invasion of Ukraine has just begun - part 2

Moldova is on high alert. Maybe Transnistria is getting armed in preparation.

Hungary, completely wrong, since old Orban is great pal of Putin.

Good thread OP.

Some of us are at work so if you can post updates here that would be helpful.

Taiwan

It won't be a NATO country because that would mean war with all NATO countries. He'll pick off the easier targets first. Also, he has already invaded Georgia!

R2, just listing all the countries bordering Ukraine and Russia West of the Urals.

Moldova is an easy target, since it's not in NATO or the EU.

One of the comments in the Bangkok Post article points out that Taiwan doesn’t have any PRC enclaves or separatist movements so it is not so similar to Ukraine.

R4, the DPP is just trying to make this all about them. I fully expect Israel to try to grab back some of the spotlight, too, in relation to the Iran talks.

Biden answering questions.

None if the above... Don't be bloodthirsty Mary!

[quote]Who'll be next?

New Mexico

Some of us don't know much about NATO and the location of US bases in Europe, judging by the poll results.

Putin has a good chance to attack US now. With demented mummy and his confused vice president, now is the right time.

R8 LOL The whole Taiwan island is a Chinese refugee enclave… They are busy rewriting history for the last few decades, but they are only fooling themselves and the dumb foreigners

Is Moldova even worth invading ? Lol

I'm glad the trolls are so transparent these days.

Makes them easier to block.

Forgive me if this is a completely ignorant question. I'm of course aware that there is a Russian-Ukranian conflict and it's serious, but I haven't been digging deep. Is there a chance that this gets considerably broader. Obviously Eastern Europe. But what about Western Europe or U.S.? Not in terms of invading those areas, but getting Western Europe and U.S. deep into some shit. Or are we already there?

R18, most DLers who know nothing but what CNN says will say it could get broader, but actual learned experts like John Mearsheimer at U. Chicago say no, not in the near future. At most fuel prices will rise and some money will leave London for Switzerland, taking away some investment bank and private equity business from the City.

R18 My gut tells me this is much bigger than Ukraine. Ukraine is just collateral damage in Putin's war with the West. I think we're being baited.

Ladies, I am afraid that orange guy was the best you had. At least he didn't start any wars. This crazy groping mummy is going to spark the 3rd world war.

R18 I am betting it'll be over soon. Russia doesn't benefit much by dragging it out or escalating it beyond Ukraine.

More about Lviv, Ukraine's most Westernized major city, where the central government is relocating temporarily.

ChinoRussia is destroying the West bit by bit. Dump 2024 will be the final nail in America ‘s coffin.

Someone just fucking shoot Putin in the head and end this now.

Moldova isn't likely at all, it's completely foreign to Russia, unlike Ukraine which they just see as Russia-lite.

R19 Switzerland has said that they'll join the sanctions against Russia.

Moldova was part of the USSR and prior to that it was part of the Russian Empire, so I doubt it's "completely foreign".

[quote] [R18] My gut tells me this is much bigger than Ukraine.

If there's one thing I've learned to trust on Datalounge, it is the gut feelings of Anonymous!

"Even still, the Russian investigation paid huge dividends and, given Putin’s long game, to date has surely been more than worth it. That’s because the FBI-led investigation into Trump’s cooperation with Russia, over time, came to train Republicans to trust Putin more than they trust Democrats."

[quote] Switzerland will not be used to circumnavigate EU sanctions on Russia, government says

Not sure exactly what this means, could be pertaining to bank accounts.

We have nothing to worry about. This is just all about Hillary Clinton:

"Maria Bartiromo said this morning that the entire conflict between Russia and Ukraine was concocted by Jake Sullivan to distract from Hillary Clinton’s campaign spying on Trump."

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Mulva?

R26, good point about the Ukraine.

[quote] A plurality of Democratic voters (30%) say Putin, not Biden, has the upper hand in the Russia-Ukraine situatio A majority of Democratic voters (53%) say the US is morally responsible to defend Ukraine while a smaller share of Republican voters (38%) say the same.

Putin and Macron just spoke. Sounds like it got heated. Putin totally made a fool of Macron according to diplomats (Macron met with Putin multiple times).

They had a "serious and frank exchange of views about the Ukraine situation," the Kremlin says. "Vladimir Putin gave extensive explanations of why a decision was taken to launch a special military operation."

Yes France is going to put up a fight

People in Kharkiv hiding out in the subway from Russian bombs

"Over the last few hours, more than 10,000 automatic rifles were distributed to the residents of Kyiv, says Ukraine’s Interior Ministry."

Yep, this war is not popular with Russians.

They trying to create "qualdron" for the main Ukrainian military ground forces. It appears that most Ukrainian forces are in and around Donbass. So Russians are trying encircling them. Once they connect the Northern and Southern advances, about 50-60000 Ukrainian troops will be trapped. However it appears Russians are doing much better job advancing in the South than in the North where they are facing some resistance. They are moving fast, already in Nikolaev and appears to have not much resistance waltzing in there.

Now is the for the BEAR...the bear market that is. It is the best time to make MONEY on Wall Street!!

Ukraine is banning any males aged 16-60 from leaving the country.

"A friend from Russia reports: all public employees are ordered to stay silent about Ukraine; any signs of support for Ukraine will be interpreted as treason. These messages are spread through Telegram channels."

Moldova? As if.

Hopefully China backs away from Putin. They will be the decider in terms of how far he takes this. Without China and a new fuel deal, he’s toast. Does China side with an unknown quantity?

Notice China is staying quiet. Putin is not a friend, but an enemy of an enemy and China is loathe to be tarred with the brush of an unpopular war.

The China question and what their position is was the only press conference question which the President wouldn’t answer today.

If you would ask “who listens to biden?” I would answer, Wall Street. Weren’t they up for the day?

R48, China is not staying quiet.

The tweet at r47 brought tears to my eyes. At the end of the day, the average person doesn’t want war or to hurt others. Those people are so brave for standing up for what is right.

R48 China will give Putin some time to sort it out. China is planning to evacuating its citizens from Ukraine by charter flights over the next few days. But it's on a voluntary basis.

Good overview website.

Map of Europe divided into Nato countries and Russia.

Photos of the damage

General mobilisation order in Ukraine.

R55 Be sure to send Zelensky to the front line!

Ukrainians retake Hostomel Airport near Kyiv

We might as well send R56 to the Kremlin.

CNN reports: at 03.00am local time, In about 1 hour, Russia resumes major offensive. Kyiv will be the target.

R59 3AM in Kyiv is 8PM EST.

Also Zelenskyy has been moved to an “undisclosed location.”

R32 OT I went to see what she said. She has totally lost it. Sceaming these lunatic theories on air.

I found this from WaPo article about her insane accusation written by Ted David retired anchor on CNBC: I co-anchored with Maria at CNBC for two and a half painful years. None of this surprises me or those who really know her. She made her bones for all the wrong reasons. “The Money Honey” nickname sadly told the tale of Wall Street’s idea of pretty, not smart. And she ran with it, believed her own press and has become the partisan, unfair and unbalanced, conspiracy loving unjournalist who suddenly shocks so many viewers.

Man, between the Q trolls on these Ukraine threads, and the ones on the convoy threads, I’ve blocked at least 12 people in the past couple weeks. So many trolls now.

Jesus.

Maybe I missed it, but does anyone have an idea why Putin didn’t do this when Trump was president?

I've been wondering about this, too, R65, as Plump would've cheered on him.

Or perhaps he wouldn't have. No idea what to expect from this lunatic.

R65, pandemic, Brexit as well as Hungary and Poland messing up the EU, China being Russia's new BFF, etc

[quote] but does anyone have an idea why Putin didn’t do this when Trump was president?

Tea Pain:

[quote] Putin has planned a significant assault on Eastern Europe for years, but his plan was most likely designed for a Trump second term where Trump could hand him the old Soviet Union without resistance.

R26 wrong. Moldova has a breakaway province that is already under Russian control. If Russia takes Ukraine, it would be so easy to hop the border to the breakaway region and just roll over Moldova

same situation with Georgia but obviously they're not near Ukraine

these 2 countries should feel the most nervous after Ukraine

shameful of Germany, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus objecting to removing Russia from SWIFT

Hungary?

Am I supposed to be surprised now? Victor and Vlad are known to be good pals.

The infamous Russian GRAD rocket launcher in action today. INSANE!!!!

Ukrainian troops have recaptured Hostomel Airfield in the north-west suburbs of Kyiv, a presidential adviser has told the Reuters news agency.

[quote} Thread of different Middle Eastern countries' reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine...note several US allies/partners seeming to take Russia's side:

Neutral: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt

Leans Freedom: Israel, Qatar, Turkey,

Pro Putin: Iran, Pakistani *

Ukraine defending the homeland

So back to my porn comment from the previous thread. A lot of Bellarmime boys are from Hungry. Not so much Czech Republic these days, Thoth many still come from their countryside. Those Hungry boys will have real competition with their Ukrainian counterparts looking for porn and sex work in their new country. Not many John’s were visiting Ukrainian for dick, too risky. But bring Ukrainians to the prostitution centers and we may see going rates drop.

Ideally, Russia will somehow be checked so these people can go back t their homes. If not, a lot of cheap sex with hot desperate guys will occur.

Belami*^

Unfortunately all these peaceful protests make me think of what happened in Belarus recently. Thousands protested in the streets but nothing changed and Putin still controls Belarus via his puppet Lukashenko.

Ironic isn't it, R79, that the same GQP who protested masks and basic respect for other people are praising the dictator and the people of his country are turning out in this force to stand up for strangers.

R81 Useless protests make libs happy!

All of the soldiers from the island are confirmed to have been killed defending it.

The protests are not "useless" R82

R83 You just illustrated the uselessness of it.

R83 This exchange is now famous on the internet and these 13 Ukrainians (who refused to surrender and were all killed) are national heroes.

R85 Fools died for nothing.

[quote] what happened in Belarus

I remember those protests in Belarus. Hundreds of the protesters were jailed and beaten. It was tragic how brutally the protests were crushed and how the media forgot all about it when they went chasing after the Next Big Story.

Ukrainians are fighting back harder than Putin thought they would. They’re fighting for their homeland while the Russian troops are rumored to have low morale and little motivation to fight. Plus they’ve been camping out in tents in the cold and mud for weeks, they’re probably miserable. And reportedly there’s a lot of Covid going around too.

Will the US take any refugees from Ukraine?

British Intel: “unlikely that Russia has achieved its planned Day 1 military objectives.”

Carlson and Gabbard still saying it's our fault for not stopping Ukraine's push to join NATO

just despicable

these 2 pieces of shit should be shunned from politics and appearing on tv

Tulsi and Tucker are so stupid. I am pretty sure it's the opposite - that if Ukraine had been a member of NATO, Putin likely wouldn't have did this because that means war with EVERYONE in NATO - 30 countries including the US, France, UK, Turkey, etc.

