

The result has been startling. Radar altimetry data shows the current level of the reservoir at 14 meters, approximately 2 meters below its normal height. Since December, the reservoir's water level has plummeted to its lowest level in 30 years of satellite observation.

A Feb. 7 statement on Telegram from the local government said that if the level fell below 13.2 meters, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant's cooling system, which relies on water from the reservoir, would be in peril. The statement said that Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine's hydro electric company, believes the discharge is being done deliberately by the Russians.

The statement from the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration also warned that several cities that rely on the reservoir, including Enerhodar, Melitopol and Berdyansk may face water shortages, though it noted that all three are currently under Russian occupation, so little is known about their water supply.

Helms believes the deliberate discharge is another way for Russia to hurt Ukraine. Now that Crimea's reservoirs are full, he says, this could be a way for Russia to hamper Ukraine's economy, which depends heavily on agricultural exports.

"It's as good as knocking out the power grid," he says.

But Kuns is less certain of Russia's intent. He points out that most of the affected agricultural areas are in Russian-held parts of Ukraine. "It just seems strange that they'd be doing a scorched-earth on territory that they claim publicly that they want to keep," he says.

In its statement, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration suggested that the purpose of draining the reservoir may be in part to flood the area south of the dam, in an effort to keep Ukrainian Forces from crossing the Dnipro River. Officials stated that Ukrhydroenergo believed Russian occupiers "opened the station's locks fearing an advance of Ukrainian soldiers."

For now, there's little to be done except watch the water as it drains away. "I don't know what the purpose of it is," says Kuns. "But it is very worrying."

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155761686/russia-is-draining-a-massive-ukrainian-reservoir-endangering-a-nuclear-plant

tonschk

02-11-23, 03:05 PM

Jimbuna

02-11-23, 03:16 PM

Bundestag defense committee called to allow Poland and Slovakia to transfer East German MiG-29s to Ukraine

The German government should allow the transfer of MIG fighters sold to other European countries after German reunification to Ukraine.

Markus Faber, a member of the German Bundestag and a member of the defense committee, said this in a comment to Guildhall on February 9.
On the eve of the Munich Security Conference, he turned to representatives of the Ukrainian embassy in Germany and other officials with the proposal to discuss, first of all, options for providing the Ukrainian army with F16 and MiG-29 aircraft to protect against Russian aggression, Censor.NET reports with reference to Gordon.

"Both models are not in service with the Luftwaffe. Therefore, the first task facing Germany is to give permission for the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine, which are in other countries," he said.

The deputy noted that after the unification of Germany, Soviet fighters were sold to Poland and Slovakia. Therefore, when making a decision on the transfer of MiG to Ukraine, they also need to receive the approval of Berlin.

"My position is that we should give this permission," Faber concluded.

On February 10, Acting Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an official request to the Slovak government for the supply of aircraft at the EU summit on February 9 in Brussels (Belgium). Therefore, the Slovak authorities can start official negotiations with the European Commission regarding the delivery of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399259

Jimbuna

02-11-23, 03:19 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCn1gOW52Ig

mapuc

02-11-23, 03:52 PM

The weapon we hand over to the Ukrainian is mostly old weapon which we really don't use anymore.
USA is discussing to give harpoon to Ukraine-Why not give them:
RGM/UGM-109B Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile range 460 km.

USA and its allied does not use this type of tomahawks so it will not be a shortage since they are not in use.

Markus

Catfish

02-11-23, 05:04 PM

Must be awful to be in a Kilo and know those rivet joints and radar planes are roaming the skies over the black sea.
I wonder how much missiles they have left.

Skybird

02-11-23, 05:15 PM

les green01

02-11-23, 06:03 PM

Neo-Nazis extremists Terrorists trained in Ukraine return to US en masse

https://rumble.com/v2941ue-neo-nazi-extremists-trained-in-ukraine-return-to-us-en-masse.html

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302120130090313.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302120130090313.png)

you are so full of crap you must waddle walking your pic shows newsweek but i never seen the article you click on the link don't even show newsweek don't blow smoke up our behind and maybe take it somewhere else

Catfish

02-11-23, 06:10 PM

My recommendation would be to neither ask nor wait for the Germans.
You are really full of it? No one gives a sh!t about what germans think.
This tribe either gets its mind made up like Reisner says or it can as well join Fox news.

Dargo

02-11-23, 06:33 PM

you are so full of crap you must waddle walking your pic shows newsweek but i never seen the article you click on the link don't even show newsweek don't blow smoke up our behind and maybe take it somewhere elseAll link to RT Russian clown show The enemy has been hit very hard the past week with more than 5000 killed, at least 3 attack jets destroyed, and literally hundreds of pieces of equipment turned into scrap iron Ukraine army forces have regained territory in Bakhmut and eradicated more than 36 tanks. All those Russian lovers can have is illusions, at the rest they fail.

mapuc

02-11-23, 06:41 PM

All link to RT Russian clown show The enemy has been hit very hard the past week with more than 5000 killed, at least 3 attack jets destroyed, and literally hundreds of pieces of equipment turned into scrap iron Ukraine army forces have regained territory in Bakhmut and eradicated more than 36 tanks. All those Russian lovers can have is illusions, at the rest they fail.

Nevertheless Poohtin are planning on celebrating one year success in Ukraine. This should be on the day the war started.

Markus

Dargo

02-11-23, 06:45 PM

Nevertheless Poohtin are planning on celebrating one year success in Ukraine. This should be on the day the war started.

MarkusThe naked emperor can celebrate what he wants, he is the sole one believing in this bet the West has a bigger present for Ukraine on this day.

les green01

02-12-23, 02:52 AM

been the best three day ran operation they are moving too fast they better slow down

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 07:41 AM

Russian soldier death rate highest since first week of war - Ukraine

By Laura Gozzi
BBC News

Russian soldiers are dying in greater numbers in Ukraine this month than at any time since the first week of the invasion, according to Ukrainian data.

The Ukrainian data shows 824 Russian soldiers dying per day in February.

The figures were highlighted by the UK's Ministry of Defence. The figures cannot be verified - but the UK says the trends are "likely accurate".

The increase comes amid talk of a spring offensive by Russian forces in the east of the country.

Last week, Ukraine's outgoing defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said they were anticipating a new Russian offensive around 24 February - the anniversary of the full-scale invasion.

But some local politicians, including the governors of Luhansk and Donetsk, claimed the offensive had already begun.

Some of the fiercest fighting has been around Bakhmut in the east of the country.

On Sunday, the head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force said the group had seized a settlement near the devastated city.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Telegram: "Today, the settlement of Krasna Hora was taken by assault detachments of the Wagner PMC."

Mr Prigozhin also gave his group credit for the offensive on Bakhmut, downplaying the Russian army's role: "Within a radius of 50 km, plus or minus, there are only Wagner PMC fighters," he wrote.

The statement hints at longstanding tensions between the Russian military and Wagner.

When the town of Soledar was taken in January, Mr Prigozhin claimed his fighters were in full control there boasted that only his troops took part - a claim the Russian defence ministry questioned.

Bakhmut's strategic importance has been questioned, but the prolonged fighting has turned it into a symbolic prize.

According to the Ukrainian data, highlighted by the UK, 824 Russian losses a day is more than four times the rate reported in June and July, when around 172 Russian soldiers died each day.

The Ukrainian military claims 137,780 Russian military deaths since the full-scale invasion began.

The UK's MoD pointed out the recent increase could be due to "a range of factors, including lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources across the front".

Ukraine "also continues to suffer a high attrition rate", the UK said.

Russian forces have made little progress in Ukraine since their retreat from the major southern city of Kherson last November.

Last month they captured the town of Soledar north of Bakhmut after an intense battle. Capturing Bakhmut could enable Russian forces to press on towards the bigger cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed to Western countries to hurry sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine to help Ukraine repel Russia's expected offensive.

The US agreed last week to send long-range missiles that would enable Ukraine to double its attack range.

But President Zelensky wants the West to send fighter jets - saying during a visit to the UK Parliament this week that he was "thanking you all in advance for powerful English planes".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64616099

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 07:45 AM

Pregnant Russian women flying to Argentina for citizenship, officials say

By Laura Gozzi
BBC News

More than 5,000 pregnant Russian women have entered Argentina in recent months, including 33 on a single flight on Thursday, officials say.

The latest arrivals were all in the final weeks of pregnancy, according to the national migration agency.

It is believed the women want to make sure their babies are born in Argentina to obtain Argentinian citizenship.

The number of arrivals has increased recently, which local media suggests is a result of the war in Ukraine.

Of the 33 women who arrived in the Argentinian capital on one flight on Thursday, three were detained because of "problems with their documentation", joining three more who arrived the previous day, migration agency head Florencia Carignano told La Nacion.

The Russian women had initially claimed they were visiting Argentina as tourists, she said.

"In these cases it was detected that they did not come here to engage in tourism activities. They acknowledged it themselves."

She said the Russian women wanted their children to have Argentinian citizenship because it gave more freedom than a Russian passport.

"The problem is that they come to Argentina, sign up their children as Argentinean and leave. Our passport is very secure across the world. It allows [passport-holders] to enter 171 countries visa-free," Ms Carignano said.

Having an Argentine child also speeds up the citizenship process for parents. As it stands, Russians can travel visa-free to only 87 countries.

Travel to many Western countries has become more difficult for Russians since their country invaded Ukraine last February.

Last September, the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia was suspended, resulting in the need for additional documentation, increased processing times and more restrictive rules for the issuing of visas.

A number of countries have also suspended tourist visas for Russians, including all EU member states that border Russia.

A lawyer for the three women who were detained on Thursday said that they are being "falsely imprisoned", as they are being held on suspicion of being "false tourists". This is a term "which does not exist in our legislation," Christian Rubilar said.

"These women who didn't commit a crime, who didn't break any migratory law, are being illegally deprived of their freedom," he added.

The women have since been released.

La Nacion attributed the dramatic uptick in arrivals of Russian citizens to the war in Ukraine, saying that "besides fleeing war and their country's health service, [Russian women] are attracted by their [right of] visa-free entry to Argentina, as well as by the high-quality medicine and variety of hospitals".

"Birth tourism" by Russian citizens to Argentina appears to be a lucrative and well-established practice.

A Russian-language website seen by the BBC offers various packages for expecting mothers who wish to give birth in Argentina. The website advertises services such as personalised birth plans, airport pick-ups, Spanish lessons and discounts on the cost of stays in "the best hospitals in the Argentinian capital".

The packages range from "economy class", starting at $5,000 (£4,144), to "first class", starting at $15,000 (£12,433).

The website says its founder has been facilitating birth tourism and offering migration support since 2015, and the company says it is "100% Argentinian".

On Saturday, La Nacion reported that Argentinian police has been carrying out raids as part of an investigation into a "million-dollar business and illicit network" that allegedly provided pregnant Russian women and their partners with fake documents issued in record time to allow them to settle in Argentina.

Police said the gang charged up to $35,000 (£29,011) for the service.

No arrests were made, but police were said to have seized laptops and tablets as well as immigration papers and significant quantities of cash.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-64610954

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 08:02 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D13-SpN2baM

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 08:16 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2rqGBeqsLU

Rockstar

02-12-23, 10:14 AM

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 11:28 AM

Russians purposefully commit ecocide by draining Kakhovka reservoir, - Vereshchuk

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk emphasizes that the Russian invaders are deliberately and purposefully draining the Kakhov reservoir.

Vereshchuk wrote about this on Telegram, Censor.NET reports.

"Environmental war. The occupiers are draining the Kakhovka reservoir. A threat to the environment, water supply, and agriculture of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson region. The occupiers are deliberately and purposefully committing ecocide in the region, including the temporarily occupied territories.

They will not be able to hold the captured territories. Maybe they started to realize it. Therefore, they want to leave behind them a scorched earth, unfit for life.

Nothing will work for them. Everything can happen very quickly. Do you remember the liberation of Kherson?" she said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399381

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 11:49 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 137,780 people (+900 per day), 296 aircraft, 3,280 tanks, 2,287 artillery systems, 6,488 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 12, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers are approximately 137,780 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24/02/22 to 12/02/23 are approximately:

personnel - about 137,780 (+900) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3280 (+13) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6488 (+14) units,
artillery systems - 2287 (+17) units,
MLRS - 465 (+2) units,
air defense equipment - 234 (+0) units,
aircraft - 296 (+1) units,
helicopters - 286 (+0) units,
UAV of operational-tactical level - 2007 (+10),
cruise missiles - 857 (+0),
ships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5148 (+14) units,
special equipment - 215 (+1). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399313

Credit Suisse froze over $19 billion of Russian assets

The Swiss bank Credit Suisse has blocked Russian assets worth more than 19 billion dollars (17.6 billion Swiss francs), which is a third of all declared Russian assets in Switzerland.

This is reported by the Sonntags Zeitung newspaper, Censor.NET reports with reference to Economic Truth.

Of the amount blocked by the bank, only 4.32 billion belong to persons previously included in the sanctions list by the Swiss authorities. The remaining 14.7 billion dollars concern persons who have been sanctioned in other countries. In addition, Credit Suisse froze the funds of the Russian Central Bank.

It is noted that earlier the State Secretariat of the Economy of Switzerland announced the blocking of Russian assets in the amount of 8.1 billion dollars and 15 real estate objects. The blocking of Russian assets took place within the framework of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation due to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399379

Captured "Wagnerians": We thought that Armed Forces had left Ukraine, and we would have to fight with Poles and Germans

Former prisoners recruited by the "Wagner" PMC from Ukrainian captivity told journalists that they were going to "fight with Polish mercenaries" in Ukraine.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to CNN.

The TV channel reports that two "Wagners" were captured at the end of last year. One of them had previously served a 20-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

"There were 90 of us. Sixty people died in the first assault, they were killed by mortar fire. Several people were wounded," the occupier recalls his first assault in the Belogorivka district of the Luhansk region.

According to him, if one group fails, "they immediately send the second, and then the third.

The second says that he participated in the assault near Lysychansk, which lasted five days, allegedly "the first steps through the forest were difficult because of the mines laid there, seven of the ten boys died immediately."

They told journalists about a man who was afraid to go on an assault. He was taken 50 meters from the base and forced to dig his own grave, then shot.

According to them, they had so little idea of what was happening in Ukraine that they thought that the Ukrainian army had left the country: "We thought that we would fight with Poles and various mercenaries, Germans, we did not think that there was anyone from Ukraine left there army - we thought they had left the country."

The occupier also stated that "no one thought that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would really fight for their country, for their loved ones," and they allegedly learned about it only on the territory of Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399377

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 11:59 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQoPstZ3yVs

Jimbuna

02-12-23, 01:09 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqYbebIKM0

tonschk

02-12-23, 02:29 PM

Italians protest against Zelensky’s appearance at Sanremo festival

https://rumble.com/v2991zs-italians-protest-against-zelenskys-appearance-at-sanremo-festival.html
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302130056500321.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302130056500321.png)

Rockstar

02-12-23, 03:12 PM

Video of m/v Ark Integrity pier side Port of Bremerhaven off loading combat vehicles bound for Ukraine. German language, English subtitles.

https://targum.video/v/2023/02/12/06c78a1f936d64cbb711731dc56d6aed

Dargo

02-12-23, 03:14 PM

British Military Intelligence: February 2023 is producing the second-highest daily death toll of the war so far for the Russian army after the catastrophic losses during the first week of the invasion

https://i.postimg.cc/3xk8YD20/daruslosses.jpg
https://twitter.com/Biz_Ukraine_Mag/status/1624839235906809870

Skybird

02-12-23, 03:29 PM

Catfish

02-12-23, 03:39 PM

Video of m/v Ark Integrity pier side Port of Bremerhaven off loading combat vehicles bound for Ukraine. German language, English subtitles. [...]
:up:

Catfish

02-12-23, 03:50 PM

So now we hear, for the x-th time, one half of the truth. Where is the other half? Ukrainian losses. These are what likely is far more decisive for the going of the war than the Russian losses. [...]
Yes ukrainian losses are bad. However demographics are against Russia, and a lot of voluntary fighters are helping Ukraine.
Ukraine has already proven it is able to fight and win against Russia, so what is your proposal?

Dargo

02-12-23, 03:51 PM

So now we hear, for the x-th time, one half of the truth. Where is the other half? Ukrainian losses. These are what likely is far more decisive for the going of the war than the Russian losses.

Just saying. This endless stream of videos showing how great it is going and marching music in the backgroudn and heroic pathetic phrasing have become tiresome to some degree. They are feel-well videos, so to speak. Mood-boosters. Maybe they mostly are not untrue - but they are only showing one half of the truth, which is no surprise since they do not come from neutral sources. Western European and American sources have a bias, Ukrainian sources have a heavy propaganda intention, and Russian sources are paste-and-copy jobs from patient records from mental asylums, of course they are the worst of the three. Ron Hubbard could have told no finer lousy fiction.Loose lips sink ships to clamp as tight a lid as possible on rumors that might lead to discouragement, frustration, or anything that would cut back military support and give away any intel on what, when, how Ukraine gets that the enemy can use. This is the policy of the Dutch and majority of the other NATO allies do not think they provide support to a lost cause.

tonschk

02-12-23, 04:08 PM

Italians Ban Terrorist Dictator zelensky

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/zelensky-has-no-place-at-light-hearted-music-festival-dlz8mrjk0

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302130237160319.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302130237160319.png)

Dargo

02-12-23, 04:24 PM

Ukrainian defenders destroyed Russian armored columns advancing in the Vuhledar direction. The Russians are now launching infantry-only, “meat wave” assaults using cannon fodder (mobiks and prisoners). https://twitter.com/mhmck/status/1624832336616468481

This shows clearly Russian army has not got what it takes to win this how large their supposed stock and cannon fodder is. after 24 Feb they do not fight the tiny Ukraine army and production for decades to come Russia will suffer for this we will not allow it any seat at our table anymore.

Dargo

02-12-23, 04:38 PM

Ukraine receives 15,000 applications for new Offensive Guard as war rages on
Ukrainians continue voluntarily enlisting in the Army to repel Russian aggression. According to Mariana Reva, the spokesperson of Ukraine’s Ministry, as of 12 February, the newly formed Offensive Guard has received over 15,000 applications from the fighters to join its assault brigades. On February 2, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, announced that the Ukrainian Army set up eight assault bridges for the Offensive Guard to strengthen the country’s defense and liberate the occupied territories.

mapuc

02-12-23, 05:22 PM

So now we hear, for the x-th time, one half of the truth. Where is the other half? Ukrainian losses. These are what likely is far more decisive for the going of the war than the Russian losses.

Just saying. This endless stream of videos showing how great it is going and marching music in the backgroudn and heroic pathetic phrasing have become tiresome to some degree. They are feel-well videos, so to speak. Mood-boosters. Maybe they mostly are not untrue - but they are only showing one half of the truth, which is no surprise since they do not come from neutral sources. Western European and American sources have a bias, Ukrainian sources have a heavy propaganda intention, and Russian sources are paste-and-copy jobs from patient records from mental asylums, of course they are the worst of the three. Ron Hubbard could have told no finer lousy fiction.

I'm wondering the same-How many Ukrainian has lost their life, been wounded or taken prison ?

Who benefits from losing ten thousand of soldiers the Ruskies or the Ukrainians ?

Now to something about surveillance- I have friends who is very critical against Ukraine and Zelenskyy-I read almost daily how they in strong words criticize Ukraine and/or Zelenskyy..
This has made me wonder if they are under surveillance from our Police intelligent (PET) or our Defence intelligent(FET).

Markus

Dargo

02-12-23, 05:36 PM

Ukraine downs aerial reconnaissance vehicle, balloons in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Ukraine’s Air Force Command has reported that the Ukrainian Army downed an aerial reconnaissance vehicle and balloons with corner reflectors launched by Russian troops on 12 February.

Before an air alert started to sound in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Regional Council, said that Russia could begin an attack with Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Earlier, a Chinese surveillance balloon was downed off the South Carolina coast by a US fighter jet. The US accused Beijing of attempts to collect intelligence on the military and imposed sanctions on six Chinese aerospace companies, CNBC reported

Who will invade us now aliens, Chinese or Russians :D

Skybird

02-12-23, 05:41 PM

Guys, I just point out that we have sometimes reasonable sources with probably more correct than incorrect descriptions for describing what goes wrong for the Russians - but that we have no complement for trustworthy sources from anywhere doing a comparable good job on what works wrong for the ukrainians, and their losses.

If we would trust the hey-hurray message and videos we get fed since one year, and they were true, then Ukriane should already have won a triumphant victory and Russia should have sunk and disappeared in the swamp already.

Note that we see the same happening in economics. Since one year the media feed us with how terribly hit the Russian economy is and that it can and must collapse just any day, so to speak. But it does not, and it keeps on finding solutions. And their growth, according to the ICF who recently compared countries on their outlooks this year and how they did last year, rates Russia over several Western countries or. You hear me, UK? Especially the UK would love to exchange its own with the russian numbers. And Russia will cointinue to stay in control of many precious and sometimes quite rare ressources.

These videos show just one half of the - "optimised" - truth. The other half is not shown.

Now, I think its dangerous if you only get fed one-sided stuff like this, even if it is easy for you to like it. Because you get a wrong impression of the enemy and his capabilities, you start to underestimate him, you start to misinvest your own ressoruces, and you start to not get your timing right with your own actions and support.

What I propose , you ask, Catfish? I propose to not get carried away by PROPAGANDA. Remember what Colonel Reisner said: "Das Problem ist: wir lieben zu hören, was wir mögen. Aber das ist nicht die Wahrheit. Die Wahrheit ist oft sehr, sehr schmerzhaft. (...) Das wird nicht einfach vorbeigehen. Da braucht es Kraftanstrengungen." (The problem is: we love to hear what we like. But that is not the truth. The truth is often very, very painful. (...) This will not simply pass. It will take an effort.) I admit he said that in a slightly different context, but it nevertheless true for what I point at here. If we beleive the pictures, than the ukraine runs a perfect war, effortless almost, no blood, no sweat, no losses, slaughteirng th eorks like turkeys on a gunnery range. adnnthat probbaly happens. But no word on Ukrainian losses, and what the Russians do right. Obviouly they do thigns right, else they would no longer be there, and would not advance. When General Milley, US chief of staff, some weeks ago mentioned that the Ukrainian's losses are as high as that of the Russians, the world media went howling. On EU level, I think it was Superuschi said something similiar, and immediately a storm of indignation arose. But remember: the Ukrainian offensive south-east of Charkiv in the East finally bogged down (too early for their plans) due to extensive losses of the ukrianians, and they had to fold over their plan for a third offensive move towards Mariupol (to get in range for attacking the Kerch bridges) - they had suffered way too high casualties .

If you are not realistic in your views of reality, also those parts of it that are unwelcomed, then you will and cannot adress it in ways that match it. You will try erratic "solutions" designed for your own fictional model your mind formed of reality, but that is not reality, and does not describe it correctly. And these non-matching ideas then will fail in reality, turning things in reality for the worse. And then we scratch our heads and wonder what the heck went wrong.

We love to hear - and see - what we like. But that must not be the truth.

On a much more profane level, these videos kill my nerves. They are simply not ticking the boxes for me, not their music, not the way they are directed like action movies, not the way they try to appeal to people's sense of entertainment. I am simply allergic to propaganda like this, no matter the context. They did not nicknamed me "Sushi" for no reason when I was young. I found the Nazis' Wochenschau movies stupid, too. Or the movies reporters did in Vietnam, the music, the phrasing, everything. Or the videogame show from the Gulf War 91.

Polit officers must hate people like me.

In this context it is worth to also be aware of that there is one fundamental differnce in interests of NATO and Kyiv, and a compromise is not possible on this difference: NATO at no cost wants to get drawn into this war. Kyiv wants to acchieve right this: that NATO enters the war on behalf of the ukraine. Never forget this fundamental split in interests. All what Zelensky says and does and wishes, must be seen in this light. This is politics. We may or may not agree with their official goals and positions, but that is the official political course our governments so far follow.

tonschk

02-12-23, 08:39 PM

Elon Musk’s strike on War Criminal and Terrorist Dictator zelensky; Ukrainian Army banned from using Starlink tech for drone war

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302130707520312.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302130707520312.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyehf-Gbq00

August

02-13-23, 01:17 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlpZf1hpQYM

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 04:13 AM

Ukraine war: Russians slowly take ground around Bakhmut

By Orla Guerin
BBC News, Bakhmut

"Stay close to the wall. Move fast. Single file. Just a few at a time."

The staccato instructions come from the Ukrainian army escort taking us to a military position in battle-scarred Bakhmut, a city once famed for its sparkling wines.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the eastern city "our fortress". Russian forces have spent the past six months trying to capture Bakhmut. Now they have intensified their onslaught - Ukraine believes - to tear it down ahead of the anniversary of the invasion.

We follow orders, darting down an icy rubble-strewn street, with a clear blue sky overhead - ideal for Russian drones.

Just after we cross the road, two Russian shells come slamming down behind us on the other side. We turn around to see black smoke rising and keep on running.

Was the shelling random or aimed at us? We can't be sure, but everything that moves in Bakhmut is a target - soldier or civilian.

For hours there is no let-up in the shelling, incoming and outgoing. A Russian fighter jet roars overhead. The nearest Russian troops are just two kilometres away.

There is street fighting in some areas, but Ukrainian forces still hold the city - despite sub-zero temperatures and dwindling ammunition.

"We have some shortages of ammunition of all kinds, especially artillery rounds," says Capt Mykhailo from the 93rd Mechanised Brigade, whose call sign is 'Polyglot'. "We also need encrypted communication devices from our Western allies, and some armoured personnel carriers to move troops around. But we still manage. One of the main lessons of this war is how to fight with limited resources."

We get an insight into the ammunition problems as Ukrainian troops target a Russian position with 60mm mortars. The first mortar round flies from the tube with a loud bang. The second round doesn't eject.

There's a hiss of smoke and a shout of "misfire" sending the mortar unit scrambling for cover. Troops tell us the ammunition is old stock, sent from abroad.

The battle for Bakhmut is a war within a war. Some of the fiercest fighting of the invasion has happened here. And now the Kremlin's forces are gaining ground, metre by metre, body by body. Wave after wave of mercenaries from the notorious Wagner group have been sent into battle here. There are reports of fields of Russian corpses.

Moscow now has effective control of both main roads into the city, leaving just one back route left - a slender supply line.

"They have been trying to take the city since July," says Iryna, press officer of the 93rd Brigade. "Little by little they are winning now. They have more resources, so if they play the long game they will win. I can't say how long it will take.

"Maybe they will run out of resources. I really hope so."

We move from carefully concealed firing positions to bunkers humming with generators and warmed by stoves. But troops take care to conceal any smoke which could give away their location - part of the housekeeping of war. Among those we meet there is calm determination to fight on.

"They are trying to encircle us so that we leave the city, but it's not working," says Ihor, a camouflage-clad commander, with a battle-hardened edge. "The city is under control. Transport moves, despite constant artillery strikes. Of course, we have losses from our side, but we are holding on. We only have one option - to keep going to victory."

There is another option - to withdraw from Bakhmut before it's too late. But among the defenders on the ground there seems little appetite for that. "If we have such an order from our HQ, OK, order is order," says Captain Myhailo. "But what sense to hold all these months if you need to retreat from this city? No, we don't want to do this."

He recalls those who have given their lives for Bakhmut - "a lot of good brave men who just love this country."

And if the defenders of Bakhmut were to withdraw, it would pave the way for Russia to push towards bigger cities in eastern Ukraine like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

Moscow has stepped up its attacks in other front-line areas in the Donbas region in the east, and in the south. Ukrainian officials say a new Russian offensive is already under way.

The Kremlin is on a clock, as it counts down to the anniversary on 24 February. "They are mad about dates and so-called 'victory days'," says Capt Mykhailo.

But the battle of attrition for Bakhmut could wear out the Russians, according to Viktor, a tall, lean Ukrainian commander who has captured Russian magazines on a shelf in his bunker.

"They don't defend now," he says, "they just attack. They continue taking some metres, but we are trying to make sure they take as little of our land as possible. We are holding the enemy here and wearing them out."

Perhaps.

There is still some life in Bakhmut if you know where to find it.

A blast of heat and light hits you when you walk through the door of the "invincibility hub", past boxes of donated food supplies. It's a boxing club turned life-support system where local people can recharge their phones and themselves, with hot food and companionship.

It was crowded when we visited, with elderly women clustered around a stove, and two young boys sitting in the boxing ring, glued to a TV screen, and playing war games.

Around 5,000 civilians remain in Bakhmut without running water or power - many are elderly and poor. "Some are pro-Moscow. They are waiting for the Russians," a Ukrainian colleague mutters darkly.

All here are fighting their own battles says Tetiana, a 23-year-old psychologist who is at the hub watching over her young brother and sister. She's still in Bakhmut because her 86-year-old grandmother can't move and relies on her.

"Most people deal with it by praying to God," she says. "Faith helps. Some forget that they are people. Some show aggression. They start behaving worse than animals."

