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Russia invades Ukraine

US says American citizen killed in Ukraine

A US citizen has been killed in Ukraine during an attack in the northern city of Chernihiv, the State Department has said.

Their identity has not been revealed, but they are likely the second US casualty of the conflict, after filmmaker and journalist Brent Renaud was killed last week in Kyiv.
 
UK further humiliated.

Boris visits SA, pleads for more oil, snubbed, then he's snubbed by UAE, who further twist the knife by sacking 800 P&O workers only to replace them with agency workers! Like how much are you saving?

Seems like Putin is not on his own in embarrasing and making an example of the West!
 
I was initially rooting for Ukraine. I then stopped supporting Ukraine because of their neo-Nazi Azov group.

I am now neutral about this conflict. I hope innocents will not die though.

All of them are evil villains.

The only victims are poor Ukrainian who have had to abandon their homes to flee this war. Personally, I only side with them.

The Zionist media wants you to think in binary terms.
 
You are definitely taking the pro Russian position and you have the right to do so as maybe I have a more pro Ukraine positions. I try to be as nuanced as I can be but maybe I am overlooking my own bias so I don’t mind being checked.
However let’s not overlook the fact that consistent Russian shelling and bombardment has killed thousands of civilians in both Kharkiv and Mariupol alone - this isn’t going smoothly because they would have just walked into those cities if he wasn’t going to face stiff resistance.

Russia has lost north of 7000 soldiers in 4 weeks on conflict as well as 4 generals (they are only admitting 500 from 2 weeks ago which is absurdly low) - Putin definetly did think it was initially going to be a cakewalk otherwise they wouldn’t have lost so many troops in such a small time frame. That’s why he has scolded his head of intelligence publicly and reportedly rebuked him in private too.

Now eventually yes they will encircle the cities and will capture the smaller ones but if Putin thinks he will take Kyiv without totally destroying it like he did to Grozny then he is living in a different world - in fact he has been because when a dictator stays more than 20 years in power they become more i on what they can achieve.

Ask for Zelensky joining NATO that is simply a red herring. France and Germany were always blocking Ukraine from joining the alliance because of the amount of energy they were exporting from Russia and did not want to antagonise or jeopardise the deal and Zelensky himself said it was just a dream.
Putin invaded anyway because he wanted a puppet government that answersd to him - that’s what this was all about really. Oh and of course the potential Gas reserves that Ukraine has which seems overlooked big time by many taking the pro Russian position.

One thing I will make absolutely clear is that the Ukrainian people in general will never accept Russian millitary occupation in their country - if you don’t think they will face a big insurgency for years to come you are in for a rude awakening.
They got faulty intelligence that they would be welcomed because Zelensky was becoming unpopular for the promises he didn’t deliver to his people however he has united them again because he didn’t fled as they had hoped for.

Hope you feel confident about wind farms providing sufficient energy in Watford for the next few years. It's not a particularly windy place from what I recall.
 
UK further humiliated.

Boris visits SA, pleads for more oil, snubbed, then he's snubbed by UAE, who further twist the knife by sacking 800 P&O workers only to replace them with agency workers! Like how much are you saving?

Seems like Putin is not on his own in embarrasing and making an example of the West!

i am curious as to where is it that you live?
 
Hope you feel confident about wind farms providing sufficient energy in Watford for the next few years. It's not a particularly windy place from what I recall.

Mechanical Engineers, Hydrodynamicists, Land surveyors, Weather modelers and other domain and subject mater experts... stick a pin in that idea of yours of installing a wind turbine, hot shot Cpt. Rishwat here has something you all may not know about - that watford, from his experience a few years ago, is not a particularly windy place. as he recalls.
 
Ukraine war: Russian ambassador to UN denies Putin's forces bombed Mariupol theatre as he hits out at 'so many fakes'

The Kremlin's ambassador to the United Nations has told Sky News that a theatre, reportedly full of hundreds of civilians, which was ripped apart in the besieged city of Mariupol was not bombed by Russia.

Some survivors have apparently been pulled from the rubble by rescue teams following Wednesday's airstrike which Ukrainian officials said was carried out by President Putin's forces.

Up to 1,000 men, women and children were thought to have been sheltering in the theatre's basement for safety after their homes were destroyed during the invasion.

And the word "children" had reportedly been displayed in large letters at the site, prior to the attack, warning warplanes to those inside.

But the Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, denied his country played any part in the incident and said there was "an information war taking place on a larger scale than the battlefield".

He told Sky's US correspondent Martha Kelner: "The theatre in Mariupol was not bombed by Russia."

Mr Nebenzya added: "I have seen so many fakes. We have this information war which is raging on a much greater scale than on the battlefield, and I will not be surprised at anything because who wins the information war - the one who wins the war."

In other developments:

• Zelenskyy: Germany put its economy before Ukraine security in run-up to invasion
• Russia attacks Biden for calling Putin a 'war criminal'
• Fourth Russian general killed in fighting, Ukraine says
• Indiscriminate attacks on outskirts of Kyiv strike terror through communities
• Schwarzenegger makes impassioned plea to Russian troops in Ukraine

Meanwhile in a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven leading economies have accused President Putin of conducting an "unprovoked and shameful war".

And they called on Russia to comply with the International Court of Justice's order to stop its attack and withdraw its forces.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, Mr Nebenzya claimed people who had left Mariupol said on 13 March that the Azov Battalion, a far-right Ukrainian militia, had been holding a "huge number of people" in the building and was "preparing a bloody provocation".
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-...atre-as-he-hits-out-at-so-many-fakes-12568882
 
<b>Burger King Russia partner 'refuses' to shut shops</b>

The owner of Burger King said the operator of its 800 stores in Russia has "refused" to close the sites despite demands to suspend trading.

Restaurant Brands said it had contacted its local partner, Alexander Kolobov, to shut the shops following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But it said "complicated" contracts with overseas partners mean it is unable to "walk away" from these deals.

Many Western firms have shut or suspended their Russian businesses.

However a small number, including Burger King and UK retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S), have been unable to do so because their stores are run by franchise partners under "complex" legal arrangements.

In a letter to staff, Restaurant Brands International president David Shear said:

"We contacted the main operator of the business and demanded the suspension of Burger King restaurant operations in Russia.

"He has refused to do so."

Mr Shear added that making any changes to its local Burger King business "would ultimately require the support of Russian authorities on the ground and we know that will not practically happen anytime soon".

