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

[Bkk Brian]

20 minutes ago, Saanim said:

That's strange when we hear so often about unprovoked invasion, war.  In the recent interview of Noam Chomsky - I mentioned above - he spoke about occurrence of the word "unprovoked", that it jumps up in a great number when googled, something he did not see at the wars before. 

 

One does not have to agree with all his statements, however, it's amazing and astonishing how he - at his age - can formulate the flow of his speech corroborated by facts and events, without apparent help of a paper (or a teleprompter), in a very impassive diction. That cannot always be said about his interviewer, e.g. Owen Jones... 

 

Nothing strange about Russia's unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation aside from it being illegal and costing a huge amount of innocent civilian lives in the war crimes committed. I call it evil, not strange.

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33 minutes ago, Saanim said:

That's strange when we hear so often about unprovoked invasion, war.  In the recent interview of Noam Chomsky - I mentioned above - he spoke about occurrence of the word "unprovoked", that it jumps up in a great number when googled, something he did not see at the wars before. 

 

One does not have to agree with all his statements, however, it's amazing and astonishing how he - at his age - can formulate the flow of his speech corroborated by facts and events, without apparent help of a paper (or a teleprompter), in a very impassive diction. That cannot always be said about his interviewer, e.g. Owen Jones... 

 

Just maybe, just possibly perhaps the reason the word unprovoked is mentioned so often is that the defenders of Russia like you for example often describe the war as being provoked, as though Russia bears little or no responsibility for the present situation. Or that the responsibility is somehow shared equally between Ukraine and its allies on the one hand and Russia on the other

[Bkk Brian]

Russia’s “Filtration” Operations, Forced Disappearances, and Mass Deportations of Ukrainian Citizens 

PRESS STATEMENT

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

JULY 13, 2022

Estimates from a variety of sources, including the Russian government, indicate that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, from their homes to Russia – often to isolated regions in the Far East.  Moscow’s actions appear pre-meditated and draw immediate historical comparisons to Russian “filtration” operations in Chechnya and other areas.  President Putin’s “filtration” operations are separating families, confiscating Ukrainian passports, and issuing Russian passports in an apparent effort to change the demographic makeup of parts of Ukraine..

https://www.state.gov/russias-filtration-operations-forced-disappearances-and-mass-deportations-of-ukrainian-citizens/

[heybruce]

The new precision weapons are making a difference:

 

"On July 11th a Russian ammunition depot in Nova Kakhovka in southern Ukraine (see map) exploded in spectacular fashion. Satellite images showed that the entire facility vanished overnight. It is thought to be the latest victim of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (himars), which America began sending to Ukraine in late June. "  https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/07/13/ukraines-new-rockets-are-wreaking-havoc-on-russias-army

[coolcarer]

14 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Now Iran is getting involved on supplying armed drones to Russia things are just esculating.

I think best just to monitor the war situation and not comment anymore, people here can't see the wood for the trees and are able to deal with criticizing opinions.

 

Better to wait and see on that.

 

ROME -- Iran’s foreign minister insists that his country opposes Russia’s war against Ukraine but stayed vague Wednesday about whether Tehran's military cooperation with Moscow would include sales of drones that could carry missiles.

“We have various types of collaboration with Russia, including in the defense sector," Abdollahian replied. "But we won’t help either of the sides involved in this war because we believe that it (the war) needs to be stopped.”

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iranian-envoy-vague-drone-sales-russia-86736372

[Saanim]

1 hour ago, coolcarer said:

Better to wait and see on that.

 

ROME -- Iran’s foreign minister insists that his country opposes Russia’s war against Ukraine but stayed vague Wednesday about whether Tehran's military cooperation with Moscow would include sales of drones that could carry missiles.

“We have various types of collaboration with Russia, including in the defense sector," Abdollahian replied. "But we won’t help either of the sides involved in this war because we believe that it (the war) needs to be stopped.”

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iranian-envoy-vague-drone-sales-russia-86736372

Do we have any substantial link that Iran supplies their drones to Russia?