Back outside the battle for this broken city rages on, with a drum beat of shelling as we leave.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64596363

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 04:19 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXSxaRsaRCo

tonschk

02-13-23, 09:12 AM

Enjoy and Rejoice your Terrorist Criminal regime Dictator zelensky playing Piano for you Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbmZrzN3WFE

les green01

02-13-23, 10:15 AM

Enjoy and Rejoice your Terrorist Criminal regime Dictator zelensky playing Piano for you Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbmZrzN3WFE

you getting that desperate to play a video with guys with pants down to their ankles not my kind of music heck going do that throw in some nude girls but then they probly be some commies little ruskies pansties crap heads think im going have to leave here for awhile im going end up getting a ban and dont need neal and jim to work to hard

Commander Wallace

02-13-23, 10:59 AM

A force Russia built up in Luhansk Oblast went on the offensive in the vicinity of the town of Kreminna, where Ukrainian forces had been advancing slowly until recently, with Luhansk Governor Serhiy Hayday reporting that Ukrainian troops were “on the defensive” in that area now.

Meanwhile, in Vuhledar, the Russians attacked with columns of armor. However, the attack (https://english.nv.ua/nation/ukraine-braces-for-renewed-russian-offensive-later-in-february-ft-50302329.html) was repulsed with heavy losses of men and equipment, according both to Ukrainian sources and Russian military bloggers.
The record loss brings the total of Russian troops reported killed by Ukraine to 138,880 since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and war in Ukraine, which started almost a year ago, on Feb. 24, 2022

The invading forces have also lost a total of over 20,000 units of equipment since the start of the full-scale invasion, among them (loss over past day in parentheses):
personnel — about 136,880 (+1,140)
tanks — 3,267 (+9)
armored combat vehicles — 6,474 (+3)
artillery systems — 2,270 (+19)
multiple launch rocket systems — 463 (+0)
air defense systems — 234 (+1)
warplanes — 295 (+0)
helicopters — 286 (+0)
UAVs of operational and tactical level — 1,997 (+27)
cruise missiles — 857 (+61)
warships/military vessels — 18 (+0)
motor vehicles and fuel tankers — 5,134 (+8)
special equipment — 214 (+3)

The figures are being verified, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-reports-record-high-number-111900156.html

(https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-reports-record-high-number-111900156.html#)

Skybird

02-13-23, 11:30 AM

Ammo status of Ukraine not good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l3XShOfLIQ

Quote: " Whatever NATO says about scaling up - it has not signed contracts, NATO allied governments have not signed contracts with the weapons industry. "

Well.

Rockstar

02-13-23, 12:06 PM

https://youtu.be/iploi3y9BWA

Dargo

02-13-23, 01:24 PM

Russia may have lost an entire elite brigade near a Donetsk coal-mining town
KYIV — As Russia probes Ukraine’s defensive lines ahead of an expected offensive, it might have lost an entire brigade of the elite 155th naval infantry while storming Vuhledar, a coal-mining town in the Donetsk region.

“A large number of enemy forces, including the command staff, were destroyed near Vuhledar and Mariinka in Donetsk Oblast,” Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, head of the united press center of the Tavriskiy District of Ukrainian defense forces, told POLITICO. “In addition, over the past week, the enemy lost about 130 units of equipment, including 36 units of tanks.”

Russian forces also were losing 150-300 marines a day near Vuhledar, Dmytrashkivskyi said. He estimated the brigade to have comprised some 5,000 soldiers in all, whose members had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

Russian tactical failures around Vuhledar have likely further weakened the Russian ultranationalist community’s belief that Moscow’s forces are able to launch a decisive offensive operation, the Institute for the Study of War reported in its latest update. Pro-Kremlin military bloggers have been mourning huge losses and criticizing the Russian command for sending the elite troops in frontal attacks.

The Ukrainian marines also published a video of Russian troops panicking and piling up on a battlefield near Vuhledar. “Go make a cemetery! Gosh, the first column went there and blew up, and then the second one went exactly the same route,” Ukrainian artillerymen can be heard saying while watching Russians approaching Vuhledar.

“The 155th brigade already had to be restaffed three times. The first time after Irpin and Bucha; the second time they were defeated near Donetsk — they recovered again. And now almost the entire brigade has already been destroyed near Vuhledar,” Dmytrashkivskyi said.

Russian military and nationalist community met the defeat near Vuhledar painfully. The Institute for the Study of War reported that recent footage of failed Russian assaults near Vuhledar has pushed some Russian military bloggers to call for public trials against the high-ranking officers as they continue to repeat the same mistakes.

The defeat happened only a few days after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported about a “successful offensive near Vuhledar.” The Ukrainian Defense Ministry trolled the Russians by posting a video of a Russian military column being destroyed in the area.

Russian former paramilitary commander Igor Girkin, sentenced to life in prison in absentia for the downing of MH17 passenger flight in 2014, has called Russian generals “complete morons, who don’t learn from their own mistakes.”

In his Telegram military blog, Girkin, who uses the pseudonym Igor Strelkov, echoed the ongoing criticism of the Russian military community toward the commanders. He confirmed that Russian forces near Vuhledar had to advance in motorized and tank columns along narrow roads and ended up piling up.

“Ukrainian artillery shoots exceptionally accurately. More than 30 units of armored vehicles were lost. Dozens of tankmen were killed. Even more marines, special forces, and motorized riflemen died,” Girkin said. “All these losses turned out to be ‘one-sided’ — the Ukrainians shot the attackers like in a shooting gallery.”

Girkin pessimistically described the defeat near Vuhledar as the end of the offensive of the Russian army on the entire Donetsk front.

Ukrainians are not rushing to celebrate victory, though, as Russian forces continue to storm Ukrainian positions near Vuhledar, Avdiivka and Bakhmut, where Ukrainians are preparing for street fighting.

“I wish weapons from our partners would come more quickly, as that would give us the opportunity not only to protect ourselves and hold the attacks but also finally push them out of our territory,” Dmytrashkivskyi said.

https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-may-have-lost-an-entire-elite-brigade-near-a-coal-mining-town-in-donbas-ukraine-says/

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 02:07 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thh3mV_wrkY

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 02:12 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvBlPQjByd4

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 02:18 PM

Putin began to travel by armored train because of fear of being liquidated - mass media

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin uses an armored train to travel long distances.

As reported by Censor.NET, this is stated in the investigation of the Dossier Center.

"On trips over long distances, the Russian president mostly preferred to use the boards of the Russian flying special forces. This was the case until recently. But in August-September 2021, Putin switched to an armored train," the authors of the article say.

According to journalists, an acquaintance of Putin said: "After the start of the war, in February-March, he began to use the train very actively, especially to get to his residence in Valdai." This information was also confirmed by a source in the administration of the Russian dictator.

Putin began to use the armored train more actively for his trips through Russia in the fall of 2021, precisely at the time when the Russian Federation began to prepare for war against Ukraine. Putin travels by armored train to his favorite residences in Valdai and Sochi.

Investigators note that Putin began traveling by armored train out of fear of being liquidated, since the movement of planes is easier to track in real time than passenger trains.

In the story, it is reported that the armored train has a bedroom, an office, a car for accompanying personnel and a car for special communications. The train is disguised as a regular passenger train, but it is issued by special equipment on the roof of one of the cars. Outwardly, the armored train is similar to a regular train, only instead of four axles it has six, instead of one locomotive - several, and special equipment is placed on the roof.

According to journalists' estimates, the train may cost a little more than 1 billion Russian rubles. The authors also found out that the special train matching the description belongs to the Grand Service Express company, which was owned by an offshore company associated with Putin associate Yuriy Kovalchuk and businessman Mykhailo Rabinovich, who is said to be a good acquaintance of Kovalchuk.

Photos of the outside of the train have never been officially published. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399561

Jimbuna

02-13-23, 02:29 PM

Current level of ammunition use by Ukraine is many times higher than production level of NATO countries, - Stoltenberg

NATO allies intend to ramp up industrial production of weapons and ammunition to replenish their own arsenals devastated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, and to help Ukraine in the future.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference before the two-day meeting of defense ministers of the Alliance countries, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"Ministers will consider measures to strengthen deterrence and defense... I expect the Allies to adopt new directives for NATO's defense planning. This will be a key driver for changes in our capabilities and will ensure robust deterrence and defense for years to come. Ministers will also consider how to increase our defense industrial capabilities and replenish weapons stockpiles," the head of the Alliance said.

"The war in Ukraine ... is devastating the arsenals of allies. Ukraine's current level of munitions use is many times higher than our production level. This is putting pressure on our defense industry. For example, the wait for large-caliber ammunition has increased from 12 to 26 months. Orders placed today will be delivered in just two and a half years. So we have to increase production and invest in its industrial capacity," Stoltenberg added.

He noted that NATO has just completed a stockpile review of ammunition and intends to increase it as part of the defense planning process. The good news is that several allies, including the US and France, have already signed new multi-year contracts with the defense industry, allowing for targeted investment in increased production capacity.

"I hope to achieve rapid progress in this work. This will allow us to help Ukraine and at the same time ensure the protection of every inch of the Alliance's territory," the NATO Secretary General emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399568

NATO allies will be able to be party to agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine, - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg does not rule out that after Ukraine’s victory in the war waged against it by Russia, the alliance’s allies will be able to be a party to agreements on providing security guarantees to Ukraine.

He expressed this opinion on Monday in Brussels at a press conference, answering a relevant question from journalists, Censor.NET informs with reference to "Interfax-Ukraine".

"Will there be any international guarantees? It could be some sort of agreement in which allies also participate. I won't speculate how exactly they (guarantees. - Ed.) might be formulated, but I say that any agreements where NATO allies will be able to provide any guarantees to Ukraine, absolutely possible, and this can be part of a general solution for Ukraine to protect against further Russian attacks," Stoltenberg said.

The NATO Secretary General is also convinced that "before securing the future of Ukraine, we must help them win this war."

"And that's the main focus of what we're doing...That's condition number one. The second main focus should be that when this war ends, we have to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself. What we saw after 2014, when Ukraine was unable to withstand the second attack - (after. - Ed.) Russia illegally annexed Crimea, then in a few months they came to the east.And this war has been going on for years before a full-scale invasion. Now we need to strengthen Ukraine, with our support, training, long-term transformation, the transition of the armament of the Ukrainian armed forces from Soviet-era models to modern NATO models, so that Ukraine can resist further aggression. This is most important in order to secure the future of Ukraine, so that they have strong armed forces after a kind of peace agreement is reached after the war to prevent a third major attack on Ukraine," Stoltenberg detailed. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3399576

Skybird

02-13-23, 04:12 PM

NATO allies will be able to be party to agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine, - Stoltenberg
etc.

That is pure cynism.

The ukraine was given security guarantees when it was wlling to giv eup it snuclear weapons.

It then was given seucirty guarantees again after 2014.

Some months agao, Germany'S Baerbock tlaked of Germany becoming a giuranator of seucirty guarantees for Ukraine after all tis war right now. Germany. Guaranteeing security. LOL.

And now they want to give it again - security guarantees...?

Flee, Ukraine, run as fast as you can - dont get destroyed completely by their "security guarantees". Gotten burnt twice should hold a lesson... Western security guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on - they are only given in the expectation that one never gets called on them.

Or to use the poet's language:

Dear God, save me from hunger and desease -
and Western security guarantees.

Skybird

02-13-23, 04:36 PM

Bakhmut: "Little by little the Russians are winning."

I only hope the loss ratio and ammo spending ratio beats the ratio by which the Russiand are numerically siperiuor over the Ukrainians, else to participate in this meat grinder had not made any sense for the Ukrainians. If they loose this part of the alnd, they must get something in return - else their loss is two-fold: loss and men/weapons/ammo.

The Pentagon had warned the Ukrainians to stick to Bakhmut already several weeks ago.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64596363

tonschk

02-13-23, 04:47 PM

Berlusconi blames Terrorist Dictator criminal zelensky for war in Ukraine

Berlusconi says he would 'never' have met zelensky like Meloni did

Silvio Berlusconi says US should withdraw support for Ukraine to pressure Zelensky into ceasefire

https://www.politico.eu/article/silvio-berlusconi-blame-volodymyr-zelenskyy-war-ukraine-russia/

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302140316390291.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302140316390291.png)
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302140338230296.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302140338230296.png)
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302140350580293.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302140350580293.png)

Dargo

02-13-23, 05:33 PM

Berlusconi blames Terrorist Dictator criminal zelensky for war in Ukraine

Berlusconi says he would 'never' have met zelensky like Meloni did

Silvio Berlusconi says US should withdraw support for Ukraine to pressure Zelensky into ceasefire

[SNIP FUBAR]Italy supported the creation of a special tribunal for the Russian Federation
Italy supports the creation of a special tribunal for war crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was stated by the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Antonio Tajani, writes Sky24. “Killing a vulnerable and unprotected population is a war crime, and we will see how to intervene: if a special tribunal is created, we are not against of it,” Tajani said.

He also stated that Italy had never sent weapons to attack Russian territory and had never declared war to Russia. “We have a problem with the leadership, not with the people. If the leadership violates the norms of international law, we can only have one position: to condemn law violations, war crimes, violence,” Tajani explained.

https://odessa-journal.com/italy-supported-the-creation-of-a-special-tribunal-for-the-russian-federation/?amp;utm_medium=%5Bnafo.uk%5D

Dargo

02-13-23, 05:38 PM

Russians abandon wartime Russia in historic exodus
As Russian troops stormed into Ukraine last February, sending millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives, thousands of Russians also raced to pack their bags and leave home, fearing the Kremlin would shut the borders and impose martial law.

Some had long opposed rising authoritarianism, and the invasion was a last straw. Others were driven by economic interest, to preserve livelihoods or escape the bite of sanctions. Then, last autumn, a military mobilization spurred hundreds of thousands of men to run.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has set off a historic exodus of his own people. Initial data shows that at least 500,000, and perhaps nearly 1 million, have left in the year since the invasion began — a tidal wave on scale with emigration following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991... https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/13/russia-diaspora-war-ukraine/

tonschk

02-13-23, 05:39 PM

Gaetz introduces resolution to Stop military and financial aid to Ukraine,
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gaetz-introduces-resolution-end-military-financial-aid-ukraine-urge-peace-deal

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302140428440297.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302140428440297.png)

Berlusconi blames Terrorist Dictator criminal zelensky for war in Ukraine

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302140407060291.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302140407060291.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXgZXRNI-lU

ET2SN

02-13-23, 09:21 PM

^^ Um, do you understand that you got off at the wrong bus station? :yep:

I'm sure there are more profitable corners of the WWW where you can post this crap. :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

Reece

02-14-23, 02:54 AM

. . . and it is crap!! :yep:

Ostfriese

02-14-23, 04:01 AM

mapuc

02-14-23, 06:34 AM

In the latest couple of days I have on some occasions read things like.

Ukraine is using chemical weapons against Russian troops.

I can't find any official on this matter.

I can however find things about Russians use of chemical weapons - phosphorus bombs.

Markus

tonschk

02-14-23, 10:00 AM

:yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

Very Very Good News :yeah::up::Kaleun_Applaud: Putin’s Army storms Bakhmut, Vuhledar; Russian Howitzers destroy Ukraine hideouts :Kaleun_Applaud:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUrHcV0vevg

Skybird

02-14-23, 02:16 PM

Know thy enemy.

This is on Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Russian top military leader, written for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung by Sergej Gerasimov (no, they are not related, they only share a quite common name).

Of the war diaries written after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, those of Sergei Vladimirovich Gerasimov are among the most stirring and moving. They combine powers of observation and knowledge of human nature, empathy and imagination, a sense of the absurd and probing intelligence. Gerasimov was born in Kharkiv in 1964. He studied psychology and later wrote a psychology textbook for schools and scientific articles on cognitive activities. His literary ambitions have been for science fiction and poetry. Gerasimov and his wife live in the center of Kharkiv in an apartment on the third floor of a high-rise building. The NZZ published "Notes from the War" in the course of spring 71 and summer 69. The first part is now available in collected form under the title "Fire Panorama" as a book from DTV. The author certainly does not run out of material. - Here is the 117th contribution of the third part.
-------------------------------

Butchers who can hardly spell can be read like an open book. But General Gerasimov differs from them

Sergei Gerasimov holds out in Kharkiv. In his war diary, the Ukrainian writer reports on the terrible, even absurd everyday life in a city that is still being shelled.

Today is Friday the thirteenth, and it is not surprising that most of the news is bad. In our friend's family, an old woman fell and broke her hip. Our space heaters are cold again. Outside it reads five degrees below zero. Inside, the cold is gradually becoming an ordeal. I slept with a warm hat and four sweaters and dreamed of the fifth.

But it could have been much worse if the Russians had damaged the heat distribution system a week earlier, when the temperature had dropped to minus seventeen degrees at night, not to mention the strong wind that was going. Then the heating pipes would have burst, and we would have had to do without central heating until spring.

Another bad thing going on is that Putin has replaced one commander of his "special operation" with another. A butcher whose IQ was so low he could barely read had to make way for Valery Gerasimov, my namesake, of whom there are a couple of books on war theory and who invented hybrid war and much more.

Valery Saluzhni, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said in one of his interviews that he had read everything Gerasimov had written. That is, the Ukrainian general knows all the strategies and plans that the Russian general can ever invent. Since we know our enemy as well as we know ourselves, we will surely win.

On the other hand, it makes me feel a certain moral discomfort when a namesake of mine leads the campaign against my country. It's almost like if someone living in Ukraine had the last name Putin. He would have to explain all day long that he is not related to the notorious tyrant and well-known murderer. Some people would believe him, but others would not.

It is somewhat reassuring that Valery Gerasimov, the current commander of the united Russian forces in the military "special operation" against Ukraine, was born in Kazan, Tatarstan. Of my family, many generations lived in Ukraine, so there is no way Valery can be related to me.

Each of Putin's chief commanders invented his own dirty trick to better torture Ukrainians. One of them waited for the darkest hour of the night and then had heavy S-300 missiles fired at Kharkiv, hitting our street and leaving big craters with nice regularity. Another showered us with philanthropic "missiles of goodness" that deprived us of water, heating, telephone service and electricity.

All these guys were predictable. Butchers who can barely spell can be read like an open book. Valery Gerasimov, however, is different from them.

Valery Gerasimov is neither a thief nor a corrupt official, for his real estate has only a tenth of the value of the estates of the families of other leading officials of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Unlike his fellow generals, he enjoyed reading as a child. His favorite author was Konstantin Simonov, a talented Russian writer who wrote exclusively about war. I, too, have six heavy black volumes by Simonov on my bookshelf, but have never opened them. Simonov is too Soviet for my taste.

"Information warfare opens up far-reaching asymmetric possibilities for reducing the enemy's combat potential," Gerasimov says. "Frontal clashes of large armies," it continues, "are a thing of the past and are being replaced by noncontact long-range impact on the enemy, the use of special operations forces as well as internal opposition, and informational influence."

So Gerasimov remains predictable, too. Because that is what we will see in the next phase of the war: Special operations, espionage activities, diversionary tactics, and manipulation of our minds and hearts. Of course, General Gerasimov will continue to shower Kharkiv with S-300s, Uragan and "missiles of goodness." Useful traditions must be cherished.

Another bad thing happened today: The Russians took control of the salt mining town of Soledar. They did it with great losses, bodies of killed and frozen Russian soldiers piled up, but they did it. Soledar no longer exists as a town, and almost all the territory around it is occupied.

Some of the salt mines in Soledar used to be tourist attractions. There was an underground salt church with a forty-meter-high dome and a miraculous salt Madonna that appeared on the wall by itself, a salt recreation park with a soccer field and a volleyball court, and a huge salt sandbox for children with plastic toys in it.

On the walls were "salt boobs," round shapes left over when the salt mining machines finished their work. They actually resemble doorknobs, but the male eye naturally recognizes female breasts in them. Furthermore, there was a 270 million year old tree, preserved in salt. And then there was the salt on which the wide world fed for 45 years and whose stock ensured Ukraine 8000 years of supply.

In 2014, Russia was not able to conquer Soledar with its 200 kilometers of widely branching underground salt passages. But if the maps do not lie, the Russian army managed to do so today, Friday the thirteenth.
----------------------------------------

tonschk

02-14-23, 02:27 PM

We Are Being Lied To About The War In Ukraine

https://londonreal.tv/james-rickards-sold-out-how-broken-supply-chains-surging-inflation-political-instability-will-sink-the-global-economy/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHm7xcmSLj8

Skybird

02-14-23, 02:31 PM

August

02-14-23, 02:37 PM

:yeah:

I hope the noble Ukrainian defenders keep breaking that record until they kill every last one of those fascist russian occupier thugs.

Ukraine killing nearly 1,000 Russian troops every day, eliminates 5,000 in single battle

https://www.foxnews.com/world/ukraine-killing-1000-russian-troops-every-day-eliminates-5000-single-battle

Skybird

02-14-23, 02:39 PM

No one wants to talk about it. Die Welt does anyway:
----------------------

Russia's nuclear giant ROSATOM has a firm grip on Europe

Despite the war in Ukraine, Russian nuclear companies continue to do business in Europe. They don't even show up in the latest sanctions package. Their customers often have no choice. Whether France or Eastern Europe: without supplies from Russia, reactors would have to shut down.
Rosatom seems untouchable. In Brussels, the EU states are negotiating the tenth package of sanctions against Russia. But even a year after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, EU states dare not ban business with the Russian nuclear industry.

Unlike past sanctions packages, this time they are not even discussing it. "It's clear to everyone that it can't work at the moment for good reasons," says the diplomat of a country whose government would like to see the sanctions in place. "But as long as it's clear that sanctions have no chance, it's pointless to actively propose them."

Yet critics see good reasons to sanction Rosatom. The state-owned nuclear company is a foreign exchange earner and has military significance: according to the Austrian government, 90,000 Rosatom employees work on nuclear weapons.

Without Rosatom, the occupation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant would not have been possible. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assumes that specialists from the group ensured that the plant was taken off the Ukrainian power grid and now supplies, for example, the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. The new operating company is then also part of Rosatom.

The fact that Sergei Kirijenko, the former CEO of Rosatom, has repeatedly visited the plant is no coincidence: Kirijenko is now both chairman of Rosatom's supervisory board and deputy head of the Russian presidential administration. He is Putin's man there for the occupied territories in Ukraine. After all, he - unlike the corporation he oversees - is on Western sanctions lists.

Nevertheless, nuclear sanctions will play no role in the tenth sanctions package, according to EU diplomats. Too many states oppose banning business with Rosatom. Hungary is openly resisting, while France, which is far more influential, is doing so in the background. And no sanctions package can be put together against France's veto.

The maneuvering sheds light on a dependency that EU states are reluctant to talk about. Without cooperation with Putin's nuclear group, many nuclear power plants in the EU could not continue to operate. Everything nuclear from a single source, Rosatom could win customers all over the world with it. The company directly or indirectly operates or supplies numerous power plants around the globe and also in the EU.

The group and its more than 300 subsidiaries have a monopoly on the entire nuclear value chain in Russia. They mine uranium ore, enrich it and manufacture fuel rods. They design, build and operate nuclear power plants, reprocessing plants and spent fuel reenrichment facilities. About half of the uranium enriched by Rosatom is supplied to EU countries and the UK.

Traditionally, the relationship with customers operating reactors of Russian and Soviet VVER technology, respectively, has been particularly close. Two of them operate in Bulgaria, six in the Czech Republic, four in Hungary, four in Slovakia and two in Finland. "Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are 100 percent dependent on fuel elements from Rosatom," the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency warned in a study at the end of the year. In all, Rosatom supplies 21 power plants in the EU, it said.

Operators in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland and Bulgaria are working to find alternative suppliers. But that's not easy. To be sure, European and American manufacturers can also supply some of the necessary fuel rods. But to do so, they must create capacity for the additional production and adjust production. In addition, time-consuming approval procedures are necessary.

Meanwhile, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is becoming even more dependent on Russia's President Putin. Rosatom is building two nuclear power plants there. PAKS 2 and PAKS 3 are scheduled for completion in a good ten years. Not only is Rosatom building there; Russia is also financing the construction with a loan worth billions.

France's nuclear industry is also dependent on cooperation with Rosatom. State-owned nuclear companies EDF and Orano depend on Rosatom to take over spent fuel rods from French nuclear power plants. Russia's uranium processing plants are among the best in the world.

There, the uranium is re-enriched and delivered to French power plants. In France itself, there are no facilities for re-enrichment and the French interim storage facilities are overflowing. Without the Russia rotation, the operation of French power plants would be at risk.

The entanglements with Rosatom extend into Germany. The company Nukem, for example, which is involved in dismantling Germany's nuclear power plants, is owned by Rosatom. And last Tuesday, an alliance of NGOs demanded that the board of Siemens Energy not be discharged at the annual shareholders' meeting because the company continues to do business with Rosatom. Siemens and Framatom, for example, supply control technology for power plants that Rosatom is currently building.
---------------------------

Commander Wallace

02-14-23, 03:06 PM

We Are Being Lied To About The War In Ukraine

No, you are being lied to and perpetuating those lies. if you insist on believing those lies, don't spread them here. None of us wants to hear about Putrid and Russia or you, for that matter.

Catfish

02-14-23, 03:10 PM

re Skybird earlier I know you are just keeping up reports versus reports to get independent of the propaganda, but we know western propaganda as well as how russian propaganda works.
That said the unbelievable depths to which this Solokhov (i give a sh!t how his exact name is) and even Medjedjev sink, are slowly heating up even the most peaceloving beatniks here (maybe not Alice Schwarzer and Sarah Wagenknecht lol) and generate real hate and fury. Regardless how this war tuns out, Russia will suffer for decades thanks to Putin's craziness. Trade and exchange are and will remain dead.

Yes, Ukraine had (and continues to suffer) heavy losses against an invasion Ukraine itself thought never would happen, but Russia (not Putin!) pays dearly for it. I honestly think Russia will not be able to keep up with this meat grinder. A city or some village for a thousand dead daily? At that rate Russia will not get far.
Of course, most mobiks come from the far east in Russia and Moscow and Petersburg citizens do not feel any losses (while far east babushkas are not being heard or listened to), but this will not go on forever. Wagner cannot recruit much anymore, and until Putin does not order a general mobilization (which will be his, and Russia's downfall) there is no chance for them to go on like this.
All former allies of Moscow have turned away, and it may be just of all even Chechenia will declare its independency, even with Kadyrov at the helm – or because of him.

Yes, Ukraine needs more weapons, ammunition and soldiers to repel fascist Putin. I hope no one steps back or cuts the support. If this happens we have Russia as an aggresor again in a decade.
Make no mistake, Ukraine is fighting Europe's fight. Every flinch now will only worsen the situation.
You cannot appease Putin, the only thing he understands is a direct punch in the face.

Dargo

02-14-23, 03:13 PM

According to a report in Die Welt, Denmark and the Netherlands do not want to supply Leopard-2 tanks after all. Meanwhile, Germany is accusing Poland of also putting the brakes on the delivery of Leopard-2 tanks. German Defense Minister Pistorius complains that planning with the Poles "is not going smoothly." Previously, Spain had already withdrawn from its former delivery plans months ago. One wanted to train 55 Ukrainians on the Leopard-2, however. But deliver nothing.
After all, Norway has agreed to deliver 8 tanks. It is clear to me that they can't deliver that much, they are a small army.

But with all due respect, these are not the total numbers that are needed. These numbers are just an alibi.
--------------------------------

Tagesspiegel:
The head of the Russian mercenary force Wagner has admitted for the first time to founding a notorious "troll factory." He "created and led for a long time" the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin told the online service Telegram on Tuesday. The agency's task, he said, was to protect Russia from the "aggressive propaganda of the West's anti-Russian theses."

Well, the forum seems to have such a troll on board.
---------------------------------

Unpleasant but to be expected after the American Congress election:
According to the "Washington Post," the U.S. is increasing pressure on Ukraine to show success. U.S. officials have told the Ukrainian government that it is facing a critical point in the war against Russia, the newspaper writes.

Despite promises to support Ukraine "for as long as necessary," the latest aid package from Congress and U.S. allies represented Kiev's best chance to turn events on the battlefield in its favor.

In a recent package, the U.S. had pledged more than $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine.

"We will continue to try to make them understand that we cannot do everything forever," a senior administration official, referring to the Ukrainian leadership, told WP.

The U.S. official added that there is a "very strong view" from the administration that it will be difficult to continue to get the same level of security and economic assistance from Congress. Republicans have held the majority in the U.S. Congress since the midterms last November.

There have already been frequent reports that there is growing resistance among Republican lawmakers to provide unrestricted military and financial support to Ukraine.

The statement "for as long as it takes" refers to the scope of the conflict," the U.S. official is further quoted as saying in the "WP." "It does not refer to the scope of the support."(Tagesspiegel)The Netherlands does not own leopards Germany does we lease them it is Germany that made the decision not to allow the Netherlands to give them to Ukraine like we gave the patriots.

Some Western leaders have harbored reservations about sending certain types of heavy weaponry to Ukraine, worried about a direct confrontation with Russia, especially after Putin signaled a willingness to use nuclear weapons. But loud public lobbying by Zelensky, followed by quiet behind-the-scenes dealmaking by U.S. officials, has changed the dynamic. Biden and Blinken spent much of December and January working to convince allies to help provide Ukraine with the tanks and missiles that his administration had resisted sending for months.

Biden aides encouraged the Netherlands, for example, to help the United States provide critical air defense systems. On Dec. 20, officials at the National Security Council met with senior Dutch officials and stressed the importance the United States was placing on air defense, according to a senior administration official familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal details of private discussions.

