Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

^ Being a friend or former friend of Putrid is a tough gig.

There must be a great many experiencing sleepless nights.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

There must be a great many experiencing sleepless nights.

I'm sure if they do sleep, it's very little and with one eye open at all times.

[Skybird]

There is currently a lot of sudden health problems and accidents happening in Putin's circle of friends.
Less Vodka and more Borschtsch, I would subscribe.

[Jimbuna]

If USA stops giving money and weapons to Ukraine, then war will stop, - Orban

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn believes that Ukrainians can fight as long as the United States supports them with weapons and money.

As reported by Censor.NET with reference to the Euro Integration, he stated this in a Christmas interview.

According to him, this year was the most dangerous in the last thirty years. And Hungary faced the danger of being drawn into the war in Ukraine, while rising energy prices are also pushing the country in a dangerous direction.

Orbán confirmed Hungary's position that a cease-fire is necessary in the war, followed by peace talks.

"Ukraine can continue fighting only as long as the USA supports them with money and weapons. If the Americans want peace, then there will be peace," he said.

Regarding Hungary's position, he noted that Hungary is "pro-Hungarian".

"Our answer to the question of whether we are on the good or bad side of history is that we are on the Hungarian side of history. ... We support and help Ukraine, we are interested in the survival of a sovereign Ukraine, and we are interested in so that Russia does not pose a threat to the security of Europe. But we are not interested in giving up all our economic relations with Russia," concluded Orban. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3389620

If Orban really wants peace, he should use his close ties with Russian Federation and persuade it to stop its aggression against Ukraine, - MFA

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbn, once again demonstrated contempt for Ukraine and political short-sightedness.

This is stated in the comment of the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Censor.NET informs.

"The statements of the Prime Minister of Hungary demonstrate a pathological contempt for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are resisting Russian aggression, as well as his own political short-sightedness. After all, the defeat of Ukraine in the war, which Viktor Orbán is indirectly calling for, would lead to a direct threat of Russian aggression for Hungary and Hungarians. The Hungarian leader should ask himself whether he wants peace. If the answer is yes, he needs to use his close ties with Moscow so that it stops aggression against Ukraine and withdraws its troops," the ministry emphasizes.

We will remind you that the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, said that the Ukrainians are fighting only thanks to the help of the USA, saying that when the supply of weapons stops, the war will also stop. "Our answer to the question of whether we are on the good or bad side of history is that we are on the Hungarian side of history. ... We support and help Ukraine, we are interested in the survival of a sovereign Ukraine, and we are interested in so that Russia does not pose a threat to the security of Europe. But we are not interested in giving up all our economic relations with Russia," concluded Orban. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3389666

[Jimbuna]

Difficult winter awaits Ukrainians, US and its allies will do everything to protect its infrastructure, - Blinken said

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the States and allies will do everything to protect and repair Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

He announced this on Twitter, Censor.NET reports.

"We will be with Ukraine as long as it takes. Ukrainians have a tough winter ahead of them, and we will work tirelessly with the G7 and other partners to repair, replace and protect Ukraine's energy infrastructure," he stressed. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3389650

Number of desertions in Russian army is increasing, - General Staff

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published information on the increase in the number of desertions in the Russian army.

As Censor.NET informs, this was reported on the official Facebook page of the General Staff.

The message states: "Due to significant losses of personnel, there has been an increase in cases of desertion of Russian servicemen and their leaving combat positions in the Luhansk region. In order to maintain control over the situation, the Russian military leadership has increased the number of patrols to detain and return deserters to their units." Source: https://censor.net/en/n3389677

Brussels should do its "homework" in context of Ukraine’s accession to EU, - Berbok

The European Union should deal with internal transformations against the background of potential expansion, in particular, the acceptance of Ukraine into its membership.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbok said this in an interview with the Romanian portal Digi24, Censor.NET reports with reference to "European Truth".

The head of the German Foreign Ministry called granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union in June a "historic moment".

"Ukrainians also fight every day for the right to freely choose their future. And they see this future in Europe, in the EU. The road there will still be long and, of course, difficult at times, but we are doing everything possible to support Ukraine in the process of harmonizing its legal system and standards with European ones, thus paving the way to EU membership," she noted.

At the same time, Burbok noted that the European Union should also do its "homework".