[Rimmer]

Russia Getting Iranian Attack Drones Would Be A Very Big Deal

 

 

Iran has offered Russia “hundreds” of drones, including armed ones, for use in its war in Ukraine, according to the U.S. government. To date, Ukraine has taken a leading role in using armed drones in the conflict, although Tehran also has considerable experience with such designs, and how to use them. Iranian armed drones would give the Russian side new options for carrying out strikes, including targeting higher-value assets deep in Ukraine. Moreover, Iran providing drones of any kind to Moscow would also be a significant statement of political intent.

 

Speaking to reporters last night, Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, claimed that “the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], including weapons-capable UAVs, on an expedited timeline.”

 

Details of that timeline were not revealed, but Sullivan did add that U.S. intelligence indicated that Iran was preparing to train Russian forces to use these drones “as soon as early July.”

 

Read more:

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/russia-getting-iranian-attack-drones-would-be-a-very-big-deal

 

[Bkk Brian]

Emotional, sure but that is the reality of what this war has done.

 

 

'Putin’s forces invaded our land, killed our countrymen and women, and seized our territory. Russia justified its invasion by claiming that Ukrainians hate everything Russian. That wasn’t true, until Putin made it so.'

 

None of this is shocking. Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded our land, killed our countrymen and women, and seized our territory. Russia justified its invasion by claiming that Ukrainians hate everything Russian. That wasn’t true, until Putin made it so with this invasion. In fact, it still isn’t: We don’t hate Russian culture, or the Russian language—we have shunned both because we hope that doing so will protect us.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/ukraine-russia-war-hate/661458/

[Bkk Brian]

The faster we send more long range artillery and multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine, the faster this horrible, barbaric Russian invasion of Ukraine will end.

 

Opinion: Shorten the war. Send 60 HIMARS to Ukraine.

 

No paywall link

https://web.archive.org/web/20220712004110/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/11/help-ukraine-win-war-russia-weapons-himars/

[LosLobo]

Some interesting new developments :
 

 

[Saanim]

3 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

The faster we send more long range artillery and multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine, the faster this horrible, barbaric Russian invasion of Ukraine will end.

Quite different idea than by Henry Kissinger, the one who knows how the wars start and end...

https://www.newsweek.com/henry-kissinger-noam-chomsky-find-rare-common-ground-over-ukraine-war-1709733

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Quite different idea than by Henry Kissinger, the one who knows how the wars start and end...

https://www.newsweek.com/henry-kissinger-noam-chomsky-find-rare-common-ground-over-ukraine-war-1709733

Henry Kissinger at 99 years old who last held office in the 70's, yea right...............anyway I'll let the experts reply to that:

 

Memo to Henry Kissinger: Appeasing Putin means enabling genocide

 

The war unleashed by Vladimir Putin on February 24 is a classic example of unprovoked international aggression. Crucially, the main objective of the war is to destroy the Ukrainian state and nation. This goal has been repeatedly stated by Russian officials including Putin. It is also regularly reinforced by the Kremlin-controlled Russian media, where talk of genocide in Ukraine has become normalized since the beginning of the invasion.

 

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/appeasing-putin-means-enabling-genocide/

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6 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Quite different idea than by Henry Kissinger, the one who knows how the wars start and end...

https://www.newsweek.com/henry-kissinger-noam-chomsky-find-rare-common-ground-over-ukraine-war-1709733

Henry Kissinger also was a great proponent of détente and opposed the Reagan administration's plan to outspend the Soviet Union into dissolution.

[Bkk Brian]

Awful images and videos on twitter of Russia's latest war crime against innocent civilians.

 

From a Times reporter based in Ukraine

Seven missiles fired at a busy city centre with no apparent military target in the middle of the day. What do you call that if not terrorism?

 

Ukraine Defense Ministry (photo)

One of the 17 victims of russia’s act of terrorism in #Vinnytsia today. A child. russia should be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism. Ukraine needs more weapons to protect itself.

 

Kyiv Independent

Prosecutor General's Office: Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia killed at least 17 people, including a child. According to National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko, 90 people have sought medical assistance, and about half of them are in "serious condition."

 

 

 

 

[simple1]

23 hours ago, Saanim said:

That's strange when we hear so often about unprovoked invasion, war.  In the recent interview of Noam Chomsky - I mentioned above - he spoke about occurrence of the word "unprovoked", that it jumps up in a great number when googled, something he did not see at the wars before. 