Burger King entered the Russian market 10 years ago. It trades there through a joint venture partnership with Mr Kolobov - who is the main day-to-day operator of the business - as well as with Russia's VTB Capital and a Ukrainian investment firm.

VTB Capital is an affiliate of VTB Bank, Russia's second largest financial institution which has been sanctioned by the US, UK and other European countries.

Mr Shear said Restaurant Brands owns a minority stake of 15% in the Russian joint venture which it is in the process of unwinding.

"While we would like to do this immediately, it is clear that it will take some time to do so based on the terms of our existing joint venture agreement," he said.

In the meantime, Restaurant Brands has stopped supporting the supply chain, operations and marketing for Russia. It will also reject new pitches for investment and expansion in Russia.

Many Western companies remain under pressure to withdraw from Russia following its attack on Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60789772
 
Its true that Russian invasion has been poor, considering the losses they have suffered and their planning from day 1 where they threw a 100 or so paratroopers near Kyiv thinking its enough, those troops were then routed.

This is all reasonable.

What's not reasonable is the horrific Western propaganda. They have lied so much that you go on average online public opinion sections you have people debating how Ukraine can retake this city or that city. The media here would have you believe Ukraine is decimating Russia.

The truth is despite poor planning and big losses the Russians are now getting their act together and are advancing day by day. Mauripol in the last 30 mins is about to fall. The South is gone. Kharkiv is going to fall any day. In the North the Russians are organising and setting up an encirclement, they are dug in North Kyiv, are already near Western Kyiv and they have two armies near Eastern Kyiv. And soon they will strike from South as well, yesterday they took over a city, forgot which, which is about to cut off Ukraine from the East.

The reason its taken so long is:

a) Poor planning
b) Under estimating Ukraine
3) Unlike the US did in Iraq, the Russians didn't first starve a nation for 2 decades and kill millions, and then didn't pound Kyiv like the US did in Baghdad. It took the US to use depleted uranium and levelling Fallujah to win that campaign, nothing of which has been see in Kyiv. Look at the vicious destruction Israel brought on Lebanon, levelling cities killing thousands in days. Russians for all the shelling have refrained doing the same to Kyiv.
4) The West is pointing to apartment buildings destroyed as evidence of brutality and Russian claims that those buildings are being used by Ukrainian forces who are using people are shields are dismissed. Yet this is the exact excuse Israel and the West use against Hamas when they pound Gaza and then point out how Hamas is using civilian buildings so they have no choice. The real truth is the defending army has nowhere else to go, do we expect them to fight on the street against a massive invading force? But the Western media won't go there. I saw a video yesterday of Russians shooting at an apartment building and someone claiming its a war crime, someone else then posted another video which showed the apartment building which was attacked was moments ago firing RPGs at a passing tank. So the manipulation has been pretty thorough.
5) Yes Russia has lost, a lot of men, noone would deny it. But we have no idea how much Ukraine has lost, how many soldiers how many tanks how many planes in comparison. Going by the fighting it seems Ukrainians are using small independent units with no air power via planes, which probably reflects they don't have an organised army left.
 
As for the war I already posted my opinion at how wars are not dictated by morality but geopolitics. Pakistan has backed groups in Afghanistan for the same reason. Just like we won't accept an Indian friendly Afghanistan, and the US won't accept a Russian friendly Mexico, the Russians won't accept a NATO Ukraine. Is it fair. No, not at all. But this is how politics are done.
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed the country's "special operation" in Ukraine at a rally marking the anniversary of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, which hosted the World Cup final in 2018, was packed for the rally, with patriot songs, and crowds waving Russian flags and shouting: "Russia! Russia! Russia!"
Images and video from the stadium showed a sea of red, blue and white flags and banners, with one reading: "For Putin!"

Thousands at rally cheer on president
Mr Putin gave a speech from a stage at the venue - after discussing Moscow's military operation in Ukraine with his security council on Friday, RIA news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.

He told the cheering thousands "we will implement all our plans", insisting that the "main purpose" of the invasion of Ukraine is to "save people from suffering and genocide".

He told supporters that Russian soldiers are fighting "shoulder to shoulder" in Ukraine, adding: "We haven't had such unity in such a long time."

Russian TV suddenly cut away from the Russian leader and showed patriotic songs being played at the event.

Young and old united in celebration in Moscow

Almost every single seat appeared to be filled in the 81,000-capacity stadium.
Russian military cadets and officers in uniform were among the tens of thousands of people at the massive celebration.

Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, also attended the event and addressed the crowds.

Civilians, young and old, and dressed in the colours of the national flag, smiled and waved, capturing the festivities on their mobile phones, some with their faces painted to show support for their country.

Flags with the letter Z, which has become a symbol of the Russian military, and a hashtag reading "we don't abandon our own", were also being waved on the stadium floor - packed too with revellers.

Putin puts his spin on Ukraine conflict
Sky correspondent Alistair Bunkall said: "We have become accustomed to seeing President Putin sitting one end of a very long table and either his senior security figure sitting the other end or any foreign leaders that have visited him.

"We have become used to him being paranoid about catching COVID and not wanting to be close to anybody - but now we see him out and about at a stadium in Moscow with thousands of people waving the Russian flag.

"As closed off as much as he might be to the rest of the world, I'm sure he can't have failed to realise that continually sitting in a bunker gives the impression of a bunker mentality, and so he wants to try and prove that the Russian people and behind him and behind his, what he describes, as the 'special operation' inside Ukraine.

"He has been praising that operation, saying that it's going successfully. But it isn't an operation, it's an invasion, it's a war that has so far yet failed to comprehensively take and hold a city. They have failed to even encircle the capital Kyiv.

"They have failed to unseat the government of President Zelenskyy. They have lost four of their major generals on the frontline, plus thousands of other troops and a lot of equipment as well.
"And this was supposed to be one of the most fearsome, one of the most powerful military forces in the world.

"So the facts bear out: the operation, the invasion, the conflict - is not going well at all for Russia. The Ukrainians are putting up a resistance, and President Putin has given no indication that he's necessarily aware of that, but one assumes that he must be.

"But this message is a message for his people. He has shut down much of independent media within Russia, he has shut down access to foreign media, social media, and so this is the spin that he is putting on the conflict to the Russian people."
 
Where a poster resides has nothing to do with the topic.

But here , Russians who live in Russia with huge support for Putin.


BBC spinning this as they were forced.