NATO seems like a great collective deterrence. Which is why an aggressor hated it so much. It was another bullshit excuse, just like his Nazi claims.

NATO would never accept Ukraine precisely because it has the liability of having ongoing territorial disputes with Russia, which would inevitably force NATO into a confrontation it does not want. NATO just strung Ukraine along to get Russia to bite and when it did, NATO said bye... and the West could slap on sanctions! Ukraine was always meant to be just the sacrificial lamb.

[quote] Will the US take any refugees from Ukraine?

The gay governor of Colorado says he will.

One of the progressives I follow is bent out of shape about this. America shouldn't dare open our doors to Ukrainians while Biden continues draconian policies against our southern neighbors, she says...

They are white and Christian. I suspect any conversation about these refugees will not go along the familiar lines these things usually take, particularly on the Republican side.

Reports are that Russian forces are moving en masse on Kyiv from the north, south and east.

137 Ukrainian soldiers died today, 316 wounded and 57 civilians killed by Russia, 169 wounded according to the Ukrainians.

Kyiv is being bombed now!

Adviser to the Interior Minister confirms "ballistic or cruise missile strikes on Kyiv", CNN reports.

The Russians also shot down an Ukrainian plane over the capital which crashed into a residential building and started a fire which is what the photos in the previous post show.

Dayum!

Here's a transcript of what the sunflower seeds woman and the soldier said to each other

Where is she buried now? Anything growing there?

The Russians have not admitted a single casualty. Creepily, they have taken along a mobile crematorium so they'll probably be able to cover up how many have died.

Ukraine’s National Bank has prohibited all transactions with Russian and Belarusian rubles and imposed a ban on fulfilling obligations to legal entities or individuals located in the Russian Federation or in Belarus.

Update from Ukraine's General Staff: Kyiv air defense system stopped 2 air strikes around 0400 (unclear if that means aircraft). Hostomel airport (NW of Kyiv) now under control of Ukrainian troops. Bridge over Teteriv River (west of Kyiv) destroyed to stop Russian advance.

Blown up bridges around the city

Russia’s forces have entered the Obolon district in Kyiv. The Ukrainian military is currently fighting with the forces. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry ask residents not to leave their house and prepare Molotov cocktails. The district is approximately 10 kilometers from central Kyiv.

'I am target number one': Ukraine's President Zelensky says Russian special forces kill squads are inside Kyiv and are searching for him and his family

earlier today an Anon hacking group cyber hacked RT and took them down. Not sure if they're back up yet

Zelensky should really leave Kyiv and go to Lviv at this point. How can he survive with Russians already at the capital?

The radiation rate is rising in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Russia has already lost more than 450 personnel in Ukraine invasion, UK estimates, according to defence minister Wallace.

The Ukrainians claim 800 but that has to be viewed with scepticism (psychological warfare tactics).

I agree with what was quoted at r68, but I think Putin also knew that even if Trump didn't win a 2nd term, Putin had the GOP either in his pocket or on his side, so a Trump presidency wasn't entirely necessary for him.

R113 I agree and I also think Putin is hoping that Americans (and the rest of Europe) won't put up with sanctions that also hurt our own economies and continue to drive up inflation. I bet he's counting on the repubs taking back Congress this year too. Given how selfish some of our population has been during covid, it would not surprise me at all if they got angrier with Biden and other western leaders rather than support their attempts to thwart Russia

The heavy anti-Biden push by the media with Afghanistan has primed a lot of people to blame Biden for anything that happens with Russia now. Even the online lefties who were constantly saying Trump would get us out of Afghanistan and be a hero for it turned against Biden when he actually DID get us out of Afghanistan. The media was relentless and it worked.

Unfortunately, people are far too selfish as you said, but also stupid and ridiculous, and they won't admit that trying to destabilize our own government at this time is the absolute last thing we need.

We are in such a precarious situation right now. Online propaganda is everywhere -- the night before the invasion I saw someone on DL pushing Russian propaganda about how Ukraine was run by Nazis and someone had to do something about it -- and the media only cares about money and too many Americans are too stupid to figure out what news is correct and what's fake. Many will just check out altogether because they can't keep anything straight.

"UA soldiers were stopping cars and buses and yanking out any man aged 18-60 to conscript in the Ukrainian Army. In one place, a commissar was shouting “say goodbye to your daughters, mothers, and girlfriends; you must turn back and fight the Russian invader!”"

"Armed men (Ukrainian) in civilian clothes carrying AK-47s and, in one case, an RPG, now seen on Kyiv street corners"

Shit's gonna go down. :S

The Taliban know how to troll.

"This is a not a joke. #Taliban has called on Russia to resolve its issues with Ukraine via negotiations and peaceful measures."

I was just talking to a friend tonight who has been in the Air Force for close to 20 years. He predicted the next step was guerilla warfare and that's what we're seeing now with the Ukrainians trying to arm as many civilians as possible with guns and instructing them how to make Molotov cocktails

as bad as things have been they're about to get much worse and sadly we'll be seeing videos of civilians getting killed as they fight to keep Kyiv out of Russian control

Horrible, there's a video of a Russian tank going over a civilian car, crushing it and the driver in it, for seemingly no reason.

It's sinister seeing videos of tanks rolling through suburban areas as people look on from their homes.

This is the first full blown war in Tik Tok era. And it's fascinating to watch. I am sure this will be studied in military schools. It has complicated Putin's plans but I have to admit he is much much smarter than people give him credit for. No matter what UK/US intelligence say he is doing good job sticking to his plan and making it look as "military operation" and not a war. At least for his main audience, Russians at home. Slow but steady and no budging.

R121, I agrees. Putin is very smarter than people give the credit. This on the Tik Toks very much look as military operation. Mr. Putin put picture without the shirt on Tik Toks soon to showing steady.

[quote]sadly we'll be seeing videos of civilians getting killed

Oh, we already have. I ditched my Twitter account because people were posting videos and photos of dead civilians for no reason, and were posting them from those "extreme reality" accounts, not even news accounts.

[quote]No matter what UK/US intelligence say he is doing good job sticking to his plan and making it look as "military operation" and not a war. At least for his main audience, Russians at home.

Yes, that explains all the war protests.

Chinese Central TV, the party’s television network, has reported on its website that Putin is willing to negotiate with Zelensky. Maybe Putin realizes that this is getting ready to blow up in his face. China’s urging Ukraine and Russia to come to the bargaining table doesn’t strengthen his position, that’s for sure.

R125, Matthew Chance just reported the same thing on CNN.

125, Actually, Zelenskiy reached out yesterday to Russians through Macron under pressure from his parliament. Russia now accepted the offer BUT they demand immediate surrender, complete demilitarisation and slew of other conditions. Essentially, everything Putin said he wants.

Totally OT but Jeremy Diamond looks very good. I follow him in Insta and he hits the gym often. Moments ago reporting from WH with perfect outfit hair and beard.

"The European Union will freeze the assets of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and his foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, but will not impose a travel ban on them, two diplomats familiar with the draft E.U. sanctions said on Friday."

Freeze? Try seize, EU. Free for all at the Oligarchs' Buffet!

[quote]I ditched my Twitter account because people were posting for no reason videos and photos of dead civilians

There is a very good reason to post videos and photos of dead civilians - so we can see the horrors of war and not be so casual about sending our families off to fight. Back in the 60s, we saw it on TV every night, and public opinion changed.

The Council of Europe has suspended Russia’s rights of representation... Now come on UN, stop being a joke.

R131, you're talking about actual news coverage. I'm talking about the personal account of some dude with 131 followers RTing an account called RealityExtremeDeathTV that's just posting raw footage of corpses from who knows where.

There is no good reason to post that, and it's ridiculous of you to make the comparison.

Russia's Central Bank says leading banks VTB, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank and Otkritie will not work with ApplePay and GooglePay services in Russia...

There's been a big run on the banks for cash in Moscow.

R133 - except media outlets no longer shows those images. If there not from Ukraine, then ITA. But you can no longer rely on news coverage to show the unvarnished truth.

Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor will restrict access Facebook across the country. And Russian TV is spewing crazy propaganda, not telling the people the truth. A lot of people aren't stupid and already distrustful of their government and will see through this though. They can use a VPN, look to independent news sources, hear from relatives/friends in Ukraine.

Another casualty of war: Russia kicked out of Eurovision contest!

R136 Facebook is propaganda... LOL

Taiwan announces that it is joining the international sanctions regime against Russia. Taiwan is the world's leading producer of semiconductors and Russia losing access to this is a large blow not just to their military but their economy generally.

Not just Eurovision but UEFA, Grand Prix, even the international chess championship have cancelled events in Russia. It might focus Russian people's minds or make them question more.

"Usually, popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for the Vatican foreign minister to summon the Russian ambassador.

For Francis, the Vatican head of state, to leave the walled city state and travel a short distance to the Russian Embassy to the Holy See was a sign of his anger at Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and his willingness to appeal personally for an end to it."

Haunting NYT photo of a dead soldier.

Putin started believing his own hype about the Ukrainians, particularly the ones closer to Russia, wanted him to come in. He also believed that since Angela retired Europe had lost its strength and would crumble from infighting.

Neither of those things turned out to be true. If he doesn’t get done what he’s trying to do by this time next week, he’s lost.

Does he see the writing on the wall and back down or does he double down? Conventional wisdom says the latter is a fool’s errand but if he’s going to be the head of the world’s new pariah state then, why not? He certainly hasn’t been acting rationally lately.

The Russians were humiliated in Afghanistan, so ….

The Twitter account @Nexta_tv has some great updates about the Russian invasion. Real-time info about fighting and resistance, sanctions and developments and a view on the impact the war has on the civilian population like a missle going straight through the roof and ceiling of this family's home. Thus is what war is like, people losing their homes and livelihoods (and life).

Made in Ukraine, and eco-friendly.

Russian army targeting critical civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, reportedly destroying the city's thermal power plant.

Right now the messaging we're hearing overwhelmingly is very black-and-white, in that one side is clearly evil, and the other side is a peaceful, innocent, harmless nation that's a lovely emerging democracy; that one side started an invasion out of no where, totally unprovoked.

I think after things calm down, in a few years, we'll learn—and possibly some of us will even accept—that this wasn't quite the case.

That might sound offensive and traitorous right now, but I think we've been here before in recent history (told one thing by political leadership and media that we believe completely, later finding out things were a bit more complicated).

Just a thought.

Right now a country has invaded another country, really for no great reason. Whatever the provocations or hurt or offense or whatever nonsense is rattling around in the head of the cunt Putin, there is nothing Russia as a nation will get out of occupying Ukraine. Nothing. It is all pride and hurt and legacy and all that stupid shit that has inspired every useless piece of shit in history to do stupid shit.

I can't see any justification. Ukraine is clearly not a Nazi country and it's a democracy led by a Jew. They had elections not long ago which changed governments.