What the Dutch officials did not know was that the United States was working to bring Zelensky to Washington the next day, where Biden would announce that he was approving a Patriot Missile battery, Zelensky’s top request to help defend against Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The battery needed a launcher — ideally one already in Europe — so Dutch officials worked through the holidays to see how they could assist the United States, the official said. In January, Biden invited the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, to visit the White House, and the Dutch came up with a solution. When Rutte visited on Jan. 17, he said the Netherlands would provide two Patriot Missile launchers and missiles to Ukraine. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/13/us-ukraine-war-critical-moment/ The Dutch are willing to support Ukraine as long as it is needed we do not have much, but we are willing to pay for it.

Catfish

02-14-23, 03:23 PM

The Netherlands does not own leopards Germany does
we lease them it is Germany that made the decision not to allow the Netherlands to give them to Ukraine like we gave the patriots.

The Dutch are willing to support Ukraine as long as it is needed we do not have much, but we are willing to pay for it.
All i can say is I'd really like to see Scholz being removed from office.

Skybird

02-14-23, 03:24 PM

The Netherlands does not own leopards Germany does we lease them it is Germany that made the decision not to allow the Netherlands to give them to Ukraine like we gave the patriots.
No longer valid, that was before then German policy changed. Berlin no longer blocks at all anyone from anything, regarding Leopard-2 and Leopard-1. The original plan was to buy the leased tanks and then give them to Ukraine, and AFAIK this would be perfectly possible to do now.
Its strange that first Germany was attacked for beign the biggest brake, and now that it wills to dleiver and allow delivcery of Leo-2s many previous statements on that oklther would be wuilling to send Leopard-2 have been answered with sudden silence now that the calls are made. The only explanation I can imagine is that many boasted with their "willignbess" as long as they assumed they owuld not be called by name since the Germans would nti allow dleivery Leopard-2 deliveries anyway, so one could collect the applause for that"willingess" while leaving the blame to Germany. Now things have changed, and bluffing is no more possible and the players are called to show their cards.

However, in this way the MBTs going to Ukraine now or in one year will play no role. They simply always will be way too few. They are no omni-potent miracle weapons that will win no matter the circumstances and against any numerical odds. And different from HIMARS laucnhers, a tank is not able to be hidden from the enemy if he should have an effect. The Leopards will attract unwelcomed attention - and pay a price for that.

Dargo

02-14-23, 03:28 PM

All i can say is I'd really like to see Scholz being removed from office.And we gone to deliver F-16's if the US gives the go ahead.

Dargo

02-14-23, 03:32 PM

No longer valid, that was before then German policy changed. Berlin no longer blocks at all anyone from anything, regarding Leopard-2 and Leopard-1. The original plan was to buy the leased tanks and then give them to Ukraine, and AFAIK this would be perfectly possible to do now.
Its strange that first Germany was attacked for beign the biggest brake, and now that it wills to dleiver and allow delivcery of Leo-2s many previous statements on that oklther would be wuilling to send Leopard-2 have been answered with sudden silence now that the calls are made. The only explanation I can imagine is that many boasted with their "willignbess" as long as they assumed they owuld not be called by name since the Germans would nti allow dleivery Leopard-2 deliveries anyway, so one could collect the applause for that"willingess" while leaving the blame to Germany. Now things have changed, and bluffing is no more possible and the players are called to show their cards.

However, in this way the MBTs going to Ukraine now or in one year will play no role. They simply always will be way too few. They are no omni-potent miracle weapons that will win no matter the circumstances and against any numerical odds. And different from HIMARS laucnhers, a tank is not able to be hidden from the enemy if he should have an effect. The Leopards will attract unwelcomed attention - and pay a price for that.We can not give what we do not own by contract with Germany. Dutch Defence Minister Ollongren told the House of Representatives that the Netherlands will not give the 18 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. That is what the German government has decided, according to Ollongren. If she lied, the Dutch government will likely fall.

The German government chose not to give these tanks to the government in Kiev, Ollongren said. "That has been a military consideration," she said. If Berlin had chosen to send these tanks anyway, "we would have send these tanks". Prime Minister Mark Rutte said earlier that the Netherlands was considering buying the leased tanks from Germany to give them to the Ukrainians. The cabinet has also offered to train Ukrainian military personnel, so they can handle the Leopard 2A6.

Skybird

02-14-23, 03:45 PM

Again, the originally announed plan was to byu the so far elased tnaks and then give them to Ukraine. That plan was not possible when Germany did not allow deliveries of Leopard-2s. It would be possible now.

Its,liem tiwht Poland, which ahd annocuned a big delivery of Leopard-2 and upgraded T-72s, over 60 tanks. They currently do not want to get rmeinde dof it, want to send only the Russiantanks., not the Leopards. Thats why Pistorius is so pissed.

The German government gets shunned almpost everywherer on its demands to stick to former words about delivering Leopards.

What it gets instead for the most is now demands for sending jet fighters.

So wird das nix, Leute. So wird das gar nix.

Dargo

02-14-23, 03:54 PM

Catfish

02-14-23, 04:02 PM

https://i.imgur.com/6Ia6skVl.jpg

Dargo

02-14-23, 04:12 PM

Contrary to popular perception, Germany has delivered significant amounts of arms and equipment to Ukraine to aid the country in its fight against the Russian military. In fact, the volume of arms deliveries by Berlin exceeds that of every other country safe for the United States and the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, Germany has faced severe criticism and even mockery for its perceived lack of support to Ukraine and its ill-fated attempts to keep its relationship with Moscow intact. While ultimately positioning itself as a reliable partner of Ukraine, it can be argued that Berlin's communication to affirm its Ukraine stance and explain foreign policy goals has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/09/fact-sheet-on-german-military-aid-to.html

Dargo

02-14-23, 04:24 PM

It was Cold War time, and Carter, a Democrat, wanted to persuade Europe's allies to increase their Defense budgets by 3 per cent annually. Quite a step for Den Uyl, the most left-wing prime minister in Dutch national history: his party, the PvdA, doubted the survival of NATO at the time. Yet afterward, the prime minister was very appreciative of his meeting with the US president.

That evening at home in Den Bosch, the phone rang with Bram Stemerdink, the PvdA defense minister. "Joop said: that Carter is such a nice man that I had to agree to that 3 per cent," Stemerdink (86) now recounts. That very evening, he rearranged spending to the Prime Minister's liking, he says, so that Defense spending that year came to 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). The following day, according to the Leidse Courant, Den Uyl said at the NATO summit, "I want to assure all my colleagues here that my country wants to fulfil its NATO commitments."

The year 2022 revealed the danger the Netherlands was exposing itself to because it had been cutting back on its armed forces for 30 years. NATO spending standards were systematically ignored, even when it reached 2 per cent of GDP this century. In the first months of 2022, Rutte IV, in two steps, freed up an extra 5 billion euros a year for the armed forces. Almost a doubling of the Defense budget. Four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the House of Representatives spoke out in such a way that, all of a sudden, it will still meet the NATO norm of 2 per cent of GDP - from 2024 onwards

You are not the only with bad governments :03:

tonschk

02-14-23, 04:28 PM

Leopard 1 And M1 Abrams Tanks Are Not Game Changing Weapons, Too little and Too Late

https://rumble.com/v28tiys-scott-ritter-leopard-1-and-m1-abrams-tanks-are-not-game-changing-weapons.html
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150255370321.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150255370321.png)

Scott Ritter: Ukraine Has Burned Between 14-20 Brigades Worth Of Troop

https://rumble.com/v28tib6--scott-ritter-ukraine-has-burned-between-14-20-brigades-worth-of-troop.html
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150303380326.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150303380326.png)

Dargo

02-14-23, 04:42 PM

Leopard 1 And M1 Abrams Tanks Are Not Game Changing Weapons, Too little and Too Late

[SNIP]Ukraine does not need them Russians stupid enough to lose twice the 155th Marine Brigade. Russia has lost strategically, operationally and tactically

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Zt_uneH4E

You are trying too hard, it’s sad

tonschk

02-14-23, 04:49 PM

NORTHERN DONBASS FRONT LINES MOVING, RUSSIAN ADVANCE CONTINUOUS

https://rumble.com/v28pvoe--southfront-northern-donbass-front-lines-moving.html

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150315410327.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150315410327.png)

Catfish

02-14-23, 04:54 PM

[...]

https://i.imgur.com/h600qyll.jpg

Dargo

02-14-23, 04:54 PM

NORTHERN DONBASS FRONT LINES MOVING, RUSSIAN ADVANCE CONTINUOUS

[SNIP]The battle line in real terms has barely shifted in meaningful terms since the Ukrainian victory at Kherson and Kharkiv. These advances the Russian have made are miniscule, the ground taken of no importance, and the Russians are taking very high losses.

tonschk

02-14-23, 04:56 PM

GONZALO LIRA : What becomes of NATO after the Inevitable Loss in Ukraine ?

https://rumble.com/v288gx8--gonzalo-lira-what-becomes-of-nato-after-the-loss-in-ukraine-.html

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150324400313.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150324400313.png)

Skybird

02-14-23, 04:57 PM

FOCUS writes:
-----------------------

Pistorius' tank coalition crumbles - several countries withdraw Leo pledges

Germany is increasingly on its own when it comes to supplying Leopard 2 battle tanks. Now, according to a media report, the Netherlands and Denmark also no longer want to send tanks to Ukraine. So far, only 35 of the planned 62 main battle tanks have been confirmed.

It looks "not quite so exhilarating - to put it mildly," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday. Plans for a quick delivery of dozens of European Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine are progressing only slowly, Pistorius said on the sidelines of a meeting of the international contact group for arms deliveries to Ukraine.

At the same time, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Pistorius had announced in a big way that Germany would take the lead in an international battle tank coalition. But the dream of unity seems to have been shattered. Now more countries are withdrawing their supply commitments, including the Netherlands - and Germany is increasingly on its own. According to "Welt" information, a crisis meeting of the allies is now to take place on Wednesday, convened by Germany, Poland and Ukraine.
Netherlands and Denmark no longer want to supply Leopard 2 tanks

In addition to the German commitment to supply 14 Leopard 2A6s, only Portugal has announced that it will provide three such tanks. Further A6s are not currently under discussion, Pistorius said. He added that there may be problems with the condition and operational capability of Leopard 2A4 tanks from Poland. Poland had promised 14 tanks, Canada three and Norway eight. Spain wanted to deliver between four and six, but Madrid still lacked an official commitment.

The Netherlands and Denmark now apparently do not want to deliver any Leopard 2 tanks at all. The Netherlands had previously held out the prospect of 18 Leopard 2s leased from Germany, which are part of the German-Dutch battalion. These would not be available for Ukraine, it is now reported from the Defense Ministry in The Hague, according to a report in " Welt ". "The decision was made in close coordination between the Netherlands and Germany," a spokesman said. Danish government sources also said that the country would not deliver any of its modern 44 Leopard 2 A7 tanks. At the same time, there are indications that Finland will also not provide any tanks as long as it is not part of NATO. The same applies to Sweden, which has not yet agreed to supply any Leopard tanks.

On January 25, the German government had issued a goal to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks for two battalions. These are usually equipped with 31 tanks each in Ukraine. Germany itself intends to hand over 14 tanks as a first step. The others are to come from partner countries. But this seems to be increasingly becoming a problem. So far, a total of only 35 main battle tanks have been pledged. Together with 178 Leopard-1 generation tanks, Germany will deliver almost 200 main battle tanks to Kiev. The U.S. is contributing 31, the U.K. 14 and France none at all.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had expressed optimism at the end of last week that the targets for the delivery of Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine would be met. "My impression is, this is going ahead," the SPD politician said Friday night after the EU summit in Brussels. "But of course it will not go easily."

Asked if Pistorius had any sympathy for countries that had first put insane pressure on delivering tanks and were now having delivery problems, Pistorius said, "Since I'm moving in the diplomatic arena here, I would say little." According to Pistorius, the question of how to ensure that sufficient ammunition and spare parts are available is also still open. "That cannot be ensured by the Federal Republic of Germany, only the arms companies can do that," he said.
---------------------------------

Dargo

02-14-23, 05:09 PM

Russia Has Already Lost in the Long Run
Even if Moscow holds onto territory, the war has wrecked its future.

As Russia ramps up its second offensive, a debate has erupted over whether Moscow or Kyiv will have the upper hand in 2023. While important, such discourse also misses a larger point related to the conflict’s longer-term consequences. In the long run, the true loser of the war is already clear; Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine will be remembered as a historic folly that left Russia economically, demographically, and geopolitically worse off. Start with the lynchpin of Russia’s economy: energy. In contrast to Europe’s (very real) dependence on Russia for fossil fuels, Russia’s economic dependence on Europe has largely gone unremarked upon. As late as 2021, for example, Russia exported 32 percent of its coal, 49 percent of its oil, and a staggering 74 percent of its gas to OECD Europe alone. Add in Japan, South Korea, and non-OECD European countries that have joined Western sanctions against Russia, and the figure is even higher. A trickle of Russian energy continues to flow into Europe, but as the European Union makes good on its commitment to phase out Russian oil and gas, Moscow may soon find itself shut out of its most lucrative export market.

In a petrostate like Russia that derives 45 percent of its federal budget from fossil fuels, the impact of this market isolation is hard to overstate. Oil and coal exports are fungible, and Moscow has indeed been able to redirect them to countries such as India and China (albeit at discounted rates, higher costs, and lower profits). Gas, however, is much harder to reroute because of the infrastructure needed to transport it. With its $400 billion gas pipeline to China, Russia has managed some progress on this front, but it will take years to match current capacity to the EU. In any case, China’s leverage as a single buyer makes it a poor substitute for Europe, where Russia can bid countries against one another.

This market isolation, however, would be survivable were it not for the gravest unintended consequence of Russia’s war—an accelerated transition toward decarbonization. It took a gross violation of international law, but Putin managed to convince Western leaders to finally treat independence from fossil fuels as a national security issue and not just an environmental one.

This is best seen in Europe’s turbocharged transition toward renewable energy, where permitting processes that used to take years are being pushed up. A few months after the invasion, for example, Germany jump-started construction on what will soon be Europe’s largest solar plant. Around the same time, Britain accelerated progress on Hornsea 3, slated to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion. The results already speak for themselves; for the first time ever last year, wind and solar combined for a higher share of electrical generation in Europe than oil and gas. And this says nothing of other decarbonization efforts such as subsidies for heat pumps in the EU, incentives for clean energy in the United States, and higher electric vehicle uptake everywhere.

The cumulative effect for Russia could not be worse. Sooner or later, lower demand for fossil fuels will dramatically and permanently lower the price for oil and gas—an existential threat to Russia’s economy. When increased U.S. shale production depressed oil prices in 2014, for example, Russia experienced a financial crisis. Lower global demand for fossil fuels will play out over a longer timeline, but the result for Russia will be much graver. With its invasion, Russia hastened the arrival of an energy transition that promises to unravel its economy.

Beyond a smaller and less efficient economy, Putin’s war in Ukraine will also leave Russia with a smaller and less dynamic population. Russia’s demographic problems are well-documented, and Putin had intended to start reversing the country’s long-running population decline in 2022. In a morbid twist, the year is likelier to mark the start of its irrevocable fall. The confluence of COVID and an inverted demographic pyramid already made Russia’s demographic outlook dire. The addition of war has made it catastrophic.

To understand why, it’s important to understand the demographic scar left by the 1990s. In the chaos that followed the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Russia’s birthrate plunged to 1.2 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed for a population to remain stable. The effects can still be seen today; while there are 12 million Russians aged 30-34 (born just before the breakup of the Soviet Union), there are just 7 million aged 20-24 (born during the chaos that followed it). That deficit meant Russia’s population was already poised to fall, simply because a smaller number of people would be able to have children in the first place. Russia’s invasion has made this bad demographic hand cataclysmic. At least 120,000 Russian soldiers have died so far—many in their 20s and from the same small generation Russia can scarcely afford to lose. Many more have emigrated, if they can, or simply fled to other countries to try to wait out the war; exact numbers are hard to calculate, but the 32,000 Russians who have immigrated to Israel alone suggest the total number approaches a million.

Disastrously, the planning horizons of Russian families have been upended; it is projected that fewer than 1.2 million Russian babies may be born next year, , which would leave Russia with its lowest birthrate since 2000. A spike in violent crime, a rise in alcohol consumption, and other factors that collude against a family’s decision to have children may depress the birthrate further still. Ironically, over the last decade Putin managed to slow (if not reverse) Russia’s population decline through lavish payoffs for new mothers. Increased military spending and the debt needed to finance it will make such generous natalist policies harder.

The invasion has left Russia even worse off geopolitically. Unlike hard numbers and demographic data, such lost influence is hard to measure. But it can be seen everywhere, from public opinion polls across the West to United Nations votes that the Kremlin has lost by margins as high as 141 to 5. It can also be seen in Russia’s own backyard; while an emboldened NATO could soon include Sweden and Finland, Russia’s own Collective Security Treaty Organization is tearing at the seams as traditional allies such as Kazakhstan and Armenia realize the Kremlin’s impotence and look to China for security.

Perhaps most important of all, Russia has reinvigorated the cause of liberal democracy. In the year after its invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron won a rare second term in France, the far-right AfD lost ground in three successive elections in Germany, and “Make America Great Again” Republicans paid an electoral penalty in the U.S. midterms. (The far right did sweep into power in both Sweden and Italy, but such wins have so far failed to dent Western unity and appear more motivated by immigration.) And this says nothing of the wave of democratic consolidation playing out across Eastern Europe, where voters have thrown out illiberal populists in Slovenia and Czechia in the last year alone. It is impossible to attribute any of these outcomes to just one factor (U.S. Democrats also got a boost from the overturn of Roe v. Wade and election denialism, for example), but Russia’s invasion—and the clear choice between liberalism and autocracy it presented—no doubt helped.

Nowhere, however, has Russia’s invasion backfired more than in Ukraine. Contrary to Putin’s historical revisionism, Ukraine has long had a national identity distinct from Russia’s. But it’s also long been fractured along linguistic lines, with many of its elites intent on maintaining close relations with the Kremlin and even the public unsure about greater alignment with the West.

No longer. Ninety-one percent of Ukrainians now favor joining NATO, a figure unthinkable just a decade ago. Eighty-five percent of Ukrainians consider themselves Ukrainian above all else, a marker of civic identity that has grown by double digits since Russia’s invasion. Far from protecting the Russian language in Ukraine, Putin appears to have hastened its demise as native Russian speakers (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky included) switch to Ukrainian en masse. Putin launched his invasion to bring Ukraine back into Moscow’s orbit. He has instead anchored its future in the West.

Of course, one can argue that, however much the war has cost Russia, it has cost Ukraine exponentially more. This is true. Ukraine’s economy shrank by more than 30 percent last year, while Russia’s economy contracted by just about 3 percent. And this says nothing of the human toll Ukraine has suffered. But, like Brexit, Western sanctions on Russia will play out as a slow burn, not an immediate collapse. And while Russia enters a protracted period of economic and demographic decline, once peace comes, Ukraine will have the combined industrial capacity of the EU, United States, and United Kingdom to support it as the West’s newest institutional member—precisely the outcome Putin hoped to avoid. Russia may yet make new territorial gains in the Donbas. But in the long run, such gains are immaterial—Russia has already lost.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/02/13/russia-putin-war-ukraine-disaster/

August

02-14-23, 05:10 PM

Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff says Russia has 'lost' war in Ukraine
by Mike Brest, Defense Reporter
February 14, 2023 11:30 AM

Russia has "lost" its war in Ukraine, according to a top U.S. defense official, speaking ten days ahead of the one-year anniversary of their invasion.
Gen. Mark Milley's comments, which came on Tuesday, occurred after he and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with defense leaders from roughly fifty countries in the ninth iteration of the Defense Contact Group in Brussels, which meets monthly to discuss Ukraine's latest needs to combat Russian aggression.

"Russia has lost," he told reporters. "They've lost strategically, operationally, and tactically, and they are paying an enormous price on the battlefield. But until Putin ends his war of choice, the international community will continue to support Ukraine; [and supply] the equipment and capabilities it needs to defend itself. Through this group, we are collectively supporting Ukraine's ability to defend its territory, protect its citizens and liberate their occupied area."
Putin's expectations for the war — a swift defeat of Ukraine's forces and a fracture of the NATO alliance — couldn't have been further from what has played out over the last nearly twelve months.

“Putin thought he could defeat Ukraine quickly, fracture the NATO alliance, and act with impunity. He was wrong,” the top U.S. general added. “Ukraine remains free, they remain independent. NATO and this coalition has never been stronger, and Russia is now a global pariah. And the world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. In short, Russia has lost — they’ve lost strategically, operationally, and tactically, and they are paying an enormous price on the battlefield.”
U.S. defense officials have described the current situation in Ukraine as a crucial moment as Russia prepares for a new offensive, which some have suggested has already begun, whereas Ukrainian leaders are expected to also mount a counteroffensive in an attempt to liberate their occupied land.https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/milley-russia-lost-war-in-ukraine

tonschk

02-14-23, 05:14 PM

According to a leaked MOSSAD report UKRAINE’S losses make it no longer a functioning state

Mossad Leaks The REAL Ukraine- Russia Casualty Numbers. It's Grim For Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0IJXDJ8_20
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150342230315.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150342230315.png)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHv8VrHi00

Dargo

02-14-23, 05:21 PM

Russia’s new offensive will test the morale of Putin’s mobilized masses
As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, speculation is mounting that Moscow will soon launch a major new offensive. Indeed, some commentators believe this offensive may already have begun, with reports emerging in recent days of Russian troops attempting to advance at numerous points along a frontline stretching hundreds of kilometers across southern and eastern Ukraine.

This widely anticipated offensive is an attempt by Moscow to regain the initiative following months of battlefield defeats and humiliating retreats in Ukraine that have undermined Russia’s reputation as a military superpower. Vladimir Putin is now desperate to demonstrate that his invasion is back on track and has reportedly massed huge reserves for a new push to overwhelm Ukraine’s defenses. However, after a year of catastrophic losses that has left many of Russia’s most prestigious military units seriously depleted, doubts remain over the ability of untested replacement troops to carry out large-scale offensive operations.

Initial indications are not encouraging for the Kremlin, to say the least. Thousands of Russian soldiers including elite marines and special forces troops are believed to have been killed in late January and early February during a badly bungled attempt to storm the town of Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine. The failed attack sparked widespread dismay and anger among pro-Kremlin military bloggers, with many accusing Russian army chiefs of incompetence. The disaster contributed to what British military intelligence said was likely to be “the highest rate of Russian casualties since the first week of the invasion.” One of the key reasons behind the sharp recent rise in casualties is Russia’s growing reliance on mobilized personnel with limited military training. In September 2022, Vladimir Putin responded to escalating losses in Ukraine by launching Russia’s first mobilization since World War II. Most of the approximately 300,000 men who were mobilized last year have now been deployed to Ukraine. The arrival of these additional numbers helped Russia to blunt Ukraine’s advances during the winter months, but it is unclear whether mobilized troops will prove as effective in an offensive capacity.

Many mobilized Russians appear to be less than enthusiastic about their new role as the shock troops of Putin’s faltering invasion. Since the first week of February, a growing number of video appeals have been published on social media featuring groups of mobilized soldiers complaining about everything from a lack of basic military equipment to the suicidal orders of their superiors. In one fairly typical video, the wives and mothers of mobilized soldiers from Tatarstan claim their men are being used as “cannon fodder” in Ukraine.

With hundreds of thousands of mobilized Russians expected to take part in Putin’s big offensive, this emerging trend could pose a significant threat to the Kremlin. If current casualty rates are any indication, the coming attack could result in unprecedented loss of life and spark a complete collapse in morale among already demoralized mobilized troops. This would make life very difficult for the Russian army in Ukraine, which would likely find itself confronted by a breakdown in discipline that would severely limit its ability to stage offensive operations. Nor is there any guarantee that the problems would stop there. Russia’s own experience in 1917 is a reminder of the unpredictable consequences that can follow when an army in wartime stops taking orders. It is still premature to speak of mutinous mobilized soldiers, of course. Nevertheless, maintaining military discipline may be the biggest single challenge currently facing the Putin regime. At present, the Russian dictator appears in little danger domestically, with independent polling by the Levada Center continuing to identify strong Russian public support for the war in Ukraine. While some question the validity of this data, there is no escaping the near complete absence of any genuine anti-war activity in today’s Russia. One year since the invasion began, most opponents have chosen to remain silent or have left Russia altogether.

Likewise, Putin also seems to have weathered the economic storm brought on by Western sanctions. The Russian economy has been hard-hit by measures imposed over the past year, but the damage has been significantly less than anticipated and is certainly far from fatal. This may change if the country’s economic outlook continues to worsen, but at this stage there is no indication that shrinking incomes or the departure of Western brands from Russian stores will fuel protests anytime soon.

The relative stability on Putin’s home front contrasts sharply with the precarious position of his army in Ukraine. Putin had initially anticipated a quick and triumphant campaign that would confirm Russia’s Great Power status and extinguish Ukrainian statehood once and for all. Instead, he finds himself embroiled in the biggest European conflict since World War II with his battered army in increasing disarray and his hopes of military success dwindling.

In order to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat, Putin must now rely on the overwhelming numbers provided by mass mobilization. This is a tried and tested Russian tactic, but it also carries considerable risks. Sending thousands of untrained men to fight against battle-hardened and highly motivated Ukrainian troops could result in the kind of carnage that breaks armies. If that happens, Putin may find that saving his invasion is the least of his worries.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/russias-new-offensive-will-test-the-morale-of-putins-mobilized-masses/

mapuc

02-14-23, 06:12 PM

Hmm I believe Him Mr Denys Davydov, a lot more than I believe what the other side comes with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88fgA-TAXLo&ab_channel=DenysDavydov

Markus

tonschk

02-14-23, 09:06 PM

West Will Kneel...': Chechen Warlord and Putin Ally Ramzan Kadyrov predicts end of War

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302150734480323.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302150734480323.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZfR141zBpw

ET2SN

02-14-23, 10:11 PM

Believe it or not, every day the Russian military stays in Ukraine makes them weaker. :yep:

I'm sure you considered this :hmmm: but its how NATO wins the next war without having to fire a shot. :yeah:

The West doesn't like wars, its bad for business. :yep:

Skybird

02-15-23, 07:31 AM

Skybird

02-15-23, 08:26 AM

I hope the link works...?!

https://www.nzz.ch/international/die-ukraine-erhaelt-mit-den-westlichen-panzern-neue-angriffschance-ld.1722956?_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_sl=auto

Interactive presentation, thats why I try with the link, and do not post the translated text.

Skybird

02-15-23, 12:03 PM

Frankfurter Allgemeine:
-----------------------------
Following consultations with NATO partners, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was unable to secure enough Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks for Ukraine to equip a battalion with. In addition to the 14 tanks promised by the Bundeswehr, only Portugal was willing to provide three tanks. A Ukrainian battalion includes 31 tanks. "We won't reach battalion strength there," the SPD politician admitted after a lunch in Brussels with the ministers of states that had shown interest in participating. That's also because there aren't as many newer A6 models as older A4s, he said.

Poland, on the other hand, which had taken the lead for an A4 battalion and also wants to provide 14 tanks itself, managed to organize the necessary number of units. Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexiy Resnikov was satisfied "because we all assume that the development will continue," Pistorius said. Not all of the promised tanks could be transported immediately, he said. "But a large part will be able to be in Ukraine by the end of March to the end of April." Asked how the country should deploy half a battalion, Pistorius replied, "You'll have to ask the Ukrainians."
--------------------

So my info status two days ago that the Poles have withdrawn from their committment for Leopard 2A4s and that they only want to deliver updated T-72s, was wrong.

However, these numbers are not such that they make decisive differences. The Ukraine needed 300, hoped for 150, realistically expected were 100, and now not even these will be met - the US Abrams in 10-14 months already counted.

At least the windblowers have been sorted out.

Now standing almost alone in the open plain, Germany will not easily get pressed again into deliverign somethign it does not want to deliver: that lesson has been learned.

Dargo

02-15-23, 12:45 PM

The U.S. government has awarded a $522 million (486 million euro) defense contract to two corporations that will use the money to produce artillery ammunition for the Ukrainian army. The first munitions from this contract are to be delivered as early as next month, the U.S. Army said. The contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman Systems and Global Military Products. (Die Welt)

-------------------------

And the Germans? Defense Minister Pistorius called on industry not to wait for orders, but to start producing immediately. All risks should be borne by the producers, he said. But the producers have already made many millions in various advance payments in the past year (in part, one hears, ignoring valid legal bases that actually forbid them to do exactly that) - and are still waiting for them to be called off. Political Berlin, however, stubbornly and unmovingly refuses to conclude binding orders and contracts.

What is this crap?

Two days ago I linked to an article that says that its sources in Brussels insisted on that so far almost no orders are being placed by NATO states in general - rejecting official statements by nations and NATO that a wide variety of orders had been placed. Internal insiders at NATO HQ say: no, this has not yet happened. What do you want to believe now? Or is this a problem of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing?The delivery time of heavier munitions has increased from 12 to 28 months, NATO allies' reserves are gradually running out. At the front, this heavier ammunition, such as 155 mm shells, is being rushed through. At its peak in July, Russia reportedly fired some 40,000 to 50,000 artillery pieces a day, compared to 5,000 to 6,000 by the Ukrainian army. The Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank, calculated that Russia would then have hit through the entire reserve of the British army in two days.

