Assault on Kiev: Russian helicopters swoop above Ukraine's capital

tgw · April 23, 2022

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Concur but what can Moldova do other than except which will amount to I'll make you an offer.

they can send their soldiers in, if Ukrainians help them.

Bkk Brian · April 23, 2022

On 4/22/2022 at 1:37 PM, Chris.B said:

VIDEO: Chechen Terrorists in Maripol

Hollow victory, won't last long before they are pushed back.

Here they are, the Chechen barbarians, looks more like a scene from aleppo, utter devastation yet they are proud of their blood thirsty conquest. Sickening display

placeholder · April 23, 2022

Interesting interview

"This week, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, announced the onset of what he called a new phase in his country’s war on Ukraine, which appears to consist of a focus on Ukraine’s east and a more gradual speed of attack than that of the failed strikes of late February and early March... To better understand what went wrong with the Russian approach, I called Joel Rayburn, a retired Army colonel and former U.S. special envoy for Syria, who is now a fellow at New America, a think tank in Washington, D.C. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed what Rayburn learned about the Russian military from his involvement in Syria policy, the biggest mistakes the Russians have made in Ukraine, and whether the failures stem from poor decision-making or corruption."

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/is-the-russian-military-a-paper-tiger

The overarching point Rayburn makes is that nothing has really changed as far as Russia's dilemma goes. It's still the same undertrained, underequipped, badly managed armed forces that got rebuffed in its campaign against Kiev. And now it's in worse shape than it was when it first invaded Ukraine. So, unless it launches nuclear weapons or chemical weapons, it looks like Russia's Donbas campaign is going to get its assets kicked in Ukraine again.

Jingthing · April 23, 2022

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

Here they are, the Chechen barbarians, looks more like a scene from aleppo, utter devastation yet they are proud of their blood thirsty conquest. Sickening display

Cleansing?

Genocide.

Chris.B · April 23, 2022

Azov Battalion - History & Symbols

The Ukrainian Army's Azov Battalion is controversial due to its use of symbols associated with the Waffen-SS. In this video, we will examine the unit's history and what those symbols mean.

VIDEO: Mark Felton Productions

placeholder · April 23, 2022

18 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

Azov Battalion - History & Symbols

The Ukrainian Army's Azov Battalion is controversial due to its use of symbols associated with the Waffen-SS. In this video, we will examine the unit's history and what those symbols mean.

VIDEO: Mark Felton Productions

I don't think there's any doubt that the Azov Battalion has a repugnant, pro-Nazi history. And no matter what their denials, I don't think it' s ideological stance has changed.. But it's only a small part of Ukraine's military. And the political party that it's associated with, got only 2.15 percent of the vote in the last election. The Russians, of course, have magnified the importance of the Azov Battalion and use it to justify their claim that they are battling Nazis.

Hellfire · April 23, 2022

7 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Why doesn’t Germany and Herr Scholzov leave #NATO and join the Russian Federation? How can anyone trust Germany in a crisis? > Olaf Scholz says delivering tanks to Ukraine could spark nuclear war

Boris Johnson confirms Great Britain will hand over Challenger 2 tanks to Poland in a backfill that will allow Poland to send even more of its T-72s to Ukraine.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10745115/France-Germany-sold-230million-military-hardware-including-bombs-missiles-Moscow.html

France and Germany 'sold £230million of military hardware including bombs, missiles and guns to Moscow' - likely used in Russia's invasion of Ukraine - despite EU-wide arms embargo in wake of 2014 annexation of Crimea

placeholder · April 23, 2022

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Cleansing?

Genocide.

Russia is committing massive war crimes in Ukraine. But the one crime it isn't committing is genocide. Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city. Is Russia really trying to eliminate people because they are Russian? Or, for that matter, does it really plan to exterminate 30 million ethnic Ukrainians? It really doesn't help Ukraine's cause when Russia's crimes are characterized wrongly. The truth is awful enough.

LosLobo · April 23, 2022

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

Russia is committing massive war crimes in Ukraine. But the one crime it isn't committing is genocide. Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city. Is Russia really trying to eliminate people because they are Russian? Or, for that matter, does it really plan to exterminate 30 million ethnic Ukrainians? It really doesn't help Ukraine's cause when Russia's crimes are characterized wrongly. The truth is awful enough.

"Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city" Really?

"In 2002, ethnic Ukrainians made up the largest percentage (48.7%) but less than half of the population; the second greatest ethnicity was Russian (44.4%). A June–July 2017 survey indicated that Ukrainians had grown to 59% of Mariupol's population and the Russian share had dropped to 33%."

Mariupol - Wikipedia

Chomper Higgot · April 23, 2022

4 hours ago, placeholder said:

Russia is committing massive war crimes in Ukraine. But the one crime it isn't committing is genocide. Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city. Is Russia really trying to eliminate people because they are Russian? Or, for that matter, does it really plan to exterminate 30 million ethnic Ukrainians? It really doesn't help Ukraine's cause when Russia's crimes are characterized wrongly. The truth is awful enough.

To maintain control over areas in Ukraine that Russia hopes to capture and hold, Russia needs to remove or deplete the ethnic Ukrainian populations in those areas.

This can be achieved by bussing people out, terrorizing Ukrainians to flee or murder. These are all means of ‘ethnic cleaning’.

Then there’s the evidence of executed civilians and mass graves.

