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

[Rimmer]

A spelling police personal attack has been removed also replies, also posts about Prayut and Thailand

[Kwasaki]

9 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

EU also...from AFP

 

EU countries will provide 'fighter jets' to Ukraine under Brussels funding: Borrell

 

The EU has announced swingeing new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, closing its airspace to Russian aircraft and banning Russian state media outlets broadcasting in the bloc

 

EU to finance weapons deliveries to Ukraine: von der Leyen

How they going to get them there with Russia watching. 

[rudi49jr]

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

How they going to get them there with Russia watching. 

How about flying them to an airfield close to the western border of Ukraine and handing them over to Ukrainian fighter pilots there? 

[Bkk Brian]

14 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

How they going to get them there with Russia watching. 

"future deliveries will have to move in more covert conveys through contested territory, most likely from Poland which shares a 535km border with Ukraine and has been the main destination for the Nato troops deployed to its eastern flank this year."

 

On Saturday, there were reports that airborne Russian forces had landed in western Ukraine, potentially complicating deliveries further.

 

“Nothing has been cut off by the Russian advance,” a senior western intelligence official said. “There’s a broad range of . . . political and military assistance that can still be provided.”

 

https://www.ft.com/content/38c1ee58-6bc0-4d47-a5f9-3f7021fb46ef

[Lacessit]

I did read one headline that claimed Putin had tasked 400 special forces soldiers to assassinate the Ukrainian PM.

 I'd say returning the favor would be quite in order.

I remember the British dented German morale quite badly when they bombed Berlin, trashing Goering's boast it would never happen. Perhaps the Ukrainians should start thinking along those lines, remember when Mathias Rust landed in Red Square?

[Danderman123]

Mr. Putin, that’s a fine bridge you have in Crimea, it would be a shame if anything happened to it.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Thai PBS on Monday posted a good recap by Reuters of the latest developments:

 

Ukraine ceasefire talks begin

KYIV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ceasefire talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials began on the Belarusian border on Monday as Russia faced deepening economic isolation four days after invading Ukraine.

 

Russian forces seized two small cities in southeastern Ukraine and the area around a nuclear power plant, the Interfax news agency said. But they ran into stiff resistance elsewhere as the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two failed to make as much ground as some had expected.

 

 

 

(more)

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/ukraine-ceasefire-talks-begin/

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The UN General Assembly is holding a rare emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

There's been a lot of chatter in the past week about whether Russia could be either A] removed from its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, or B] kicked out of the UN altogether.

 

From what I can read on the topic, there's NO established mechanism under UN rules to remove a permanent member of the Security Council, so that seems very unlikely. And similarly, the UN rules do allow a country to be expelled from the UN, but only by a recommendation from the Security Council.

 

And, since Russia will continue to hold a veto vote on the Security Council, the latter isn't going to happen either. In a happenstance of fate, Russia has been presiding over the Security Council for the past month including during today's session, a role that rotates monthly among the 15 members.

 

There is a somewhat obscure legal argument, being advocated by Ukraine, that former USSR should have lost its permanent seat on the Security Council when the USSR dissolved, when what actually happened at the time was the Russian Federation was allowed to retain the USSR's seat as a successor entity.

 

"The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya... asked Guterres to distribute to the security council the legal memos written by UN legal counsel dated 19 December 1991 that the Russian Federation be permitted to join the security council as the successor to the Soviet Union.

 

Ukraine claims the constituent republics of the USSR declared in 1991 that the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and with it should have gone the legal right of any of those entities, including Russia, to sit on the council.

 

No decision to permit Russia to the security council was ever put to the General Assembly. The UN charter was never amended after the USSR broke up. It still references the Soviet Union, and not Russia, as one of the permanent members of the UN security council."