BBC were nowhere to be seen when we had sham 'crowds' who were 'welcoming' the US in Baghdad, clearly given money to. Its become a sham organisation.
 
Update on Mariupol conflict.

— — —

Efforts to rescue hundreds of people trapped in the basement of a bombed theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol are being hampered by intense battles in the area, the mayor says.

Vadym Boychenko told the BBC teams were only able to clear the rubble of the building during lulls in the fighting.

Ukrainian officials say Russia attacked the site, which was clearly marked as a civilian shelter. Moscow denies this.

Russian forces have encircled the city, which has no electricity, water or gas.

About 300,000 people are trapped inside, as food and medical supplies run out with Russia blocking the entry of humanitarian aid.

Russian attacks have hit a hospital, a church and countless apartment blocks, with local officials estimating that about 80% of residential buildings are either damaged or destroyed, a third of them beyond repair.

Mariupol has seen some of the fiercest battles since Russia invaded Ukraine, three weeks ago.

The location of the port city, on the Sea of Azov, is strategic for Russia, as it would help it create a land corridor between the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, controlled by Russian-backed separatists, and Crimea, the peninsula it invaded and annexed in 2014.

"[There is] street fighting in the city centre," Mr Boychenko said, confirming a claim made by Russia on Friday, when it said it was "tightening the noose" around the city.

"There are tanks... and artillery shelling, and all kinds of weapons fired in the area," the mayor said. "Our forces are doing everything they can to hold their positions in the city but the forces of the enemy are larger than ours, unfortunately."

Communication with the city is difficult, with the phone network said to be operational only a few hours a day.

Amid unrelenting Russian attacks, residents spend most of their days in shelters and basements, rarely coming outside.

Mr Boychenko said, in a previous interview, that there was no city centre left.

"There isn't a small piece of land in the city that doesn't have signs of war," he said.

The intense fighting means it is too dangerous for teams to clear the rubble of the destroyed theatre and rescue people from the basement, which withstood Wednesday's attack.

“There's no opportunity to do that," Mr Boychenko said. "When it gets quiet for a bit, rubble is being cleared and people get out."

He said he could not provide an update on how many had already left the site.

A day earlier, the country's human rights ombudsman said 130 people had been rescued, and that about 1,300 remained trapped.

Satellite images showed the Russian word for "children" had been emblazoned on the ground in two locations outside the imposing Soviet-era building, indicating the place was being used as a civilian shelter.

Most of those inside are elderly people, women and children, who are living squeezed in dark rooms and corridors.

In a video address released on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said some of the people rescued were "seriously wounded" but that, at the moment, there was no information of deaths.

President Zelensky also accused Russia of a "war crime" for blocking the access of humanitarian aid to the besieged cities.

"This is a totally deliberate tactic," he said. "They [Russian forces] have a clear order to do absolutely everything to make the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukrainian cities an 'argument' for Ukrainians to co-operate with the occupiers."

The authorities in Mariupol say at least 2,500 people have been killed in the city since the start of the war, although they acknowledge that is an underestimate.

Some of the dead are being left on streets, as it is too risky to collect them.

Many end up being buried in mass graves.

Mr Boychenko, the Mariupol mayor, said 40,000 people had managed to leave the city in the last five days, and that 20,000 others were waiting to be evacuated.

Residents are fleeing in private vehicles, he said, as attempts to create official humanitarian corridors have broken down, with Ukraine accusing Russia of attacking the city despite agreeing to ceasefires.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60806973
 
Russia's military has fired a hypersonic ballistic missile and destroyed a large underground arms depot in western Ukraine, the defence ministry in Moscow has said.

If confirmed it would be Russia's first use in this war of the Kinzhal, or Dagger, ballistic missile launched from the air, most likely by a MiG-31 warplane.

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly highlighted Russia's investment in hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.

The statistics are impressive: according to Russian officials the Kinzhal can hit a target up to 2,000km (1,240 miles) away and can fly faster than 6,000 km/h.
 
BBC spinning this as they were forced.

BBC were nowhere to be seen when we had sham 'crowds' who were 'welcoming' the US in Baghdad, clearly given money to. Its become a sham organisation.

Ha yes. Check this out. The BBC interviewed a few, all in favour in Putin. Acc to them a few werent but wouldnt go on air lol. They then film some poor looking woman, claiming she's a jouranlist who has been targetted. Looks like some alcoholic to me. Googled her name, nothing came up apart from recent articles from various western media saying the same thing.

How the public are fooled by this weak propaganda is beyond me.

 
Putin has played a blinder. He has sacrificed his image for the greater good of humiliating and exposing the West. Maximum value play!

Biden begging and China and India to condemn Russia, and pleading not to buy Russian oil, which he cannot sanction cos it will send the price of oil into orbit! China and India blank the pathetic senile of a leader!

Ha ha ho ho he he, zabardast!
 
Putin has played a blinder. He has sacrificed his image for the greater good of humiliating and exposing the West. Maximum value play!

Biden begging and China and India to condemn Russia, and pleading not to buy Russian oil, which he cannot sanction cos it will send the price of oil into orbit! China and India blank the pathetic senile of a leader!

Ha ha ho ho he he, zabardast!

I think he has elavated his image to most of the world.

Putin for years wanted peace with the west. He even said its fine for them to invade Afghanistan, next to his border but time after time the west backstabbed him. Now they have to deal with Putin the former KGB agent who doesnt trust them one bit. This Putin will change history as we know it. By 2030 the west will be in economic tatters. This whole Ukraine set up will be seen as one of the worst mistakes by America in history.
 
You are definitely taking the pro Russian position and you have the right to do so as maybe I have a more pro Ukraine positions. I try to be as nuanced as I can be but maybe I am overlooking my own bias so I don’t mind being checked.
However let’s not overlook the fact that consistent Russian shelling and bombardment has killed thousands of civilians in both Kharkiv and Mariupol alone - this isn’t going smoothly because they would have just walked into those cities if he wasn’t going to face stiff resistance.

Russia has lost north of 7000 soldiers in 4 weeks on conflict as well as 4 generals (they are only admitting 500 from 2 weeks ago which is absurdly low) - Putin definetly did think it was initially going to be a cakewalk otherwise they wouldn’t have lost so many troops in such a small time frame. That’s why he has scolded his head of intelligence publicly and reportedly rebuked him in private too.

Now eventually yes they will encircle the cities and will capture the smaller ones but if Putin thinks he will take Kyiv without totally destroying it like he did to Grozny then he is living in a different world - in fact he has been because when a dictator stays more than 20 years in power they become more i on what they can achieve.