Slightly more balanced, the Russian army would currently fire 'only' four times more than the Ukrainian army. However, according to The Financial Times, the ammunition shortage among Zelensky's troops is becoming "acute", which could give the Russian offensive significant momentum. Defense manufacturers have already been asked to shift up a gear; French company Nexter Systems, which anticipates significant production of 155 mm grenades, is said to be "already almost at the limit" in terms of production, according to a senior military official. Michal Strnad, owner of Czech Group AS, also argues that European capacity is "grossly inadequate". Scaling up that production, according to many military experts, is the best way to support Ukraine. "That means additional production lines. Not something you realize overnight, because it doesn't just mean extra machinery, raw materials and skilled workers. "Those producers also want guarantees that orders won't dry up again after a year or two."

The US industry has already worked out concrete plans to scale up: currently the industry produces some 15,000 155 mm shells a month, by spring it should be 20,000 and as many as 40,000 by 2025. European companies are also anticipating increasing demand for artillery pieces. The Norwegian conglomerate Nammo, for instance, wants to increase its production tenfold in the long run Dallying could tip the balance towards Russia, according to several international experts. "In a war, of course, not only firepower is what counts". "But ammunition is crucial if you want to go on the offensive." So much more than holding out is out of the question for the next six months. Because the Russians did get the industrial war machine up and running. "In September, Putin fully initiated the shift to a war economy. For months everything has been subordinated to supporting the war effort, by prioritizing the use of raw materials or labor, for example." Meanwhile, Ukraine is rowing with the oars it has. In the autumn, state-owned Ukroboronprom launched production of 152 mm shells, fired by Soviet-era guns. Admittedly, at several smaller sites at home and abroad, so as not to be too easy a target for Russian missiles. Production is corresponding: 1,000 to 2,000 shells a month. Less than half of what the army consumes on a daily basis.

Rockstar

02-15-23, 03:21 PM

Prigozhyn declares Russians shouldn't downplay the enemy by saying Bakhmut is "surrounded", his best guess is encircelemnt will happen in March-April now, although new weapon deliveries will have a significant impact in this estimation.

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1625912951373692929?s=61&t=d8lIXpMzTi6fdY2wIvV-JQ

I bet ya those 400 combat vehicles from Chucktown, S.C. delivered to the Port Bremerhaven on their way to Ukraine will have an a significant impact on that timeline. :yep:

https://youtu.be/bhnTwfHjYys

Igor Girkin on the potential of a large-scale Russian offensive
Posted on 15 February 2023
|
in Russian Accounts
|
by WarTranslated

https://wartranslated.com/igor-girkin-on-the-potential-of-a-large-scale-russian-offensive/

Below is a full translation of the internationally recognised terrorist I. Girkin’s post on the potential of a large-scale offensive by Russian Armed Forces, discussing three main directions: Belarus, the Russian border in Belgorod/Kursk, and Zaporizhzhia. Girkin predicts zero chances of the defeat of Ukraine even if the offensives are successful anywhere.
The original of the telegram post can be found here.
On the recommendation of Pavel Gubarev (who came to visit for a couple of days “to chat in the kitchen”), I give a short prediction for the development of the operational and strategic situation at the front in the event of an “RF Armed Forces winter campaign general offensive”, which may (or not) start in the coming 2 weeks (it makes no sense to start the offensive later due to emergence of the thaw).

Part 1.

So, the prospects for an offensive on the “Belarusian Front” are assessed as unlikely from the point of view of common sense, but possible precisely because (as the practice has shown) “there are no idiotic decisions that our General Staff could not make.”
From the point of view of common sense, to re-advance on the Kyiv, Chernihiv and (possibly) Volyn regions means extending the front by another thousand kilometers without hope of decisive success.
Firstly, it will not be possible to take the enemy by surprise. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have military units and formations prepared for combat in all the indicated directions. And since they intend to fight “from defense”, they require much less manpower than the RF Armed Forces require for a successful offensive in a heavily rugged wooded and swampy area, where all bridges on numerous rivers and rivers have either been blown up or mined, and directions suitable for tanks have been blocked by mines or other barriers.
Secondly, even if the RF Armed Forces (in any scenario, the small Belarusian army will be entrusted only with covering the borders with Poland and, at most, support of rears within its borders, and protecting these borders in “calm” areas) will be able to carry out deep breakthroughs, in order to protect the communications of the advancing groups (which will have to operate in territories with a hostile population), a lot of troops will be required. And when the front stops, a lot of troops will be required for its continuous cover, at least in the main directions.
Thirdly, according to the most modest calculations, just to create a continuous front (taking the terrain into account) it will take at least 150-200 thousand soldiers and officers, if we start from the border with Poland to the junction of the border with the Russian Federation. To create such a grouping without additional mobilisation (and training/combat coordination of new units and formations after it for at least 3 months), the RF Armed Forces will not be able to do so currently, since the main forces are already constrained by hostilities at the front from the Kinburn Spit to Belgorod region and by covering the border of the Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions.
And it will be impossible not to create a continuous front on the borders of the Republic of Belarus: “no one will forgive Minsk the second time”. The new offensive will mean drawing the Republic of Belarus into a full-fledged war with the corresponding actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military structures of Ukraine against objects on its territory.
It must be understood, however, that the creation of the “Belarusian Front” (as well as the intensification of hostilities at the front along the borders of the Russian Federation in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions) will significantly weaken (if not diminish completely) the possibilities for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out offensives on any sector of the front, since this “will eat up all the reserves” and will require huge efforts to create, supply and provide equipment/ammunition for a huge new front. But this process will be mutual and without new mobilisation waves of the Russian Federation, the latter will be able to pull it off to an even lesser extent than the defending “Ukraine”. And “dear Western partners”, for their part, will take measures to prevent respected Kyiv partners from “dying from overexertion.”
Even if you simply do not organise a full-fledged offensive, but do “distracting strikes” (“debout”, in pre-revolutionary military terminology), all the same, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus will then have to inevitably create a continuous front. And it will “eat resources” in accordance with its enormous length. On both sides, of course … And it only makes sense when counting on “exhausting the enemy”.
If the strikes are delivered “seriously”, with strategic goals, then I cautiously predict heavy losses of the RF Armed Forces without strategic results and any deep advance, and the RF Armed Forces in Belarus will not have enough available forces for that. And the losses will again raise the question of the need for further mobilisation measures in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus (and in Ukraine, too).
An additional argument indirectly indicating that the aforementioned “idiotic decision” of the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation is still possible is the activity of Medvedchuk in Belarus with his speeches “reviving” stillborn ideas about an “alternative good-neighborly Ukraine”, which, allegedly, can be created. The presence of Medvedchuk in the convoy of advancing troops with the aim of “leading” something there on the “liberated territory” is quite logical in the framework of the complete copying of failed attempts of this kind outlined a year ago.

Strategic Perspectives, Part 2.

Much more probable and much more meaningful than the creation of an active “Belarusian Front” are the broad offensive operations of the RF Armed Forces from the territory of the border regions of the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions.
Firstly, such an offensive in any case can make it possible to re-create a “foreground” on the territory of the enemy, which makes it difficult to strike at Russian own territory. Secondly, the troops are anyway concentrated there to protect the territory of the Russian Federation and there is not much difference whether they are actively fighting or not. Thirdly, despite the negative impact of lengthening the front line, strategic successes are theoretically possible in the most “painful” region for Kyiv – Kharkiv. Kharkiv is the second most important city of Ukraine and “the second capital”, a large industrial center, etc. should have been considered by the Russian command as one of the primary goals a year ago. But it was not considered (probably because they expected to “get it for free”, basing their expectations on a fundamentally wrong assessment of the operational situation). Now, when even the most stupid leaders of the Russian Federation seem to have dispelled the illusions about the possibility of recreating a “single fraternal pro-Russian friendly Ukraine”, it is this city and its environs that can logically become a place for an attempt to “turn the tide of the war” while large forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are drawn to battles in the Donbas.
Are the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation capable of inflicting a strong full blow in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions and achieving at least significant operational successes there? I don’t know. But I am firmly convinced that here a major battle in any case (both successful or not) will lead to major losses and will require replenishment of the spent human and material resources, the creation of which is impossible without new mobilisation measures.

Strategic perspectives. Part 3

The third (and last) likely theater of operations for a major offensive by the RF Armed Forces is Zaporizhzhia.
From a theoretical standpoint, the offensive should be carried out there in any case, simultaneously with the strike from Belarus and/or the Russian border area. But it can also have independent significance or become the direction of the main blow (whereas all other actions will be distracting). The recent “toad jump” of units of the RF Armed Forces on a wide front closer to the main positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (as a result of which the troops came into direct combat contact with the enemy in his defensive positions) can be considered as a reduction of the ground before the attack (although there may not be an attack, naturally).
The closes targets of the offensive in this area should be the cities of Orekhov and Hulay-Pole, without which an attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia itself is unlikely due to the possibility of a strike into the flank and rear by the attacking AFU.
Among the “benefits” of this direction is the flat terrain, which can be successfully defended only by concentrating forces in large settlements. Among the disadvantages, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been creating lines of fortified strongholds at the forefront and in-depth throughout the year. And, in order to quickly break through the front, again, a lot of forces are required, concentrated in well-trained and reliably controlled units and formations. And again, I must note that an offensive here, too, will certainly lead to heavy losses in the ranks of the attackers (in manpower and equipment), and a huge consumption of ammunition. However, if successful, local encirclements and the defeat of units and formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are possible, which will make the enemy worry about the rear of the Donetsk group. Will our generals be able to achieve such a result, we will soon find out (or we will not know if there is no offensive).
General conclusion: at the moment, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation DO NOT HAVE A SUPERIORITY OVER THE APU ANYWHERE, that would guarantee the success of a large-scale strategic offensive. It is possible (theoretically) to create only one “shock fist” in one of the above directions, using the rest as auxiliary ones. (Diverting and restricting attacks can continue, of course, on the Donetsk front).
But, in any case, a full-scale offensive battle will very quickly and inevitably lead to very large losses and the depletion of those resources that have been accumulated as a result of previous mobilisation and other preparatory actions. And, regardless of successes, it will not lead to the complete defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (precisely because of the lack of strategic reserves).
In any case, whether our military leaders decide to launch an offensive or wait for the spring “offensive” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this year, in order to hold the front, both the mobilisation of people and industry and the rear as a whole will inevitably be required. And the longer our military-political leadership (embarrassed by the uncertainty of the consequences of these measures in the socio-political and socio-economic spheres) delays with them, the less chance we will have of a military defeat of Ukraine until the moment when “dear Western partners” decide to enter the war themselves, convinced of the mutual exhaustion of the opponents’ forces.
At the moment, based on the statements of Peskov and other clowns in power, it seems that until a new major defeat happens (whether on the offensive or on the defensive), no one in the Kremlin will do anything, letting everything “take its own course”.

And that course will lead to the downfall of the Russian Federation.

Catfish

02-15-23, 03:30 PM

Commander Wallace

02-15-23, 03:42 PM

^ interesting, thanks for the info. Putin's circle lives in its own "reality" lol.

Now Kadyrov reportedly wants to "re"conquer east Germany.

https://todaytimeslive.com/world/217465.html

Bring it on!

I think Putrid and his cronies in Russia live in an alternate reality If they believe they can subjugate Germany. Russia would be destroyed as Germany and NATO Would trample Russia. I believe Germany has a historic hatred of Russia and Russia knows that. I don't believe it would take much for Germany and NATO to take action against Russia.

tonschk

02-15-23, 04:32 PM

:haha::haha::haha::haha::haha:ENJOY YOUR BUFFON GAY ZELENSKY CLOWN WEARING STILETTOS AND DANCING FOR YOU ENJOY
:haha::haha::haha::haha::haha:

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302160257220312.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302160257220312.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FNDKdptBRY

Commander Wallace

02-15-23, 04:38 PM

:haha::haha::haha::haha::haha:ENJOY YOUR BUFFON GAY ZELENSKY CLOWN WEARING STILETTOS AND DANCING FOR YOU ENJOY
:haha::haha::haha::haha::haha:

How comforting it must be for you that a " buffoon " like Zelensky is leading a rout of a joke your country has become while at least 130,000 Russians are now dead. If Zelensky is a buffoon, what does that make you and your backwards country ? I hope you and your pathetic country laughs all the way to it's grave.

By the way, buffoon is spelled the way I spelled it and not as you did. Learn some grammar, you Ignoramus buffoon or is that baboon ? Both would apply, in your case.

mapuc

02-15-23, 04:42 PM

^ ^Please tell us something we don't know about Zelenskyy.

For your information-He was a comedian and had his own show before he became President of Ukraine.

Markus

Rockstar

02-15-23, 04:45 PM

I wonder what it must be like for Putin sympathizers when they admit getting their arses kicked by a man dancing in stilettos. :har::har::har::har:

Catfish

02-15-23, 04:45 PM

[...]

https://i.imgur.com/sz3ne5Rl.jpg

Commander Wallace

02-15-23, 04:49 PM

I wonder what it must feel like for Putin sympathizers when they get their arses kicked by a man dancing in stilettos. :har::har::har::har:

I was thinking the same thing and said as much. :k_rofl::k_rofl:

August

02-15-23, 04:52 PM

^ ^Please tell us something we don't know about Zelenskyy.

For your information-He was a comedian and had his own show before he became President of Ukraine.

Markus

One of our Presidents was once second lead in a movie starring a monkey and he turned out to be one of the best ones we ever had, bringing down the evil russian soviet empire. Does Putin Boy really think that we'd care what Zelenski did before he became President? Especially since getting elected he has shown great courage and skill by fighting the criminal occupiers to a standstill?

Commander Wallace

02-15-23, 04:57 PM

tonschk

02-15-23, 04:59 PM

Russian Army Pierces Ukraine's defence in Luhansk; zelensky's Terrorists Retreat Fast

Putin's missile storm hits Zaporizhzhia; Ukraine's major ammunition depot destroyed

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302160328010303.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302160328010303.png)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl2cChylXCs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8l6ANX8gOM

mapuc

02-15-23, 05:07 PM

One of our Presidents was once second lead in a movie starring a monkey and he turned out to be one of the best ones we ever had, bringing down the evil russian soviet empire. Does Putin Boy really think that we'd care what Zelenski did before he became President? Especially since getting elected he has shown great courage and skill by fighting the criminal occupiers to a standstill?

Good Old Reagan

A lot of misinformation is being spread about Zelenskyy-
Before I tried to tell my friends that it's a lie.

One story-about his wealth-I tried and tried to tell my friend it's a fake story. He is worth 20-30 million and not these hundred of million hidden in some tax haven country.

When I thought I had convinced some of my friends....they post the same story again, somewhere else on FB.

Markus

August

02-15-23, 05:09 PM

Good Old Reagan

A lot of misinformation is being spread about Zelenskyy-
Before I tried to tell my friends that it's a lie.

One story-about his wealth-I tried and tried to tell my friend it's a fake story. He is worth 20-30 million and not these hundred of million hidden in some tax haven country.

When I thought I had convinced some of my friends....they post the same story again, somewhere else on FB.

Markus

Russian propaganda is heavy and continuous.

tonschk

02-15-23, 05:14 PM

Wagner CAPTURE Krasnaya Gora, Encircles Paraskoviivka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crAsRmH0Vl4

Rockstar

02-15-23, 05:18 PM

Btw Enrico do you still live around Nine Elms London SW8? A couple of fellas in Stillettos want to stop by and ask you out on a hot date.

Reece

02-15-23, 05:37 PM

They would probably reject him!! :yep:

Rockstar

02-15-23, 05:47 PM

They would probably reject him!! :yep:

Not these fellas, they’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse. :03:

mapuc

02-15-23, 05:59 PM

I decided to remove my text

Markus

August

02-15-23, 06:04 PM

I decided to remove my text

Markus

I saw the text before you removed it and fwiw you were right to point it out Markus.

Reece

02-15-23, 06:14 PM

Not these fellas, they’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse. :03:
The mind boggles!! - Puke!! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/sick/barfing.gif

mapuc

02-15-23, 06:43 PM

I believe this being the truth well more trustworthy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JFwE3ISxuM&ab_channel=DenysDavydov

Markus

Reece

02-15-23, 07:03 PM

Good news Markus, they were probably all trying to run away wearing Stillettos!! :D

August

02-15-23, 07:29 PM

Good news Markus, they were probably all trying to run away wearing Stillettos!! :D

Ever try to run in Stillettos? It ain't easy. :)

Rockstar

02-15-23, 07:30 PM

Ever try to run in Stillettos? It ain't easy. :)

And how exactly do you know this?

August

02-15-23, 07:38 PM

And how exactly do you know this?

From Reeces Twitter posts of course! :)

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 09:18 AM

The Russian student under arrest for an Instagram story

By Steve Rosenberg
Russia Editor, Arkhangelsk

University student Olesya Krivtsova has been missing a lot of classes.

That's because 20-year-old Olesya is under house arrest. She has an electronic tag on her leg. Police can monitor her every move.

Her alleged crime? Olesya was arrested for anti-war posts on social media. One of them concerned last October's explosion on the bridge linking Russia to annexed Crimea.

"I posted an Instagram story about the bridge," Olesya tells the BBC, "reflecting on how Ukrainians were happy with what had happened."

She had also shared a friend's post about the war.

Then the drama began.

"I was talking on the phone to my mother," Olesya recalls, "when I heard the front door opening. Lots of police came in. They took away my phone and shouted at me to lie on the floor."

Olesya was charged with justifying terrorism and discrediting the Russian armed forces. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

"I never imagined anyone could get such a long prison sentence for posting something on the internet," Olesya says. "I'd seen reports of crazy verdicts in Russia, but I hadn't paid much attention and continued to speak out."

A student of the Northern Federal University in Arkhangelsk, Olesya has now been added to Russia's official list of terrorists and extremists.

"When I realised I'd been put on the same list as school shooters and the Islamic State group I thought it was crazy," recalls Olesya.

Under the rules of her house arrest she's banned from talking on the phone and going online.

Olesya has a striking image tattooed on her right leg - Russian President Vladimir Putin depicted as a spider, with an Orwellian inscription: "Big Brother is watching you."

It appears that in Olesya's case, it wasn't Big Brother watching her, but her fellow students.

"A friend showed me a post about me in a chat," Olesya says, "about how I was against the 'special military operation'. Most of the people in this chat were history students. They were discussing whether to denounce me to the authorities."

The BBC has seen extracts from the group chat.

In one comment, Olesya is accused of writing "provocative posts of a defeatist and extremist character. This is out of place for war-time. It must be nipped in the bud".

"First let's try to discredit her. If she doesn't get it, let the security services deal with it."

"Denunciation is the duty of a patriot," someone else writes.

Later, when the list of prosecution witnesses was read out in court, Olesya recognised the names from the student chat.

It's one year since the Kremlin launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine - the term it uses for Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour. Within weeks of the assault, President Putin was calling on the Russian public to separate "true patriots from scum and traitors".

Since then, across Russia there have been reports of Soviet-style denunciations against critics of the war. They include students informing on teachers and workers denouncing colleagues.

Public criticism of the invasion - and that includes reposting other people's criticism - is dangerous. The Russian authorities expect total, unflinching support for the offensive in Ukraine. If you don't support it, at the very least you're expected to stay silent. If you don't stay silent, there's a string of repressive laws for punishing dissent. That includes laws against spreading "false information" about the military and "discrediting" the army.

In Arkhangelsk, a giant portrait of a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine stares down on the city from the side of a nine-storey apartment block, along with the words: "Being a warrior means living forever."

The patriotic messaging is persuasive. On the streets of Arkhangelsk, we find little sympathy for Russians facing prosecution for their anti-war comments.

"People who discredit our army or spread fakes, they're sick in the head," Konstantin tells me. "They should be sent to the front line as cannon fodder."

"I have a negative attitude to critics of the special operation," Ekaterina tells me.

But a long prison sentence for posting something online, isn't that harsh? I ask.

"People should use their brains," Ekaterina replies. "If they live in this country, if they enjoy all the benefits this country has to offer, if they're patriots, they need to abide by the law."

Later that day Olesya is allowed out of her flat. But only to attend a court hearing. Her defence lawyers are trying to persuade a judge to lift the restrictions on her movement.

Olesya's T-shirt sports a picture of a police van with "School Bus" written on it. A comment on how young Russians are being punished for their criticism of the authorities.

The judge rules to keep her under house arrest.

"The state doesn't have the stomach for debate, for democracy or freedom," Olesya says. "But they can't put everyone in prison. At some point they'll run out of cells."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64625127

Rockstar

02-16-23, 09:18 AM

At your age your wrist probably isn’t the only thing that’s limp.

Yep, I had to go there, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist. :shucks:

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 09:20 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00WE2qTg4Sg

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 09:33 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvVS1RP2Faw

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 09:38 AM

Lukashenko will go to Putin on Friday. They will talk about war

Oleksandr Lukashenko, who seized power in Belarus, will meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow on Friday.

This was stated by Putin's press secretary Dmytro Peskov, Censor.NET reports with reference to the Russian mass media.

"As for the preparations for the meeting tomorrow between the two presidents - Putin and Lukashenka - yes, I can confirm that such a meeting is being prepared."

According to him, the meeting will take place in Novo-Ogaryovo, "the conversation will be thorough."

Lukashenko also confirmed that the meeting will take place on February 17.

"We will discuss security and defense issues. But the main thing (I already said that we are preparing a meeting of the Supreme State Council sometime in April-May) - we will discuss issues of an economic, military, and political nature, which will be discussed at the Supreme State Council." - he said.

The parties also plan to discuss the issue of a joint military group in Belarus. "If we come to the issue of our joint grouping in Belarus, of course, we will also discuss it," Lukashenko said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400168

Putin made crucial mistakes, war is going in right direction for Ukraine, - Swedish Defense Minister Jonson

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin underestimated the Armed Forces and the will of Ukrainians, as well as the cohesion of the EU and NATO.

The Minister of Defense of Sweden, Paul Jonsson, stated this in an interview with the EP, Censor.NET reports.

"In my opinion, Putin made two crucial mistakes. First, he significantly underestimated the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the will of Ukrainians to fight and fight hard. And the second thing he underestimated was the cohesion between the EU and NATO. This led us to the movement in the right direction," he said.

According to the minister, he meant that Ukraine won the battle for Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson, and recaptured Zmiiny Island.

"For the Ukrainian people, the situation is going in the right direction. And we will support you as long as it takes to guarantee your independence and territorial integrity," Jonson added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400176

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 09:49 AM

European Parliament supports exclusion of Russian Federation from UN Security Council

Remove Russia from the UN Security Council The European Parliament supported at the plenary session an amendment to the resolution to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which calls for the exclusion of Russia from the UN Security Council.

As Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

The corresponding amendment to the resolution was proposed by Lithuanian MEP Piatras Aušträvičius during the "by voice" voting procedure.

"I propose to supplement the resolution and include the following text in it: The European Parliament... calls on the EU and its member states to take further actions to continue the international isolation of the Russian Federation, including Russian membership in international organizations such as the United Nations Security Council," said the deputy.

This proposal was adopted by the majority of votes of the European politicians present at the meeting, therefore, it will be included in the resolution of the European Parliament.

As previously reported by Censor.NET, today the European Parliament by a majority of votes adopted the resolution "One year of Russian invasion and aggressive war against Ukraine". 444 members of the European Parliament voted for this document, which expresses solidarity with Ukraine, condemns the actions of the Russian aggressor and proposes to bring to justice the top leadership of Russia and its allies, 26 voted "against" and another 37 abstained. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400191

European Parliament called on international community to provide all, without exception, types of weapons for Ukraine’s victory in war with Russian Federation, - resolution

On the eve of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of independent Ukraine, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it declared its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and support for the country’s complete victory in this war, calling on the international community to supply all types of weapons without exception.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

The corresponding document was voted on on Thursday in Strasbourg within the framework of the plenary session of the European Parliament. 444 deputies voted "for", against - 26, and 37 abstained out of 507 who took part in the vote.

"The European Union once again declares its unwavering solidarity with the people and leadership of Ukraine and its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," the resolution states.

In this regard, the EP reaffirmed its unchanging "strongest condemnation of Russia's illegal, unprovoked and unjustified aggressive war against Ukraine, as well as the involvement of the Belarusian regime; demands that Russia and its proxy forces cease all military actions, including attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, and that Russia withdraws all armed forces, proxy forces and military equipment from all internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, cease forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians and release of all detained Ukrainians," the EP deputies demand.

The EP pays tribute to the courageous people of Ukraine, the laureates of the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, who defend their country and defend freedom, democracy, the rule of law and European values from a brutal regime that "seeks to undermine our democracy and weaken and divide our Union." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400183

Rockstar

02-16-23, 10:04 AM

Oh oh someone else just tripped and fell out of a window.

PROBABLY SUICIDE: THE BODY OF THE CHIEF FINANCIER OF THE ZVO WAS FOUND IN ST. PETERSBURG

https://spb.tsargrad.tv/news/verojatno-suicid-v-peterburge-nashli-telo-glavnogo-finansista-zvo_725972

Investigators find out under what circumstances the head of the financial support department of the Western Military District in the Kalininsky district died.
The day before, about eight in the morning, the corpse of a woman was found under the windows of a high-rise building on Zamshina Street. Eyewitnesses reported the terrible find to the police.

According to preliminary information, local residents found the body of 58-year-old Marina Yankina on the asphalt. Her personal belongings and documents were left on the common balcony of the 16th floor. It is noteworthy that a woman lived in another house. According to one version, her death can be suicide.

The press service of the ZVO confirmed that the woman was their employee, but refused to seek other comments and advised to contact the investigative authorities for information.

According to Fontanka, before the ZVO Marina Yankina worked in the Federal Tax Service, and also served as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Property Relations of St. Petersburg.

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 10:12 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9UaaHgaV00

Aktungbby

02-16-23, 12:38 PM

At your age your wrist probably isn’t the only thing that’s limp.

Yep, I had to go there, I’m sorry I couldn’t resist. :shucks:Don't apologise; U beat me to it!:shucks:

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 02:32 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jQRthhok_Q

Jimbuna

02-16-23, 02:41 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atlWhRVeHr4

Dargo

02-16-23, 04:51 PM

Russia ‘loses 2,000 troops for every 100 yards won’
Russia is losing as many as 2,000 men for every 100 yards gained in human wave assaults in eastern Ukraine, according to Nato intelligence.

The figures came after a day of pledges by Nato defence ministers to equip Ukraine against the Russian offensive, particularly its aerial threat, amid reports that the Kremlin is massing fighter jets, bombers and attack helicopters on its western borders.

Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, said Nato was “laser-focused’ on providing equipment that would prove decisive on the battlefield, giving Kyiv the ability to push Russia back in the next three months.

“You’ve seen us move to provide Bradleys, Marders [infantry fighting vehicles], Leopard tanks and a number of other things . . . https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ukraine-war-nato-anti-aircraft-missiles-russia-western-intel-h2rw9g6cg

tonschk

02-16-23, 05:06 PM

:yeah::Kaleun_Applaud:HUNTING DOWN criminal NATO TERRORIST :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up::Kaleun_Applaud:

:salute::yeah:Attack on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Pervomaisky:yeah::up:

:Kaleun_Applaud::yeah:Brutal Russian Granades drops by Drone on NATO Terrorists:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up::yeah::up:

https://odysee.com/@truthteller:3/video_2023-02-16_09-23-05:9
https://odysee.com/@Che_Guevara:f/VID_20230216_221559_893:b
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302170333300312.jpg (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302170333300312.jpg)
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302170345370314.jpg (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302170345370314.jpg)

August

02-16-23, 05:26 PM

Russia ‘loses 2,000 troops for every 100 yards won’

The valiant defenders of Ukraine are killing them like the cockroaches they are.

mapuc

02-16-23, 05:39 PM

I copied and translated a part of an article in a Danish newspaper, 'cause it's not quite right

"- Putin thought he could tear all of Europe apart, but he made us stand together. It has meant something that we could all experience a people who said: 'No, it must be a lie.' It is very strong, says Queen Margrethe to Weekendavisen."

Here is where it's not right.

On the floor among ordinary people-I've seen very good friends become unfriended even enemies, because each has taken part in the war.

I've seen a lots of blocking.

Maybe the governments in NATO and EU are united.

Markus

tonschk

02-16-23, 06:07 PM

:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up::Kaleun_Applaud::yeah:POWERFUL RUSSIAN ARMY ADVANCING WHILE NATO TERRORISTS NAZIS RUNNING OUT OF AMMUNITION CRUMBLE COLLAPSE AND RETREAT:yeah::Kaleun_Applaud::Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

Judge Napolitano & Scott Ritter: The Russian Offensive in Ukraine
https://odysee.com/@TMSLL:6/judge-scott-offensive:0
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302170436170314.jpg (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302170436170314.jpg)

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 06:22 AM

Lukashenko warns Belarus will join Russia in war if attacked

By Steve Rosenberg
Russia Editor in Minsk

Few people know Vladimir Putin quite as well as Alexander Lukashenko does.

The authoritarian leader of Belarus is a firm Kremlin ally and backer of what Mr Putin refers to as the "special military operation" - what most of the world calls Russia's war in Ukraine.