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/25/putin-facing-efforts-isolate-diplomatically-ukraine

 

But as far as I can tell, were there to be any vote attempting to change or revoke Russia's status, Russia would still have its current Security Council veto vote to prevent the matter from being recommended out of the Security Council. So, more than likely, nothing.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Two top Russian billionaires speak out against war

Oleg Deripaska and Ukrainian-born Mikhail Fridman call for peace, as activities come under threat from sanctions

 

Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have become two of the country’s first leading businesspeople to speak out against Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 

Fridman, who is one of Russia’s richest men, controls private equity firm LetterOne and was a founder of Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private bank. In a letter to his employees he called for an end to the “bloodshed”.

...

 

 

(more)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/two-top-russian-billionaires-speak-out-against-invasion-of-ukraine

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

11 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Two top Russian billionaires speak out against war

Oleg Deripaska and Ukrainian-born Mikhail Fridman call for peace, as activities come under threat from sanctions

 

Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have become two of the country’s first leading businesspeople to speak out against Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 

Fridman, who is one of Russia’s richest men, controls private equity firm LetterOne and was a founder of Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private bank. In a letter to his employees he called for an end to the “bloodshed”.

..

 

(more)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/two-top-russian-billionaires-speak-out-against-invasion-of-ukraine

 

Let the oligarchs skin Putin, then Russia can join the EU and become a NATO member. 
Everyone hug and we have a after party in Pattaya.

[Danderman123]

The Ruble is now 105 to the dollar. Good time to sell the Ruble short, it will go down more. 

[Danderman123]

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Two top Russian billionaires speak out against war

Oleg Deripaska and Ukrainian-born Mikhail Fridman call for peace, as activities come under threat from sanctions

 

Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska have become two of the country’s first leading businesspeople to speak out against Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 

Fridman, who is one of Russia’s richest men, controls private equity firm LetterOne and was a founder of Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private bank. In a letter to his employees he called for an end to the “bloodshed”.

...

Deripaska called for peace talks to begin “as fast as possible” in a post on the messaging app Telegram. “Peace is very important,” wrote Deripaska, who founded the Russian aluminium giant Rusal, in which he still owns a stake through shares in its London-listed parent company EN+ Group.

 

(more)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/two-top-russian-billionaires-speak-out-against-invasion-of-ukraine

 

I am sure that they are saying to the Russians that the fastest way for peace is for the Ukrainians to surrender. 

[Scott]

I don't put a lot of stock in memes or tweets, but i thought this was worth sharing:  

[Scott]

Switzerland says it will freeze Russian assets, setting aside a tradition of neutrality

GENEVA — Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union.

Switzerland said it was departing from its usual policy of neutrality because of “the unprecedented military attack by Russia on a sovereign European state,” but expressed a willingness to help mediate in the conflict.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/world/europe/switzerland-russian-assets-freeze.html

 

[Scott]

Sweden to send military aid to Ukraine in break with tradition

Sweden will break its doctrine of not sending arms to countries engaged in an active conflict, the country's prime minister announced Sunday, as the country will send military aid, including anti-tank launchers, helmets and body armor to Ukraine.

"Sweden is now proposing direct support for Ukraine's armed forces. It includes 135,000 field rations, 5,000 helmets, 5,000 body shields and 5,000 anti-tank weapons," Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference

 

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/sweden-to-send-military-aid-to-ukraine-in-break-with-tradition

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Scott said:

Switzerland says it will freeze Russian assets, setting aside a tradition of neutrality

GENEVA — Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.

After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union.

Switzerland said it was departing from its usual policy of neutrality because of “the unprecedented military attack by Russia on a sovereign European state,” but expressed a willingness to help mediate in the conflict.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/world/europe/switzerland-russian-assets-freeze.html

 

 

Wow! That's a big and important step...assuming they mean it.

 

And I hope it HURTS those involved right where it would hurt the most, in their bank accounts.

 

[Bkk Brian]

Russia's massive troll army isn't going to like this.