 

One does not have to agree with all his statements, however, it's amazing and astonishing how he - at his age - can formulate the flow of his speech corroborated by facts and events, without apparent help of a paper (or a teleprompter), in a very impassive diction. That cannot always be said about his interviewer, e.g. Owen Jones... 

 

Such commentary has been a forte of Chomsky for decades. However, none of the above absolves Russia from it's war, commencing 2014, against Ukraine. 

[Saanim]

5 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Henry Kissinger at 99 years old who last held office in the 70's, yea right.

Perhaps the old war architects - once they are about to approach the gates of heaven -  are coming to their terms, want to clear their conscience a bit, thinking how to compensate their deeds that had not been really heavenly.

Similar we could see also with McNamara, Brzezinski, to name just few.    

[Bkk Brian]

13 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Perhaps the old war architects - once they are about to approach the gates of heaven -  are coming to their terms, want to clear their conscience a bit, thinking how to compensate their deeds that had not been really heavenly.

Similar we could see also with McNamara, Brzezinski, to name just few.    

Kissinger had no idea who Putin was when he was in office back in the 70's at that time Putin was just finishing law school and joining the KGB.

 

This is Putin's war of choice, nobody else

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29 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Perhaps the old war architects - once they are about to approach the gates of heaven -  are coming to their terms, want to clear their conscience a bit, thinking how to compensate their deeds that had not been really heavenly.

Similar we could see also with McNamara, Brzezinski, to name just few.    

Actually, there's no change at all in Kissinger. He always worshipped at the altar of realpolitik even when it turned out his grasp on reality wasn't so sound. This is just more of the same.

[rudi49jr]

Russian missiles strike city of Vinnytsia, killing at least 17 civilians.

Just another day at the office for the Russian military war criminals, firing missiles willy nilly on some random targets in a random Ukrainian city. It’s like the nazi’s firing V1’s and V2’s on London toward the end of WWII, hoping to make as many civilian casualties as possible. For a country that is claiming their goal is to de-nazify Ukraine, they sure do apply a lot of nazi tactics of terrorism. Despicable.

I’m getting to a point where I’m thinking NATO should step in and kick the Russians back across the border. Practically, I think that could be done in a matter of days. 
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-missile-strike-kills-12-ukrainian-city-vinnytsia-emergency-service-2022-07-14/

[Bkk Brian]

16 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

Russian missiles strike city of Vinnytsia, killing at least 17 civilians.

Just another day at the office for the Russian military war criminals, firing missiles willy nilly on some random targets in a random Ukrainian city. It’s like the nazi’s firing V1’s and V2’s on London toward the end of WWII, hoping to make as many civilian casualties as possible. For a country that is claiming their goal is to de-nazify Ukraine, they sure do apply a lot of nazi tactics of terrorism. Despicable.

I’m getting to a point where I’m thinking NATO should step in and kick the Russians back across the border. Practically, I think that could be done in a matter of days. 
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-missile-strike-kills-12-ukrainian-city-vinnytsia-emergency-service-2022-07-14/

UPDATE:

Missile attack in Vinnytsia: data from Rescue Services as of 16:45 Kyiv time:

- 21 people dead (including three children);

- 52 people (including 3 children) hospitalized, of whom 34 in serious condition;

- 55 buildings and 40 vehicles damaged

- 46 people missing.

[tgw]

the missile hit exactly here:

https://goo.gl/maps/D6dQGrDgTtfxvpLB7

 

the "military target" nearby is the Ukrainian Air Force's Officer's Club.

[tgw]

1 hour ago, rudi49jr said:

Russian missiles strike city of Vinnytsia, killing at least 17 civilians.

Just another day at the office for the Russian military war criminals, firing missiles willy nilly on some random targets in a random Ukrainian city. It’s like the nazi’s firing V1’s and V2’s on London toward the end of WWII, hoping to make as many civilian casualties as possible. For a country that is claiming their goal is to de-nazify Ukraine, they sure do apply a lot of nazi tactics of terrorism. Despicable.

I’m getting to a point where I’m thinking NATO should step in and kick the Russians back across the border. Practically, I think that could be done in a matter of days. 
 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-missile-strike-kills-12-ukrainian-city-vinnytsia-emergency-service-2022-07-14/

the Ukrainians will be able to do it themselves. we need to keep delivering better weapon systems to them. the HIMARS seem to be working well, I hope they receive a lot more.

unfortunately, Ukraine will need time to achieve success, which will cost many lives and injure many people.