Since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago, Mr Putin hasn't sat down with Western journalists.

But today in Minsk, Mr Lukashenko took questions from a small group of foreign media, including the BBC.

"Last year you allowed your country to be used as a staging ground for Russia's invasion," I reminded Mr Lukashenko. "Are you prepared to do so again?"

"Yes, I'm ready," he replied. "I'm ready to provide [territory] again. I'm also ready to wage war, alongside the Russians, from the territory of Belarus. But only if someone - even a single soldier - enters our territory from there (Ukraine) with weapons to kill my people."

Military co-operation between Russia and Belarus has been on the increase, with joint drills and the formation of a joint military grouping. But so far the Belarusian leader has avoided sending his troops into Ukraine to fight alongside Russian forces.

The UK, EU and the United States do not recognise Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus. In 2020 Belarusians poured on to the streets to accuse him of stealing the country's presidential election. The protests were brutally suppressed.

Mr Lukashenko used Thursday's event to blame the West for the war in Ukraine.

He accused Western governments of fuelling the conflict and engaged in a touch of Putinesque nuclear sabre-rattling,

"If you continue this escalation, you will get nuclear weapons and Russia has more than anyone," he said.

"So, you should stop this. If a nuclear war starts, Belarus will cease to exist. We need to sit down at the negotiating table, because nuclear war will wipe out the USA too. No-one needs this."

Having facilitated the Russian invasion of Ukraine one year ago, the Belarusian leader now claims he can help negotiate peace.

Mr Lukashenko suggested that next week would be a good time to start, with US President Joe Biden due to visit Poland.

"I invite [President Biden] to Belarus," Mr Lukashenko said. "It's not far from Warsaw, Thirty minutes and he'll be in Minsk. He could land his plane here. I will persuade the president of Russia to come. I invite him too to Minsk, as well as Biden. We will sit down and reach an agreement."

It is an invitation the US president is likely to decline. In this war Mr Lukashenko is not seen as an honest broker.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64664560

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 06:25 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTjgsPoEY1A

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 06:28 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1KEiv5bYbc

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 06:35 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war are about 141,260 people (+800 per day), 287 helicopters, 3298 tanks, 2322 artillery systems, 6520 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 17, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers amounted to approximately 141,260 people.

This is stated by Cemsor.NЕТ with reference to рress center of AFU General Staff.

As noted, the enemy's total combat losses from 24.02.22 to 17.02.23 are estimated at:

personnel - about 141,260 (+800) people were liquidated,
tanks - 3298 (+2) units
armored combat vehicles - 6520 (+3) units,
artillery systems - 2322 (+16) units,
MLRS - 467 (+1) units,
air defense systems - 241 (+2) units
aircraft - 298 (+0) units
helicopters - 287 (+0) units,
UAVs of operational and tactical level - 2013 (+1),
cruise missiles - 871 (+14),
ships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
motor vehicles and tankers - 5187 (+20) units
special equipment - 221 (+2). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400319

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 06:42 AM

Xi Jinping plans to address "peaceful speech" on anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Chinese leader Xi Jinping intends to hold a "peace speech" on the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

According to Censor.NЕТ with reference to EP, this was stated by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said that he was told about it by China's chief diplomat Wang Yi.

They met on Thursday in Rome.

During the war, China walked a fine line, seeking to balance its ties with the West while supporting Moscow.

It generally refused to sell weapons to Russia and did not participate directly in the war, hoping to maintain access to the global market.

At the same time, however, China coordinates its actions with Russia at the diplomatic level and takes advantage of discounts on Russian oil. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400388

Dutch Prime Minister Rutte arrived in Kyiv

On Friday, February 17, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is on a working visit to Ukraine.

This is stated by Ukrinform with reference to NOS, іnforms Censor.NЕТ.

Prime Minister Rutte is on a visit to Kyiv. This morning he visited the Wall of Remembrance of those who died for Ukraine in the Ukrainian capital, where he laid a wreath. A visit to President Zelensky is scheduled for today," the statement said.

It is noted that the last time the Prime Minister of the Netherlands visited the city was in July last year. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400378

Only full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity can be basis for negotiations with Russia, - Kuleba

Only the full restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity can be the basis for any negotiations with Russia.

As reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform, this was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

"I like everyone who wants to achieve peace through diplomatic initiatives - I am a diplomat myself. But how can such an initiative work? Should the price of peace be that Russia remains in the occupied territories? If the Kremlin realizes that it can conquer territories militarily, why should it stop? It will probably take a break and start a new war in about a year," the Foreign Minister explained.

Kuleba emphasized that there is no need to fall for Putin's tricks that the West's provision of more weapons to Ukraine will allegedly lead to an escalation and involve the West itself in the war.

"In everything that happened after February 24, the Russian narrative was: don't take this step, otherwise you will escalate and slide into war against us. The Russians are trying to achieve their goals through intimidation tactics. But so far, no one is at war with Russia except Ukraine. I want to make one thing clear: many of the people who promote peace and diplomacy with a pained face actually just want Ukraine to be defeated by Russia," he added.

He emphasized that "only one thing can stand at the beginning of any negotiations with Russia: Ukraine's territorial integrity must be fully restored." "This is not subject to discussion. We have learned a bitter lesson: if you give Russia your little finger, it will tear off your whole hand," Kuleba added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400382

Skybird

02-17-23, 08:24 AM

The Westfälische Nachrichten writes:
-----------------------------------------------
Armaments production: tank builders call for political consensus

Why isn't armaments production getting off the ground? Actually, everything is ready, according to a leading defense manager. Norway places a large order, but the traffic lights are not yet on the starting block.

Tank maker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) sees no industrial obstacles to a significant ramp-up of its production. His company is constantly asking all subcontractors what production rates are possible, KMW CEO Ralf Ketzel told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Berlin. "So far, no one has given us a signal such as 'that won't work at all,'" he said. "What we need for this is a clear political consensus."

Nearly a year after the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the capacities and capabilities of Western defense companies will predictably also be a topic at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) through Sunday. There is growing criticism from the German defense industry that the German government is hardly awarding any contracts, despite all the political declarations.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Defence Procurement Agency (NDMA) ordered 54 Leopard 2 main battle tanks in the latest A7 NOR version from KMW on Friday. The vehicles are to be delivered from 2026 to 2028, KMW announced after signing the contract. An option for the delivery of a further 18 Leopard 2 A7 NORs has been agreed, it added.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced in Munich upon arrival for the security conference that he would first hold talks with the defense industry. He spoke of "first things first" - the most important thing first.

KMW is a manufacturer of weapons systems such as the Leopard 2 main battle tank and the 2000 self-propelled howitzer. With more than 4,000 employees, the company describes itself as the market leader for highly protected wheeled and tracked vehicles in Europe. During the Cold War, KMW produced about 300 Leopard tanks annually, or about one per working day. After that, the business model changed. Most recently, there was a new-build program on the order of 50 Leopard tanks per year. There is also an upgrade program, where 60 or 70 vehicles per year are brought up to a more modern standard. About 50 more vehicles come in for overhaul, which means repair and maintenance.

"If you want to go back to producing 300 vehicles a year, we have some issues to consider. For example, vehicles today are more complex because they consist of many more parts. Also, we would turn certain tasks that we do now at the main plant back over to subsidiaries or partner companies," Ketzel said. "There again, we have enough breathing room to get back into that kind of production relatively quickly, if it's really wanted."

When he himself joined the company, there was basically assembly line production, "not a single repair, not a single refit," he recalls. Ketzel: "There was only series production of the Leopard. However, we haven't reduced the infrastructure since then; we've gotten bigger. We've added three halls. That gives us room to breathe." KMW is well utilized with repair and conversion orders, he said.

According to figures collected in Europe before the Ukraine war, and with the replacement of the vehicles now surrendered, production will reach 500 to 600 Leopard 2s, the KMW chief said. If this is not required in an extremely short period of time, he said, it is possible with the current infrastructure in Europe and with the current production lines.

"We have a lead time of one year before assembly and integration starts at our site. This means that the major subcontractors who make motors, optronics, electronics or special optics, are required immediately," Ketzel said. "Some have no problem with it at all because they have a larger production line for many systems anyway. But sometimes small issues trigger headaches. That might be a chip, for example."

For ramping up a co-production - whether as another production line abroad or in Germany - he estimates one to two years. However, subcontractors also need a lead time. Says Ketzel, "If we have an order now, we can ensure that the first systems will be delivered in two years. Then it goes up in three years. How steep that curve gets depends on the parameters. We may be able to build two lines, but we can't build five."

Nearly a year into the turnaround, however, the federal government and the Armed Forces procurement team have yet to place an order for the major weapon systems. Asked if the go-ahead has been given for ramping up production, Ketzel replied, "No. We are in discussions with the (procurement office) BAAINBw for many contracts. From our point of view, they are on a very good track. But we're not talking about triple-digit numbers there."

A clear political consensus as a basis for decision-making could also be a "certain target configuration" of what should be achieved in four years, he said. "A prominent example is the Puma infantry fighting vehicle: there was a clear statement that a division would be needed in 2027. We have invested for that. A good example is the British. They say they want 500 wheeled Boxers over ten years. That works."

Ketzel emphasizes that KMW - unlike carmakers or computer manufacturers - does not operate freely on the market. "Everything is subject to the War Weapons Control Act. That's put simply. The manufacture of weapons of war is first prohibited, and then there are exemptions. If we want to start manufacturing a war weapon, we need a permit for that," he says. "That's German law, and it's not going to change. It's also reasonable. We are a regulated industry."

The tank builder, which has its headquarters in Munich and several branches in Germany and overseas, is watching the course of the fighting in Ukraine and drawing conclusions for its own concepts in building the weapon systems. "Today, we see a lot of things - and maybe even understand them - that will change our image of battle management," Ketzel says.

For example, he says, there are questions about whether it will still be possible to live with "tent-city-like command posts" in the future or whether complex decision-making processes will have to be organized in staffs. "From Ukraine, one senses: this runs completely differently, more like a network with good communication. We are experiencing ad hoc decisions that are not at all as nicely planned as we know it with maps and situational awareness and reporting. Our world and its nervous systems often work the other way around. They respond to impulses, to blocks of information, not to situational lectures."
---------------------------

Germany, different to some other claims, still has not placed noteworthy orders for PZFs, missiles, ammo and vehicles to replace those quantities given to Ukraine. :doh: One year after the war began. :/\\!!

Dargo

02-17-23, 12:35 PM

Dargo

02-17-23, 12:50 PM

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 17 February 2023

Russian Ministry of Defence and private military contractor (PMC) forces have likely suffered 175-200,000 casualties since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. This likely includes approximately 40-60,000 killed. The Russian casualty rate has significantly increased since September 2022 when ‘partial mobilisation’ was imposed.

By modern standards, these figures represent a high ratio of personnel killed compared to those wounded. This is almost certainly due to extremely rudimentary medical provision across much of the force. Artillery has almost certainly inflicted the majority of Russia’s casualties.

Wagner PMC forces have deployed large numbers of convict-recruits. These have probably experienced a casualty rate of up to 50%.

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1626472945089486848

mapuc

02-17-23, 12:59 PM

I can only tell you for the Dutch 83% does support Ukraine in general in Europe it is about 73% none of the countries are below 51%

I do not doubt for a second that a majority of the people support Ukraine more or less.

I've seen on fb where friends has become enemies-Even this day I saw one saying goodbye and blocked a person.

This is what I meant by it-the support isn't 100 % it is as you said 73 % in Europe.

Have these people who made this survey put two answers together ?

Like:

How much do you support Ukraine

1= Absolutely not
2 = Not
3 = Neutral
4 = I support them
5 = I support them very much

And they have put 4 and 5 together.

I am glad that a majority of the Europeans are supporting Ukraine.

Markus

Dargo

02-17-23, 01:11 PM

I do not doubt for a second that a majority of the people support Ukraine more or less.

I've seen on fb where friends has become enemies-Even this day I saw one saying goodbye and blocked a person.

...

MarkusInternet and real life is totally different people behave, express themselves horrible on the internet would they behave the same in a café 99% would not dare to express that kinda hate towards others. The internet harbors a lot of cowards :D and will never be real live.

mapuc

02-17-23, 01:34 PM

This is not exactly a surprise-Even in the Vietnam war there were Americans who toke up arms against their own compatriots

For weeks, some of the most intense fighting in the war in Ukraine has centered on the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seem determined to capture even at enormous cost. The nearly deserted city is being held by Ukrainian forces, including Russian volunteers serving in the Free Russia legion and fighting against the invading forces of their own country.

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-free-russian-legion-fighters-against-kremlin/32260682.html

Markus

Dargo

02-17-23, 01:56 PM

Arms delivery to Ukraine accelerates Russian withdrawal, not prolongs it – German Chancellor Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at Munich Security Conference (MSC) and urged allies to supply Ukraine with battle tanks. Scholz told the plenum that anyone who could do so should “really do it now.” At the Munich conference, he, along with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, would promote this initiative, as reported by Spiegel.

In addition, Scholz also defended the arms deliveries in his speech as a contribution to an earlier end to the war.It is not our arms deliveries that are prolonging the war. The contrary is true,Additionally, Scholz stated that “the sooner President Putin realizes that he will not achieve his imperialist goal, the greater the likelihood of an early end to the war, of withdrawal of Russian conquering forces.”
According to the chancellor, Germany now offers security leadership.

Scholz stated that “we take upon ourselves the responsibility that a country of Germany’s size, location, and economic power must bear in such times.”

He urged partners capable of sending Western-type tanks to Ukraine to do so.

“All those who can send battle tanks of this type should do so. Defence Minister Pistorius, Foreign Minister Baerbock, and I personally strongly advocate for this. Germany will do everything in its power to make these decisions easier for partners. For instance, by training Ukrainian soldiers to drive tanks here in Germany or providing support in terms of supplies and logistics,” emphasized the German Chancellor.

According to reports, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that it would be difficult for Western allies to assemble two complete battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to fulfill their commitment to Ukraine. Following a meeting with his German counterpart in Kyev, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated that 80 Leopard 1 tanks would be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year, with the first two dozen arriving “by summer.”

https://euromaidanpress.com/2023/02/17/arms-delivery-to-ukraine-accelerates-russian-withdrawal-not-prolongs-it-german-chancellor-scholz/

Dargo

02-17-23, 02:01 PM

This is not exactly a surprise-Even in the Vietnam war there were Americans who toke up arms against their own compatriots

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-free-russian-legion-fighters-against-kremlin/32260682.html

MarkusThey have taken up arms against Russia for a variety of reasons: a sense of moral outrage at their country’s invasion, a desire to defend their adopted homeland of Ukraine or because of a visceral dislike of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin. And they have earned enough trust from Ukrainian commanders to take their place among the forces viciously fighting the Russian military.

“A real Russian man doesn’t engage in such an aggressive war, won’t rape children, kill women and elderly people,” said one Russian fighter with the military call sign Caesar, ticking off atrocities committed by Russian soldiers that motivated him to leave his native St. Petersburg and fight for Ukraine. “That’s why I don’t have remorse. I do my job and I’ve killed a lot of them.”... https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/world/europe/russian-legion-ukraine-war.html

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 03:52 PM

Netherlands together with Germany and Denmark will transfer 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine

The Netherlands, together with Germany and Denmark, plan to deliver almost 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. The first tanks will be sent as soon as they are ready for combat.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Kyiv.

"The Netherlands, together with partners from Germany and Denmark, are preparing to hand over 100 Leopard tanks to Ukraine. This is really powerful support for Ukraine," Zelensky said.

The President emphasized that the joint priority of Ukraine and its partners is to speed up the supply of this aid to Ukrainian soldiers as much as possible.

The head of state also thanked the Netherlands for the recent decision to transfer the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine.

He also said that he discussed with Rutte other needs of the Ukrainian army for "protection against Russian revanchism." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400456

German Leopard will not be in Ukraine until end of March, - Pistorius

German Leopard tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the last week of March at the latest.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said this to journalists in Munich, where a security conference is underway, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"German Leopard tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the last week of March at the latest," Pistorius said.

When asked whether these tanks will change the situation around Bakhmut, he could not answer, noting that "it will depend on the strategy of the Armed Forces."

"The first tanks will arrive very soon," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a discussion at the Munich Security Conference. He added that the training of the Ukrainian military is already in full swing.

In general, Scholz described the situation with the tank coalition as "a very difficult case." Germany is actively working to ensure that all countries that promised to hand over tanks do so. Germany transfers very modern tanks, the chancellor stressed, but other countries can transfer older models.

All this aid "will have a specific military effect", the head of the government is convinced. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400462

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 03:55 PM

NATO, European Union and Ukraine will hold tripartite meeting for first time

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will meet in Brussels on February 21.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the Alliance.

The meeting will take place at NATO headquarters. After that, a joint press conference is scheduled at 12:45 p.m.

Head of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba noted that this is the first meeting of representatives of Ukraine, NATO and the EU in such a tripartite format.

"I look forward to a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg and Josep Borrell to strengthen our partnership and cooperation for the defense of Ukraine and Europe," he said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400475

Germany is increasing production of weapons for itself and Ukraine, - Scholz

Russia’s aggressive war has forced NATO countries, and not only them, to review their defense spending and relations with industry.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany stated this at the Munich Security Conference, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

Scholz confirmed his country's commitment to bringing defense spending to at least 2% of GDP, which he announced on the third day of Russia's war against Ukraine, and recalled that his government had allocated an additional package of 100 billion euros to the Bundeswehr.

An important and difficult issue is the increase in the industrial production of weapons systems and ammunition.

"We have to understand that for our security we have to... establish permanent production of the most important weapons and ammunition," Scholz emphasized.

According to him, steps are already being taken to strengthen one's own defense capabilities, but also to increase aid to Ukraine. In particular, the production of ammunition for Gepard self-propelled guns, which was discontinued several decades ago, is being resumed. Ukraine uses these systems very actively, they are effective, so it is necessary to ensure uninterrupted supply of ammunition. The same applies to ammunition for tanks, this issue is currently being discussed, Scholz emphasized.

The head of the German government also focused on increasing the defense capability of Europe, for which Germany should take responsibility. He mentioned the mission of the Bundeswehr on NATO's eastern flank - in Lithuania and Slovakia, providing 17,000 soldiers for rapid response forces, and initiating the creation of a European air defense system within NATO.

Europe should do more to resolve conflicts in its immediate neighborhood, Scholz said. At the same time, he called to get rid of the idea that Europe's problems are the world's problems, and the world's problems are not Europe's problems. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400493

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 04:02 PM

Parliament of Finland will vote on joining NATO without waiting for decision of Turkey and Hungary

On February 28, the Parliament of Finland is scheduled to vote on the application for joining NATO

This was stated at a press conference by the head of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Yussi Galla-Aho, Censor.NET informs with reference to LIGA.

Finland's parliament decided to vote for the country's accession to NATO without waiting for its application to be approved by Turkey and Hungary, so that when all countries ratify Finland's application, all other formalities have already been completed.

Earlier, the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, said that if the procedures are carried out in advance, after ratification by all countries, "accession to NATO will last a few hours at most."

We remind you that on June 28, 2022, at the NATO summit in Madrid, the Alliance invited Sweden and Finland to become its members. According to the statute, the invitations must be ratified by the parliaments of all 30 member countries of the Alliance. Hungary and Turkey remain the only NATO members that have not yet supported the applications of Finland and Sweden.

On February 7, 2023, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, said that he considers it fundamentally important that Finland joins NATO together with Sweden. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400510

Putin must answer for crime of aggression, otherwise history will repeat itself - Prime Minister of Estonia, Kallas

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called for criminal consequences for the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin due to the invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin must be brought to justice for the crime of aggression, otherwise history will repeat itself," Kallas said, Censor.NET reports with reference to "European Pravda".

Callas noted that the International Criminal Court in The Hague can try Putin for war crimes, but not for aggression against Ukraine. A separate court is needed for this.

The actions of the International Criminal Court against Putin are currently impossible, in particular, because neither Russia nor Ukraine are contracting parties to the Rome Statute, which is the legal basis of this court.

"The message itself is important: you will not get away with it. You will be responsible. If aggressors or potential aggressors anywhere in the world realize that nothing will happen to you if you do this, then this is a serious problem for the security of the whole world - not only in Europe," she said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400524

Jimbuna

02-17-23, 04:05 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV5ljqYA58E

tonschk

02-17-23, 04:58 PM

Jimmy Dore SLAMS WESTERN MEDIA LIES OVER UKRAINE,

https://odysee.com/@TimcastIRL:8/jimmy-dore-slams-media-lies-over:0
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180246350291.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180246350291.png)

Russian Khosta artillery blows up The Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbass 16.02.2023

https://odysee.com/@The_uncomfortable_Truth:4/Russian-Khosta-artillery-blows-up-AFU-fortress-in-Donbass-16.02.2023-Ukraine-NATO-Russia-war:8
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180327250303.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180327250303.png)

DESTRUCTION D'UN BASTION DES FORCES ARMÉES UKRAINIENNE À KRAMENEYA

https://odysee.com/@afriquemedia:f/no-comment-ukraine-destruction-d'un:b
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180338270292.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180338270292.png)

tonschk

02-17-23, 07:05 PM

‘Now, all of you are AZOV’: ‘OPENLY Neo-NAZIS Ukrainian delegation meets Congress, tours U.S.

https://mronline.org/2022/10/07/now-all-of-you-are-azov-openly-neo-nazi-ukrainian-delegation-meets-congress-tours-us/
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180535080291.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180535080291.png)

GERMAN TV Shows Nazi Symbols Swastikas on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/german-tv-shows-nazi-symbols-helmets-ukraine-soldiers-n198961
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180554020292.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180554020292.png)

tonschk

02-17-23, 11:31 PM

Putin's Blitz Spooks NATO nations; Netherlands and Denmark won't send Leopard Tanks to Kyiv

https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302180956260288.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302180956260288.png)
https://www.hostpic.org/images/2302181000060295.png (https://www.hostpic.org/view.php?filename=2302181000060295.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0W6JRxbAGE

Skybird

02-18-23, 06:12 AM

Germany is increasing production of weapons for itself and Ukraine, - Scholz

He claims that sionce many weeks now. Without visible results so far.
Mind you, he also said Germany would meet 2% budget goal one year ago. The budget WILL DROPÜ this year and in the enxt two years.

The gemans say since twenyty ears or longer they owul,d stick with nAOT budget goals.

Seeing is beleiving. Until then, let Olaf do what he does best: babbling. Just dont believe anything he babbles.

In the coaltiion treaty of the three-party government they put down in ink that any raise of defence budgets must be met with same rises in social budgets and development aid budgets (addititional to the usual biudget raises of socials and development aid). That emans that every monbey given into the dfence bdugets casues costs that are THREE times as big as what is given into the defence budget.

And the FDP gets slaughtered at elections on state levels for its role in the national givenrment. It posed to be the limiting mediator who would safeguard agauinst socilaist plundeirng orgies and debt explosions, but it does not stop these, only reduces their total damage a bit. As a German journapoist two days ago: Greens and SPD come for your arm, and the FDP makes it that the yonly get three of your fingers, and half a year later the SPD and Green want your left foot and your head, and the FDP amkes it that you only have to give your arm. Who would vote and not declare guilty such a party...? - Why I say this? If the FDP wants tpo sutrivve next elections and not get annihilated, it must seel total confrotnaiton withgb scholz and the Greens now and cannot give room anymore. The finance minister is an FDP man, he alreeady crashed regiularly wioth the Greens' Habeck over climate fonds. He will not easily give in to calls by new defence minister Pistorius to raise the budget for defence by 15 billion per year (that what Pistorius said in reality would be needed).

Dont beleive everything Babble-Olaf babbles. He moves plenty of hot air and on important meetings and dates evades and dissapears. Windblower. He got outm anopuveed by Biden'S sudden chnage of mind ovber the tank,. and now finds himseolf in the role he wanted to avoid at all cost: to be seen as the "leader" of the pack. Serves him right. Dancing weasel.

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 06:36 AM

‘Now, all of you are AZOV’: ‘OPENLY Neo-NAZIS Ukrainian delegation meets Congress, tours U.S.

Your comment above is grossly offensive to members of this community and as such will not be tolerated.

I realise and accept we all have a right to express ourselves but when viewing your recent post content it is quite clear to me you are trying to stir up trouble.

No further action is forthcoming other than this advice.

In the meantime you may want to consider posting on another forum more akin to the Russian propaganda you believe in.

Reece

02-18-23, 06:47 AM

amen to that Jim! :timeout:

Catfish

02-18-23, 07:04 AM

A top Russian military official is dead after falling out of a 16th-floor window, the latest in a string of untimely deaths (Feb 16, 2023)

https://www.businessinsider.com/top-russian-military-official-dies-fall-window-high-rise-2023-2

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/marina-yankina-russia-death-putin-b2283686.html

Second this week after Vladimir Makarov.
So many suicides. Seems to be some unbalance in the higher ranks.

Skybird

02-18-23, 07:08 AM

A top Russian military official is dead after falling out of a 16th-floor window, the latest in a string of untimely deaths (Feb 16, 2023)

https://www.businessinsider.com/top-russian-military-official-dies-fall-window-high-rise-2023-2

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/marina-yankina-russia-death-putin-b2283686.html
An alien abduction, and then she fell out of the UFO when it accelerated too abruptly, no doubt.

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 07:12 AM

An alien abduction, and then she fell out of the UFO when it accelerated too abruptly, no doubt.

:haha:

And who said the Germans have no sense of humour.

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 07:28 AM

World leaders are meeting at the Munich Security Conference, as issues including Ukraine war and US-China relations dominate headlines.

Speaking at the event, US Vice-President Kamala Harris said her country had formally determined that Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged world leaders to "double down" on military support for Kyiv by providing Nato-standard capabilities.

Sunak is also expected to meet European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen in an effort to secure a new post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland.

China's top diplomat is also there, and has used the forum to denounce America's "hysterical" and "absurd" response to an alleged spy balloon incident.

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 07:35 AM

Over 30,000 Wagner fighters injured or killed in Ukraine, says US

By Phelan Chatterjee
BBC News

Over 30,000 mercenaries fighting for the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group have been killed or injured since the Ukraine war began, US officials say.

White House spokesman John Kirby said the group had suffered significant losses in recent weeks, with about 9,000 fighters killed in action.

Wagner has recruited heavily in Russian prisons, and Mr Kirby said most casualties were untrained convicts.

Despite the casualties, Wagner has made gains around the city of Bakhmut.

Some of the fiercest fighting of the war has taken place around the eastern city, with Wagner mercenaries heavily involved in Russian efforts to capture it.

Ukrainian troops say Wagner fighters had been sent into attacks in large numbers over open ground, and a Ukrainian army spokesperson said Moscow had failed to evacuate wounded and dead soldiers - leading to "places where their bodies are just piled up".

Capturing Bakhmut could allow Russia to make advances to bigger cities further west, like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

However, Mr Kirby - the US National Security Council spokesman - suggested further advances could prove difficult given the gains made in Bakhmut had taken months to achieve and come at a "devastating cost that is not sustainable".

He also questioned the military significance of the city.

"It is possible that they may end up being successful in Bakhmut, but it will prove of no real worth to them because it is of no real strategic value," Mr Kirby told reporters.

Elsewhere, UK intelligence officials have estimated that Russian regular forces and Wagner troops may have suffered between 175,000-200,000 casualties - including 40,000-60,000 deaths.

The high number of deaths was "almost certainly" due to "extremely rudimentary medical provision", the UK's defence ministry said.

The Wagner Group was much smaller before the war, with just 5,000 fighters, most of whom were experienced former soldiers.

It started recruiting tens of thousands of fighters last year - largely from prisons, according to the US - as Russia had trouble finding troops for its invasion of Ukraine. Half of those convicts have probably been wounded or killed, UK officials say.

But last week, Mr Prigozhin, the group's founder, announced it would stop recruiting in prisons. The move followed longstanding tensions between Wagner and the Russian military.

"The number of Wagner units will decrease, and we will also not be able to carry out the scope of tasks that we would like to," he said.

Mr Prigozhin has blamed Moscow's "monstrous bureaucracy" for slowing down progress in Ukraine, and accused the Russian army of unfairly taking credit for previous Wagner successes.

Wagner is believed to have started operations in 2014 in the annexed Crimean Peninsula and has since operated elsewhere in Ukraine, in Syria and across Africa. It has been accused of brutality and war crimes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64685428

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 09:11 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bROY2AisK0

mapuc

02-18-23, 09:21 AM

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 09:36 AM

Total combat losses of Russian Federation since beginning of war - about 142,270 people (+1,010 per day), 3,303 tanks, 2,326 artillery systems, 6,533 armored vehicles. INFOGRAPHICS

As of the morning of February 18, 2023, the losses of the Russian occupiers amount to approximately 142,270 people.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press center of the General Staff.

As noted, the total combat losses of the enemy from 24/02/22 to 18/02/23 are approximately:

personnel - about 142,270 (+1,010) people were eliminated,
tanks - 3303 (+5) units,
armored combat vehicles - 6533 (+13) units,
artillery systems - 2326 (+4) units,
MLRS- 469 (+2) units,
air defense equipment - 243 (+2) units,
aircraft - 298 (+0) units,
helicopters - 287 (+0) units,
UAV of operational-tactical level - 2016 (+3),
cruise missiles - 871 (+0),
warships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5196 (+9) units,
special equipment - 223 (+2). Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400558

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 09:45 AM

Rishi Sunak: Ukraine's long-term security must be ensured now

By James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged world leaders to send the most advanced weapons to Ukraine now in order to secure its long-term future.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Mr Sunak said allies must give the country "advanced, Nato-standard capabilities".