"It is not enough to hang more new flags on the (EU) Council building in Brussels. We have to think about how we can remain able to act and take decisions in an enlarged Union. This is why we support reforms such as the use of qualified majority voting in more areas." , - explained the head of the German Foreign Ministry.

Back in June, Annalena Berbok spoke out for the reform of the European Union, in particular, the rejection of the principle of unanimity of decision-making in foreign policy, before the bloc's expansion, and also supported Ukraine's entry into the EU.

We will remind you that the Minister of European Affairs of the Government of Austria, Karoline Edtstadler, considers Ukraine's accession to the European Union a real prospect if it continues to follow the path of reforms. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3389690

[Jimbuna]

[Skybird]

As was to be expected:
-----------------------------

Russia has banned oil sales to countries and companies that comply with a price cap agreed by Western nations earlier this month.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64102180

[Commander Wallace]

Here’s a list of Putin critics who've ended up dead

Jeremy Wilson and Taylor Ardrey
Updated
Dec 27, 2022, 5:12 PM


Pavel Antov - December 2022

Russian tycoon reportedly fell from a hotel window in Rayagada, India, on December 25 days after his 65th birthday.
The politician and millionaire criticized Putin's war with Ukraine following a missile attack in Kyiv earlier this year on WhatsApp but quickly deleted the message and claimed that someone else wrote it, the BBC reported.


"Our colleague, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist Pavel Antov passed away," Vice Speaker of the Regional Parliament Vyacheslav Kartukhin said on his Telegram channel, Russian media outlet TASS reported. "On behalf of the deputies of the United Russia faction, I express my deep condolences to relatives and friends."


Ravil Maganov - September 2022

Lukoil chairman Ravil Maganov had been openly critical of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, CNBC reported. Shortly after the war began, the oil company called for "the soonest termination of the armed conflict," per the report.
Maganov, similar to Antov, died mysteriously by falling out the window of a Moscow hospital in September, the outlet reported. However, a now-deleted statement from Lukoil said that the 67-year-old died "following serious illness."


Dan Rapoport- August 2022

Businessman Dan Rapoport publicly condemned the Russia-Ukraine war on social media multiple times and emphasized his support for Ukraine, the Daily Beast reported.
He was discovered dead in front of an apartment building in Washington, D.C, in August, according to the report. Police said he had a Florida driver's license, a black hat, just over $2500, and orange flip-flops when he was found.
Mikhail Lesin- November 2016

Russian press minister Mikhail Lesin was found dead of "blunt force trauma to the head" in a Washington, DC, hotel room in November 2015.
Lesin, who founded the English-language television network Russia Today (RT), was considering making a deal with the FBI to protect himself from corruption charges before his death, per the Daily Beast. For years, Lesin had been at the heart of political life in Russia and would have known a lot about the inner workings of the rich and powerful.


Boris Nemtsov- February 2015

Boris Nemtsov was a former deputy prime minister of Russia under Boris Yeltsin who went on to become a big critic of Putin — accusing him of being in the pay of oligarchs. He was shot four times in the back just yards from the Kremlin as he walked home from a restaurant.


Boris Berezovsky- March 2013

Boris Berezovsky was a Russian oligarch who fled to Britain after he fell out with Putin. During his exile he threatened to bring down Putin by force. He was found dead at his Berkshire home in March 2013 in an apparent suicide, although an inquest into his death recorded an open verdict.
Berezovsky was found dead inside a locked bathroom with a ligature around his neck. The coroner couldn't explain how he had died.
The British police had, on several occasions, investigated alleged assassination attempts against him.


Natalia Estemirova- July 2009

Natalia Estemirova was a journalist who sometimes worked with Politkovskaya.
She specialized in uncovering human-rights abuses carried out by the Russian state in Chechnya.
She was abducted from outside her home and later found in nearby woodland with gunshot wounds to her head. No one has been convicted of her murder.
Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova- January 2009

Human-rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov represented Politkovskaya and other journalists who had been critical of Putin. He was shot by a masked gunman near the Kremlin. Journalist Anastasia Baburova, who was walking with him, was also shot when she tried to help him.