R148, until 2019 a puppet regime, rife with all of the corruption that goes along with it, was in place in Ukraine. Say what you want but Zelensky doesn’t seem interested in playing that type of ball, as evidenced by his refusal to play ball with Trump regarding Hunter Biden.

Oh fuck, US intelligence still thinks that gay activists are at risk:

"As Russia advances on Ukraine, a White House official has told @mklavers81 that the administration is in direct contact with Ukrainian #LGBTQI groups, directing them to emergency resources & communicating with allies to support possible refugees."

Have a single one of you read this, from start to finish?

"No, it's just all hateful lies from a crazy, evil dictator."

"I read the Times's account of it, which included excerpts."

"Too busy. CNN had clips during one segment."

I bet one here has bothered to read this, when it's now a key part of the history of what's unfolding.

It's not about your opinion of it: it's whether you've bothered to look closely, rather than being a passive guzzler of cable news and Twitter.

Go in assuming it's all lies, but at least read it, if you want to understand what's going on; not what's true, but rather what's being told to the other side.

R151 the election of Zelensky, a political amateur, might not have actually meant much. A state is much more than its head of state.

I bet *no one

R153 The false ramblings of a madman? OK Sergei. You're doing the devil's work, by the way. You must have no morals to sell yourself out to an evil dictator.

Random but I think I'd let Zelenskyy fuck me blind.

"Have you listened to the unhinged ramblings of this madman for the full two hours? Only then can you appreciate how he wants to regress back through Soviet history, past Andropov and into 1970s-era Soviet misery!"

R158 QED

India avoids condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine, keeps aloof from Biden’s coalition against Moscow

During my lunch break I'll post all the info about the organizations in this article, if you want to help.

I have read, on 3 different social media sites, that they just announced there was going to be a draft in the US. I can’t find any links though. Anyone see this?

R162 fairly sure that's fake news, probably spread by the Russians. I would just wait for a reliable source.

[quote] Nastya Aboliesheva, who works for Kyiv-based cat and dog shelter Happy Paw, told Newsweek that at the moment, the situation in shelters throughout Ukraine is stable, but food supplies remain the biggest problem.

Here's Happy Paw's site. It looks very legit.

[quote] A spokesperson for another Kyiv-based cat and dog shelter, Shelter Best Friends, told Newsweek that they currently house more than 1,000 animals, and estimate they only have two days worth of food left. Staff have left the shelter for security reasons.

This is a link to donate to "Best Friend" shelter in Kiev. Not sure if it's the same in the quote above, will double check, but I'm sure this shelter needs help, too, if it's not the same one.

[quote]That might sound offensive and traitorous right now

It doesn't sound remotely offensive or traitorous to me.

Just incredibly stupid.

Another group, Shelter Friend, in Dneproperovsk City. Last post from them was one hour ago. Sounds like they could use some help. Info is on the left side of their page.

SOS Shelter in Ukraine. Last post was on February 15.

I am just watching Russian TV and it's fascinating to compare how propaganda machines work on both sides. They are actually not hiding any Russian army losses but depict as a proof of Ukrainians being the killers and killing Russian peacekeepers. There is also an extensive footage of Ukrainian army surrendering and Russians treating them as heroes and accommodating them. They claim that Ukraine is positioning all their military in residential areas trying to incite Russians to hit civilians. Hence Ukrainian army are terrorists using civilians as hostages. And Russian army is doing their absolute best to avoid civilian casualties. In fact they are showing all social medial images and clips including the widely shared of tank mowing down civilian vehicle but with different commentary. Same content, different soundtrack.

The information war is fascinating to me. But I think West is winning this one, unlike the one on the ground.

Re R167, here is their website (cf. their FB page). Shelter Friend, in Dneproperovsk City.

R169, the West always wins the information war. Russians are geopolitical realists and focus more on winning on the ground. Doesn't necessarily help in the long-run, though.

R169 Most Russian people still have common sense. I do not believe that most of them will think that Putin was justified in invading Ukraine, especially the areas that aren't Russian-majority - this is a very different situation to Crimea. The tactics you talk of are all basically justifiable tactics to try to ward off someone who is attacking them. Also, Russian state media lied to them right up to the invasion, mocking the idea that it would happen. Russian people have low trust of their government compared to other countries (for good reason).

R171 This is bad, very bad for Russia in my opinion. When South Korea, Taiwan, USA, Germany, France, etc. are joining up to sanction you economically, Russia is going to just do worse and worse over the next few years. An occupancy of Ukraine will be very costly to achieve. Those Russian reserves may look great today but it won't take very many years to deplete. And they have ruined their international image even further.

Poor Russian keyboard prostitutes.

Nobody is on their side except Ted Cruz.

(Ask your trollfarm supervisor. Believe me, that's not a good thing.)

I really doubt any country cares what we're saying on here. No one cares about random eldergays.

If the draft were to be reinstated, would soldiers be conscripted by sex or by "gender identity"? I imagine there'd be a lot of NBs and FTMs suddenly pleading the reality of biological sex, and MTFs/AGPs doubling down on their denial.

Re R164, another way to help Happy Paw is via their Patreon page. It's not content - it's just an easy way to donate if you're outside Ukraine. I'm signing up.

The SPETSNAZ is now on the ground as seen in the already occupied cities. For those who don't know, those are Russian forces who are trained to deal with resistance. The way Russians do it, it starts with air strikes to disable key infrastructure, ground army rolls in to take the key roads and clear the way for spetsnaz, who do the targeted cleansing of any civilian resistance.

Military expert says that he thinks we've seen quite less than half or even a third of the Russian forces. There is likely going to be a lot worse to come :(

Also, the Russians sent out a decree to their hospitals saying that they expect a major crisis and to deploy medics. It sounds as if they expect a lot of bloodshed.

Protest in support of LGBTQ Ukrainians in NYC, Stonewall bar, Saturday 2/26 @ 2pm.

BBC: Zelensky - Ukraine ready to discuss ceasefire A spokesman for Ukrainian President Zelensky has just said the country is prepared to hold ceasefire and peace talks with Russia immediately.

He said Russian and Ukrainian officials are currently discussing a time and place for talks to be held.

Better that someone does a cyber attack on them before they do one on the rest of the world.

Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev writes "No war please" on the camera

[quote]I have read, on 3 different social media sites, that they just announced there was going to be a draft in the US.

It's bullshit, especially considering that it's been made clear that US forces will not be entering Ukraine.

We didn't have a draft for either of the Gulf Wars or for Afghanistan. We're not going to have a draft for Ukraine, a war we're not officially involved in. Now if Putin doesn't stop with Ukraine and tries to roll into the Baltics or Poland and NATO gets involved, that might be a different story.

UN Security Council just voted on their Russia resolution with some interesting voting results.

BBC: The UN security council voted on a resolution deploring Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Eleven member states voted for the resolution, three abstained (China, India, and UAE) and one voted against (Russia). As Russia holds a veto the resolution was not upheld.

But the US and its allies will see it as a victory to have Russia voting alone, and China abstaining. They were able to bring China on board by softening the resolution slightly, changing the word ‘condemning’ to ‘deploring’ for example and removing a reference to the Russian president. It is a loss however not to persuade India or UAE off the fence.

[quote]The sanction nobody is talking about. Russian users who attempted to visit pornhub were quite literally cockblocked by a message that told them that the content has been stopped along with a Ukranian flag and message of Ukranian support

PornoHub: more patriotic than the GOP.

Apparently, it's going down in Kyiv right now. A grave situation at the moment.

Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies and a southern neighbor, is denying a request for its troops to join the offensive in Ukraine, officials say. Significant because only last month Kazakhstani President Toqaev -in a historic move -called in Russian troops to secure his position.

The resistance in the Ukraine is a lot stronger than Putin imagined, ordinary Ukrainians are shooting Russian soldiers on sight now (there is twitter footage of some Russian soldiers taking off their uniforms and fleeing). Putin will still likely get control, but I do think Putin was expecting them to just roll over.

Poland just announced its borders are open to all Ukrainians who wish to take refuge.

Tindr is gaining intel from Russian soldiers.

the Anon hacking group doxxed Russian ministry officials!

Twitter of course took down the post saying it violated rules but luckily for the world other accounts screenshotted it

[Sanctions imposed in response to] Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could make many, many things more expensive

A tweet from Jack Posobiec r195? Really?

another inspiring and daring protest happened in Tbilisi. Georgians are surely worried they could be next

Marco Rubio is a shitstain but he's on the Senate Intelligence Committee (privy to intel) and he appears to be hinting that Putin may be sick?

Rubio: "I wish I could share more, but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin. He has always been a killer, but his problem now is different & significant. It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago"

WashPost says that Zelensky rejected U.S. offer to evacuate him from Kyiv. Respect, he knows he needs to be there to give his people courage.

Borrowing from the Nazi playbook, Putin is going to start carpet bombing civilian targets to force Ukraine to surrender.

well earlier today the Russians took out a power plant in the northern area of Kyiv. It's clear they want to cut off electricity and then starve the population into submission

R200 it's been rumored for a while now that Putin is not in good health

it does seem like the warpath he's on is solely about what he thinks his legacy in Russia will be. He wants to be remembered as the powerful man who stuck his middle finger at the west and reunited the USSR

he seems completely clueless that he'll be as reviled by future generations as Stalin

an update

Today Germany finally expressed "openness" to cutting off Russia from SWIFT

I wonder how long "openness" will take into action

R202, you just accept that as true? Have you seen the speech?

R202, I don't think that's an accurate summary. Here's the biggest segment I couldn't find.

I *could find

Bethenny Frankel's foundation, BStrong, is bringing toiletries, blankets, non-perishables, generators and more to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Supposedly $10 million worth, so far.

Russian losses now, according to Ukraine’s military (be aware that this may be exaggerated)

14 airplanes

8 helicopters

102 tanks

536 armored cars,

15 artillery pieces,

1 BUK-1 system,

3,500 killed, nearly 200 taken prisoner

NB: if that 3,500 figure is true, that's huge - the US lost about 7,500 soldiers in decades fighting in Iraq/Afghanistan, to put that in perspective.

I've been following this young Ukrainian journalist on twitter and he seems really good in terms of providing info on what is going on. As he says in this tweet, where the 'like' counter is going up by the thousands as you watch, 'A new dawn is breaking in Ukraine now, and the nation is still kicking asses'.

And Zelensky has just released a new video saying to not believe the Russian bullshit that he has fled or called on the army to surrender and that they will continue to fight.

Thank god Norway is a NATO member. We actually share a 200 km border with Russia. I fear for Sweden and Finland who aren't NATO members. Who knows what Putin might do. He's fucking nuts.

Sweden and Finland should have gotten their heads out of their own asses back in the 90s when Russia was distracted. Instead they thought they could plat both side forever. Well, play games with a crazy nation and poof, crazy things happen. I'm shocked, shocked I tell ya!

Their citizens were so smug about joining the big bad USA. Now they are shook. Weighing their options and quietly looking for assurances from the US Typical European nation.