He said that now was the time to "double down" on military support.

Throughout the conference, Ukraine's allies have reiterated the case for defending the country.

The three-day gathering to discuss global security, taking place in Germany a few days ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, will provide a key test of Western support for Kyiv as both sides in the war prepare for spring offensives.

Ukraine's allies are trying to demonstrate their resolve, trying to convince the Russian government that they will not give up or give in, even if the cost in "blood and treasure" increases in coming months as both sides launch fresh military campaigns.

Most of those attending the conference - from heads of state and ministers to diplomats and spies - are from Europe or the US, including US Vice-President Kamala Harris and nearly 30 European heads of government. No Russian officials have been invited.

Speaking from Downing Street, Mr Sunak said he wanted to "make sure other countries follow our lead" in providing battle tanks, and training soldiers and aviators on Nato-standard aircrafts.

In his speech in Germany, he said: "Ukraine needs more artillery, armoured vehicles and air defences, so now is the time to double down on our military support.

"When Putin started this war, he gambled that our resolve would falter. Even now he is betting we will lose our nerve.

"But we proved him wrong then, and we will prove him wrong now."

Calling for a new Nato charter to provide assurances of long-term support, Mr Sunak said allies "must demonstrate that we'll remain by their side, willing and able to help them defend their country again and again".

He went on to say that, as well as having a military strategy "to gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield", allies also needed "to rebuild the international order on which our collective security depends".

Mr Sunak said international law needed to be upheld in order to hold Russia to account. He also called for "a new framework" for Ukraine's long-term security, and said the international community's response had not been strong enough against Russia's aggression.

Before his speech, Mr Sunak met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and both agreed on the need to sustain "the record level of international support for Ukraine", a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also agreed on "the importance of giving Ukraine the military momentum they need to secure victory against tyranny" in a meeting on the conference sidelines, said a No 10 spokesperson.

The unspoken question in Munich is what will happen if the participants meet this time next year and the war is still going on.

Of particular concern is whether the political and economic costs of the war could prove too much to bear, as the Russian leadership assumes, or the western alliance will stand firm behind Ukraine.

The uncertainty around these issues is another reason why allies want to step up support now, to ensure Ukraine can see off any Russian offensive and launch a counter-attack on its own. President Volodymyr Zelensky is not the only one urging speed.

Last week, the Ukrainian leader visited the UK, as well as Paris and Brussels, where he appealed for European leaders to supply his country with modern fighter jets.

The UK is to start training Ukrainian forces to fly Nato-standard jets and Mr Sunak has said "nothing is off the table".

But Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said there will be no immediate transfer of UK fighter jets to Ukraine.

He told the BBC it could take months to train pilots and the UK was instead focused on using alternative provision of air cover to Ukraine.

Some Nato member countries are also worried that giving jets to Ukraine would be viewed as escalating the war, risking direct confrontation between the Western military alliance and Russia.

Since Russia invaded on 24 February last year, the UK has spent £2.3bn on military assistance, making the country the second biggest donor behind the US. The government has said it plans to match this spending again this year.

Military equipment provided by the UK so far includes tanks, air defence systems and artillery.

However, Kyiv has become increasingly frustrated by the time Western weapons have taken to arrive. Deliveries of battle tanks - promised last month by countries including Germany, the US and the UK - are still thought to be weeks away from arriving on the battlefield.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64674431

mapuc

02-18-23, 10:12 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u02vENscfqw&ab_channel=DenysDavydov

Markus

Skybird

02-18-23, 10:55 AM

Following comment by an FB friend-made me remember what I have read from history in the years 1934-1936/7.

"TV2 News reports that Mette Frederiksen is certain that Russia will invade other countries if they are not stopped in Ukraine.
A deeply foolish scare campaign"

Throughout these years 34-37 there were people even politicians like Churchill who warned about Hitler..

Hitler was popular in these years and those who warned about him was mocked.

Is history repeating itself ?

Markus
Its frightening to recall how close the camp around Chamberlain was to overthrow Churchill after he became PM. So frighteningly close.

The movie "Darkest Hour" with Gary Oldman as Churchill describes it, I did not know of that plot until then.

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 11:19 AM

NATO supports accession of Ukraine, but now it is necessary to ensure victory in war - Stoltenberg

The support of NATO allies for Ukraine’s future membership in the Alliance remains unchanged, but now the main efforts of NATO countries are focused on supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this today during a discussion at the Munich Security Forum, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"NATO's position regarding the future membership of Ukraine remains unchanged. We agreed back in 2008 (during the Bucharest NATO Summit. - Ed.) that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance, and this remains our position. It is important now to ensure the victory of Ukraine as a sovereign independent state. Because without it remaining as a sovereign and independent state, there is no point in discussing any relationship between NATO and Ukraine in the future. So there is an urgent need to provide Ukraine with military support, which NATO allies and partners are doing every day." - noted the head of the Alliance, answering the question of People's Deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko, whether we can expect practical steps to speed up the process of Ukraine joining the Alliance during the next NATO summit, which is to be held in Vilnius on July 11-12 this year.

He noted that together with British Prime Minister Sunak, he discussed what the security framework conditions could be after the end of this war in order to prevent Russia from repeating aggressive actions against Ukraine and other European countries in the future.

"When this war is over, we have to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself, that Russia can't continue to invade Ukraine. Because that's the pattern of behavior. It started in 2008 with (Russia's) invasion of Georgia, then in 2014 - annexation of Crimea and Donbas, and last year - a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Stoltenberg emphasized.

"We cannot allow Russia to continue undermining European security, we need to break this cycle of Russian aggression against European countries. So when this war ends, we must create certain framework conditions to make sure that Russian aggression will not continue," added the NATO Secretary General .

He emphasized that he considers the rapid accession of Finland and Sweden to the Alliance an important factor for strengthening European security, and expressed his belief that this process can be completed during the summit in Vilnius.

We will remind you that on February 17-18, a meeting of leading politicians of Europe and the world is taking place in Germany as part of the Munich Security Conference, which is dedicated to the most pressing problems of European and world security. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400634

Ministers of G7 countries agreed on further support for Ukraine, - Kuleba

Head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Dmytro Kuleba, said that during the meeting, the ministers of the "Big Seven" countries agreed on further support for Ukraine.

He wrote about this on Twitter, Censor.NET reports.

According to Kuleba, it is about speeding up the supply of weapons and the introduction of new sanctions against the Russian Federation.

"I took part in the G7 ministerial meeting at the invitation of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. We focused on everything needed for Ukraine's victory in 2023. There will be quick arms deliveries and new sanctions," Kuleba wrote.

The minister also emphasizes that neither Ukraine nor the world will tire of countering the Kremlin's aggression. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400633

Onkel Neal

02-18-23, 11:47 AM

Quick note bout recent posts: as long as they do not violate our rules, we should allow them. Feel free to ignore anything you disagree with, anything you think is provocative, goofy, or just plain wrong. :ping:

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 11:48 AM

US has warned China against helping Russia with weapons

The Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, warned China against helping Russia with lethal weapons that could be used by it in the war against Ukraine.

She said this during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, Censor.NET reports with reference to UNIAN.

According to Harris, the US is concerned about the deepening of cooperation between the Russian Federation and China over the past year.

"We see states like North Korea and Iran sending weapons to support Russia's brutal war. We are also concerned that Beijing has deepened its relations with Moscow since the war began. Any moves by China to provide lethal support to Russia will only reward aggression, continue killings and will further undermine the rules-based international order," Harris said.

At the same time, she emphasized that Washington will resolutely continue to support Ukraine. "And we'll do it as long as it takes," Harris said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400637

Great Britain will be first country to provide Ukraine with long-range weapon - Sunak

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that his country will provide Ukraine with long-range weapons.

His statement was quoted by the press center of the Munich Security Conference, Censor.NET informs.

"Great Britain will be the first country to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine," the tweet reads. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400642

Elected president of Czech Republic, Pavel, warned against such victory of Ukraine, which would destroy Russian Federation: "There may be more problems"

Former NATO general Petr Pavel, who won the Czech presidential election in January 2023 and is due to take office in March, believes that the West should be careful in seeking to defeat Russia in order to avoid undesirable scenarios of such a defeat.

He stated this at the "Ukrainian Lunch" within the framework of the Munich Security Conference, Censor.NET reports with reference to "Euro Integration".

Commenting on the probable outcome of the war after the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, declared that the return of Crimea and international punishment of Russia are inadmissible, Pavel said that the West should refrain from supporting one or another scenario.

"We need to be careful about pushing Ukraine to a certain result. Maybe at some point Ukraine will change its vision," he added.

Petr Pavel emphasized that the defeat of the Russian Federation has various scenarios, including those that the West should avoid.

"It is possible that this will lead to the collapse of Russia... If Russia collapses, then we may have more problems, we will have no one to negotiate disarmament with," he emphasized.

Pavel did not specify what exactly, in his opinion, should change in the actions of the West for this, but urged "to be realistic - hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400644

Modern fighters will be delivered to Ukraine only after war, - Wallace

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that Ukraine will be able to get modern Typhoon fighters only after the end of the war.

He said this in an interview with Spiegel, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrainian Pravda.

According to him, there will be no quick deliveries of fighters.

"At least not at this stage of the war, and I'm sure it won't even be six months from now. It's going to be quite a while before anyone puts fighter jets in Ukraine, let's be honest about that. Modern aircraft like the Eurofighter, which we have In Great Britain, we call it Typhoon, will be delivered to Ukraine only after the war," said Wallace.

According to him, this is the consensus among Western partners.

"Nevertheless, being ready in principle to take this step at a certain moment, we are signaling our determination to help Ukraine as much as it will be needed," he emphasized.

The minister reminded that pilot training takes a lot of time.

"That's why it's better to start now. We all don't know how this war will continue, whether it will continue for another year or two. By starting fighter training, we are preparing ourselves for the unexpected, on the other hand, we have nothing to lose," Wallace said. .

"If at some point we decide to actually send fighter jets, we will be ready. Unlike battle tanks, there will be no delays with fighter jets after a political decision is made," he explained. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400646

Commander Wallace

02-18-23, 12:51 PM

I came across an interesting article.

Ukraine war has exposed the folly – and unintended consequences – of 'armed missionaries'

Ronald Suny, Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan Fri, February 17, 2023 at 8:48 AM EST

The evening before Russia invaded Ukraine, it seemed (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/why-putin-wont-invade-ukraine/) to many observers (https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2021/12/06/quick-take-why-putin-wont-invade-ukraine/?sh=5f6437812927) – me included (https://theconversation.com/invading-ukraine-may-never-have-been-putins-aim-the-threat-alone-could-advance-russias-goals-177178) – nearly unimaginable that Putin would carry through with weeks of a threatened military attack. As I wrote at the time, Putin is not as erratic or rash (https://theconversation.com/invading-ukraine-may-never-have-been-putins-aim-the-threat-alone-could-advance-russias-goals-177178) as he is sometimes painted.

I had failed to take into account that Putin is, in the words of French statesman and revolutionary (http://blog.catherinedelors.com/no-one-likes-armed-missionaries-or-what-the-french-revolution-could-teach-us) Maximilien Robespierre, an “armed missionary.” Writing in 1792, Robespierre explained (http://blog.catherinedelors.com/no-one-likes-armed-missionaries-or-what-the-french-revolution-could-teach-us/), “The most extravagant idea that can take root in the head of a politician is to believe that it is enough for one people to invade a foreign people to make it adopt its laws and constitution. No one likes armed missionaries; and the first advice given by nature and prudence is to repel them as enemies.”
Those words seem fitting as Vladimir Putin’s disastrous war in Ukraine reaches a grim first anniversary on Feb. 24, 2023.

Putin’s decision marked the beginning of a year of massive destruction and death (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63580372) in Ukraine and of extraordinary costs – both economic (https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/12/24/the-cost-of-war-russias-economy-faces-a-decade-of-regress-a79783) and in lives lost (https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-death-toll-soldiers-1763829) – for Russia.

It was also a colossal blunder on Putin’s part: It has weakened Russia significantly (https://www.npr.org/2022/12/31/1145981036/war-against-ukraine-has-left-russia-isolated-and-struggling-with-more-tumult-ahe), solidified the NATO powers (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/23/nato-unity-ukraine-tanks-lloyd-austin/) around the leadership of the United States and created a more unified, nationally conscious Ukraine (https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3184593/ukraine-everything-so-patriotic-now-even-fashion-military) than had existed before the war.

Imperial overreach

As a fading power, Putin’s Russia has refused to accept its own limitations, both economically and militarily. In invading its smaller neighbor, Russia made a bid to upset the international system (https://doi.org/10.1163/18763324-04401006) headed by the United States (https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-united-states-moscow-5cc322a7ef3b0407c529ebf8bb1fbfd2). It also sought to establish its own hegemony over Ukraine, and by implication, over much of the former Soviet Union.
But Russia’s failure to “decapitate” the Ukrainian government (https://www.reuters.com/world/us-believes-russia-planning-decapitate-ukraines-government-2022-02-24/), which in turn inspired heroic resistance by Ukrainians, proved a disastrous example of what might be called “imperial overreach (https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2014/07/15/the-danger-of-imperial-overstretch/)” – when a state tries to expand or control other states beyond its own capacity to do so.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CGCR6mr5sW6aysHDwoaPOA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_conversation_us_articles_815/f007e5c25bd5f9d2bef0a82f1aa7bf66

One of many destroyed and abandoned Russian tanks. Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/destroyed-tank-is-seen-after-snowfall-amid-the-ongoing-news-photo/1247081730?phrase=russian%20tank%20&adppopup=true)
It has produced a weakened Russia – an isolated pariah state perceived as a threat to democracies and the rules-based liberal international security system.

Meanwhile, Putin’s diatribes against the West have evolved from complaints about the expansion of NATO (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-summit-putin/putin-criticizes-nato-expansion-as-alliance-holds-london-summit-idUSKBN1Y71K5) to attacking the permissive culture of the West (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-06/putin-aims-to-triumph-in-battle-for-cultural-supremacy?sref=am1wYMj6&leadSource=uverify%20wall).

Putin deploys rhetoric about dangerously subversive liberal, democratic values and practices – echoing right-wing politicians like Hungary’s Victor Orbán (https://theconversation.com/viktor-orbans-use-and-misuse-of-religion-serves-as-a-warning-to-western-democracies-146277) and Giorgia Meloni (https://theconversation.com/giorgia-meloni-the-political-provocateur-set-to-become-italys-first-far-right-leader-since-mussolini-190116), the far-right Italian leader. It appears that a new “International” – just as ominous to the liberal West as the Communist International was – is being formed of illiberal and authoritarian states, with Russia a key member.

This view of the Ukrainian war as a cultural struggle plays in the Russian media as an emotional rallying cry to mobilize the basest fears of Putin’s people.

Propaganda disguised as news (https://theconversation.com/how-russias-unanswered-propaganda-led-to-the-war-in-ukraine-180202), social media posts and the screeds of government officials are being deployed to shape ordinary Russians’ perceptions of the war.

Toward a multipolar world?

The consequences of Putin’s miscalculation are not limited to the war itself, or to Europe. Rather, they have had reverberations far beyond the battlefields of Ukraine and the homes of Russians whose sons have been slaughtered or fled abroad (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/russian-men-leave-country-fearing-call-to-fight-in-ukraine).

Putin’s imperial aggression against Ukraine – implausibly proclaimed to be a defense of a united Russia and of Ukrainian peoples against Nazi usurpers – has a long genealogy.
Ever since his famous speech at the Munich Security Forum in 2007 (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/copy/24034),

Russia’s president has railed against the “unipolar (https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-united-states-moscow-5cc322a7ef3b0407c529ebf8bb1fbfd2)” military and economic dominance of the United States. What he wants is “multipolarity” – that is, the ability of other great powers to hold sway over their neighborhoods.
In such a multipolar world, Ukraine and Georgia would never join NATO and much of the former Soviet Union would fall under the umbrella of Russia. China would have paramount influence in East Asia, likewise India in South Asia. And perhaps this is Iran’s ambition in much of the Middle East.
To countries hostile to the United States – and even to some friendly states – this multipolar rearrangement of the international order has considerable appeal.

Yes, the war in Ukraine has solidified the Western alliance around its idea of the rules-based international order that has been in place since 1945. But it has also awakened the aspirations of “the Global South (https://theconversation.com/as-ukraine-war-deepens-great-power-divisions-a-revitalized-non-aligned-movement-could-emerge-181136)” – those countries in neither NATO nor the former Soviet bloc, largely in the Southern Hemisphere.

Countries from Latin America and Africa to Pacific Island nations have urged a greater dispersion and sharing of international clout. The two most populous countries in the world, India and China, have expressed their support (https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-g7-is-one-part-of-indias-pursuit-of-a-multipolar-world/) for a new multipolar international order (https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt183p561) and have not been openly critical of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Redefining regional, global power struggles

The war in Ukraine has also had ripple effects on other global tensions.
With Taiwan as a potential flashpoint (https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/yearender-eye-storm-taiwan-centre-sino-us-tensions-2022-12-06/) and saber-rattling by North Korea (https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/26/asia/north-korea-missile-testing-year-end-intl-hnk/index.html), Japan, South Korea and the Philippines are gravitating toward closer military cooperation with the United States in East Asia. China and North Korea are moving in the opposite direction, closer to Russia.
The Ukraine war is also reshaping the long-festering conflict (https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1122895383/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-is-reshaping-the-armenia-azerbaijan-conflict) between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Both states desire sovereign power over the disputed region of mountainous Karabakh. But with Russia bogged down militarily and economically, Putin has been disinclined to aid Armenia, its one loyal ally in the South Caucasus.

This is despite the fact that Azerbaijan has repeatedly violated the borders (https://www.france24.com/en/access-asia/20220913-deadly-clashes-erupt-along-azerbaijan-armenia-border) of its neighbor.
Azerbaijan, by contrast, has been increasingly aided by its regional allies Israel – spurred by a shared hostility to Iran – and Turkey. Both have supplied Azerbaijan with advanced weaponry, giving the country an upper hand in the conflict.

The Ukraine conflict also has an effect on the great global power struggle to come: China and U.S. With EU states and regional rivals to China forging closer ties with Washington, Beijing may eye a growing threat – or even an opportunity to exert its influence more aggressively as regional power dynamics evolve.

American policymakers in both the Trump and Biden administrations have warned that the rise of China, economically and militarily, is a serious threat to the continued position of the U.S. as the strongest, richest state on the globe. To its competitors on the global stage, the U.S. also looks like an armed missionary.

The uncertainty of the Ukraine war, and the still uncertain ways in which it is reshaping geopolitics, will do little to dislodge those fears. Rather, it may encourage international relations scholars, such as Harvard professor Graham Allison (https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/destined-war-can-america-and-china-escape-thucydidess-trap), who believe in the “Thucydides’ Trap.” Based on the ancient Greek historian’s explanation for the origins of the Peloponnesian War, the theory has it that when an emerging power threatens to displace a regional or global hegemon, war is inevitable.

As someone trained to look to the past to understand the present and possible futures, I believe that nothing in history is inevitable; human beings always have choices. This was true for Putin on the eve of the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion, and it is true for policymakers around the world today.

But the decision to invade Ukraine underscores a clear danger: When statesmen perceive the world as a Darwinian zero-sum game of winners and losers, a clash between the West and the rest, or as an ideological conflict between autocracies and democracies, they can create the conditions – through provocation, threat or even invasion – that lead to wars with unintended consequences.

This article is republished from The Conversation (http://theconversation.com?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=related-link-0&utm_content=article-197609), an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters (https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=subscribe-link-3&utm_content=article-any).
It was written by: Ronald Suny (https://theconversation.com/profiles/ronald-suny-376643?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=byline-link&utm_content=article-197609), University of Michigan (https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-michigan-1290?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=byline-link&utm_content=article-197609).

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-war-exposed-folly-unintended-134833375.html

mapuc

02-18-23, 01:04 PM

I don't know if I have posted this before-The comment that is.

Are we prepared for what may come-When Putin comes to his senses and understand that he has lost the war in Ukraine ?

I expect everything from him-From Nukes to suicide

Markus

Catfish

02-18-23, 02:21 PM

Catfish

02-18-23, 02:29 PM

The russian government with Putin and his cronies, Prigozhin the ex sex slave from russian prison and the poor lads supposed to fight wars for these idiots at the helm.
More pity than hate .. :nope:

https://youtu.be/rYlMabpAYHs?t=762

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 02:54 PM

Jimbuna

02-18-23, 03:08 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwdJ1xeSRjM

Commander Wallace

02-18-23, 04:02 PM

Putin coming to his senses, hmm. Anyone expecting that?
When his time has come he will be unpredictable as always, so what's new.
As Commander Wallace wrote Putin is more of a missionary, problem is no one thinks of or believes in his theories. And as it is with those heralds of a glorious world coming most people do not buy this crap and may react harshly :03:

I'm sure Putrid thinks himself as a missionary. I think the vast majority of people view him as a dangerous lunatic. As far as coming to his senses, I think Putin has doubled down and is all in.

Skybird

02-19-23, 07:21 AM

Die Welt:
-----------------------------
Exasperation with Rheinmetall: problems with tank delivery to Ukraine, crisis meeting at ministry.

The most important thing: there is a hitch in the planned delivery of Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard 1 battle tanks for Ukraine. Rheinmetall had to admit to difficulties. Now there was a crisis meeting in the Ministry of Defense.

This is reported by the "Business Insider". According to the report, a crisis meeting was held at the Defense Ministry on Thursday of this week after Rheinmetall admitted problems with the delivery of Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, according to several sources at the Bundeswehr. At issue are 20 vehicles that were to be part of a package with a total of as many as 40 Marder vehicles. This had already been announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the beginning of January.

High-ranking representatives of the Ministry of Defense are annoyed that Rheinmetall apparently gave the impression for weeks that everything was going according to plan, and now comes with the bad news. This is because within the Bundeswehr it had already caused considerable problems to gather the remaining 20, some of which will now have to be withdrawn from the active force, contrary to earlier government promises.

According to reports, there is a shortage of spare parts for the Marder, which means that there will not be 20 operational vehicles. The extent to which this is really true and why it has not been noticed before remains an open question. The company's press office has so far not responded to a request for information.

Apparently, there are also problems with the 88 Leopard-1 tanks, for which Papperger received an export license for Ukraine almost two weeks ago. Unlike Flensburger Fahrzeugbau (FFG), which is allowed to deliver another 90 Leopard 1s, Rheinmetall, according to insiders, has not yet submitted a draft contract for the repairs to the Ministry of Defense - because they are allegedly only now taking a closer look at what actually needs to be repaired on the tanks. It is therefore unclear how much this will cost.

Meanwhile, the financial magnitude of Rheinmetall's participation by Lockheed Martin in the production of F-35 fighter jets in Germany, announced by the company on Friday, looms large. According to Business Insider, the deal is said to be worth up to two billion euros. Rheinmetall will receive around 160 million euros from the German government for the new production line in Unterluess for Gepard ammunition.
------------------------

Tja, so wird das nix. :ping:

Jimbuna

02-19-23, 07:28 AM

China may give Russia weapons for Ukraine war, Anthony Blinken warns

By Samuel Horti in London and James Landale in Munich
BBC News

China is considering giving Russia weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said.

Mr Blinken told CBS News that Chinese companies were already providing "non-lethal support" to Russia - and new information suggested Beijing could provide "lethal support".

This escalation would mean "serious consequences" for China, he warned.

China has denied reports that Moscow has requested military equipment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is yet to condemn Russia's invasion - but he has sought to remain neutral in the conflict and has called for peace.

Mr Blinken was speaking to CBS after he met China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.

He said that during the meeting he expressed "deep concerns" about the "possibility that China will provide lethal material support to Russia".

"To date, we have seen Chinese companies... provide non-lethal support to Russia for use in Ukraine. The concern that we have now is based on information we have that they're considering providing lethal support," he said.

He did not elaborate on what information the US had received about China's potential plans. When pressed on what the US believed China might give to Russia, he said it would be primarily weapons as well as ammunition.

The US has sanctioned a Chinese company for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine to the mercenary Wagner Group, which supplies Russia with thousands of fighters.

Mr Blinken told CBS that "of course, in China, there's really no distinction between private companies and the state".

If China provided Russia with weapons, that would cause a "serious problem for us and in our relationship", he added.

Relations between Washington and Beijing were already poor after the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in early February. Both sides exchanged angry words, but equally both sides appeared embarrassed by the incident and seemed ready to move on.

But if China were to deliver weapons to help Russian forces in Ukraine, then US-Chinese relations would deteriorate much more severely.

Mr Blinken's warning seems to be clearly designed to deter China from doing that.

Mr Blinken also said the US was worried about China helping Russia evade Western sanctions designed to cripple Russia's economy. China's trade with Russia has been growing, and it is one of the biggest markets for Russian oil, gas, and coal.

Nato members, including the US, are sending a variety of weapons, ammunition and equipment to Ukraine, including tanks. They have stopped short of sending fighter jets, and Mr Blinken would not be drawn on whether the US would help other countries supply jets.

"We've been very clear that we shouldn't fixate or focus on any particular weapons system," he said.

He did, however, say that the West must ensure Ukraine had what it needed for a potential counter offensive against Russia "in the months ahead". Russia is currently trying to advance in eastern regions of Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting of the war has taken place.

Mr Wang said in Munich yesterday that China had "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" for the Ukraine war, Reuters reported.

China would publish a document that laid out its position on settling the conflict, Mr Wang said. The document would state that the territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, he said.

"I suggest that everybody starts to think calmly, especially friends in Europe, about what kind of efforts we can make to stop this war," Mr Wang said.

He added that there were "some forces that seemingly don't want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon", but did not say who he meant.

The Chinese President, Mr Xi, is scheduled to deliver a "peace speech" on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, 24 February, according to Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani.

Mr Tajani told Italian radio that Mr Xi's speech would call for peace without condemning Russia, Reuters reported.

During their meeting, Mr Blinken and Mr Wang also exchanged strong words on the deepening row over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the US.

Mr Blinken said during the meeting that the US would not "stand for any violation of our sovereignty" and said "this irresponsible act must never again occur".

Mr Blinken told CBS that other nations were concerned about what he called China's "surveillance balloon program" across five continents.

Mr Wang, meanwhile, called the episode a "political farce manufactured by the US" and accused them of "using all means to block and suppress China". China has denied sending a spy balloon.

And on Sunday morning, Beijing warned that the US would "bear all the consequences" if it escalated the argument over the balloon. China would "follow through to the end" in the event "the US insists on taking advantage of the issue", it said in a foreign ministry statement reported by Reuters.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64695042

Jimbuna

02-19-23, 07:47 AM

Ukraine war: Russia must be defeated but not crushed, Macron says

By Phelan Chatterjee & Matt Murphy
BBC News

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he does not want to see Russia crushed by a defeat in Ukraine.

Speaking to French media, Mr Macron urged Western nations to increase military support for Kyiv and said he was prepared for a protracted war.

"I want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, and I want Ukraine to be able to defend its position," he said.

But he hit out against those who he said wanted to extend the war to Russia itself in a bid to "crush" the nation.

The comments came as world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference, which saw promises to speed up the supply of weapons to Kyiv and impose tougher sanctions on Moscow.

"I do not think, as some people do, that we must aim for a total defeat of Russia, attacking Russia on its own soil," Mr Macron told the paper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"Those observers want to, above all else, crush Russia. That has never been the position of France and it will never be our position."

Addressing the conference in Munich on Friday, Mr Macron insisted that now was not the time for dialogue with Moscow.

But he did not shy away from mentioning peace talks as a final goal.

The president suggested that Ukrainian military efforts, supported by allies, were the only way to "bring Russia back to the table and build a lasting peace".

He also dismissed the prospect of regime change in Russia, describing similar efforts around the world as a "total failure".

Despite Mr Macron's comments, negotiations are a faraway prospect for Ukraine's leaders.

On Friday, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the decision to not invite Moscow to the Munich conference.

Russian leaders should not be invited to the table as long as the "terrorist state kills, as long as it uses bombs, missiles and tanks as an argument for international politics", he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out immediate talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, insisting there was "no trust" between the parties. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, he also dismissed the idea of giving up territory to strike a peace deal with Moscow.

Mr Macron has previously been criticised by some Nato allies for sending what they believe are mixed messages on Ukraine.

Last June, he was condemned by Mr Kuleba for saying it was vital that Russia was not "humiliated over its invasion".

Mr Kuleba at the time responded that Russia - which was "humiliating itself" - needed to be put in its place.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64693691

ET2SN

02-19-23, 08:14 AM

Ukraine war: Russia must be defeated but not crushed, Macron says

Russia should have thought about that before they invaded. :yep:

mapuc

02-19-23, 08:16 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l03XZAsk6HE&ab_channel=DenysDavydov

Markus

Jimbuna

02-19-23, 08:20 AM

Ukraine war: Russia has committed crimes against humanity, US says

By George Wright
BBC News

The US has "formally determined" that Russia had committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, US Vice-President Kamala Harris has said.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ms Harris accused Russia of "gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape and deportation" since its invasion.