 

Twitter will put warnings on tweets sharing links to Russian state-affiliated media, the platform said Monday, as Kremlin-tied outlets are accused of spreading misinformation on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine

 

"Kremlin-run media outlets RT and Sputnik have both faced accusations of using false narratives in an effort to argue in favor of war.

Twitter's head of site integrity, Yoel Roth, wrote that the platform has been seeing more than 45,000 tweets per day that are sharing links to state-affiliated media outlets."

 

 

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220228-twitter-to-label-tweets-linking-to-russian-state-media

[ExpatOilWorker]

Russia have amassed a large part of their mechanized troops around Ukraine, so why don't they attack?

It has not been discussed yet, but Russia have a major problem.

Everything they send across the border to Ukraine will most likely never return again and Russia don't have a military industrial complex that can pump out new equipment at will. 

The Russia army is fast being depleted opening up their flanks. Russia have more than 20,000 km of border to control. Nobody are about to invade Russia, but criminal activity and smuggling will thrive in border areas. 

 

[Danderman123]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Russia have amassed a large part of their mechanized troops around Ukraine, so why don't they attack?

It has not been discussed yet, but Russia have a major problem.

Everything they send across the border to Ukraine will most likely never return again and Russia don't have a military industrial complex that can pump out new equipment at will. 

The Russia army is fast being depleted opening up their flanks. Russia have more than 20,000 km of border to control. Nobody are about to invade Russia, but criminal activity and smuggling will thrive in border areas. 

 

Don’t underestimate the Russian capability to produce military vehicles. Their problem is that most of what they produce is now obsolete.

 

Tanks have had a good run for 100 years, but their day is over.

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Russia have amassed a large part of their mechanized troops around Ukraine, so why don't they attack?

It has not been discussed yet, but Russia have a major problem.

Everything they send across the border to Ukraine will most likely never return again and Russia don't have a military industrial complex that can pump out new equipment at will. 

The Russia army is fast being depleted opening up their flanks. Russia have more than 20,000 km of border to control. Nobody are about to invade Russia, but criminal activity and smuggling will thrive in border areas. 

 

Everything they send over border need also to be to secure supplie lines to, so this takes time, since they did not expect Ukraines to fight back so hard in the beginning. They most likely thought the president Vlodymyr Zeleskyj  would run, and the moral among the Ukraine people would fall. 

Now the Russians have a Problem. They can not pull out, neither continue without to much losses and weaken their supply lines.

[Thailand]

A forty mile column of tanks etc on the way to Kiev, looks like an awesome target if the Ukranians have the firepower.

[Scott]

For those who don't like the Daily Mail, there are several other sources, including Reuters, but many can't get behind the paywall:

 

President Zelensky signs request for Ukraine to join the EU 'immediately' as troops withstand fierce Russia onslaught but Brussels officials warn process takes years

President Zelensky has signed a request for Ukraine to join the EU 'immediately' as troops withstand a fierce Russia onslaught but Brussels' officials warn the process to join the block takes years.  

EU officials dampened Ukraine's hopes that suddenly becoming part of the European club could help it better weather the Russian onslaught and speed up military, financial and political support. 

This comes after the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's comments appeared to hold out the prospect of Ukraine being admitted.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10561363/Russia-Ukraine-latest-President-Zelensky-signs-request-Ukraine-join-EU-immediately.html

 

[Scott]

Zelensky requests no-fly zone to help Ukraine 'defeat the aggressor'

"If the West does this, Ukraine will defeat the aggressor with much less blood," Zelensky wrote.

"The sanctions are heading in the right direction. In addition to disconnecting the Russian Central Bank from SWIFT and providing more Stingers and anti-tank weapons, we need the West to impose a no-fly zone over significant parts of Ukraine," he added, per Axios. "Ukraine can beat the aggressor. We are proving this to the world. But our allies must also do their part."

 

https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1010714/zelensky-requests-no-fly-zone-to-help-ukraine-defeat-the-aggressor

[ExpatOilWorker]

3 minutes ago, Thailand said:

A forty mile column of tanks etc on the way to Kiev, looks like an awesome target if the Ukranians have the firepower.