Moldova and Georgia have the most to worry about after Ukraine as they're small countries and Russia already has control of regions they deemed separatist.

Finland of course is non-NATO and shares a border as well as some Russian minority population

the Baltic trio Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are definitely in Putin's sights but of course that would trigger a response from NATO

Zelenskyy is saying on Twitter that France is sending weapons?!

Bulgaria, Poland and Czechia are not allowing Russian airlines to fly in their airspace

The pretext for Russia to invade the Baltics will be Kaliningrad. If you're not familiar with Kaliningrad, click on the link and look at the map. It's part of Russia but non-contiguous.

hmm

for those who enjoyed sunflower woman, here's drunk grandpa

"Just turned on Russian TV for a minute: it's all about how Russia is helping refugees from Donbass. And how the refugees are all traumatized from Nazi attacks and provocations. Total parallel reality."

Downgraded to junk.

LOL, R221.

Hey Vlad, I hope invading Ukraine is REALLY worth messing up your country's entire economy in the long run!

The images from the cities this morning showed what war really is and who are the ones who suffer from it. I can’t imagine living there with small children at the moment.

In terms of his war progaganda, destroying Kyiv, the so-called "mother of all Russian cities", is such a smart move, Vlad . . .

Russia having a problem controlling the narrative within its own borders:

"Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor has warned 10 local news outlets that it will restrict access to their publications unless they stop spreading what it calls false information, including references to the military operation in Ukraine as an "attack, invasion or declaration of war.”

In letters sent letters to these outlets, the watchdog said it complained about allegedly “false information” they published on the shelling of Ukrainian cities and the death of civilians caused by the Russian armed forces.

The outlets notified are: Echo of Moscow, InoSMI, Mediazona, New Times, TV Rain, Svobodnaya Pressa, Krym.Realii, Novaya Gazeta, Zhurnalist and Lenizdat."

[quote]Hungary? Am I supposed to be surprised now? Victor and Vlad are known to be good pals.

“Russia attacked Ukraine this morning with military force,” Orban said in a video on Facebook. “Together with our European Union and NATO allies, we condemn Russia’s military action.”

“Hungary’s position is clear: we stand by Ukraine, we stand by Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” his Foreign Minister Peter Szijijarto said.

Sorry, R226, but this is just all talk no action. Victor Orban is a fucking mini dictator himself.

I don't dispute that, R227, but he at least has the good sense to distance himself from Putin at this point.

Also in that article, from Pro-Russian Czech President Milos Zeman:

Zeman has called for harsh sanctions against Russia, including cutting it out of the SWIFT financial system which shuffles money from bank to bank around the globe.

“It’s necessary to isolate a lunatic and not just to defend ourselves by words but also by deeds,” he said.

Putin has overplayed his hand here.

May this sentiment continue to grow:

Huge if true but this guy has been good so let's hope it's soon confirmed:

Turkey closes Black Sea to Russian warships.

[quote]Russian duma deputy: “we must stop this war immediately. i did not vote to approve the bombing of Kyiv.”

That guy better not stand near any interior windows any time soon.

Ah, posted too soon. It's a request it seems or something along those lines. I blame the excitement and 'fog of war' for my hasty post.

Rumor has it the Russian army has brought mobile crematories with them to make sure people won't get to see dead Russian soldiers. Holy fuck.

[quote]Rumor has it the Russian army has brought mobile crematories with them

Yes, see R104.

R230 R232

Turkey says it cannot stop returning Russian warships from accessing Black Sea

Seems likely that Turkey would want to shut down Russia's access to the sea, just a day or two ago Russia took out a Turkish ship off the coast of Odessa. No one was hurt thankfully but I'm sure Turkey wasn't pleased.

That said, a day ago they were saying it was logistically impossible for them to stop Russia from entering the Black Sea.

I guess there's some confusion on whether Turkey has shut down the Black Sea access. Here's a tweet from Zelensky thanking Erdogan for shutting it down.

I would hope Zelenskyy would know, so I'll take his word for it!

Interesting live discussion. It's not encouraging/cheerleading in favor of those opposed to Russia, however, so it's not the most encouraging. Avoid it you don't want to feel discouraged.

Poland is rejecting migrants from anywhere but Ukraine, including medical students from Nigeria (who were studying in Ukraine).

Der Gaudrian has updated its banner twice in the last 13 minutes. Before it was Zelensky praises Turkey for closing off the Black Sea to Russia. Now it's "Russia-Ukraine latest news: Turkey distances itself from Zelenskiy comments on Russian warship access to Black Sea".

r241 would a medical student from Nigeria even be a migrant? They aren't technically without a country and weren't permanent residents of Ukraine, just staying on a student VISA. I'm sure if they waive their Nigerian passport they can enter, but if they act like refugees (people looking to stay) they they will get rejected. Sort of makes sense to me.

A few Americans have crossed (though our passport has always had cache) without issue after waiving our passports in their face to show we are stopping through.

Please be careful trusting Ukrainian claims, most of it is exaggerated or twisted to keep gaining support from the West. No that I don't sympathies with them, but I would not use their claims as facts. It's propaganda by one of the sides in this conflict. Turkey never agreed to close the strait. Zelenskiy is lying. They simply can not do so and even if they do, it's all too late. The Black Sea is empty.

Also the widely shared claim of stand off on Snake Island by the Ukrainian government is not true. The Ukrainian border troops were not killed. and there was not bombing of the island. Most of them were captured by Russians.

Azov Battalion

Coverage of the Azov Battalion from DW. Crazy stuff.

The invasion is just attracting radicals from around the world to join the Ukrainian armed forces.

[quote]No that I don't sympathies with them

So close, and yet so far.

Ukraine's annual white power festival. It's mostly a huge concert.

"In the train stations here in Kyiv, children first, women second, white men third, then the remaining is occupied by Africans. This means that we have waited for many hours for trains here & couldn’t enter because of this.

Majority of Africans are still waiting to get to Lviv."

Well that is some racist bullshit from Ukraine and Poland. In a time like this they really want to pick and choose which color of women should be deemed worth of a seat on a train? Putin might have been right with some of his racism charges against Ukraine. Doesn't justify invasion but puts a sour taste in my mouth.

Moldova's beautiful president. Single and child-free.

I see the Russian Bots have got this thread too.

R252 Yes, notice that poster who has recently arrived to push Putin's narrative that there are far right Nazis in Ukraine (I mean, duh, there are some like every country but they are NOT the majority).

Apparently Russian state TV is showing endless footage of Russian refugees fleeing Donbas. (alleged refugees, alleged fleeing.)

Constructing an alternate reality and beaming it into living rooms. No wonder Tucker loves them so much.

R252 & R253 Yup there is a noticable increase on anti-Ukrainian posts all over SM. Noticeable increase on Twitter today.

With respect, if you're on other threads saying that the NAACP is conspiring to make Harry & Meghan look good because Sunshine Sachs is the NAACP's biggest donor, you probably shouldn't be on this thread complaining about propaganda bots.

R256 go back to the royal threads and your obsession with them pls. Propaganda bots have been proven to exist. Information warfare is a thing.

R257, I'm r248, obviously I know there are bots on here pushing Russian propaganda, but some of your idiot Meghan-hater troll friends are ALSO pushing propaganda, and one of them -- someone pushing one of the more vile, racist conspiracy theories -- is on this thread, bemoaning the existence of trolls and bots. It's hypocritical.

We're dealing with bullshit trolling, conspiracies, lies and propaganda from all sides all day long, and I'm pissed off and I said something about it. If you don't like it, fuck off, frau.

R256 Oh FFS why are you bringing Harry and Meghan up on this thread!

Putin's 'denazification of Ukraine' information warfare:

R259 Dude honestly give it a rest this is not the thread to bring up royal talk (there are literally dozens of threads). And btw look propaganda and racism up in the dictionary...a disagreement of opinion is not racist or propaganda.

[quote] “We are working flat out on how to limit the collateral damage of decoupling from SWIFT in such a way that it affects the right people,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said in a statement.

From what I'm seeing, R258, Germany is afraid of losing power if they block SWIFT.

But they're figuring out a carveout for the energy sector...

France has seized a Russian cargo ship for likely breaching the recent sanctions.

R259 Okay 1) This thread has nothing to do with Harry and Meghan so please kindly take a seat and shut the fuck up. 2) just for the sake of making a point, questioning how the Sussexes were given an NAACP award is not propaganda or racist, it's just a question. Lets get back to what this thread is about!

Mother Russia

So far the Russians have been (mostly) trying to avoid civilians but if Ukraine continues to resist, Zelenskiy could potentially face an awful choice: surrender and save civilian lives or continue to fight but face catastrophic civilian losses if the Russians decide to start targeting civilians to win.

Testing Putin's patience.

Putin endearing himself to Ukrainians

/sarcasm

I know this is nothing new, but social media is out of control. Today I saw posts on Twitter from RWNJs saying that it was the UN who invaded Ukraine, some people even claimed that the UN invaded to take the heat off of Justin Trudeau for his handling of the trucker "protests" (they weren't protests, they were trying to overthrow the government).

That doesn’t surprise me, R270

Anonymous has taken down some Russian govt websites. Go hackers!

taking down some sites that likely mostly journalists monitor? Sorry but I don't really get this Anonymous hype.

It's fascinating seeing the conflict between invading a country and not wanting to be seen to be overly harming the people there... How is Putin going to successfully occupy a country otherwise?

So many Russian people have connections with Ukrainians. This video of Ukrainians repelling Russian tanks by standing in front of them illustrates that - it would be a horrendous look if the tanks had simply run over them.

Someone get that woman her smelling salts, she's putting Aunt Pitty Pat to shame.

Just...because.

R274, that's what makes this so difficult for Putin. The objective is to minimise the civilian damage (which is at least some good news) and that must be infuriating him and Russian military. Otherwise they would have flattened the place already.

This is an extremely challenging military operation and it costs Russians more than Ukrainians. They clearly not minding paying this high price.

I am still not sure what the end game is here. It's clear it's not really occupation or regime change. My only guess is partitioning as much territory as possible..

R266 Mother Russia

[quote]Also the widely shared claim of stand off on Snake Island by the Ukrainian government is not true. The Ukrainian border troops were not killed. and there was not bombing of the island. Most of them were captured by Russians.

Are we going to let R244 make this claim without any supporting evidence?

"Russian bot, go fuck yourself!"

Putin wants regime change which is why he keeps telling the Ukrainians to surrender but they aren't playing ball so far. Either this escalates violently and horribly, or they surrender. OK, another option is that the Russians retreat but I feel it's hard to see Putin doing that?

[quote] Anonymous has taken down some Russian govt websites. Go hackers!

Fox next, please

Apparently, All Russian TV stations were hacked briefly tonight and live broadcast was interrupted with Ukrainian propaganda videos about the war.

BEARKING:

Pootey’s screwed.