Ask for Zelensky joining NATO that is simply a red herring. France and Germany were always blocking Ukraine from joining the alliance because of the amount of energy they were exporting from Russia and did not want to antagonise or jeopardise the deal and Zelensky himself said it was just a dream.
Putin invaded anyway because he wanted a puppet government that answersd to him - that’s what this was all about really. Oh and of course the potential Gas reserves that Ukraine has which seems overlooked big time by many taking the pro Russian position.

One thing I will make absolutely clear is that the Ukrainian people in general will never accept Russian millitary occupation in their country - if you don’t think they will face a big insurgency for years to come you are in for a rude awakening.
They got faulty intelligence that they would be welcomed because Zelensky was becoming unpopular for the promises he didn’t deliver to his people however he has united them again because he didn’t fled as they had hoped for.

sorry but that 7000 figure is unverified..there is no evidence for it. The ukrainian tank formations are gone..the russians are now decimating their anti air manpad infantry too..Mariupol the home of the azov and the land link to the crimea is about to fall. Zelensky is pleading for talks..

its over bar the shouting. Russia is not looking to occupy the whole of ukraine. like i said above they will move in russian supporting ukrainians back to their homes and keep a presence in the eastern part. but ultimatley they will return home leaving a devastated ukrainian military and economy..the economy will eventually recover but dont expect their military to..Putin is being the gangster on the block and showing little ukraine who is the boss in this part of the world. like the US did in the ME..this is a the horrible lesson of the last twenty years..and i say this with trepidation because who knows who will be next?
 
However let’s not overlook the fact that consistent Russian shelling and bombardment has killed thousands of civilians in both Kharkiv and Mariupol alone - this isn’t going smoothly because they would have just walked into those cities if he wasn’t going to face stiff resistance.
Stop buying into western propaganda please. As of today the UN reports 1900 civilian deaths in Ukraine, which by all measures is a low number after 3 weeks of conflict. It tell you they are actually trying to avoid civilian casualties. The reason they are not walking straight into cities is because they are not flattening them like the Americans did in Iraq. You need to understand modern warfare before making statements like this.

It’s also very difficult to waltz into cities when the enemy starts hiding, they could be in any number of buildings or their basement. It takes a huge amount of time to go door to door and lives are unnecessarily lost. Again learn about urban warfare please.

Russia has lost north of 7000 soldiers in 4 weeks on conflict as well as 4 generals (they are only admitting 500 from 2 weeks ago which is absurdly low) - Putin definetly did think it was initially going to be a cakewalk otherwise they wouldn’t have lost so many troops in such a small time frame. That’s why he has scolded his head of intelligence publicly and reportedly rebuked him in private too.
Lol. How can anyone take you seriously? Do you really believe that they’ve lost 7000 soldiers? That is a very optimistic American estimate. We need to see what the Russians say and once we have that figure we can assume it’s somewhere in between the American and the Russian figure. Based on the type of fighting and different estimates around the world, it’s likely to be around the 3000-3500 figure for both sides. Remember the west are basically egging the Ukrainians on so they will lie too.

Now eventually yes they will encircle the cities and will capture the smaller ones but if Putin thinks he will take Kyiv without totally destroying it like he did to Grozny then he is living in a different world - in fact he has been because when a dictator stays more than 20 years in power they become more i on what they can achieve.
…and you base this off what? Your vast experience in military warfare including urban warfare? You’ve already proven you know diddly squat about military warfare numerous times so I’m not sure you have any ideas of their political or military goals. They probably have a plan A, B, C, D, E all the way to Z for all sorts of developments on the ground and in the political room. We don’t even know if Kyiv is on their radar at all and whether it’s just a threat.
You still haven’t got as clue why the Russians invaded Ukraine, probably because you’re getting all your info from BBC and CNN. He didn’t want this, but the west and the Nazi Ukrainians government left him no choice. Are you aware of who the Azol battalion are? Their crimes and how they are given official positions within the regime there? Probably not because BBC and CNN skip that part.
Ask for Zelensky joining NATO that is simply a red herring. France and Germany were always blocking Ukraine from joining the alliance because of the amount of energy they were exporting from Russia and did not want to antagonise or jeopardise the deal and Zelensky himself said it was just a dream.
Putin invaded anyway because he wanted a puppet government that answersd to him - that’s what this was all about really. Oh and of course the potential Gas reserves that Ukraine has which seems overlooked big time by many taking the pro Russian position.
Lol. Where to begin with this. There are many reasons for the invasion the expansion of NATO or the threat of it happening was one. What about the Nazis who hold power in the Ukranian regime? What about the Ukranian arming their south eastern borders for the last few years? What about the Crimes against the people of Donbas who was independence? What about the Ukranians having bio-labs funded by America? What about cutting off Crimea’s water supply to the canal?
Read up on the geopolitics before you make such absurd statements. Putin warned them, he kept warning them, he repeatedly reached out to the west to stop these things but they ignored him and ignored him. They aren’t ignoring him now are they?

One thing I will make absolutely clear is that the Ukrainian people in general will never accept Russian millitary occupation in their country - if you don’t think they will face a big insurgency for years to come you are in for a rude awakening.
They got faulty intelligence that they would be welcomed because Zelensky was becoming unpopular for the promises he didn’t deliver to his people however he has united them again because he didn’t fled as they had hoped for.
Why do you think the Russians want to occupy Ukraine, what ridiculous source do you have for this information. The Russians don’t want to spend a day longer than they have to in Ukraine, the moment their political goals are met they’ll be out. Those political goals are to official sign up Crimea, create an independent Donbas and to de-Nazify and de-militarize the Ukrainians. The Russians are fully aware like every other competent army than urban/guerrilla warfare is a nasty thing that consumes too much time and resources. The Russians are not interested in that.
The Russians may have got faulty intelligence but you are very naïve if you think they didn’t consider all outcomes. Do you think a leadership team puts all their eggs in one basket? They have plenty of fall back plans.

I’m going to finish this lengthy post by saying that in future before you type baseless statements – you read up on the geopolitics of the region and look at more reliable sources for your information.
 
Ukraine has rejected a Russian ultimatum offering people in the besieged city of Mariupol safe passage out of the port if they surrender.

Under Russia's proposal, civilians would be allowed to leave if the city's defenders laid down arms.

But Ukraine has refused, saying there was no question of it surrendering the strategic port city.