Moscow's ambassador to the US rejected the claims and accused Ms Harris of trying to "demonise Russia".

World leaders at the conference called for long-term support of Ukraine.

UK PM Rishi Sunak said now was the time to "double down" on military support.

The prime minister argued that Western allies must start planning for the future security of Ukraine, as well as sending the weapons it needs to defend itself now.

The conference in Germany comes as the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches on 24 February.

Ms Harris told delegates that the perpetrators of alleged Russian crimes in Ukraine must be held to account.

"Their actions are an assault on our common values and our common humanity," she said.

The UN defines crimes against humanity as a "widespread or systemic attack" on a particular civilian population.

Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians during its invasion.

Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the US, said the vice-president's claims were a cynical attempt to "demonise Russia in the course of a hybrid war".

They were a way of "justifying Washington's own actions to fuel the Ukrainian crisis", he added, referring to the US supply of arms to Kyiv.

But Ms Harris, a former prosecutor, was adamant that "in the case of Russia's actions in Ukraine we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: these are crimes against humanity".

She cited "barbaric and inhumane" atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine, including the scores of bodies found in Bucha shortly after the invasion and the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol.

"Let us all agree: on behalf of all the victims, both known and unknown, justice must be served," Ms Harris said.

Crimes against humanity are tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

But the ICC has no powers to arrest suspects and can only exercise jurisdiction within countries which signed up to the agreement that set up the court.

Russia is not a signatory to that agreement, so it is unlikely to extradite any suspects.

The three-day gathering in Munich will provide a key test of Western support for Kyiv as both sides in the war prepare for spring offensives.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow had "waged a genocidal war" because it did not think Ukrainians "deserve to exist as a sovereign nation".

Tens of thousands have lost their lives and millions have been forced from their homes as part of Vladimir Putin's invasion.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64691001

Jimbuna

02-19-23, 09:21 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUwW65jJGig

mapuc

02-19-23, 10:17 AM

https://twitter.com/Flash_news_ua/status/1627306951963967488

Markus

Jimbuna

02-19-23, 11:01 AM

AMX-10 RC light tanks France will hand over to Ukraine at end of next week, - Minister of Defense Lecornu

Already at the end of next week, Ukraine will receive the promised AMX-10 RC light tanks from France.

French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said this in an interview with Le Parisien, Censor.NET informs.

Training is over, these armored vehicles will be delivered from the end of next week," he said.

However, the minister refused to specify the number of armored vehicles that Ukraine will receive.

"In order not to give any strategic information for Russia," the minister explained.

Lecornu also added that France will not yet supply Leclerc tanks to Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400755

Russian Federation spends as much ammunition per day as is produced in Europe in month - Prime Minister of Estonia Kallas

Russia spends as much ammunition per day as is produced in Europe in a month. Therefore, Ukraine must be able to defend itself and win a victory over Russia, which is impossible without increasing supplies of ammunition.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform, Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas said this during her speech at the Munich Security Conference.

"Russia spends as much ammunition per day as Europe produces in a month... if there is demand, it is necessary to ensure an increase in supply, and it must be done quickly, because Ukraine must be able to defend itself and win, so that Russia can return to old borders, which is impossible without increasing the supply of ammunition," she said.

Kallas also noted that the Russian military-industrial complex works in three shifts, so the EU should also increase its defense-industrial potential. "Ukraine needs ammunition, we need to replenish our stocks... Today there are great needs from the side of Ukraine and from the side of European countries that have transferred weapons and equipment to Ukraine," she said.

The Prime Minister of Estonia noted that some countries still hope "that this problem will disappear by itself, that we will now give everything to Ukraine and that's enough, because otherwise all this costs a lot of money. But Russia is hoping for just that, that we will get tired of our own initiatives, and in Russia, meanwhile, there is a lot of human resources and enterprises there work in three shifts." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400750

Russia uses sexual violence as weapon of war, - Kostin

Russia uses sexual violence as a weapon of war. Ukrainian prosecutors record such cases wherever the Russian military was stationed.

This was announced by Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin, Censor.NET informs with reference to the press center of the Prosecutor General's Office.

As noted, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin held a meeting with Alicia Cairns, a member of the British Parliament in Munich. It was about numerous international crimes committed by the army of the aggressor state in Ukraine, including sexual violence.

"Russia uses sexual violence as a weapon of war - we record such cases wherever the Russian military was stationed," Kostin noted.

It is also reported that Kostin and Cairns discussed ways to bring criminals to justice and compensate for damages at the expense of the aggressor state. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400744

mapuc

02-19-23, 02:31 PM

There's a heavy fighting going in and around Selydove

We see flashes almost all the time. Some of these flashes are so huge it light up the sky and ground.

Markus

Skybird

02-19-23, 04:42 PM

https://youtu.be/KsZNnYktas4

War - that is first the hope that one will be better off, then the expectation that the other will be worse off, then the satisfaction that the other is not better off, and then the surprise that both are worse off.Karl Kraus: (1874 - 1936), Austrian writer, publicist, satirist, lyricist, aphorist and dramatist. Source: Kraus, Sayings and Contradictions, 1909I still think that in the way the Europeans are organising their stand in this war until today, the Ukraine will not be able to win the war. That one year after the war began one is still talking about how to bring up war production and not getting it done for one full year, is a declaration of military bancruptcy, imo.

I also stick to that there is no real interest to see the Ukraine winning and then joining the West's organisations EU and NATO, because we already now can clearly see how the balance of power is shifting towards Warsaw and that with entry of the Ukraine Paris and Berlin would lose even more influence and weight to Eastern Europe. And that is what they both do not like.

And Turkey's doubleplay: Erdoghan claims to be a mediator. But he cannot be that, first becauue he is already member of NATO, at least formally, and NATO is no mediator in thsi war, and second because he plays his own doubleplay all the time. He is as much an honest broker as is Bejing : not at all.

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 05:59 AM

US President Joe Biden is in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion on 24 February last year.

In a statement from the White House, Mr Biden says he will announce "another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition" and added that later this week he will announce "additional sanctions" against elites and companies "that are trying to evade or backfill Russia's war machine".

Mr Zelenskyy says he and Mr Biden discussed long-range weapons, while Mr Biden says Ukraine will get a new military aid package worth $500 million to be announced on Tuesday.

The unannounced trip comes after the White House said last week that there were no plans for the president to cross into Ukraine during his visit to Poland this week, to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Ukiraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Mr Biden discussed long-range weapons during his visit.

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko confirmed Mr Biden's visit and wrote on Twitter: "Welcome Mr. President!".

Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sunday that he and Mr Biden will discuss the possibility of increasing US troop presence in Poland.

It follows a series of recent trips by Mr Zelenskyy to a number of Western allies including the UK and France.

In December, Mr Zelenskyy visited President Biden at the White House on his first trip out of Ukraine since the war began.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/joe-biden-pictured-in-kyiv-in-first-trip-to-ukraine-since-war-began/ar-AA17HP5z?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=6047e73345984846b4d23cecc1bb46c1

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 06:04 AM

Rishi Sunak urged to put Britain on war footing as Russia rebuilds forces

Rishi Sunak must put Britain on a war footing and boost defence spending, a senior Whitehall source has said.

The Ministry of Defence is currently embroiled in a row over defence spending in the upcoming budget, with Ben Wallace said to have asked the Chancellor for £10 billion for his department.

However, a top Whitehall source told The Telegraph there was “deep concern” among the upper echelons of the military and that the problem to getting more money was not Jeremy Hunt, but the Prime Minister.

“I cannot think of any Prime Minister that would behave this way,” they said. “They have no sense at all of the UK’s role on the international stage and the contribution our allies expect us to make. There is a war in Europe, we are hollowing out our forces, our allies and partners are all investing in defence, every single previous prime minister I can think of would have responded to that.”

They cited Mr Sunak’s background in investment banking as his reason for having “no instinctive feel for statecraft”.

It comes after world leaders met at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend and discussed how to continue to support Ukraine, with Mr Sunak pledging to help other countries send fighter jets to the war-torn country.

He also highlighted the UK’s own commitments in recent weeks, including a promise to send main battle tanks, advanced air defence systems and longer-range missiles to Ukraine, as examples for the international community to match.

The source added: “Some people say they are a wartime prime minister and chancellor content to stand up on the international stage at places like the Munich Security Conference and give away British equipment for a good cause and urge others to do the same, but are not willing to put their hands in their pockets and replenish gaps they have created like anything with the urgency the situation demands.”

Last week The Telegraph revealed that French officials had raised concerns over the state of the British Armed Forces due to budget cuts.

Thomas Gassilloud, a leading French MP, warned there were concerns in his country that Britain had given weapons to Ukraine from its own supplies, leaving its forces depleted.

Following a recent announcement that 14 of Britain’s Challenger 2 tanks would be sent to Ukraine, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the Army, warned that his force would be "temporarily weaker" as a result. However, Mr Sunak has not yet set out whether he will increase defence spending in line with inflation.

Emmanuel Macron announced last month that he would boost military spending by more than a third by 2030, and Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has pledged his country will now spend 2 percent of GDP on defence - Nato’s minimum requirement.

Last year President Biden signed off on a record increase to the defence budget, while Poland has vowed to double its military spending to four per cent of GDP this year.

Radoslaw Sikorski, a former Polish foreign minister and a member of the European Parliament, cautioned that since the UK had left the EU, defence was an area where it had “leverage”.

He told The Telegraph: “Everybody recognises the UK is a desirable partner and has clout but of course we want to see the UK invest more. A lot of its money is spent on its nuclear deterrents and aircraft carriers which are difficult to use on the European continent. The UK needs to rebuild its army.”

The Whitehall source added that “Russia is putting its defence and economy on to wartime footing,” and Moscow would “regrow and re-equip” its defence forces at scale over the next five years.

“What every European ally has done is recognise there is a threat coming downstream and it will take a long time to regrow so they are starting now. We are not. None of this is cutting through into No 10. We are falling behind our allies and our influence will be diminished.”

They added: “You can see there is a storm coming because all the trends and indicators are that we will find ourselves in trouble at some point in the next five to 10 years.

“We have a leaking roof and rather than fixing it we are removing roof tiles and making the roof worse.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/rishi-sunak-urged-to-put-britain-on-war-footing-as-russia-rebuilds-forces/ar-AA17GDUR?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=8c5ceee8debc41178374b4c41874e5c2

Skybird

02-20-23, 07:56 AM

Frankfurter Allgemeine:
-------------------------------
Biden wanted to go to Kiev - but no one was allowed to know

In the White House, they had suggested a meeting on the Polish border. But the American president wanted to go to Kiev. So there were fibs and tricks in Washington.

The White House Press Corps takes its job very seriously. The pool reporter, who is appointed for one day at a time, describes, as it were, as a representative of the fourth estate, every step taken by POTUS, FLOTUS or VPOTUS - i.e. the "President of the United States," the First Lady or the Vice President - in detail in short dispatches, which are immediately forwarded to all journalists accredited there via the White House press office. But there was silence on this channel early Monday morning. It was Ukrainian news portals that were the first to broadcast, shortly before noon Kyiv time, that Joe Biden had just been spotted with Volodymyr Selenskyj.

Ukrainian journalists were forewarned because security in the capital was apparently unprecedented. For no other of the many distinguished visitors so far, reports from Kiev said, had so many streets been closed off, even to pedestrians.

The handful of American journalists who had come along, at least that much the "New York Times" reveals, had had to hand over their cell phones in the very early American morning, before the trip began. At shortly after four on Sunday morning, Biden flew to Poland with his security adviser Jake Sullivan and an unusually small number of other staff on Air Force One. Presumably, he had already continued east from there on the train when the White House sent around the president's agenda later Sunday. It stated that Biden was in Washington and was leaving Tuesday night for his announced visit to Poland.

Whether Biden made all or part of his trip by train remained uncertain at first; it took ten hours, according to the New York Times. The Secret Service's misgivings about such a trip can easily be guessed. They were confirmed, as it were, when Biden stepped out onto the street with Selenskyj in Kiev and the air sirens began to wail. Apparently, a Russian MiG fighter plane had taken off in Belarus. This is everyday life for the people of Kiev - but not for the 80-year-old American commander-in-chief and his guards.

Parallels have been drawn in the U.S. press to the equally general-staff-obscured visits of Presidents George W. Bush to Iraq in 2003 and Barack Obama to Afghanistan in 2010. The difference from the Pentagon and Secret Serrvice perspective: In each of the two war zones, the U.S. military had been the dominant force; on Ukrainian soil, American armed or security forces are not present in significant numbers.

The New York Times report mentioned American fighter jets in Polish airspace on the border with Ukraine, but said they had not entered Ukrainian airspace. It was worth mentioning in the newspaper that Biden had dined with his wife Jill in a restaurant on Saturday evening as a farewell (or as a further smokescreen?), which only happens very rarely nowadays.

That trips to war zones are not publicly announced is self-evident. That the White House lays false tracks with false information, however, is extremely unusual. There had been speculation for many weeks about a possible appearance by Biden in Kiev, but again and again administration spokesmen and staff assured that there were "no plans" for it.

In truth, planning had apparently begun more than a month ago. According to a report in "Rolling Stone," the president had internally issued the motto several weeks ago that a public gesture of solidarity should be organized for him. The magazine cites a senior government official and writes that several options have been worked out.

Among the options discussed was a meeting of Biden and Selensky in a Polish-Ukrainian border town. This was the approach taken by First Lady Jill Biden, who met with Selenskyj's wife in May 2022 in the small town of Uzhgorod near the Slovakian border. According to the report, another proposal called for a meeting in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The concerns of the Secret Service and other security agencies have been considerable, according to Rolling Stone: First, because of the difficult-to-calculate dangers in the midst of continuous Russian air strikes, and second, because of the impossibility of taking the usual precautions in Ukraine during trips of the American president. After all, it was precisely for security reasons that a "small footprint" was required - the opposite of what commonly characterizes presidential travel.

Biden, however, chose Kiev. It may sound "presumptuous," the U.S. commander-in-chief told Selenskyj Monday morning at Kyiv's presidential palace, "but from the very first day of the attack, I thought it was important for the president of the United States to come here." Biden added: "I thought it was critical that there not be the slightest doubt about the United States' support for Ukraine in the war."
----------------------------

mapuc

02-20-23, 09:00 AM

So Biden and other Politicians here in the west is criticizing China for their plan on selling weapon and ammo to Russia.

Maybe it's me-'cause I can't see any problem with that-Heck we sell/give a huge amount of weapon and ammo to Ukraine.

Why shouldn't Russia be given military aid ?

For anyone who may doubt:

I'm a strong supporter for Ukraine SLAVA UKRAINI.

Markus

Skybird

02-20-23, 09:23 AM

mapuc

02-20-23, 09:40 AM

I cannot imagine you mean that posting and question serious...?! This is not Basketball or 400m hurdles, we are not about fair sportsmanship.

I confess it's not about fair sportsmanship.

I'm very much divided in this question-Are we allowed to point fingers at China, Iran and North Korea for helping Russia ?
Or does we have every right to do so-'cause Russia is the perpetrator in this case ?

There's this overhanging fear that the west and China together with Iran will be dragged into the war.

But isn't we by proxy already at war with Russia ?

Markus

Skybird

02-20-23, 12:25 PM

Morally the thing is crystal-clear. And I think you already know and feel that. So why this artificial effort to relativize the responsibility of the evil one for his crimes and to relativize help for the victim against the complicity of other evil ones? I don't see anything purposeful in it except an overly playful sense of abstraction with the goal of distorting the object/topic at issue beyond recognition.

mapuc

02-20-23, 01:04 PM

I stand corrected, because I knew I was wrong.

Can our leaders prevent China from selling weapons and ammo to Russia ?

I say no and the threat about sanctions and embargoes will not have the effect our leaders hope it will have.

Markus

Catfish

02-20-23, 01:33 PM

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 01:51 PM

I cannot imagine you mean that posting and question serious...?! This is not Basketball or 400m hurdles, we are not about fair sportsmanship.

Morally the thing is crystal-clear. And I think you already know and feel that. So why this artificial effort to relativize the responsibility of the evil one for his crimes and to relativize help for the victim against the complicity of other evil ones? I don't see anything purposeful in it except an overly playful sense of abstraction with the goal of distorting the object/topic at issue beyond recognition.

Rgr that :yep:

Two wrongs don't make a right either.

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 02:07 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpznN5scljU

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 02:43 PM

Japan will provide Ukraine with additional financial assistance in amount of 5.5 billion dollars, - Prime Minister Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a symposium in Tokyo that the government plans to allocate another $5.5 billion to Ukraine to restore infrastructure damaged by the Russian invaders.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Kyodo News.

"There is still a need to help people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the war and to rebuild destroyed infrastructure. We have decided to provide additional financial support of $5.5 billion," Kishida said.

Kisida also confirmed that he will invite the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the online summit of the Group of Seven, which is scheduled for this week. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400958

During Biden’s visit to Kyiv, US aircraft flew along Ukrainian-Polish border, - Sky News

During Joe Biden’s visit to Kyiv, at least two US Air Force planes circled near the Polish-Ukrainian border.

As reported by Censor.NET, Sky News reports this.

According to the media, it is about Boeing E-3B Sentry, which work as airborne early warning and control systems.

"The aircraft tracks incoming threats, such as missiles, using its signature radar antenna. It can also perform other surveillance and communications tasks. ... They began monitoring the area yesterday (February 19. - Ed.) evening at 10 p.m.: 00 Kyiv time, possibly when Mr. Biden's trip to the country began," the publication writes.

According to Sky News, the tracking data of both flights does not show where they took off from, but it was the first time they were seen over Poland. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400973

Italy can give Ukraine five combat planes, but does not want to be first - La Repubblica

Italy is ready to supply Ukraine with five Tornado and AMX combat aircraft, but does not want to be the first to do so for reasons of political expediency.

This is reported by La Repubblica with reference to its own sources, Censor.NET informs

"The country does not want to create the impression that it is forced to follow the long wave of allies led by Great Britain, which is pushing partners to a new, decisive step," the message reads.

Also, according to the report, the Italian government is considering the idea of holding an international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400983

Pistorius on planes for Ukraine: Discussions are underway regarding fighter jets, which Germany does not have

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented on the situation with the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.

"On behalf of the Federal Republic, I can only say that all discussions are conducted around fighter jets, which the Bundeswehr does not have. So this is a question for other countries," he said.

At the same time, Pistorius noted that in view of the development of events in Ukraine, "absolutely nothing can be ruled out", but in relation to the planes, there is really no question of German aid. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3400987

Jimbuna

02-20-23, 02:55 PM

West fears that China’s "peace plan" will undermine Ukraine’s support at UN, - Bloomberg

China’s "peace plan" to resolve Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Western countries believe, can win the support of the countries of the "Global South" and thereby reduce the number of votes for similar pro-Ukrainian initiatives at the UN.

This is stated in a Bloomberg publication, Censor.NET reports with reference to "Euro Integration".

So far, the Chinese side has not disclosed the details of the "peace plan", but China's top diplomat Wang Yi said that it will contain calls for territorial integrity, the inviolability of nuclear facilities and opposition to the use of chemical weapons.

European officials familiar with the "peace plan" told Bloomberg on condition of anonymity that they expect the Chinese initiative to also call for a cease-fire and an end to the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

The US and its allies believe Russian President Vladimir Putin may make similar statements during his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday, they said.

Bloomberg's interlocutors also suggest that Putin may propose a draft resolution of the UN General Assembly dedicated to the anniversary of the events of February 24, in order to compete with the project, which was supported by Ukraine's allies, with demands on Russia to withdraw troops and stop hostilities.

Although China's "peace plan" has little chance of success, US allies, according to Bloomberg, are concerned that the proposal could gain traction in the countries of the "Global South" and potentially attract votes at the United Nations. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401042

China told US "not to lecture it" regarding supply of arms to Russian Federation

China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the United States "has no right to lecture" on arms supplies, amid concerns that China may transfer weapons to Russia.

СNN writes about this with reference to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Wenbin, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrainian Pravda.

"It is the American side, not the Chinese side, that supplies a steady flow of weapons to the battlefield. The American side has no right to read China's notations, and we will never agree to the US dictating or even exerting pressure on Sino-Russian relations.

Who is calling for dialogue and peace, and who is handing out knives and encouraging confrontation?" Wenbin said.

He added that China continues to "call for peace and promote negotiations" to resolve the "conflict in Ukraine." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401009

mapuc

02-20-23, 03:03 PM

Following has been translated with deepL translator

- We ask the American side to reflect seriously on the role it has played.

- And do something to actually help de-escalate the situation and facilitate peace negotiations.

- And stop blaming others and spreading disinformation.

It's not China
So says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wembin today,( https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202302/t20230220_11027934.html ) when asked to comment on allegations of Chinese arms dealing with Russia made by the US in recent weeks:

- The international community is fully aware of who is encouraging dialogue and striving for peace, and who is fanning the flames and inciting confrontation.

It is the US that is pouring weapons on
- It is the US, not China, that has poured weapons onto the battlefield, continued spokesman Wang, who also revealed that China is coming up with some kind of peace plan to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

Two weeks ago, 11 Republican members of the House of Representatives put forward a resolution, dubbed the 'Ukraine Threat Resolution',(https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/gaetz.house.gov/files/documents/Ukraine%20Fatigue%20Res.pdf ) which contained a long list of military contributions the US has sent to or promised Ukraine. Contributions amounting to more than $110 billion. And last week, the AP news agency was able to bring out a poll showing that support for continued US arms aid to Ukraine has declined since March 2022.

A year ago, 60 percent thought arms should be sent - that has now dropped to 48 percent. At the same time, the share of Americans who do not want to send weapons at all has risen from 19 to 29 percent.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Here is the Danish version-If you want to translate the page into your language
https://ekstrabladet.dk/nationen/kina-til-usa-serioest/9643262

My opinion
Why are China going after USA and the West ? Why aren't they not addressing Russia. It's Russia's invasion who's the reason to our acting towards Ukraine-By sending them help.

Markus

MaDef

02-20-23, 04:46 PM

Dargo

02-20-23, 04:51 PM

Seems the wagner mercenaries threaten and shoot regular russian soldiers if they do not follow the wagnerites' orders, they also insult Shoigu and the russian military. Not Putin of course, cowards.
Surviving russian soldiers have not been paid for six months. People with guns getting no money, what could go wrong..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d94grjQ_j8There are again more rumors of infighting, a lot of dead by own fire and a lot are not paid yet from day they enlisted. In many remote Russian regions people, partly because of propaganda, have no grasp of the situation and do not really understand what is happening. If you are poor, the price of a human life is not so high. If the government says: go to the front, you go. Men have no income and are drinking. Mortgages weigh heavily and people are deep in debt. And now the government is suddenly offering a monthly income! Of course, there is a chance that you might get injured or die, but in that case your debts are cancelled, and your relatives get a fantastic sum of money, as much as 8 million roubles [€100,000], more than they ever saw. If they ever get that, they will never know they are dead, therefor hard to prove if government says you deserted.

Dargo

02-20-23, 05:08 PM

Following has been translated with deepL translator

Here is the Danish version-If you want to translate the page into your language
https://ekstrabladet.dk/nationen/kina-til-usa-serioest/9643262

My opinion
Why are China going after USA and the West ? Why aren't they not addressing Russia. It's Russia's invasion who's the reason to our acting towards Ukraine-By sending them help.

MarkusChina is an anti-West country a weak Russia is good for them, but they are partners in the anti-Western collation and do not want Russia to lose more. Oxymoron is they need both Russia and a western market, think China is capable to navigate on that thin line to go not too far and still profit from it.

Dargo

02-20-23, 05:35 PM

In China, Worries About a Weakened Russia Prompt a Rethink
Concern that a Russian setback in Ukraine would cripple China’s partner against the West helps drive Beijing’s push for an end to the war

China’s leadership is growing worried that increased Western military support for Ukraine will severely weaken Russia, a key partner for Beijing in its heightened competition with the U.S. and its allies.

Ukraine’s robust battlefield resistance has prompted a rethink in Beijing, making it more inclined to push for a cease-fire to prevent further Russian setbacks—or even a larger-scale defeat, according to people close to Chinese decision-making.

The reconsideration has led to Beijing further expanding its economic ties with Moscow. China is looking to increase its imports of Russian oil, gas and farm goods, forge more joint energy partnerships in the Arctic and increase Chinese investment in Russian railways and ports.

Unclear is how this will translate into any changes in Beijing’s restraint so far from providing Moscow with military support—a possibility highlighted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks this weekend that Washington had information that Beijing was weighing providing lethal support to Moscow. Some foreign-policy strategists in Beijing have raised the question of whether China should consider providing military support to Russia for defensive purposes—a scenario they say could significantly increase the costs of the conflict. That, in turn, could give China some leverage in proposing options to end the conflict.

But such a move would also stir up greater resentment against Xi Jinping’s leadership in the West. It couldn’t be determined whether the idea is gaining traction in the top leadership.

China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday hit back at the U.S. allegations. “It’s the U.S. side, not the Chinese side, that’s providing an endless flow of weapons,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing. “The U.S. side isn’t qualified to point fingers at China or order China around, and we never accept the U.S. criticizing Sino-Russian relations.” In Turkey on Monday, Mr. Blinken said, “I think China understands what’s at risk were it to proceed with providing material support of that kind to Russia.”

During a surprise visit to Kyiv, President Biden on Monday announced half a billion dollars of additional assistance to Ukraine, underlining the urgency for Beijing in seeking an end to a war that has welded the U.S. and its Europe allies closer together and that risks irreparably cementing China’s rift with the West.

A diminished Russian power gives China an upper hand in the bilateral relationship, potentially leading to more favorable deals, including for energy, for Beijing. Nonetheless, the people close to Chinese decision-making said, President Xi Jinping has little interest in seeing Moscow and his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, emerge from the war severely crippled.

To that end, Beijing is pressing for a more active role in trying to end the conflict. Its top foreign-affairs official, Wang Yi, said at the Munich Security Conference this past weekend that Beijing would unveil details of a Chinese peace initiative on Feb. 24, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Mr. Wang was scheduled to arrive in Moscow on Monday, and possibly meet with Mr. Putin, to discuss Beijing’s ideas for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

Both Washington and Beijing have avoided measures that could escalate the conflict. Beijing has denied it is aiding the Russian war effort and said its companies conduct normal trade with Russia. Mr. Biden has long been concerned that giving Ukraine long-range weapons that could strike into Russia would increase the risk of a direct U.S.-Russian confrontation.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-china-worries-about-a-weakened-russia-prompt-a-rethink-dd1a04e5?st=9v4fc7baj2cuzqu

Rockstar

02-20-23, 07:42 PM

Ukrainian crews take their first shot in a Leopard 2A6 at a training ground outside of Münster, Germany

Український екіпаж Leopard 2 здійснив перший постріл (original)
https://mil.in.ua/uk/news/ukrayinskyj-ekipazh-leopard-2-zdijsnyv-pershyj-postril/

The Ukrainian Leopard 2 crew fired the first shot (google translate)

The Ukrainian crew fired the first shot at the Leopard 2A6 tank during training at the military training ground in the German city of Münster.

The video was released by the Ukrainian diplomat and ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Oleksiy Makeev.

Training of Ukrainian crews continues at the training ground in Münster: the military is mastering samples of German-made armored vehicles, such as Leopard tanks or Marder 1A3 BMPs.

They note that the video was shot on February 20 from aboard the German Fuchs armored personnel carrier.

The military reported that on February 13, training of Ukrainian crews of Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks began in Germany. The training of these Ukrainian defenders is planned to be completed by the end of the first quarter, because that is when the Leopard 2 should be handed over to the Armed Forces.

Tanker training takes place from Monday to Saturday, that is, six days a week. Training on the Leopard 2 main battle tank takes about six weeks. This applies to both tank crews and maintenance personnel. Fighters train first on a simulator, and then in field conditions. The final stage of the training program is fire training, which includes firing from a tank.

According to representatives of the Bundeswehr, the main goal is to hand over a powerful and well-fortified unit to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the end of training, soldiers must master the weapon system so well that they can fight both day and night.

The impressions of Ukrainians after the first experience of using a new model of military equipment and the training process in general were published by the German Ministry of Defense.

" The conditions for training are excellent, Germany and the Bundeswehr support us with everything necessary for good training ," says tank commander Mykola.

He arrived in Germany immediately from the front line, where he fought on Soviet T-64 and T-72 tanks. According to Mykola, he is convinced that the Leopard 2 will give him and his comrades a decisive advantage in the defense of the front line.

" We protect the whole of Europe, we are in the first line. We also protect Germany's freedom with our blood ," he said.

This experience of cooperation is no less useful for the military of the Bundeswehr.

" We collect information about how the Russians fight . Ukrainians are fighting at home and they know the Russians much better than we do, exactly how they fight and how to counter them ," says General Bjorn Schultz, one of the German soldiers who undertook the training of Ukrainians.

—————————-

(video)
https://youtu.be/KC21t8WPJ_8

Skybird

02-20-23, 08:12 PM

Ukrainian crews take their first shot in a Leopard 2A6 at a training ground outside of Münster, Germany

I know its just two tiny dots, but: Munster, not Münster. ;)

Munster is where tanks do excercises. Münster is where the Skybird roams. :D

Both places are over 250 street-kilometers apart, and its two different federla states.