Alexander Litvinenko- November 2006


Alexander Litvinenko was a former KGB agent who died three weeks after drinking a cup of tea at a London hotel that had been laced with deadly polonium-210.
A British inquiry found that Litvinenko was poisoned by FSB agents Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun, who were acting on orders that had "probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin."
Litvinenko was very critical of Putin, accusing him of, among other things, blowing up an apartment block and ordering the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Anna Politkovskaya- October 2006

Anna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who was critical of Putin. In her book "Putin's Russia," she accused Putin of turning his country into a police state. She was murdered by contract killers who shot her at point-blank range in the lift outside her flat. Five men were convicted of her murder, but the judge found that it was a contract killing, with $150,000 paid by "a person unknown."
Paul Klebnikov- July 2004

Paul Klebnikov was the chief editor of the Russian edition of Forbes. He had written about corruption and dug into the lives of wealthy Russians.
He was killed in a drive-by shooting in an apparent contract killing, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.


Sergei Yushenkov- April 2003

Sergei Yushenkov was a Russian politician who was attempting to prove the Russian state was behind the bombing of an apartment block. He was killed in an assassination by a single shot to the chest just hours after his political organization, Liberal Russia, had been recognized by the Justice Ministry as a party, the BBC reported.


https://www.businessinsider.com/list-of-people-putin-is-suspected-of-assassinating-
2016-3




Another Putin critic dies after falling out a window



Pavel Antov, 65, died Sunday at a hotel in India just days after celebrating his 65th birthday.


https://www.businessinsider.com/puti...commendations=

[Jimbuna]

Russian troops able to freeze sperm for free - lawyer

By Paul Kirby
BBC News

Russian soldiers called up to fight in Ukraine will have the chance to store frozen sperm in a cryobank for free, according to a leading Russian lawyer.

Russian Union of Lawyers head Igor Trunov told state news agency Tass the health ministry had responded to his appeal for a free cryobank, and changes to compulsory medical insurance.

Russia mobilised 300,000 reservists after a string of setbacks in Ukraine.

Men then began approaching clinics to have their sperm frozen, reports said.

Mr Trunov announced on Twitter that his union was applying on behalf of several couples where the husband had been called up to take part in the special military operation (SVO) - the term used by Russia for its war in Ukraine.

The health ministry is yet to comment on Mr Trunov's remarks and the lawyer told the BBC his union would have to follow up with the department on what procedure there would be.

He told Tass the ministry had "determined the possibility of financial support from the federal budget for free conservation and storage of germ cells (spermatozoa) for citizens mobilised to take part in the SVO for 2022-2024".

Russia invaded Ukraine in February with up to 200,000 troops. It has not only lost more than half the territory it occupied during the initial phase of the war, but has suffered losses in the tens of thousands.

In September President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilisation", and casualties have continued to mount. More than 250,000 Russian men fled the country to avoid the draft.

Within days of the call-up, the Fontanka website in Russia's second biggest city, St Petersburg, reported a surge in men approaching IVF and fertility clinics to freeze their sperm and draw up documents entitling their wives to use it.

Andrei Ivanov from the city's Mariinsky hospital said men preparing for the draft had come forward, as well as those who were planning to leave Russia.

Russian men and women rarely used the clinics "just in case" something went wrong, Fontanka reported, and they had never considered freezing their biomaterial before.

However, this solution meant that if a man died - or lost the ability to reproduce - then he would still be able to have children.

In recent weeks, the initial increase in men approaching reproductive clinics appears to have subsided.

One Moscow clinic contacted by the BBC said it doubted any quotas to store biomaterial could be promised as they would have all been agreed for 2023.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64107729

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

[mapuc]

In a livestream from Ukraine, someone wrote that the Ukrainians would get the newest type of F16 next month from the Netherlands.

I tried to find information on this-I can only find article that's a couple of month old.

Markus

[Skybird]

I think you mean the Netherlands give surplus F-16s to Bulgaria and Bulgaria gives Ukraine its Mig-29ers...?! The german word for such action would be "Ringtausch".

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I think you mean the Netherlands give surplus F-16s to Bulgaria and Bulgaria gives Ukraine its Mig-29ers...?! The german word for such action would be "Ringtausch".

Correct, if Washington gives its approval to the Netherlands it is gone to give its surplus F-16MLU fighter jets to NATO allies in Eastern Europe, so they can in turn donate MiG-29 fighter or other soviet jets to Ukraine.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Correct, if Washington gives its approval to the Netherlands it is gone to give its surplus F-16MLU fighter jets to NATO allies in Eastern Europe, so they can in turn donate MiG-29 fighter or other soviet jets to Ukraine.

Which I also have heard a few times by now.

So where she and he got it from-that the Netherlands would send F16 to Ukraine I don't know.

Markus