Around 300,000 people are believed to be trapped there with supplies running out and aid blocked from entering.

Residents have endured weeks of Russian bombardment with no power or running water.

Details of the Russian proposal were laid out on Sunday by Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, who said Ukraine had until 05:00 Moscow time (02:00 GMT) on Monday morning to accept its terms.

Under the plans, Russian troops would have opened safe corridors out of Mariupol from 10:00 Moscow time (07:00 GMT), initially for Ukrainian troops and "foreign mercenaries" to disarm and leave the city.

After two hours, Russian forces say they would then have allowed humanitarian convoys with food, medicine and other supplies to enter the city safely, once the de-mining of the roads was complete.

Russian Gen Mizintsev admitted that a terrible humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding there - and said the offer would have allowed civilians to flee safely to either the east or west.

In response to the offer, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine would not stop defending Mariupol.

"There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms," she was quoted by Ukrainska Pravda as saying.



BBC
 
At least eight people killed in Kyiv's Podil district after Russian shelling last night, authorities say

At least eight people have been killed by Russian shelling in Kyiv's Podil district, Ukraine's general prosecutor has said.

The latest figure comes after Kremlin forces launched an attack on a shopping centre in the capital.

"According to the information we have at the moment, several homes and one of the shopping centres [were hit]," city mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel.
 
A deadline for Ukrainians to surrender Mariupol to the Russians has passed, with Ukraine refusing to give up the besieged southern port city.

On Sunday, Russia said that Ukrainians could put down their weapons and raise white flags on Monday in exchange for safe passage out.

Two corridors would be allowed out of the city, heading east to Russia or west to other parts of Ukraine, Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev said. Mariupol authorities were given until the early hours of Monday to decide.

Few details were given of what would happen if the deal was rejected, although the Russian ministry of defence said the city's authorities could face a military tribunal if they sided with "bandits", according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister and an adviser to Mariupol's mayor both said there would be no surrender.

Meanwhile, the Russian advance on the capital Kyiv appears to have stalled, with Ukrainian forces holding on to Kharkiv and repelling an assault in the eastern city.
 
Russian troops have been accused of using stun grenades and firing guns to disperse a rally of pro-Ukrainian protesters in Kherson, with CCTV footage showing people fleeing as military vehicles advance.

Loud bangs and gunfire can be heard amid clouds of smoke.

"Russian security forces ran up, started throwing stun grenades into the crowd and shooting," the Ukrainian armed forces' press service said in a statement.
 
Any compromises agreed with Russia to end its invasion will need to be voted on in a referendum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Issues of concern could include security guarantees offered in lieu of NATO membership, and areas occupied by Russia forces, such as Crimea.

Ukrainian citizens will "have to speak up and respond to this or that form of compromise", Mr Zelenskyy said.

Potential compromises "will be the subject of our talks and understanding between Ukraine and Russia", he said in comments published by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.

Earlier, in a sign of the continuing fierce resistance to the invasion, Ukraine refused to give up the besieged city of Mariupol, saying there will be "no talk of any surrender".

On a day when Russian forces targeted another port city for the first time - Odesa - and intensified attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's deputy prime minister also said there would be no "laying down of arms".

Residents refused Moscow's offer of "safe passage" out of Mariupol after a deadline of 5am was set.

In the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a 40-hour curfew. It began at 8pm local time on Monday night and runs until 7am on Wednesday.

People are advised to "stay at home, or in shelters when the alarm sounds".

Mr Klitschko said he had imposed the curfew because of the "likelihood of more shelling".

Map showing Russian controlled areas as of 21 March 2022
The Russian advance on Kyiv appears to be in trouble, however.

According to British military intelligence, Vladimir Putin's forces advancing from the northeast have stalled and the bulk remain more than 15 miles (25km) from the centre of the capital.

"Heavy fighting continues north of Kyiv," the UK's Ministry of Defence said in its latest update.

"Russian forces advancing on the city from the northeast have stalled. Forces advancing from the direction of Hostomel to the northwest have been repulsed by fierce Ukrainian resistance. The bulk of Russian forces remain more than 25 kilometres from the centre of the city."

But Kyiv remains "Russia's primary military objective" and it is "likely to prioritise attempting to encircle the city over the coming weeks", the MOD said.


Ukrainian forces are also holding on to the eastern city of Kharkiv.

As the conflict continues, Ukraine's defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has accused Moscow of "committing a real act of genocide" and said Russian forces had killed more than 150 children, destroyed more than 400 schools and nurseries and 110 hospitals.

He reiterated calls for NATO to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine and demanded tougher sanctions against Russia to "stop the evil" and "state terrorism".


At least eight people have been killed by Russian shelling in the capital, with a shopping centre, residential buildings offices and a gym among the places hit in the Podil district, police said.

"We saw a number of bodies laid out on the pavement outside the mall," said Sky's Alex Crawford.

Crawford added: "This is what life is like for those living in the city right now. An attack can come out of nowhere, any time, any place... they're using long-range rocket strikes instead to terrorise and kill."

But shortly afterwards, photographs began circulating on the internet which appeared to show the shopping mall with military vehicles parked underneath. It is not clear how recent these photographs are or their origin.

Authorities in Odesa accused Russian forces of targeting civilians after carrying out a strike on homes in the outskirts of the city - the first such attack on the Black Sea port city.

"These are residential buildings where peaceful people live," Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov was quoted as saying. "We will not leave Odesa and we will fight for our city."

The city council said there were no casualties although the shelling caused a fire.

In the early hours residents heard "large bangs" coming from the Black Sea, where there has been a Russian naval build-up for the past week, said Sky correspondent Nick Martin.

Shrapnel from the shelling peppered holes into buildings, including apartments, and smashed windows - sending shards of glass cascading down on to the streets of the city and so-called jewel of the Black Sea.

Russia says it has docked a large, landing support ship, the Orsk, in the occupied Ukrainian port of Berdyansk, 45 miles (70km) southwest of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov.

"It is hard to overestimate the possibilities of using this port," said the website of the Russian armed forces news outlet Zvezda (Star). "Now the southern flank of the special operation can receive everything necessary at any time, including equipment and ammunition."

The website said 10 such ships - each can carry up to 20 tanks or 40 armoured personnel carriers - are part of what Moscow has called its "special military invasion" in Ukraine.

Mariupol, which sits between Russian military bases in Crimea and the disputed Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, has been surrounded from the outset of the invasion because its capture would allow Russian forces to unite.