Rockstar

02-20-23, 08:25 PM

I know its just two tiny dots, but: Munster, not Münster. ;)

Munster is where tanks do excercises. Münster is where the Skybird roams. :D

Both places are over 250 street-kilometers apart, and its two different federla states.

I could have swore I saw some guy down range peddling as fast as he could trying to get out of there. Thought it might have been you ;)

Commander Wallace

02-20-23, 09:14 PM

I know its just two tiny dots, but: Munster, not Münster. ;)

Munster is where tanks do excercises. Münster is where the Skybird roams. :D

Is that also where Herman and his wife Lily and their family live as well ? :03:

Reece

02-20-23, 09:17 PM

Oh that is so bad CW!! :D

Commander Wallace

02-20-23, 09:20 PM

Oh that is so bad CW!! :D

It was an innocent question. Really. :D

August

02-20-23, 09:25 PM

Is that also where Herman and his wife Lily and their family live as well ? :03:

No, Actually turns out that they're English nobility as this documentary film shows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGbFqsInatA

August

02-20-23, 10:08 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bqk8cB9iQ

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 05:42 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ujaBX_usEQ

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 09:15 AM

Vladimir Putin has spoken at length about Russia's war against Ukraine in a State of the Nation address

He blamed the West for provoking the war and escalating it, saying the US and its allies sought "limitless power"

In the only major announcement, he said he was suspending Russia's participation in a major arms control agreement with the US

New Start is the last remaining nuclear arms deal between Moscow and Washington, and it was extended for five years in 2021

The speech came ahead of the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Friday.

Russia has sustained huge losses in the war but is expected to launch a new offensive in the spring.

Later today US President Joe Biden will give a speech in Poland, painting the war as a struggle between democracy and autocracy after Monday's high-stakes visit to Kyiv.

Commander Wallace

02-21-23, 09:48 AM

No, Actually turns out that they're English nobility as this documentary film shows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGbFqsInatA

That explains a lot. :yep: Yvonne De Carlo was beautiful. :yep:

It was odd seeing Fred Gwynne / Hermen Munster as Judge Chamberlin Haller. It was great at the same time. They were all great actors.

August

02-21-23, 11:02 AM

That explains a lot. :yep: Yvonne De Carlo was beautiful. :yep:

It was odd seeing Fred Gwynne / Hermen Munster as Judge Chamberlin Haller. It was great at the same time. They were all great actors.

Check out the Car-54 reference at 2:10. "Frightfully Funny"!

Skybird

02-21-23, 11:03 AM

Those who still believe after Putler's speech today that "after the war" there could be a "return to normal relations", or an "after Putler's departure", are beyond help. Because what became clearer to me today than ever before is that Russia is not Putler, but that Russia is Russia, with or without Putler. His narrative is believed by the majority of the population, the media power of state propaganda is omnipresent and total, the role and chances of opposition forces in Russia have always been completely overestimated in the West. The spiritual legacy of Putler will outlive his stay in office, because it was never Putler's legacy, but something that was there before, that roots deep in Russia and Russian society and culture and history and that used Putler merely to give itself a new expression. Putler is not the root of the problem, but its expression - with Russia itself being the root of the problem.

And I don't see any chance that this could change. Not in my life time, and not in the forseeable generations. They say the Russian soul is deep and grim and without fathom. Today I understood how damn true that really is, but it is a hopeless realisation, a grim one, a dark one. It means that karma creates karma, and bad karma creates more bad karma.

Its like in a Lovecraftian horror story, with the hidden evil never having been away, just having hidden under the surface, during the day.

Skybird

02-21-23, 11:14 AM

We see the power struggles at the top, in the Kremlin, aroudn Putin. We see which figures make their moves already now, and what kind of evil characters they are. See all this and then tell me that after Putin it will get better! It will not get better. It will get worse.

August

02-21-23, 11:24 AM

Says the guy who has been wrong about every aspect of this war so far. :roll:

Dargo

02-21-23, 11:39 AM

Putin has not announced a new phase, just more of the same. Vintage Putin, basically a tirade against the West in which he puts all the blame on them, describes Ukrainians as neo-Nazis, says the West is turning a local conflict into a global one. Even that culture war that the West would wage against Russia, as an attack on Orthodox family values, is by now a classic, actually he is preparing his society for a prolonged conflict. No new mobilization has been declared, but Putin is molding Russians so that they will be open to it later. For instance, he promises a state fund and better support programs for military personnel and their families. Perhaps he is doing so after criticism of the previous mobilization from poorer regions, as many men, especially from those areas, died as cannon fodder. Putin could not actually mention any victories simply because there are none, which is surely a sign of things to come.

The sanctions supposedly do nothing for Russia, but he does ask the oligarchs to invest more in Russia, saying no one is mourning their diminished yachts or sneering at businessmen who stayed in the UK and got noble titles there. Implicitly, this is a sign that he needs money. He plans new infrastructure works and also wants to widen the Volga Canal. That he openly admits that he needs Asia and the Middle East for his economy can be seen as a sign that sanctions do work. What was striking was that there was mostly mechanical applause. When the camera zoomed in on faces, you also saw few happy people in the audience. The parliament members seemed rather tired, sighing and sober. Apart from a few exceptions, you did not really see anyone looking at the leader in awe. Even with the national anthem, not everyone was singing along.

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 11:53 AM

Putin in chilling WW3 'global conflict' warning as he makes nuclear threat

Vladimir Putin has chillingly warned of a World War 3 "global conflict" as he issued yet another veiled nuclear threat, claiming the very existence of Russia is now at stake. The Russian President delivered an hour-long State of the Nation address, in which he launched several furious attacks against Ukraine, the West and NATO. He said: "The people of Ukraine have become the hostage of the Kyiv regime and its Western overlords, who have effectively occupied this country in the political, military and economic sense.

"They intend to transform a local conflict into a phase of global confrontation. This is exactly how we understand it all and we will react accordingly, because in this case we are talking about the existence of our country."

In his first direct warning during the speech, Putin said: "The more long-range Western systems are being delivered to Ukraine, the farther we will be forced to move the threat from our borders."

The speech came amid fears loom Russia could launch a major new offensive in the war with Ukraine.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ukraine-live-putin-in-chilling-ww3-global-conflict-warning-as-he-makes-nuclear-threat/ar-AA17JR6P?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=047f00f70bc443b9b0e44ebb445e33f6

Skybird

02-21-23, 12:21 PM

This report puts the movement of Russian troops into Belarus in a different light. Der Tagesspiegel:

-------------------------------

At the mercy of big brother: Does Putin now want to annex Belarus, too?

Research reveals plans by Moscow to annex its neighbor Belarus. How realistic these mind games are and what role Lukashenko plays in them.

When Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko visited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin near Moscow on Friday, the mood was already tense. "Thank you for coming!" is how Putin welcomed his guest. "As if I could have refused," Lukashenko countered. It is an exchange of words that gives a deep insight. For Lukashenko, Putin is now above all only one thing: a danger.

This is also evidenced by a recently published and hitherto secret Kremlin document from the summer of 2021, which outlines a step-by-step plan for a Russian takeover of Belarus. This infiltration is to happen at all levels: political, economic, military. The paper was uncovered by an international research team, in which WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung participated from the German side.

The credibility of the document is confirmed, among others, by the head of Estonian foreign intelligence Kaupo Rosin. "Moreover, I think it is plausible that Russia is aiming to take over Belarus as a sovereign nation in the long term," Rosin says. However, he questions how much independence Belarus has left at all since the start of the Ukraine war: "Belarusian forces are largely commanded from Moscow."

The Russian strategy paper addresses the goal of creating a "union state" by 2030 in which Belarus is completely absorbed by Russia. Measures to achieve this goal are divided into the political/defense, trade/economic, and social spheres and broken down into short-term (by 2022), medium-term (by 2025), and long-term (2030) stages. The ultimate goal is the complete Russification of Belarusian society.

What is particularly explosive about this is that Belarusian ruler Lukashenko is to have hardly any role of his own in this endeavor. "It is rather a takeover of Belarus, and not, as is publicly proclaimed, an integration of Belarus, in which the country retains a certain independence," says Eastern Europe expert Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations. Both rhetorically and strategically, the plans go much further than anything that has been discussed so far.

The discussion about a union of states between Belarus and Russia has existed since the mid-1990s. After Belarus became independent from the Soviet Union, the government also kept open a closer relationship with the West. However, this was overturned in 1994 when Lukashenko took office and sought to re-establish ties with Russia.

To this end, he signed several union treaties with then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin between 1995 and 1999, which were to culminate in ever closer integration of the two states. So far, however, only isolated defense and economic policy goals have been implemented.

Larger-scale projects such as a common currency, a shared financial budget or merged political structures remained pilot projects or failed due to political differences. Under Putin's presidency, agreement was reached on a customs agreement and a limited military alliance. In 2002, however, Lukashenko rejected the proposal to integrate Belarus into the Russian territory as a new province. Today, such a "no" would carry less weight.

The Belarusian mass protests in the wake of the 2020 election fraud represented a turning point for the regime. Stefan Meister describes this as Lukashenko's dilemma: "He has decided against his own population and in favor of Russia in order to retain power. As a result, he is becoming Russia's appendage and his autonomy is shrinking."

Western sanctions have also completely aligned the economy with Russia, he said. "This is a creeping disempowerment of the Belarusian president," Meister says. Now, over months and years, the thumbscrews would be tightened and the pressure would grow.

"Lukashenko has trapped himself," says Pavel Slunkin, a former Belarusian diplomat and visiting scholar at the European Council on Foreign Relations, as well. Before the 2020 elections, his foreign policy would still have been balanced and he could keep Russia in equilibrium with other partners. But then Lukashenko had to resort to Moscow's help to stay in power: "Russia was the reason Lukashenko survived in 2020," Slunkin says.

Now he can only try to slow down the process of the Russian takeover, he said. "Changing sides is no longer an option for him." Without a Ukrainian victory against Russia and its political destabilization, he sees no real options for Lukashenko to act.

Russia's incorporation plans, however, are a cause for concern beyond Belarus. "We have some indications that there is to be integration of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," says Meister, who calls these plans an "imperialist project on the back burner."

There is also pressure in Armenia to join the union state, he says. But the threat is most acute in Georgia's two separatist regions, he says. South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been permanently occupied by Russia since the 2008 Caucasus War. Belarus could now provide the blueprint for further Greater Russian integration projects: "Lukashenko is becoming a stooge for this policy."
------------------------

Catfish

02-21-23, 12:33 PM

All those lockdowns. But sure this stuffing helps if you accidentally happen to fall out of a window

https://i.imgur.com/kLtAyMdl.jpg

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 12:35 PM

Kuleba about China’s "peace plan": We need to know all details. We are waiting for document to study

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shared with him the key positions of the "peace plan", which will be studied in detail by the Ukrainian side after receiving the full text.

Kuleba said this at a joint press conference with EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Censor.NET informs with reference to "Interfax-Ukraine".

"Yes, we had a meeting with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, he shared with me the key points of China's 'peace plan'. We look forward to receiving the text, as this is not a place where you can jump to conclusions just by hearing what the plan is about. We need to find out all the details. As soon as we receive the document, we will carefully study it and draw conclusions," Kuleba said.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that the peace formula initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky remains the main priority.

Kuleba also noted that all actions of China in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine should be aimed at protecting the principle of territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, Bloomberg, citing unnamed European officials, reported that China's plan for a peaceful resolution of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine includes calls for a ceasefire and the supply of arms to Ukraine.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Wang Yi noted that China does not want the "crisis" in Ukraine to continue. "We don't want to add fuel to the fire and we don't want to have any benefits from the crisis. We want to contribute to finding peace, we are on the side of peace and dialogue," he added, recalling the proposal of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, made on the second day after the full-scale invasion, so that Ukraine and the Russian Federation would sit down and discuss ways to resolve the "crisis".

Answering questions, he confirmed the relevance of the proposals made by Xi Jinping that territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter should be respected, nuclear war should not start and cannot be won, and nuclear power plants should not be under attack, and chemical and biological weapons should not be used under any circumstances.

Wang Yi stressed that there is no reason for China to abandon the peaceful path, because "increasing power means developing in a peaceful way." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401208

Future of Ukraine is in Euro-Atlantic family, - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is convinced that the future of Ukraine lies in the "Euro-Atlantic family".

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine, the Secretary General of the Alliance stated this during the tripartite meeting with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

"We must clearly say that the future of Ukraine lies in the Euro-Atlantic family. When this war ends, we must create a long-term security mechanism for Ukraine," he emphasized.

According to Stoltenberg, future security agreements should "break the cycle of Russian aggression."

"NATO will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we will continue to work closely with the European Union to support you," he added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401209

Today, Putin made it clear that he is preparing for even bigger war - Stoltenberg

In his message to the Federal Assembly, Putin made it clear that he was preparing for an even bigger war with Ukraine.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

"After a year, we don't see any signs that President Putin is preparing for peace - on the contrary. Today he made it clear that he is preparing for an even bigger war. Russia is launching new offensives, mobilizing more troops, and contacting North Korea and Iran," he explained. he.

The NATO Secretary General reminded that the Alliance and partners provide support to Ukraine and supply heavy modern weapons, "constantly consulting with Ukraine what they need."

"But NATO also has another task - to prevent this war from going beyond the borders of Ukraine. Therefore, on the morning of the invasion, we activated our defense plans and increased the number of units in the eastern part of the Alliance, sending a very clear message to Moscow that NATO is there and will protect everyone centimeter of NATO territory. And an attack on one will be an attack on the entire alliance. We will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary, and we will continue to provide reliable deterrence and defense of the entire NATO territory," Stoltenberg added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401213

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 12:41 PM

China does not provide weapons to Russia, but asks why West helps Armed Forces with weapons - Borrell

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, spoke about his conversation with Wang Yi, the head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in which he assured that the PRC would not supply weapons to Russia, but reprimanded that the West was arming Ukraine in the meantime.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to LIGA.net.

Borrell said he has a "good personal relationship" with Wang Yi and they had a frank conversation in Munich.

"He clearly told me that China cannot provide weapons to countries that are at war. They do not provide weapons to Russia. That is what he told me, emphasizing that this is a principle of China's foreign policy," he said.

According to him, the Chinese diplomat also said: "Why are you asking me about this when you are helping Ukraine with weapons?"

In response, the head of the European diplomacy explained to his Chinese colleague the difference between arming the Russian Federation and helping Ukraine, when Europe and the whole world are in danger due to Russian aggression.

"Of course, we have to be vigilant. But as far as I know, there is no evidence (that China is supplying Russia with weapons. - Ed.)," Borrell said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401245

Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow in coming months, - Wall Street Journal

According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow in the coming months. The meeting with Vladimir Putin should become part of the impetus for multilateral peace talks.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to channel 24.

The western media claim that Beijing wants to play a more active role in ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. A meeting with Putin will allow China to repeat its calls not to use nuclear weapons.

However, in the West, such a Chinese diplomatic initiative, which was first announced at the Munich Security Conference by Wang Yi, the head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, was received with skepticism. The chosen date for the start of the Chinese peace initiative was also criticized. According to Wang Yi, China plans to launch it on the anniversary of the full-scale war, February 24.

As the media reported, with such a choice of dates, Xi Jinping "could visit Russia in April or early May, when Russia celebrates its victory over Germany in World War II." After all, it was the Nazis in the Kremlin who compared the legitimate government of Ukraine and argued that this was the beginning of a full-scale war.

Another reason is the international relations between China and Russia.

The WSJ noted that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Wang Yi and heard key elements of China's plan. He said that Kyiv is waiting for the full text before drawing conclusions, but noted that the principle of territorial integrity should be the cornerstone.

"Because if any country helps Russia to destroy the territorial integrity of Ukraine, then the principle is violated. And the message is clear: any other country can do it in any other specific situation on the world map," Kuleba said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401271

Biden addressed citizens of Russian Federation: USA is not going to attack Russia

During his speech in Warsaw, US President Joe Biden addressed the Russians and assured that the US has no intention of attacking or destroying the Russian Federation. According to him, the USA and Europe have never threatened Russia.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to UP.

"I would like to address the citizens of Russia. The United States does not want to destroy Russia, it is not going to attack Russia.

Millions of Russian citizens want to live in peace with their neighbors. They were never enemies. This is a tragedy. President Putin chose war and how long the war lasts is his choice. He can stop the war.

If the Russian Federation stops the attack and withdraws from Ukraine, the war will end. If Ukraine stops, it will be the end of Ukraine. I am sure that Ukraine can stand up for itself," Biden said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401277

Catfish

02-21-23, 12:48 PM

Prigozhin this morning who declares there's "direct work to destroy Wagner" as even the sapper shovels are not provided to the PMC anymore

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1627970502173028353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627970502173028353%7Ctwgr% 5E3e1ff64240d5f161d7be358335caf5b54919da20%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwi tter.min.html1627970502173028353

As usual the comments hit the nail... "He's now perceived as an individual with a private & unregulated army of criminals (that executes its own with a sledgehammer) & to be a threat domestically to the pootin' criminal enterprise. Whatever would make them even think such an odd thing?! PS: Stay away from windows..."

Dargo

02-21-23, 01:01 PM

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 01:10 PM

Jimbuna

02-21-23, 01:18 PM

Kremlin sources say Putin's health 'deteriorating' and he suffered relapse yesterday

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered a health relapse, according to claims from Russian telegram channel General SVR, which claims to have contact with Kremlin insiders. The account said the 70-year-old Russian President will have to undergo new treatment in early March, affecting his ability to lead Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

These claims, which cannot be verified, are just the latest in a long line of comments suggesting Putin may be suffering from health complications.

General SVR said on Telegram: "Over the weekend, Putin underwent another medical check-up.

"The recent treatment did not give the expected results and a new one, based on the results of the examination, has been scheduled and will start on March 5.

"This can and probably will seriously influence the president's plans and decisions in the coming days."

The channel added that Putin's "deteriorating health condition" means an "inability to actively participate in various activities during the treatment and he will be unable to "fully participate in the governance of the [military operation in Ukraine]."

It continued: "It should be recalled that at the end of last year, due to the onset of therapy, Putin was forced to cancel a number of large traditional events and temporarily withdraw from most of the information agenda."

The channel also said that Putin's major speech to the Federal Assembly in Moscow "will be adjusted" as a result of the alleged health issues.

General SVR has made a number of claims about Putin's health in the past, including that the Russian President has suffered "bouts of coughing, dizziness, sleep disturbances, abdominal pain [and] constant nausea" as well as "the manifestation of symptoms of Parkinson's disease and schizoaffective disorder."

Independent media outlets have also made similar claims in the past. In April, Proekt reported that Putin regularly travels with an oncologist.

They also claimed bathed in deer antlers in an attempt to improve his health.

However, the Kremlin has previously denied such rumour surrounding Putin's health. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said in May that "Putin appears in public everyday" and added: "I don't think sane people can discern any sort of symptom of disease in this man".

The latest claims came as US President Joe Biden visited Kyiv on Monday. While in Ukraine, Washington pledged £500million in military support for the Ukrainians.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/kremlin-sources-say-putin-s-health-deteriorating-and-he-suffered-relapse-yesterday/ar-AA17JMnr?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=77ed6997ac3f4e7bbbed92c30c53042d

Skybird

02-21-23, 03:00 PM

When Putin recently met with Lukashenko and they sat in front of cameras, Putin was completely unable to keep his feet and legs still, they moved arond as if wanting to stepdance.

Looks quite like Parkinson.

With feet like these he too better stays away from windows. :D

Skybird

02-21-23, 03:06 PM

Deutsche Welle (German edition):
---------------------------------------

Ukraine: Western military aid a fraction of other wars

According to the latest analysis by the Institute for the World Economy, the U.S. and Germany spent many times more on Ukraine military aid for other wars.

He will release another $500 million worth of arms shipments in the coming days, U.S. President Joe Biden announced during his brief visit to Kiev on Monday. Specifically, the deliveries will include artillery ammunition, more howitzers and more Javelin shoulder-fired, armor-piercing rocket launchers. The announcement during Biden's highly symbolic visit just before the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine fits the picture of the analysis now updated by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) on the financial value of aid to Ukraine.

"The Americans are setting the pace in supporting Ukraine," says economist Christoph Trebesch, who oversees the IfW's "Ukraine Support Tracker." "The hesitancy of the Europeans in the first year of the war is a remarkable phenomenon, especially since financial resources can be mobilized quickly," Trebesch says. He is referring to the primarily financial payments made by EU states to support Ukraine's budget, especially in light of Ukraine's economic output, which has plummeted by up to 40 percent in the wake of Russia's war of aggression.

The IfW economists calculate from public sources, on the one hand, the direct financial aid and humanitarian aid and, on the other hand, also calculate the cost of weapons supplied to Ukraine. Supplies from military stocks, such as those from the German armed forces, are valued according to market prices and listed by the IfW.

According to this, compared to the last update of the "Ukraine Support Tracker" from December, the U.S. has again overtaken the EU and its member states "with further pledges in the volume of 37 billion euros" in December, the institute writes in its current analysis. U.S. aid delivered and announced now totals 73.1 billion euros, compared with the EU's 54.9 billion. So meanwhile, Ukraine has been delivered or promised aid of 128 billion euros. The U.S. is giving twice as much as the EU as a whole, followed by the UK and Germany.

For the first time, IfW economist Trebesch and his team put Ukraine aid in relation to other spending by the more than 50 supporter states of the "Ukraine Contact Group," led by the United States. "In sum, aid to Ukraine is mostly a fraction in financial terms of what governments spend on cushioning the crisis at home," the analysis says. "Germany alone has announced more than 250 billion euros in subsidies since January 2022 to cushion the rise in energy prices for consumers and businesses."

Germany's bilateral aid to Ukraine now amounts to 6.15 billion euros, it said. In contrast, he said, the German government had spent 5.65 billion euros on the so-called fuel rebate and the discounted public transport ticket alone. With these two measures, the German government had last summer cushioned the price shock for consumers caused by skyrocketing commodity prices after the Russian invasion began on February 24. The researchers did not take into account the deliveries of Western battle tanks such as the Leopard 2 for Ukraine announced for March. This is due to unclear commitments from European countries that have the German-made battle tank. Part of the spending review, however, is the $100 million for training Ukrainian pilots on Western fighter jets that the U.S. House of Representatives waved through last summer.

For the first time, the IfW researchers also compare the costs of aid to Ukraine in the first year of the war with Western spending in other wars. For example, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), Germany spent "three times more to defend Kuwait" during the 1990/91 Gulf War, when Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait. This money flowed directly to the U.S. at the time. Germany did not directly participate militarily in "Operation Desert Storm," with which the U.S. Army liberated the attacked Gulf state. The U.S. government spent nearly one percent of GDP on this compared to less than 0.4 percent for Ukraine so far. Also, annual U.S. military spending in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2010 was three times higher than Washington's spending to defend Ukraine in the first year since the Russian incursion began. However, unlike Ukraine, the U.S. also sent ground troops to Afghanistan and the Middle East and had to supply them for years.

The Kiel economists can also show that deliveries and commitments to Ukraine initially slumped last June. Namely, from more than 20 billion euros in May to just over five billion euros in June.

The high level was not reached again until November, and thus after the successful liberations by the Ukrainian army in the east and south of the country: First by the EU's pledge to support Ukraine with financial aid in 2023, and then by the extensive U.S. military package, with which the U.S. House of Representatives approved 37 billion euros in military aid last December. It is arguably that aid package from which U.S. President Biden approved 500 million euros in arms shipments for Kiev during his visit to Kiev earlier this week - coupled with the words that U.S. support for Ukraine is "unwavering."
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THE_MASK

02-21-23, 03:13 PM

Biden should tell China if it helps Russia in any way then Taiwan will get any help they need in the way of arms etc .

Reece

02-21-23, 06:14 PM

Rockstar

02-21-23, 08:31 PM

This was reported about four hours ago. Russian channels are going crazy speculating it may be the first use of those 150km range Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) by the Ukrainian army. Add that plus Biden’s speech and his walk during broad daylight in Kiev’s city center. I’m speculating we’ll probably start seeing Russian forces mutiny sooner rather than later.

https://t.me/mariupolrada/12830

So far, 11 explosions are known in the Russian-occupied city. The first explosion occurred at 22:33. There is preliminary information about two hits - in the AS-2 area (Central district) and Stan-3000 (Kalmius district). Probably in places where enemy forces are concentrated.

They also report problems with light and communication in the Central and Left Bank districts.

The information is currently being verified.

We believe in the Armed Forces! The de-occupation of Mariupol is getting closer

Catfish

02-22-23, 04:27 AM

Jimbuna

02-22-23, 05:52 AM

US diplomat on what it's like negotiating with Putin

By Barbara Plett Usher
BBC State Department correspondent

The former US ambassador to Russia has told the BBC what it's like trying to negotiate with the Kremlin and why President Vladimir Putin won't give up easily in Ukraine.

John Sullivan was America's man in Moscow in the run-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The former US ambassador is the one who had conversations with Russian officials about trying to prevent a war, but "there was no engagement", he said.

"They demanded security guarantees for Russia but wouldn't talk constructively about security for Ukraine. They never moved beyond their talking points… it was a charade."

When I ask whether the US should work harder at continuing those conversations to try to end the conflict, he tells me that President Vladimir Putin "wasn't interested in negotiating before the war. He's still not interested in negotiating".

Instead, the Biden administration has focused on rallying global support for arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia, itself shipping billions of dollars of weapons to the country.

In a speech on Tuesday, Mr Putin repeated his view that the West had started the war, that it was using Ukraine to try to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Moscow, and that Russia, not Ukraine, was fighting for its very existence.

Despite the failures of Moscow's self-declared special military operation, Mr Sullivan says the goals initially declared by the Kremlin remain the same - to "de-Nazify" and "demilitarise" Ukraine. He interprets that as "removing the government in Kyiv and subjugating the Ukrainian people".

This is part of a vision that President Putin has outlined to re-gather the Russian peoples that were separated by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"He can't have a democratically elected government, particularly one led by President [Volodymyr] Zelensky, in Kyiv," says Mr Sullivan. "He will never be satisfied as long as that government exists because he considers it a threat to Russia and to his vision of this larger Russian state he's trying to create."

So what, then, would it take for Mr Putin to stop the war?

"He has to be convinced that he can't win," says Mr Sullivan. "He's going to double down until he's convinced that there's just no way he can win. I'm not sure how significant the battlefield setbacks have to be for him to reach that point, but he's nowhere near that today."

Mr Sullivan says the Russian leader has a long-time horizon, and "a vision for what he wants to accomplish that he will not surrender easily".

Neither, though, will the Ukrainians, Mr Sullivan believes, declaring one of the strategic failures of Mr Putin's war to be alienating the Slavic nation of 44 million people.

"The Ukrainian people aren't going to forgive and forget," he says. "Even if President Zelenksy wanted to end the war, wanted to make territorial concessions, basically wanted to surrender, the Ukrainian people wouldn't let him."

With such a military, political and ideological standoff, the US has to be prepared for a long war.

President Joe Biden underlined America's commitment by making a surprise visit to Kyiv on the anniversary of the invasion, but Mr Sullivan does not expect the conflict to end this year.

"Beyond that I don't know," he says. "But [Mr Putin] doesn't want an off-ramp. The goals of this special military operation will be achieved. He says that all the time."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64727302

Jimbuna

02-22-23, 08:36 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lf6Rtpa3ks

Jimbuna

02-22-23, 08:56 AM

Wang Yi expects to reach new agreements after negotiations with Lavrov: China and Russian Federation "open potential for multifaceted cooperation"

China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax.

"I am ready to exchange views with you, my dear friend, on issues of mutual interest, and I am waiting for new agreements to be reached," he told Lavrov.

According to him, Sino-Russian relations maintain a high dynamic of development.

"China and Russia always maintain strategic determination, firmly and confidently move in the direction of the formation of a multipolar world. ... We are always committed to multipolarity, firmly oppose unilateral actions, as well as hegemony. And we are always firmly looking for a way to develop our countries in accordance with national characteristics, as well as to protect sovereignty, security, interests of our development," said the chief diplomat of the People's Republic of China.

He also noted that the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation "constantly reveal the potential for multifaceted cooperation."

At the same time, Wang Yi added, the People's Republic of China, with its development and the path of Chinese modernization, will open new horizons for the development of cooperation not only with Russia but also with all countries of the world.

Instead, the head of the foreign ministry of the occupying country stated that the relations between China and the Russian Federation are "developing confidently and dynamically". Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401395

China will not supply weapons to Russia for war against Ukraine, - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China

China’s foreign ministry said the country is not considering supplying Russia with weapons for use in its war against Ukraine, accusing the United States and NATO of spreading falsehoods about Beijing’s potential role in the war.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to LIGA.net, this was stated by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Wenbin.

"The United States and other NATO countries are now constantly spreading information that China can supply weapons to Russia, which is a trick that was used and exposed at the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis," he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said that China calls on NATO to "stop plaguing China with unsubstantiated speculations about Ukraine, abandon the old Cold War mentality of a zero-sum game and opposing blocs, and stop the fomenting confrontation."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry representative accused the US and other NATO countries of being "the biggest source of weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401406