 

but NATO going in would provide the ruzzian fascists with a good reason to use at least one tactical nuke in Ukraine, which itself will cause 25.000 to 500.000 almost immediate deaths depending on where they drop it. And since such a thing is totally unacceptable, it would certainly lead to further escalation, the best scenario (the least escalation) being NATO imposing a no-fly zone, and daring the ruzzians to do it again... but why wouldn't they ?

 

instead, NATO should concentrate on delivering more short and long range air defense systems to take down all ruzzian drones and at the same time make Ukraine too deadly for ruzzian aircraft to venture in.

It was hard to watch ruzzian planes and helis attacking in Eastern Ukraine, I was always wondering why they could do that without being shot down quickly. Ukraine needs more and better air defense systems, the sky there needs to become basically deadly to anything ruzzian.

[ozimoron]

Another Russian missile strike on a concert hall in central Ukraine, possibly another anti-ship missile. 22 civilians killed. Russia - still a medieval nation of barbarians. It's hard to imagine a national psyche which actually tolerates this sort of behaviour, let alone support it. I get it that the average Boris drinking vodka all night doesn't get the real news but there are enough intelligentsia in the country that must know the truth. For a start, there are millions of Russians outside Russia.

 

This is the problem with undemocratic countries. In the end they just make trouble for everyone because they get every major policy wrong. We simply should not trade with any country that doesn't have a UN certified free and fair election

[Bkk Brian]

10 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Another Russian missile strike on a concert hall in central Ukraine, possibly another anti-ship missile. 22 civilians killed. Russia - still a medieval nation of barbarians. It's hard to imagine a national psyche which actually tolerates this sort of behaviour, let alone support it. I get it that the average Boris drinking vodka all night doesn't get the real news but there are enough intelligentsia in the country that must know the truth. For a start, there are millions of Russians outside Russia.

 

This is the problem with undemocratic countries. In the end they just make trouble for everyone because they get every major policy wrong. We simply should not trade with any country that doesn't have a UN certified free and fair election

What is this if not an act of terrorism? 3 cruise missiles in a busy residential and shopping area nearby the Officers House concert hall where Ukrainian pop singer Roxolana was due to play that night, she posted on Instagram that all of her team were injured and one died.

 

Quite a few details on the BBC Russian that is easy to Google Translate including the map below of the 3 missile strikes. Apparently a large number of dead were taxi drivers who were waiting outside.

 

 

[transam]

Well done Putin...........????

 

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-video-shows-last-minutes-211200332.html

 

 

[Hellfire]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Well done Putin...........????

 

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-video-shows-last-minutes-211200332.html

 

 

Yes, they killed the girl. Her mother has died in the hospital later. Many other innocent people died there too. They attacked the city center during the day time: an intentional act of terrorism. We should never forgive a crime like this. 

[CatCage]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Well done Putin...........????

 

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-video-shows-last-minutes-211200332.html

 

 

This really sums their terrorist attacks

 

 

 

 

[Mavideol]

22 hours ago, Saanim said:

Quite different idea than by Henry Kissinger, the one who knows how the wars start and end...

https://www.newsweek.com/henry-kissinger-noam-chomsky-find-rare-common-ground-over-ukraine-war-1709733

just a senile 90+ years old man

[Bkk Brian]

The terrorism continues.......

 

Live: Russia-Ukraine war: 'Terrorist' Russia strikes Mykolaiv universities with 10 missiles

 

At least 10 Russian missiles have hit two of Mykolaiv’s biggest universities, with video footage capturing smoke billowing from the targeted areas.

Vitaliy Kim, the area’s governor, pleaded for Western nations to “claim Russia what it is really is - the Terrorist” following the attack.

Mr Kim added that the Kremlin was targeting Ukraine’s education system specifically.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/07/15/russia-ukraine-war-live-news-weapons-vinnytsia-attack-updates/

[tgw]

OSCE: Russia uses torture chambers, civilians as human shields in Ukraine

A new report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) details violent acts committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine between April 1 and June 25. The report noted several particularly brutal cases, including rape and gang rape of children in front of family members, summary executions, and torture of civilians in torture chambers, all of which constitute crimes against humanity.