Refusing the Kremlin's offer to allow the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol if it surrendered, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk told news outlet Ukrainian Pravda: "There can be no talk of any surrender, laying down of arms. We have already informed the Russian side about this.

"I wrote 'instead of wasting time on eight pages of letters, just open the corridor'."

The Russians have attacked Mariupol almost relentlessly since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, with the latest strike being at an art school that was sheltering around 400 people.

Speaking earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "They are under the rubble, and we don't know how many survived.

"But we know that we will certainly shoot down the pilot who dropped that bomb, like about 100 such mass murderers whom we already have downed."

He has described the siege of Mariupol a war crime and "a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come".

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombarding buildings including a maternity hospital, swimming pool and a shopping centre - as well as a theatre where it said people were sheltering last week.

Hundreds of men, women and children were thought to have been in the theatre's basement after their homes were destroyed during the invasion - and the word "children" had reportedly been displayed in large letters at the site, prior to the attack, warning warplanes of those inside.

Aid groups have said food, water, and electricity are running low in the city, with humanitarian access limited by the fighting.

The city's authorities have said at least 2,300 people have died, some buried in mass graves.

Mariupol has been subjected to three-and-a-half weeks of Russian siege and shelling which the Red Cross says has caused "apocalyptic" destruction.

It has, at the same time, been one of the most difficult cities for civilians to leave, with humanitarian corridors rarely in operation, and each side blaming the other for them failing.

Thousands of Ukrainians from Mariupol have been "forcibly deported" to Russia, according to the city council.

Another city to have come under an unrelenting Russian assault is Kharkiv - a short drive from the border with Russia.

Authorities in the eastern city said at least five civilians have been killed in the latest Russian shelling.

Regional police in Ukraine's second-largest city said victims of the artillery attack on Sunday included a nine-year-old boy.

Sky correspondent John Sparks travelled with the Ukrainian military to the front line on the outskirts of the city and described the "air filled with the deep-sounding boom of tank and artillery fire".

Signs war headed for 'stalemate rather than negotiated solution'

The war is headed for "a long, grinding campaign" where the Russians "try and smash one town after another in the hope of breaking the will of the Ukrainian people", former Foreign Office permanent secretary and national security adviser Lord Ricketts has said.

He told Sky News: "I think it is clear the Russians cannot win an outright victory - the Ukrainian resistance has been far too strong for that. We have seen even in Mariupol, after weeks and weeks of smashing that city to pieces, people are not ready to surrender to Russian forces.

"How much more difficult will that be in a massive city like Kyiv? They are clearly stalled, bogged down, all kinds of problems with their logistics and I don't think they are ready yet to declare any kind of a ceasefire negotiation. The positions of the two sides are far too far apart for that.

"I think we are in for a stalemate rather than a negotiated solution."

Ten million people have been displaced by the conflict, including nearly 3.5 million who have fled abroad, according to the UN refugee agency.

The Great Debate airs on Sky News at 9pm on Monday
Russia says it has hit a Ukrainian military facility

Russian air forces hit a Ukrainian army military facility in the Rivne region in the west of the country with cruise missiles, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday.

"High-precision air-launched cruise missiles have struck a training centre for foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian nationalist formations," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-...raine-refusing-to-surrender-mariupol-12571816
 
Reading from Kremlin leaks today they admit 9,400 Russians dead, from a leak via a pro-Kremlin tabloid (which is gone now but available from the web archives) They will win eventually but catastrophic numbers in a short space of time, most likely due to sending a lot of inexperienced soldiers upfront and under estimating the resistance they'd face.

Ukrainians don't want to surrender now but I feel the longer it goes on the worse the terms will be for them. Their economy is already going to set back decades and they're losing land day by day.
 
Stop buying into western propaganda please. As of today the UN reports 1900 civilian deaths in Ukraine, which by all measures is a low number after 3 weeks of conflict. It tell you they are actually trying to avoid civilian casualties. The reason they are not walking straight into cities is because they are not flattening them like the Americans did in Iraq. You need to understand modern warfare before making statements like this.

It’s also very difficult to waltz into cities when the enemy starts hiding, they could be in any number of buildings or their basement. It takes a huge amount of time to go door to door and lives are unnecessarily lost. Again learn about urban warfare please.


Lol. How can anyone take you seriously? Do you really believe that they’ve lost 7000 soldiers? That is a very optimistic American estimate. We need to see what the Russians say and once we have that figure we can assume it’s somewhere in between the American and the Russian figure. Based on the type of fighting and different estimates around the world, it’s likely to be around the 3000-3500 figure for both sides. Remember the west are basically egging the Ukrainians on so they will lie too.


…and you base this off what? Your vast experience in military warfare including urban warfare? You’ve already proven you know diddly squat about military warfare numerous times so I’m not sure you have any ideas of their political or military goals. They probably have a plan A, B, C, D, E all the way to Z for all sorts of developments on the ground and in the political room. We don’t even know if Kyiv is on their radar at all and whether it’s just a threat.
You still haven’t got as clue why the Russians invaded Ukraine, probably because you’re getting all your info from BBC and CNN. He didn’t want this, but the west and the Nazi Ukrainians government left him no choice. Are you aware of who the Azol battalion are? Their crimes and how they are given official positions within the regime there? Probably not because BBC and CNN skip that part.

Lol. Where to begin with this. There are many reasons for the invasion the expansion of NATO or the threat of it happening was one. What about the Nazis who hold power in the Ukranian regime? What about the Ukranian arming their south eastern borders for the last few years? What about the Crimes against the people of Donbas who was independence? What about the Ukranians having bio-labs funded by America? What about cutting off Crimea’s water supply to the canal?
Read up on the geopolitics before you make such absurd statements. Putin warned them, he kept warning them, he repeatedly reached out to the west to stop these things but they ignored him and ignored him. They aren’t ignoring him now are they?


Why do you think the Russians want to occupy Ukraine, what ridiculous source do you have for this information. The Russians don’t want to spend a day longer than they have to in Ukraine, the moment their political goals are met they’ll be out. Those political goals are to official sign up Crimea, create an independent Donbas and to de-Nazify and de-militarize the Ukrainians. The Russians are fully aware like every other competent army than urban/guerrilla warfare is a nasty thing that consumes too much time and resources. The Russians are not interested in that.
The Russians may have got faulty intelligence but you are very naïve if you think they didn’t consider all outcomes. Do you think a leadership team puts all their eggs in one basket? They have plenty of fall back plans.