Announcement of eliminating many Russia banks and assets from SWIFT, effectively eliminating the ability to finance the war and the leading oligarchs from accessing their assets:

They dont care. Russians apparently prepared for this. For past 8 years they have been preparing to insulate their infrastructure and financial systems from rest of the world. They say there will be suffering but they don't give a damn as this goes beyond money and its about their national security.

[quote]They say there will be suffering but they don't give a damn as this goes beyond money and its about their national security.

That is indeed what they say. Whether it is in fact true will be evident soon enough.

Cyber war goes both ways

Something I never thought could happen, watching CNN live from Kiuv and seeing and hearing massive explosions. This needs stop and Putin needs to be stopped.

[quote] They dont care. Russians apparently prepared for this. For past 8 years they have been preparing to insulate their infrastructure and financial systems from rest of the world. They say there will be suffering but they don't give a damn as this goes beyond money and its about their national security.

But Wait!

There's MORE:

R291, they are aware of it. Those assets have already been shielded. Besides, nobody will shed a tear about oligarchs or their kids in Russia.

Ukraine's LGBTQ+ community is calling its community to arms.

They’ve blown up an oil depot just south of Kyiv (in a residential neighborhood) causing a massive fire.

And a gas pipeline in Kharkiv causing another massive fire. Going after energy infrastructure and maximizing environmental damage while they’re at it.

On an evacuation train to Poland.. including 6 cats and 2 dogs.

R279,

It is going to be a horrible weekend but with all my heart I want the Ukrainian people to be able to witness this:

Any of you gals here tonight?

R299 “Hundreds,” really? There were thousands that turned out in Tblisi, Georgia yesterday. It was huge.

A dirty bomb???

[quote]"My God! During the shelling of Kyiv, Russian shells hit the radioactive waste storage facility of the Kyiv branch of the Radon Association - the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine."

R301, fake news. The bomb landed nearby but no harm was done. This is the same panic as was with Russian Chernobyl takeover and supposed radioactive leaks.

God damn it, Ukraine propaganda machine is in override. Wish they could tone it down a little. Boris and Svetlana could take some tips.

They're not letting Black people on the trains.

I heard something about ^^^ yesterday and it is seems to be true. It also feels inappropriate and offensive to me.

BUT within 10 minutes of that post the video flooded the internet, started trending and garnered multiple retweets.

There is a lot of uncertainty and sadness in this tragedy but clearly there are organized channels to make sure some aspects get more attention than others.

Ukraine's responsibility is to their citizens. If they were denied access to the train in favor of letting more Ukrainians on the train, so be it. My understanding is they were loading up with Ukrainians and there was no more space.

If there were seats and they weren't allowed on, that's another story.

R302, how do you know it's fake news?

R305, there are black Ukrainian citizens who have been born there, gone to college there, served in the Army there, etc. One is a member of Parliament. They do face racism there but are adamantly opposing the invasion along with the rest of Ukraine.

R302 here. Someone suggested they weren't allowed on the train because men aged 18-60 are expected to stay and fight. Hopefully that's all that was stopping them.

R308 but they weren't Ukrainian citizens; they were medical students. Certainly they aren't forcing non-citizens to fight?

Elon Musk to the rescue with Starlink Service!

the Russians tried stopping Ukrainian internet connection but they can't touch Musk's satellite

How do you know those men in the video aren't citizens, are you sure they're students, R309?

BTW, I'm R308 and R303, NOT R302. Sorry about that.

can you imagine how differently things could have turned out in Afghanistan if their fucking government hadn't just folded? Only their Vice President, a small military contingent and a couple of regional leaders wanted to fight. Their President fled immediately and following him most of the other government officials did too. The military stood down. Almost all regional Afghan leaders cut deals with the Taliban to hand over weapons in exchange for the Taliban not to fight them. Keep in mind the Taliban is just a ragtag group nowhere near the capability of the #2 military in the world, Russia. Maybe the Afghan population would have been more willing to fight if their government had had courage

Real credit to the Ukrainian government and people for wanting to fight.

R311 read for yourself

look there is definitely racism and anti-Semitism in Ukraine but guess what? Russia has the same problem. Putin has helped prop up far right racist, anti-Semitic governments so he's far worse.

It is shameful that the Ukrainians and Poles aren't treating Black people with the same respect as Ukrainians fleeing

Were Africans not warned to leave Ukraine in the weeks leading up to the invasion, as Americans were?

This isn't hard. If they are citizens, they are part of the general mobilization and can't leave.

If they aren't citizens, the Ukrainians are rightfully putting them at the back of the queue until the Ukrainian women and children are all loaded on the train. If the train is full, they'll have to try again later.

Can we now dispense with the outrage and get back to the Russian invasion?

R315 1 of the big problems is most people around the world and our own right wing media were discounting the intelligence that Biden and Blinken were publicly sharing. Even Zelensky said it was an exaggeration but look who was right? Everything Biden and Blinken said, Russia has now done. Maybe Zelensky wanted to not panic his population and keep them from fleeing so they'd stay to fight but it's odd how no one believed us except Democrats and mainstream media

R313, that article doesn't say they were denied boarding the train, just that a spot on the train was hard to get.

I saw footage earlier of hundreds of people trying to get on a train with no luck. Hopefully things will calm down soon and everyone who wants to get out can including all of the foreign students.

[quote] they are aware of it. Those assets have already been shielded.

Sanctioned Russian TV Host Cries About Losing His Italian Villa

[quote] Soloviev learned this week that the latest sanctions imposed against the Kremlin’s regime and its accomplices would impact him personally. His access to properties in Europe is now being impacted, and perhaps his ownership as well.

[quote] During Friday’s edition of The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev, the host raged: “I was told that Europe is a citadel of rights, that everything is permitted, that’s what they said... I know from personal experience about the so-called ‘sacred property rights.’ With every transaction I was bringing paperwork demonstrating my official salary, income, I did it all. I bought it, paid crazy amount of taxes, I did everything. And suddenly someone makes a decision that this journalist is now on the list of sanctions. And right away it affects your real estate. Wait a minute. But you told us that Europe has sacred property rights!”

R315, Africa isn't a country. The African people in Ukraine you're talking about were from a bunch of different countries, and unless you know which countries they were from, you won't know whether the country suggested they leave early (like America did for Americans in Ukraine) or not.

[quote]Ukraine propaganda machine is in override

All of the "it's just Ukrainian propaganda" people need to start POSTING LINKS proving something is a lie, or they need to shut up.

CBC just said that the Russians brought thermobaric bombs to Ukraine.

Oh, never mind, they said that hours ago, I was watching a repeat broadcast.

The Washington Post is reporting the Snake Island border guards may have survived.

Russian troops have captured the Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka, outside Kherson, says the local mayor.

However, Ukrainian military says: Russian advancement slows down, the enemy runs at its operational limit, supplies are getting scarce and logistics are poorly coordinated. Morale is low. Attempts to isolate Kyiv are not successful.

[quote] Sanctioned Russian TV Host Cries About Losing His Italian Villa

Good. Seize all of their assets and use them to help Ukraine.

#BREAKING A Russian thermobaric multiple rockets launcher has been spotted by CNN team south of Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border Sat. Thermobaric weapons have been used in Chechnya, with horrifying consequences, according to @hrw - @CNN

yeah I'm really worried that because Russians are so far failing, Putin is just going to send an enormous amount of more troops along with much more vicious, destructive weapons to get the job done. There's going to be so much loss of life unless Putin backs off

what else is left to sanction at this point? The SWIFT bank stuff doesn't kick in until Monday

Lukashenko confirms missile strikes have been launched from Belarus against Ukraine because "Kyiv deployed 3-4 missile divisions near our border".

Russian aircraft are based in Belarus and columns of Russian armored vehicles are moving from Belarus.

The Russians sent a delegation for negotiation talks to Belarus. Zelenskiy rejected, saying he wants to talk in a neutral country (as he should - the Russians are not being serious). Zelenskiy suggested Warsaw, Istanbul, Baku, 'any city' that is not helping Russia.

Yes!

amazing

these hackers are fucking the Russians up

love it

During the night, Russian missile hit a petroleum base in Vasylkiv, near Kyiv. This is an ecological catastrophe, very dangerous for all people nearby.

Ukrainian TB-2 Bayraktar drones, destroying Russian columns

Bloomberg:

"Russia still has overwhelming military advantage in Ukraine, but every day of resistance-forced delay is raising the cost and risk to Putin.

Russia’s plans for Ukraine face rapidly rising costs due to delays caused by tougher-than-expected resistance from forces on the ground, even as its military retains overwhelming advantages.

Russian official tells us the 1-2 week plan is on track, aimed not at taking cities but forcing Ukraine's President Zelensky to flee or surrender, replace with pro-Russia government, and destroy armed formations in the field.

Plan would then carve Ukraine in 3 pieces: Newly recognized Donetsk and Luhansk regions; rump Ukraine under Russian control; and western regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv left alone.

Rump Ukraine would pay for own reconstruction, would have no military, would be incorporated into Russia's air defense network, and might host Russian troops.

Risk to Russia plan is that each day without defeat raises Ukrainian morale, attracts new reserves, forces ugly capture of cities by force and gives time for Ukraine's allies to send more weapons, creating further delay and cost for Russia."

Continuous shelling of Kyiv. Now three convoys of tanks - almost 500 in total - are approaching the city from different directions.

Bellingcat: "There's lot of chatter and purported leaks on silovik telegram channels that the General Staff has instructed that Kyiv be taken by Monday, and has overridden the objection of the Airborne forces who think this can only be done at a huge cost of lives."

[quote]taking down some sites that likely mostly journalists monitor? Sorry but I don't really get this Anonymous hype.

What are you talking about? They took down Russian official government websites and banks.

R337, I mean it's nice and good to make them scramble but that hardly changes anything in this war, just like sanctions and all SWIFT bans etc make no difference to solving the crisis.

[quote]sanctions and all SWIFT bans etc make no difference

Ramzan Kadyrov:

"They're armed to the teeth with new weapony and ammunition, new generation heavy artillery, and we're still placing our hopes on the Ukrainians' coming to their senses. If they've refused talks twice, then we have to change our tactics. That'll be more convincing for them."

He asks Putin to "give all special forces the order to finish off the Nazis and terrorists" in Ukraine. "It's time to start a large-scale operation in all directions. The tactics we've chosen in Ukraine are too sluggish. It's been going on for too long and isn't effective."

R339, I am not saying that it's not going to damage economy and Russians directly but they knew this is happening and it's not stopping Putin or his circle as of right now. I guess the idea is that it will weaken his position inside. Let's see if this works.

Before this crisis, Russia wanted to reduce its dependence on foreign currencies but there was no consensus. They took some steps to insulate themselves. This will only embolden the nationalist hawks that they were right all along and the West is not an ally. We can isolate them economically but does it make Europe safer?

Let's hope the calculation is correct and the outcome will be Putin's demise but so far I am not seeing any sings of that.