Ukraine have willpower and firepower. 

The column is on a blacktop road with trees and soggy ground on both sides. After a few hits it will be a massive traffic jam.

The Ukrainians will walk in from the sides with Javelins and other panser penetrating firecrackers. 

[Virt]

3 minutes ago, Thailand said:

A forty mile column of tanks etc on the way to Kiev, looks like an awesome target if the Ukranians have the firepower.

I hope they have something left that can attack columns like this.

 

If they don't, it looks like they are in lot of trouble and that the weapon supplies arriving from all over the world are coming to late.

 

Just on the below picture are almost 100 vehicles in what looks like a few hundred meters.

So we're talking about several thousands if not 5000+ of vehicles close to their capitol.

 

Other pictures also show a lot of artillery and tanks so it's not looking promising and it's going to cost a lot of lives on both sides if this is not stopped.

 

MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/REUTERS/RITZAU SCANPIX

[ExpatOilWorker]

10 minutes ago, Virt said:

I hope they have something left that can attack columns like this.

 

If they don't, it looks like they are in lot of trouble and that the weapon supplies arriving from all over the world are coming to late.

 

Just on the below picture are almost 100 vehicles in what looks like a few hundred meters.

So we're talking about several thousands if not 5000+ of vehicles close to their capitol.

 

Other pictures also show a lot of artillery and tanks so it's not looking promising and it's going to cost a lot of lives on both sides if this is not stopped.

 

MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/REUTERS/RITZAU SCANPIX

The Russians will need a lot of tow truck for the return trip!

[Thailand]

9 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

The Russians will need a lot of tow truck for the return trip!

I guess the Ukrainians had this satellite info and more long before we started seeing it so hopefully already geared up to take advantage.

[RJRS1301]

2 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Russia have amassed a large part of their mechanized troops around Ukraine, so why don't they attack?

It has not been discussed yet, but Russia have a major problem.

Everything they send across the border to Ukraine will most likely never return again and Russia don't have a military industrial complex that can pump out new equipment at will. 

The Russia army is fast being depleted opening up their flanks. Russia have more than 20,000 km of border to control. Nobody are about to invade Russia, but criminal activity and smuggling will thrive in border areas. 

 

Criminal activity there makes Thailand look a kindergarten.

It comes from the very top down there, and they pull the strings currently.

[Hummin]

27 minutes ago, Virt said:

I hope they have something left that can attack columns like this.

 

If they don't, it looks like they are in lot of trouble and that the weapon supplies arriving from all over the world are coming to late.

 

Just on the below picture are almost 100 vehicles in what looks like a few hundred meters.

So we're talking about several thousands if not 5000+ of vehicles close to their capitol.

 

Other pictures also show a lot of artillery and tanks so it's not looking promising and it's going to cost a lot of lives on both sides if this is not stopped.

 

MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/REUTERS/RITZAU SCANPIX

They have recieved quite  alot of mobile light anti-armour missiles such as M72 and Carl Gustav 84mm.

 

I was set up with Carl Gustav 84mm in the army and was the lead of my team with 7 total and we could carry out 24 strikes on foot before reinforcements of supplies. So a bit more light  tactical missions to stop convoyes by single out a few at the time, pull back and hide before they would or could strike back at our exact location. 

[Virt]

Just now, ExpatOilWorker said:

The Russians will need a lot of tow truck for the return trip!

I hope they somehow are capable of taking out the front and back and pin in the rest so the Russians will surrender, but there are a lot of side ways on a 64 kilometer road.

 

I don't know how the morale are amongst the Russians, but i think a lot of them are in a place they wish they were not, so maybe they are willing to surrender if pinned in?

 

You can probably hear I'm just a civilian with no military training, but i still hope this will stop with the lowest possible deaths on each side.

I bet most of the Russians are not interested in invading Ukraine but just have to follow orders.