I’m going to finish this lengthy post by saying that in future before you type baseless statements – you read up on the geopolitics of the region and look at more reliable sources for your information.

Lmao, You are repeating nothing but ** Putin propaganda.

If you don’t think thousands of civilians have been killed already by constant Russian shelling and bombardment over the cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv alone you are living in a totally different planet. They have damaged and destroyed 90% of the buildings in Mariupol alone - what do you think is happening there ?

This was a total illegal war started by a Russian war criminal and he now probably realises it was a stupid mistake because he’s never going to win the war, even if he makes major millitary gains in the short term as even then he would have butchered tens of thousands of civilians and in the process having to ensure an insurgency that will kill thousands more Russian soldiers and making his own country a total pariah in the world and decimated his economy as well.

Over 9000 Russian soldiers have been killed in less than 4 weeks when in comparison only 15000 to 20,000 were killed during the whole of the soviet -Afghan war that lasted 9 years.
If you want to live in total denial that thousands of Russian soldiers haven’t been killed then live in denial but just to let you know Russia has accidentally admitted that they did lose 9000 soldiers - you will probably still live in denial that they didn’t.

There has been nothing but a total disaster for Putin and Russia so I have no idea or how on earth you think this has even gone remotely well for them when they can’t even encircle Kyiv (they made do eventually but this should have been much easier given their millitary might).

Simply put Russia under estimated the Ukrainian millitary (they absurdly believed 30% of them would switch over to the Russian side) and they over estimated their own power.

They haven’t taken 1 major city without totally destroying it and the ones they have taken like Kherson the Ukrainian civilians are coming out in mass telling the Russian millitary to get lost. There is videos of this well documented on twitter filmed by the locals but will not be shown on RT, that’s for sure.

No one is welcoming them and they can’t win this war, the sooner Putin realises it the better for Russia and Ukraine so he can get his forces out and stop this senseless war.
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday he was prepared to discuss a commitment from Ukraine not to seek Nato membership in exchange for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.

“It’s a compromise for everyone: for the West, which doesn’t know what to do with us with regard to Nato, for Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, and for Russia, which doesn’t want further Nato expansion,” Zelensky said late Monday in an interview with Ukrainian television channels.

He also repeated his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unless he meets with Putin, it is impossible to understand whether Russia even wants to stop the war, Zelensky said.

Zelensky said that Kyiv will be ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the eastern Donbas region held by Russian-backed separatists after a cease-fire and steps toward providing security guarantees.

US President Joe Biden said Monday that it’s “clear” Russia is considering the use of chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine and warned of a “severe” Western response if it chose to do so.

“His back is against the wall,” said Biden of Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that Russia has recently accused the United States of holding chemical and biological weapons in Europe.

“Simply not true. I guarantee you,” he told a gathering of US business leaders in Washington.

“They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That’s a clear sign he’s considering using both of those,” he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/feat...eady-to-discuss-deal/ar-AAVlnnE?ocid=msedgntp
 
Lmao, You are repeating nothing but ** Putin propaganda.
I won’t even try to hide how badly I want Russia to achieve their goals and America to get the hiding they deserve.
If you don’t think thousands of civilians have been killed already by constant Russian shelling and bombardment over the cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv alone you are living in a totally different planet. They have damaged and destroyed 90% of the buildings in Mariupol alone - what do you think is happening there ?
You’re twisting what I said and what the Russians are doing. Yes there are civilian casualties but they are collateral damage and not the target. As you can see by the relative low number of deaths reported by the UN (compared to previous conflicts) it’s evident they are deliberately going out of their way to avoid civilian casualties. That is not to say there are no casualties it means they are going out of their way to avoid them. They have damaged some of the buildings in Mariupol, the Azov battalion who you choose to ignore have destroyed some too. The Azov battalion are using humans as shields and there are umpteen videos reporting this and showing this.
This was a total illegal war started by a Russian war criminal and he now probably realises it was a stupid mistake because he’s never going to win the war, even if he makes major millitary gains in the short term as even then he would have butchered tens of thousands of civilians and in the process having to ensure an insurgency that will kill thousands more Russian soldiers and making his own country a total pariah in the world and decimated his economy as well.
Please explain to me what a legal war is, who defines them and who decides which ones fall into this category? His economy will suffer a deep and extended recession for sure, but they will recover as so many other nations have in the past. With their business alliances being formed with the east this economic recovery may take a decade, but what they gain is probably worth it.
There has been nothing but a total disaster for Putin and Russia so I have no idea or how on earth you think this has even gone remotely well for them when they can’t even encircle Kyiv (they made do eventually but this should have been much easier given their millitary might).
Some presenter said exactly what you said on a talk show I was watching a few days ago and two Major Generals from India absolutely tore the presenter to pieces with their reply. Encircling a city when you are trying to avoid collateral damage takes time and resources. Kyiv like many capital cities around the world is very well protected, there are many bridges, hiding areas and many civilians living there even after mass evacuations. One Major General said to encircle Kyiv you’ll need to have huge numbers spread over 60-70 miles. Even if you have huge military power, you still need to actually move the troops around and when your enemy is blowing up bridges and using human shields a challenging tasks becomes more challenging. Please tell us if you have an example of any city of this size being encircled in a mere days.
Simply put Russia under estimated the Ukrainian millitary (they absurdly believed 30% of them would switch over to the Russian side) and they over estimated their own power.
What source do you have for this 30%? The Russians haven’t even used their military might, they’re not using their best aircraft or tanks. Most of their sorties are being done by their SU-24/25s and a handful of SU-34s. They could just overwhelm them with their air force but you keep missing the point. They are not trying to conquer they are trying to systematically target the military infrastructure.
They haven’t taken 1 major city without totally destroying it and the ones they have taken like Kherson the Ukrainian civilians are coming out in mass telling the Russian millitary to get lost. There is videos of this well documented on twitter filmed by the locals but will not be shown on RT, that’s for sure.
Again – this is based off what? They’re not trying to conquer and the sooner you realise this the better for you. If they wanted to they could have blown all of Ukraine to rubble, every nook and corner of Ukraine could have been blown to history. But that is not their goal. They are trying to change the regime, get Crimea and turn Donbas into its own independent state.
No one is welcoming them and they can’t win this war, the sooner Putin realises it the better for Russia and Ukraine so he can get his forces out and stop this senseless war.
They were welcome into Crimea and most of Donbas, which are the areas that are part of their political goals. The Russians want to end this war and will as soon as the Americans let Zelensky surrender. But instead of letting it end they are extending it and this will inevitably result in Zelensky capitulating and conceding almost all land to the east of the river. The Russians have shown a heck of a lot restraint so far – there’s no guarantee they will continue to.
 