Let’s not obfuscate on the matter of Russian war crimes.

placeholder · April 24, 2022

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

To maintain control over areas in Ukraine that Russia hopes to capture and hold, Russia needs to remove or deplete the ethnic Ukrainian populations in those areas.

This can be achieved by bussing people out, terrorizing Ukrainians to flee or murder. These are all means of ‘ethnic cleaning’.

Then there’s the evidence of executed civilians and mass graves.

Let’s not obfuscate on the matter of Russian war crimes.

Let's use the correct words to describe things. It's only if your cause is weak that you need to present falsehoods. The cause is anything but weak so why be inaccurate?

placeholder · April 24, 2022

4 hours ago, LosLobo said:

"Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city" Really?

"In 2002, ethnic Ukrainians made up the largest percentage (48.7%) but less than half of the population; the second greatest ethnicity was Russian (44.4%). A June–July 2017 survey indicated that Ukrainians had grown to 59% of Mariupol's population and the Russian share had dropped to 33%."

Mariupol - Wikipedia

Thanks for the correction. I should have written that the city is mostly Russian speaking. But even so, with 33% of the population being ethnic Russians, and most of the people culturally tied to Russia through language, it's hardly evidence of a plan to commit genocide.

Once again, it's not necessary to invoke the charge of genocide to contend that Russia is committing massive war crimes against the people of Mariuopl and against ciitzens of Ukraine in general.

Danderman123 · April 24, 2022

20 hours ago, tgw said:

I don't share that point of view.

Russian forces are approaching Kryvyi Rih as well as Zaporizhiza and in the north make gains near Izyum - Severodonetsk. The status of Rubizhne has been unclear for a couple of days already.

The Russians appear to make a double envelopment maneuver north and south around the eastern Ukrainian fortified line.

This worries me, as I don't know if the Ukrainians are ready to counter or not, because a counter would not only require strong mobile forces on the flanks, but also a strong center capable to defend from 3 fronts in a cauldron-type of battle.

The Russians indeed are slowly advancing in some areas, but at a very high cost.

placeholder · April 24, 2022

For those who don't want to believe that Russia seeks to reconstitute the USSR

Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities

Colonisation appears to have superseded ‘denazification’ in Putin’s military goals for eastern Ukraine

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/back-in-the-ussr-lenin-statues-and-soviet-flags-reappear-in-russian-controlled-cities

Jingthing · April 24, 2022

10 hours ago, placeholder said:

Russia is committing massive war crimes in Ukraine. But the one crime it isn't committing is genocide. Mariupol is mostly an ethnic Russian city. Is Russia really trying to eliminate people because they are Russian? Or, for that matter, does it really plan to exterminate 30 million ethnic Ukrainians? It really doesn't help Ukraine's cause when Russia's crimes are characterized wrongly. The truth is awful enough.

That is very debatable.

It sounds like you are not up on the definition of genocide.

Putin wants to destroy Ukrainian national identity as he doesn't believe Ukraine even exists as a nation.

Russian ethnicity or Russian speaking Ukrainians very often have Ukrainian national identity. Even Zelensky.

As Putin's Z horrors were not met with cheering crowds what we're seeing now is indeed mass murder of Ukrainian civilians. Many people like you think genocide must mean the intent to kill every last one of the target group but actually it does not.

Bkk Brian · April 24, 2022

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

The Russians indeed are slowly advancing in some areas, but at a very high cost.

I think the key word here in yesterdays UK Defense update was "no major gains" and yes its coming with heavy losses. Aside from those cruise missile attacks in Odesa.

The only aim of Russian missile strikes on Odesa is terror. Russia must be designated a state sponsor of terrorism and treated accordingly. No business, no contacts, no cultural projects. We need a wall between civilization and barbarians striking peaceful cities with missiles.

Lots of updates. Our forces have regained control over 8 settlements in #Kherson region. #Russian concentration of manpower and equipment in the area of #Kiselivka for an upcoming attack on #Posad-Pokrovske was hit. The enemy suffered heavy losses and retreated towards.

#Chornobaivka. The total losses of the enemy are: 70+ personnel, 13 units of equipment, including 2 tanks, one MLRS, 6 units of armored and engineering equipment and 4 reconnaissance UAVs.

Bkk Brian · April 24, 2022

New video here of Putin's unsteadiness and shaking:

Many suspected it after his weird meeting sign Shoigu, during which he held on to the table for 13 minutes. This is probably the clearest video of something being wrong with Putin’s health. Look at his leg & hand tremors!

transam · April 24, 2022

8 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

New video here of Putin's unsteadiness and shaking:

Many suspected it after his weird meeting sign Shoigu, during which he held on to the table for 13 minutes. This is probably the clearest video of something being wrong with Putin’s health. Look at his leg & hand tremors!

Hmmmm, could be affecting his gray cells too....????

LosLobo · April 24, 2022

3 hours ago, placeholder said:

Thanks for the correction. I should have written that the city is mostly Russian speaking. But even so, with 33% of the population being ethnic Russians, and most of the people culturally tied to Russia through language, it's hardly evidence of a plan to commit genocide.

Once again, it's not necessary to invoke the charge of genocide to contend that Russia is committing massive war crimes against the people of Mariuopl and against ciitzens of Ukraine in general.

Maybe in future , "let's use the correct words to describe things. It's only if your cause is weak that you need to present falsehoods."