"Happening right now! In #Bucha, near #Hostomel Antonov airport, russians are forcing civilians to pack into buses (disguised as an evacuation) in order to put them before the russian columns advancing to Kyiv. "

R344? sorry who is packing who?

Getting harder and harder to get in and out of Russia

[quote]Getting harder and harder to get in and out of Russia

Indeed:

The Dothraki are coming. If you know Chechen fighters, you get it.

Chechens are coming.

r338, are you the one who said earlier that Anon only took down "some sites that likely mostly journalists monitor"? That's what my response was very specifically about. They did not just take down some unimportant sites and I don't know why you said they did.

Whether you think it's useful or not was not the point.

Anon needs to take down Russian TV and Fox.

[quote] Third, we will target the other aggressor in this war, Lukashenko’s regime, with a new package of sanctions, hitting their most important sectors.

[quote] All these measures come on top of the strong package presented yesterday, agreed by our international partners.

I hope the take in Belarus go well.

Damn, sounds like Putin is going to go scorched earth.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland asking their citizen to urgently leave Russia. We are sleepwalking into a much bigger conflict than Ukraine, I am feeling.

R349, it is currently 9:00 p.m. Sunday night in Ukraine and peace talks are supposed to be Monday morning- peace may be hours away.

Kiyv is now fully surrounded.

There's also going to be a serious humanitarian crisis because food, medicine and other supplies can't enter Kyiv. Kyiv is encircled by tanks. The Ukrainians have fought back amazingly but we need to remember that the Russians have much bigger advantage in terms of artillery and firepower.

EU announces it has agreed unanimously amongst all member countries to take in Ukrainian refugees fir up to 3 years without asking them to first apply for asylum. Just been announced following a meeting of EU Interior ministers.

Delta suspends partnership with Russian airline.

Now Kyiv's mayor is saying that Kyiv isn't encircled.. Hard to know what to believe in the chaos of war when both sides may want to put a certain picture out.

BBC NEWS: The US state department is advising American citizens to consider leaving Russia immediately.

“An increasing number of airlines are cancelling flights into and out of Russia, and numerous countries have closed their airspace to Russian airlines. US citizens should consider departing Russia immediately via commercial options still available,” the department said on Sunday.

Last month, the US warned Americans against traveling to Russia because of tension along the border with Ukraine as well as “the potential for harassment against US citizens, the embassy’s limited ability to assist US citizens in Russia” and “harassment by Russian government security officials”.

The EU says that they will provide Ukraine with 'fighter jets' with Brussels funding. Need to get those out quick.

R363, How will they be delivered? Russian will shoot them down the moment they cross the border and how will then NATO respond?

BBS NEWS: French foreign ministry asks French nationals to leave Russia immediately All French citizens on short-term visits to Russia should leave the country immediately, the French foreign ministry said on its website on Sunday, citing increasing restrictions on air travel resulting from sanctions punishing the country for invading Ukraine.

Russia TV pushing the racism angle.

Putin is using Belarusian hospitals and doctors to treat wounded soldiers.

The latest status of Russian Army's progress.

if the Russians were to encircle Kyiv, couldn't Ukrainian military just come in from the west and trap them too?

Nice one - reportedly the EU-procured fighter jets will be flying in Ukraine skies within the hour.

R367, I speculated that would happen at R304

[quote] Putin seems a cornered animal, increasing desperate. It won’t end well for him. The question is at what cost with what collateral damage?

R373 The general hasn't been fired, Vindman got the wrong information.

A journalist has been shot dead, two others shot and injured.

Canada set to ban RT!!

Oops, here's the link.

R369, thanks. That's the kind of data-based post I appreciate.

Not sure if this makes sense. Can't you block roads without encircling?

Interesting. Weapons are still coming from the west.

This is from the Ukrainian National Guard. Azov Battalion preparing to take on the Kadyrov-led Muslim Chechens ("orcs").

R381, Azov Battalion, which is currently on the US terrorist group list?

This attitude is kind of why almost all Muslim countries aren't taking much of a stand against Russia.

R382, I don't know.

The BBC - “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blonde hair being killed”

"This isn't Iraq or Afghanistan...This is a relatively civilized, relatively European city" - CBS foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata

Ukraine *is* more civilised than Iraq, Afghanistan. This is boring, feeding into Russian propaganda trying to paint Ukrainians as Nazis.

In other news.. "Multiple sources say the decision has been made — and as soon as on Feb. 28 at 5 a.m. local time, the first Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft is very likely to take off carrying Belarusian paratroopers to be deployed against Ukraine."

Who is Alan MacLeod? MintPressNews? Never heard of and neither have a blue tick. Either an useful idiot or a paid Russian troll.

After reading through MintPressNews's twitter feed, yep, confirmed, Svetlana has logged in. Did you manage to get your hands on some foreign currency in time since you get paid in rubles? Those lines looked like hell.

I've been following MintPressNews for a while R389 and it seems to me they are a South American/global version of our progressives.

They are angry about everything and determined to expose everyone. I initially started following during the Jeffrey Epstein blow up because one of them (Whitney Webb I think her name is) had exhaustive research into the cast of characters. They aren't verified but they seem to have quite a lot of experience in investigative journalism.

That said, they also seem to be as toxic as far right libertarians, demanding "freedom" for everyone including, but not limited to, the Canadian truckers.

R392 Ah, useful idiots then.

According to the wikipedia page on MintPressNews they "employ many Russia Today affiliates".

You don't say.

I genuinely hope someone is going to come for that sniveling toad Lukashenko -- all global sanctions imposed on the RF should be applied immediately on Belarus as well.

I love hackers sometimes.

And Ukrainian sailors R396. Maybe it's been posted above but it's wonderful. And thanks to the person yesterday who posted about the TV host crying cause he lost his Italian villa. That was splendid too, especially the woman who carried on saying 'We can do without Paris ...' etc. She sounded like a nasty cunt and what made it even better was I then looked at the Guardian updates and lo and behold there she was again - singled out by the British as one of the elites who would be targeted for sanctions for her years as one of Putin's media propaganda spewers.

Fuck - forgot the link to the hero sailor.

Here is a prediction from 2021 that is panning out in real time.

[quote]that sniveling toad Lukashenko

I gasped at the perfection of this.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

I wonder if someone in South Florida is concerned about refinancing his debt. I really hope the Biden administration knows where the dark money comes from and uses this opportunity to secretly bankrupt this troll and cut his access to Russian money and investments. I mean, this is a perfect opportunity to cut all these corrupt Republicans off from illegal donations and Russian handouts. Just blame it all on sanctions and let them starve.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

If you can spare some coin:

Jesus, could you guys please stop posting these ridiculous tweets and links here all the time?

This is a discussion forum and not 'share your favorite tweet board'.

If you’re posting a link, please include a brief summary.

As I stated in a thread over a year ago (search for "Lviv"), I think Ukraine will end up split, with Lviv the new capital of a West Germany-esque Western-oriented Ukraine.

When that happens, please consider visiting, to show your support. Consider flying into Lviv, staying in the area (please consider a homestay via Airbnb or similar), and then heading to Bukovel to ski. It's the largest ski resort in E. Europe. Spend freely if possible.

Turning Ukraine into a Western, developed member of the EU will be MUCH easier with only Ukrainian-speaking and identifying people.

*Consider flying into Lviv, or taking the train to Lviv from Poland

The HSR connection between Warsaw and Lviv will be upgraded very soon, after the conflict ends.

Bukovel ski resort in western Ukraine.

Fun and beautiful western Ukraine.

Russia Economy In Collapse As Ruble Sinks, Interest Rates Double

Ukraine war: Snake Island border guards are alive and well, says Ukrainian navy

'I have nothing in Warsaw. I just want to be safe.' On the road with a Ukrainian fleeing Kyiv

Ukraine is one of us and we want them in EU, Ursula von der Leyen tells Euronews

Don't soccer players have hot asses?

But they can't live forever, r418...

He may not live much longer at all, R419. He's a foreigner who could leave if he wanted so I'm afraid for his hot ass!

Lviv guide just 4 months old.

More Lviv.

These travel recommendations may be a bit premature -- we don't know what Putin has planned for the country.

[quote]well earlier today the Russians took out a power plant in the northern area of Kyiv. It's clear they want to cut off electricity and then starve the population into submission

"European Union energy ministers are likely to decide on Monday to connect Ukraine and Moldova to the EU's electricity network so the two countries can become less dependent on energy supplies from Russia, a senior EU official said."

The ruble hasn't exactly plummeted yet. 85/dollar to 110/dollar, now 95/dollar.

How to help animals in Ukraine and those of refugees who've fled.

Made in Ukraine

UGEARS puzzles/models are made in Ukraine.

Zelensky is hot, but don't forget about Navalny.

Not what of us want to read, but it gives a good overview of the past several years.

This was never about NATO R430. It's about Putin getting the 'Russian empire' back. He doesn't want people to join NATO because it was designed to hold off evil invading dictators like him. And it works... that's why more and more countries want to join NATO now. Shame for the evil dictators.

Not what *most of us

Ted Galen Carpenter - useful idiot.

[quote]Many predicted Nato expansion would lead to war. Those warnings were ignored.

Don't join NATO because it will antagonize the country that is going to invade you!

Just like Trump fans, Putin stooges are willing to contort themselves to ridiculous proportions to insist the man did not mean the awful thing he said.

Putin TOLD US why he invaded Ukraine. It's not because of NATO or the US.

The Kremlin ordered 400 Russian mercenaries in Kyiv to hunt and kill Ukraine's president, report says

[quote]Online propaganda is everywhere -- the night before the invasion I saw someone on DL pushing Russian propaganda about how Ukraine was run by Nazis and someone had to do something about it

Indeed:

Say that the mercenaries, god forbid, are successful in their assassination. How does the Kremlin deny that they were involved in assassinating head of state?

Oh, they probably don't. Looney old Vlad declares it's God's will or some shit. We're in the mad king phase now.

95% of Americans were completely unaware of what was going on in Ukraine a month ago. Now everyone's an expert because they watch CNN.

A very detailed explanation of what led to this war.

Putin's losing Ukraine to a dude that played the piano with his dick and danced in stripper heels.

[quote]I'd like to point out the Gamma monitors at #Chernobyl have gone offline after a HUGE spike, there is also a visible data gap.

when Chernobyl happened there was a radiation spike in Europe. Russia tried to keep it quiet that the accident happened but they couldn't keep it quiet because of high levels of radiation in Europe.

Sanctions, my ass.

Gazprom Paves Way to New China Gas Deal as Sanctions Hit Russia. Gas giant signed contract to design link to China via Mongolia. New pipe to China would enable 50 bcm/year of extra gas flows

Please ignore.

America must recommit to Europe's protection as its top foreign policy priority.

You can spot the pro-Russian trolls because they post links to sensationalist Youtube videos by random crazies.

Please volunteer to fight in Ukraine. Contact your Ukrainian embassy.

R450, have you?

The leader of the Wagner Group (sent by the Russians to kill Zelensky), Dmitry Utkin, literally has the Nazi SS symbol tattooed on him.

R450, I'm not one of the people saying "Someone should do something." I'm just giving those passionate democracy-protectors a way to effect change.

This is part of why India is neutral.

Obvious trollina at R454 pushing a racism angle even though Russia is racist as fuck themselves. Also another link to a sensationalist Youtube video by some random I've never heard of.

Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera? LOL. They are really pushing this racism angle, they must have been told to by their supervisors.

[quote] You can spot the pro-Russian trolls because they post links to sensationalist Youtube videos by random crazies.

Seriously. WTF with these obscure Youtube videos in defense of Putin? Who exactly do they think they're fooling?

Russia has assembled a military convoy north-west of Kyiv that stretches for 40 miles, according to satellite images taken by a US company. A major assault on the Ukrainian capital has been expected for days.

How can there be a continuous 40-mile Russian convoy just heading to Kiev? I thought the locals were kicking ass.

If Ukraine was in NATO, NATO could just bomb that convoy. I've read that Ukraine doesn't have the best airforce.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan QC is going to open a probe into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine. They likely won't be able to touch Putin but Russia's negative international publicity continues...

A tabloid in my country had a full front page image of an Ukrainian kid killed by the Russians on it today.

Americans escaped Ukraine with their newborn baby via surrogate.

Russia has announced that they will pay 11,000 rubles (about 104 $ or less than 90 € ) to the families of fallen Russian soldiers. That has to be a joke, how insulting.

The Russians are escalating, striking non-military targets in the middle of Ukrainian cities.

Also shelling residential areas, killing several civilians.

Kharkiv is a Russian speaking city, full of ethnic Russians, who must be killed by the Russian army to save them from not living in the Russian Federation. It is a cliche that war is madness, but this one really is psychotic.

Ruble = 0, 0092€Ha ha!

there's this great graph showing the ruble-dollar trajectory during Putin's reign. It doesn't suggest he has been good for Russia's economy.

Southeastern Azov Sea city of Mariupol is nearly surrounded by Russian forces and with “practically no electricity supply and centralized heating in the city,” says Mayor Vadim Boychenko. “The enemy is storming the city from all directions.”

[quote]WTF with these obscure Youtube videos in defense of Putin? Who exactly do they think they're fooling?

Muriel needs to do a little housecleaning.

Nails motherfucker.

I found this article retweeted by Alexei Navalny and used Google to translate it, so though it may not be 100% accurate it's scary none the less. Don't get your hopes up about Putin seeing reason or someone stepping up to assassinate him, basically.

"Another of my interlocutors, let's call him a good acquaintance of Putin, says this: the Russian president has in his head that the rules of the game are destroyed and destroyed not by Russia, and if this is a fight without rules, then this is a fight without rules and a new reality in which we live. “And here he is in a state of offended and offended. This is paranoia to the point of absurdity,” he explains. According to him, Putin sincerely believes that, at least in the first years of his rule, he tried his best to improve relations with the West.

“A lot of things overlapped: on the one hand, a really unfair state of affairs, when we are constantly being spoiled from year to year on a different scale and declaring us enemies long before Ukraine, on the other hand, the inability of our competently to build and implement, including publicly, his policy, and thirdly, the deformation of Putin due to being in power for too long. And Putin now seriously believes that Shoigu and Gerasimov are telling him that they will quickly take Kyiv, that the Ukrainians are blowing themselves up, that Zelensky is on cocaine,” my interlocutor is sure."

Medvedev is such a pathetic loser, just an empty vassal who doesn't think for himself.

Double standards on conflict and refugees?

Western media coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine reveals double standards, racism and othering when it comes to conflict and refugees.

The 40-mile convoy.

I like that version of the Ukraine flag that has the rich, saturated, darker blue, like the flag next to Zelenskiy when he's speaking from the podium. It's prettier than the pale-blue version everyone else seems to be displaying.

The rich blue looks like the blue of the EU flag.

Russia hits the Kyiv TV Tower minutes after warning to the residents of Ukraine's capital to evacuate military and intelligence infrastructure.

Colbert

Ukrainian fighters grease bullets against Chechens with pig fat

302,477 views • Feb 28, 2022 • “In our country, you will not go to heaven.” A video shared by the National Guard of Ukraine on Twitter appears to show a fighter dipping bullets in pig fat, to be used against Muslim Chechens fighting alongside Russian forces.

The trollina Youtube video poster strikes again.

[quote] The Azov Battalion is an ultranationalist volunteer arm of the National Guard of Ukraine that was formally infused into its ranks after it fought against pro-Russian separatists in 2014. The battalion has been accused of espousing neo-Nazi beliefs and reportedly continues to bear Wolfsangel insignia, used by Nazi units during World War II.

[quote] The battalion’s first commander was Andriy Biletsky, a white nationalist who in 2010 said that Ukraine’s national purpose was to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade… against Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans].”

Aid package coming. Dems want $6 billion for Ukraine. The administration wants more.

I’m sure they would rather have a multi-country squadron to come save their lives.

Masha Gessen: The West Is “Insane” for Thinking Sanctions Will Deter Putin | Amanpour and Company

Journalist Masha Gessen’s latest article in The New Yorker tells of life on the Ukraine-Russia border, where locals talk of misleading propaganda and language divides. Gessen sat down with Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the current crisis -- and what the media gets wrong about Vladimir Putin.

Maks makes it out of Ukraine to Poland and his "traumatizing" ride out:

He could have just tour jetéd across the border!

Conditions in Lviv. Looks somewhat normal, as expected, since the conflict hasn't gone that far west. Pretty neighborhood.

We’re Not Allowed To Discuss This

Vladimir Putin has ordered that Russia's nuclear deterrent forces are put on high alert. Today we look at the factors that have potentially led to this invasion - including NATO's expansion and Putin’s worldview regarding Ukraine.

R491 Another Youtube video pushing Russian propaganda. How about you start facing up to that this was Putin's decision alone, to kill innocent people and children.

[quote]Maks makes it out of Ukraine to Poland and his "traumatizing" ride out

R488 Shouldn't he have stayed behind to fight? At minimum, to perform high kicks or deep lunges against the Russian onslaught...

[quote]We’re Not Allowed To Discuss This

Seems like the continued existence of his YouTube channel proves otherwise.

I really hope that the negotiations go well. Just split it up between Ukrainians and Russian speakers (we'll make the former part rich and Western, an EU member if not a NATO member). Just hurry so the destruction stops.

I'm donating to animal rescues there, and what I'm hearing is awful. You won't see it covered in the news. And yes, I gave to MSF to help the refugees.

Could Putin Go Nuclear?

Putin’s brinkmanship is a reminder that we are only one accident, miscommunication, or powerful psychopath away from nuclear war.

Kim Iversen breaks down the complicated geopolitical realignment taking place as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

KIM IVERSON again? Trollova, didn't you learn from last time?

R497 is OP, r498.

R499 I had a read through his posts and he's either a troll or a wacko conspiracy theorist.

r493- or use their own dance against them:

It's Moldova.

r502 This is why he won't make you a colonel Lukashenko.

It's OK When We Do It

Mar 2, 2022 • Condoleezza Rice appeared on TV this week to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine – without a single hint of irony. So, is history just repeating itself, but this time being created by the baddies?

Russell Brand? Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, R504 ...

Stop bumping this thread by posting stuff created by druggie loons.

One side is going crazy in the media and on the streets.

The other side is mostly quiet and just executing its plan

r504/r506 is the Kim Iversen fan.

...

What all these petty, superficial differences – from owning cars and clothes to having Netflix and Instagram accounts – add up to is not real human solidarity for an oppressed people. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s tribalism. These comments point to a pernicious racism that permeates today’s war coverage and seeps into its fabric like a stain that won’t go away. The implication is clear: war is a natural state for people of color, while white people naturally gravitate toward peace.

It’s not just me who found these clips disturbing. The US-based Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association was also deeply troubled by the coverage, recently issuing a statement on the matter: “Ameja condemns and categorically rejects orientalist and racist implications that any population or country is ‘uncivilized’ or bears economic factors that make it worthy of conflict,” reads the statement. “This type of commentary reflects the pervasive mentality in western journalism of normalizing tragedy in parts of the world such as the Middle East, Africa, south Asia, and Latin America.” Such coverage, the report correctly noted, “dehumanizes and renders their experience with war as somehow normal and expected”.

More troubling still is that this kind of slanted and racist media coverage extends beyond our screens and newspapers and easily bleeds and blends into our politics. Consider how Ukraine’s neighbors are now opening their doors to refugee flows, after demonizing and abusing refugees, especially Muslim and African refugees, for years. “Anyone fleeing from bombs, from Russian rifles, can count on the support of the Polish state,” the Polish interior minister, Mariusz Kaminski, recently stated. Meanwhile, multiple reports indicate that Polish border guards are actively and forcibly turning away African students who were studying in Ukraine, thereby preventing them from crossing into safety.

Please be true, please be true....

And now R508 is coming up with the RACISM!!! story . . .

People here see right through you, Svetlana.

More from NPR.

How fucking incompetent do you have to be??

Western media are focused on Kiev, but ignoring the steady encirclement ("the cauldron" forming) of the vast bulk of Ukraine's troops, presently located in the east. Once they're completely encircled, the non-ideological troops will be given the option to leave after surrendering. Divisions like the Azov Battalion won't.

I think maybe Russia isn't going to go all-in on Kiev while there are discussions with the current central government. I think they're doing a slower squeeze of Kiev, to add urgency to the negotiations and of course enhance their leverage in them.

The next meeting is on the Polish border tomorrow.

If Mariupol falls, most of the Azov Battalion will be ovah.

CNN: Britain on Wednesday said it was “gravely concerned” by “reports of the use of cluster munitions” by Russia during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was moving banned weaponry into Ukraine.

"We have seen videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield. That includes cluster munitions and vacuum bombs – which are banned under the Geneva Convention," she said.

If this is what Russia admits to, the numbers are probably considerably worse.

WTF? Making bombs?

People of colour fleeing Ukraine attacked by Polish nationalists

Non-white refugees face violence and racist abuse in Przemyśl, as police warn of fake reports of ‘migrants committing crimes’

No space on train for a three year old with cancer and her family.

Desperate people fall back on a few things: family, tribe, nationality. I don't think most of these racist stories are about racism. I suspect they are mostly about desperation and fear and people losing their natural views and just panicking.

Right. Right. [rolls eyes].

Some airline or group of airlines should offer to fly non-Ukranian refugees who happened to be in Ukraine back to their home countries. If they want to go, that is.

Hmmmm.....maybe their own home countries can, R521, like western countries always do?

Elton John's sons are from Ukraine. Has he commented yet?

So much fake news from the start. E.g., mobile crematoriums? Nope.

And everyone falls for it.

She's going to be a celeb.

A Ukrainian woman trapped in her Kyiv home says she's fighting a "war within a war," because she's transgender and worries transphobic Ukrainians -- who are now armed -- might get her before the Russians.

Zi Faámelu says "it was hell" living as a trans person in the capital of Ukraine, even before the Russian invasion, but now she's unable to flee out of fear leaving her apartment will be more dangerous for her.

While all her friends and neighbors have been able to evacuate the city, she told CBS News, "I don't want to go outside. I am literally scared for my life."

Zi says the country isn't accepting of LGBTQ folks, and she's painfully aware that many of the men who've stayed behind as volunteer soldiers have guns. So, in a twisted way, she thinks staying trapped in her home -- as bombs and missiles explode around her -- feels like the better option.

Even if she makes it to the border, Zi says she'll be blocked from leaving because "If you have male gender on your passport [as a woman] they will not let you abroad... they will not let you through."

Her most immediate crisis is a dwindling reserve of food as the Russian assault on Kyiv intensifies ... and it all leaves Zi feeling trapped on all fronts.

The banning of RT makes me want to watch it.

Wild.

Oh silly r526, you can get Russian propaganda right here on DL.

Long-form piece about everything going on.

Ukrainian Sex Workers Are Rallying to Help Those Stranded in the Conflict Zone

They're concerned that donations aren't reaching them quickly enough.

Sex workers around the world, and many of the platforms they use, have spent the last week rallying support for their colleagues stranded on the ground in Ukraine. Platforms from across the industry have poured millions into humanitarian aid, and committed to coordinating evacuation efforts. Others have undertaken major fundraising efforts on Twitter.

Now, workers on the ground want help defending their homes.

Among them is Kara Xaen, a 26-year-old Ukrainian sex worker who recently returned home from Germany to be with her family in Ukraine’s south-east. Her grandmother is “tremendously” sick, she told VICE, and her father isn’t able to leave the region. “We’ve decided to stay here, together,” she said.

Xaen said support from across the industry has been overwhelming, but she encouraged those looking to get involved to make donations directly to workers like her, still in Ukraine, or the grassroots organisations supporting them. Even just the Ukrainian military – but definitely “not UNICEF”.

“There is a big [on-the-ground] effort here, because our city hasn’t been invaded yet, to help people around us get medicines, supplies, batteries, all these kinds of things, while we can still help,” Xaen said.

“Some of my friends from university [in Germany] have said, ‘Hey we’ve donated to this organisation like UNICEF’, or whatever. But, it’s like: you’ve donated to an organisation with thousands of people. When will we actually see this money?”

For Xaen, the money would be better donated to those on the ground. That way, it is sure to go directly to those involved in ferrying supplies to civilian battalions, taking up arms to defend their cities. It’s an instinct that comes more naturally to her colleagues around the world, who have developed a strong track record in recent years of mobilising for victims of disasters and ensuring they see the money that has been raised for them.

Over the last week, even the platforms Ukrainian sex workers depend on to make a living have made serious efforts to make their support known. OnlyFans made a donation of 500 Ethereum, equivalent to about $US1.5 million, to UkraineDAO on Saturday, one of a legion of crypto organisations raising millions of dollars in humanitarian aid and military funding for Ukraine.

Another was Paxum, a payment app that allows cammers, streamers, and all sorts of creators to withdraw their pay from platforms like Twitch and MyFreeCams, from pretty much any region, without friction. Sometimes it’s used to bypass what can often be a rigmarole of cross-country fiscal regulation, so users from countries like Australia and New Zealand can get paid quickly.

Over the weekend, Paxum sent out an email to all of its users, declaring the platform “Stands With Ukraine!”, and promised help to all members of the “Adult Videochat Community in Ukraine”, including performers “who do not use Paxum as a payment method.”

Octav Moise, Paxum’s CEO, told VICE that the company is currently working with sex workers across the country who might not have the financial means or access to transport needed to evacuate. Their plan was to connect workers with transport at Ukraine’s border with Romania, where they would then be offered free accommodation. He said that, so far, the effort has helped more than 150 people, but “those numbers increase every hour”. The company is currently working to evacuate more than 1,000 others.

...

The russophobic cancellation is nuts.

So, Paul Joseph Watson? Cunt of epic proportions, or minor proportions? Discuss.

Epic, R532, but he makes some points, and I don't see anyone else talking about it. Though I know he wouldn't say the same about sinophobia; he's all for it.

I had a Ukrainian woman living in Kiev transcribe some music for me via Fivrr a few months ago. She was nice.

Instead of a haiku, I'm just going to post that I have posts from R523-527 blocked and it also seems there's a 529 and 530 also. I'm sure I'm not missing anything important.

R535 Yeah, that poster is clearly a Russian troll farm asset who keeps posting baiting topics (trans people, sex workers, racism) and random pro-Russia Youtube videos.

Mariupol then Odessa. That would give them the whole coast.

Word on the street is Putin will declare martial law.

A reporter showed Russians pictures of bombed out buildings in Kharkiv and Kyiv. The reactions are depressing.

“I’m not even going to look at the photos. I’m for Putin in all respects.”

“Sure they’re our brotherly nation but it’s not we who are at fault.”

I'm not a fan of that, R539. Not at all. Help them yes, but help them build their country back up instead of just coming here. I'd be fine with some of them coming here temporarily, but not unlimited numbers immigrating here permanently.

Trudeau isn't doing this for political gain as Ukrainians here in Canada are notoriously conservative. The prairies are filled with racist and homophobic small towns with Ukrainian heritage. Hell, lots of them were part of that stupid convoy to Ottawa.

I can't believe the official opposition wants Ukrainians allowed in without visas. Why they want to risk importing potential bad actors is beyond me.

R540 Yup. Russians are more concerned with panic buying at IKEA before the stores close.

“I’m not even going to look at the photos. I’m for Putin in all respects.”

Oh, how they cheered and cheered dear Nicky, at first

Thank you for the levity, Mr. Colbert...

He reads the official accounts of the phone call today between Macron and Putin. I don't know another person who does that.

“You look beautiful, my dear,” he said in his hoarse voice.

“Thank you, Mr. Fannon.”

“Adolph, my dear,” he said. “Call me Adolph. After all, we’re old friends.”

I nodded. We had known each other almost two years. That was a long run on Broadway, even for friendship. "Thank you, Adolph.”

“A champagne cocktail for Mrs. Thornton.” The waiter went away and he turned to me beaming. “Nothing but the best for you.”

"The Lonely Lady" - Harold Robbins

Thank you, r546...

CNN: Fire breaks out at nuclear power plant in Ukraine after shelling. Mayor of the city says it's "a threat to world security."

Good job, Pottie Poot! you dumb bitch.

Gas was $3.79 today, up .20 from Wednesday and up .40 from last weekend.

Somebody better do something or November will be a bloodbath with the GOP taking everything.

What should be done, r550? And who should do it?

Biden's releasing oil reserves, but honestly, yes r551, you are right. The idea that nothing in the world should ever affect us in any way is a very weird thing about this country.

Oh honey, r550, it's $4.99 here in Los Angeles.

[quote] Biden addressed the American people directly, telling them he was not going to “pretend this will be painless” and that they would feel it at the petrol pump.

He warned us. It's going to cost us. Because we have to "protect freedom" absolutely everywhere.

We were warned.

Who is Kim Iverson? Seriously, does anyone know? What is her deal? I look her up and I see "progressive" but honestly, that can mean a lot of things these days? What is her deal, really?

R556, she's a smart journalist who's not ideological. Her research goes into far greater depth than most, so her conclusions are based on more data than what's parroted all day long everywhere else.

To progressive liberals she's a libertarian or fascist, depending on the day. To conservatives she's an unpatriotic traitor or a communist, depending on the day.

She's not for the CNN/MSNBC or the Fox News sets. She's probably not for you.

“You’re not answering my question, Dani,” Miss Jennings said sharply. “If it wasn’t Mr. Riccio, then who was it?”

“Why does it have to be anybody?” Dani retorted. “Just because I happened to have some of those in a drawer?”

“You forget, Dani. You were examined by a doctor when you came in.”

She picked up another sheet of paper. “Do you want me to read what she said?”

“You don’t have to,” Dani said sullenly. “That could have happened from horseback riding.”

“You know better than that. That’s the oldest one in the book.” She leaned forward. “I’m only trying to help you, Dani. I don’t want the judge to send you away, like Sylvia.”

[italic]Where Love Has Gone[/italic] Harold Robbins

[quote]she's a smart journalist

Yeah, not so much:

You've never watched RT, have you, r559?

"I don't need to - everyone knows it's all lies."

Yeah, ok.

Hysteria vs. stoicism.

Tucker this evening.

R559, you think CNN isn't biased quasi-propaganda? How old are you?

R559, I just mean that's adorable, in its innocence.

She stood there silently in the doorway for a moment, then came into the room. She stopped at the side of my bed and looked down at me. "Don't be frightened, lonely man," she whispered in a soft voice. "I want nothing more from you than this night."

"But, Rosa— "

She pressed a silencing finger to my lips and came down into the bed, all warmth and all woman, all compassion and all understanding. She cradled my head against her breast almost as a mother would a child. "Now I understand why McAllister sent me here."

I cupped my hands beneath her firm young breasts. "Rosa, you're beautiful," I whispered. I heard her laugh softly.

"I know I’m not beautiful, but I am happy that you should say so."

[italic]The Carpetbaggers[/italic] - Harold Robbins

Interesting map.

The Daily Show today.

Iverson isn't a progressive. She literally has 'populist' written in her Twitter bio. The Ruskie trolls are posting her.

Great analysis of how it might end up territoriality.

Mariupol about to fall. Then comes the big cauldron, rapidly closing.

The big cauldron.

Kherson's fallen without any sort of purge. Local government is still allowed to operate, and services are restored. Ukrainian flags are permitted to fly still.

Landlocked rump state w/ Lviv as the capital (everything west of the yellow section), flooded with Western arms. Border's sealed tight to the east (and south, I bet), so what do you think it's going to become?

It's Europe's own El Salvador, a "badlands" rife with violent organized crime. A disaster for the EU.

Interesting discussion from this morning. It's not for someone looking for good news, however.

He moved toward her and grabbed her, knowing as he did it that he was throwing away everything he wanted for the cheap satisfaction of a petty revenge, but there was no way he could have stopped himself. The rage inside him had been building up for months, fed by the indignities he had received from her, the gratuitous insults, the humiliation, the risking of his life. All these things were burning in him as he reached for her naked body. If Noelle had screamed, Larry would have knocked her senseless. But she saw the wild look on his face and made no sound as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

[italic]The Other Side Of Midnight[/italic] - Sidney Sheldon

Not that I want it to, but why doesn't Russia use planes to bomb, if that's its objective? How is Russia's Air Force?

Great....another chess piece in the game:

(CNN-)North Korea fired a single ballistic missile into waters off the east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the country's ninth such test of the year.

R576, they are using planes.