I won’t even try to hide how badly I want Russia to achieve their goals and America to get the hiding they deserve.

You’re twisting what I said and what the Russians are doing. Yes there are civilian casualties but they are collateral damage and not the target. As you can see by the relative low number of deaths reported by the UN (compared to previous conflicts) it’s evident they are deliberately going out of their way to avoid civilian casualties. That is not to say there are no casualties it means they are going out of their way to avoid them. They have damaged some of the buildings in Mariupol, the Azov battalion who you choose to ignore have destroyed some too. The Azov battalion are using humans as shields and there are umpteen videos reporting this and showing this.

Please explain to me what a legal war is, who defines them and who decides which ones fall into this category? His economy will suffer a deep and extended recession for sure, but they will recover as so many other nations have in the past. With their business alliances being formed with the east this economic recovery may take a decade, but what they gain is probably worth it.

Some presenter said exactly what you said on a talk show I was watching a few days ago and two Major Generals from India absolutely tore the presenter to pieces with their reply. Encircling a city when you are trying to avoid collateral damage takes time and resources. Kyiv like many capital cities around the world is very well protected, there are many bridges, hiding areas and many civilians living there even after mass evacuations. One Major General said to encircle Kyiv you’ll need to have huge numbers spread over 60-70 miles. Even if you have huge military power, you still need to actually move the troops around and when your enemy is blowing up bridges and using human shields a challenging tasks becomes more challenging. Please tell us if you have an example of any city of this size being encircled in a mere days.

What source do you have for this 30%? The Russians haven’t even used their military might, they’re not using their best aircraft or tanks. Most of their sorties are being done by their SU-24/25s and a handful of SU-34s. They could just overwhelm them with their air force but you keep missing the point. They are not trying to conquer they are trying to systematically target the military infrastructure.

Again – this is based off what? They’re not trying to conquer and the sooner you realise this the better for you. If they wanted to they could have blown all of Ukraine to rubble, every nook and corner of Ukraine could have been blown to history. But that is not their goal. They are trying to change the regime, get Crimea and turn Donbas into its own independent state.

They were welcome into Crimea and most of Donbas, which are the areas that are part of their political goals. The Russians want to end this war and will as soon as the Americans let Zelensky surrender. But instead of letting it end they are extending it and this will inevitably result in Zelensky capitulating and conceding almost all land to the east of the river. The Russians have shown a heck of a lot restraint so far – there’s no guarantee they will continue to.

Lol American Big Oil is minting money right now, this has no way affected America in a negative sense as people outside are thinking..

Americans always look for economic opportunity in chaos
 
Lol American Big Oil is minting money right now, this has no way affected America in a negative sense as people outside are thinking..

Americans always look for economic opportunity in chaos

Precisely why they are probably pushing for this war to drag on as long as possible.
 
Precisely why they are probably pushing for this war to drag on as long as possible.

Apparently, everyone is benefitting from this war.

No wonder Puppet Zelensiky wants it to drag on until "last man standing".

The hypocrisy is disgusting.

Blood of Ukrainians is making the filthy rich richer.

How Swiss markets help pay for Russia's war in Ukraine
By Insa Wrede | 21.03.2022

Commodity markets are in the spotlight as Russia keeps selling its oil and gas through specialized dealers in Switzerland. The business brings in billions of dollars that could be used to fight the war in Ukraine.

Hidden away in the Alps, Switzerland is known for being a major banking center. Commodity trading, on the other hand, makes fewer headlines, but this business is much more important. This may seem strange for a country far away from major trade routes, without access to the ocean and without former colonies or any significant raw materials of its own. Still, the country is one of the world's most important trading centers for raw materials.

"In Switzerland, the industry has a significantly larger share of gross domestic product than tourism or the machine industry," Oliver Classen, from the Swiss nongovernmental organization Public Eye, told DW.

Huge transactions are made here in near secrecy. According to a government report from 2018, the trade volume processed via Switzerland was estimated at almost $1 trillion (€906 billion). The five largest Swiss companies in terms of sales are not banks or pharmaceutical companies, but commodity traders. Most of the 900 companies active in commodity trading are based in Geneva, Zug or Lugano.
Russian commodities often go through Switzerland

About one-third of the oil traded worldwide is bought and sold in Geneva. Likewise, two-thirds of the global trade in base metals such as zinc, copper and aluminum, and two-thirds of internationally traded grains are processed in Switzerland.

Russia, with all its oil and gas, is no stranger to the country. According to a report by the Swiss embassy in Moscow, around 80% of Russian raw materials are sold via Switzerland.

Oil and gas exports are the main source of income for President Vladimir Putin. Together they make up between 30%-40% of the Russian state budget. In 2021 alone, Russian state-owned companies earned around $180 billion from oil exports.

With the war raging in Ukraine, Swiss politicians are becoming more critical. "Switzerland must now turn off the tap of Russian war financing," demanded Cedric Wermuth from the Swiss Social Democrats on SRF radio. Indeed, the country is in a unique position to cut off the commodity trade and the fortunes of rich Russians. So far, however, the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US have not affected trade in raw materials, even though American will no longer import Russian oil.

True to its history, Switzerland maintains its neutral status and does not impose sanctions on its own. The country's embargo law means it can only join sanctions others have put in place, so the country only steps up if pressured after major trading partners or the UN Security Council decide on economic sanctions.
Swiss efficiency for the commodities trade

Commodities are often traded directly between governments and through commodity exchanges. Companies in Switzerland have specialized in the direct sale of commodities, because they have enough money to handle the trade in the first place.

Depending on the current price of oil, a single tanker load of crude oil can come in at $100 million. That is money most companies don't just have sitting around. But Switzerland was at the forefront of developing financing instruments for such big transactions.

In these transactions, letters of credit are often used. A bank gives the dealer a loan and temporarily becomes the owner of the goods. As soon as the buyer has paid the bank for the raw materials, the ownership of the raw materials is handed over. As a result, the retailer has a large credit line and the bank has the commodities as security.

Details are hard to come by

In the end, the raw materials usually never touch Swiss soil, but go directly from the country of origin to the recipient. Called transit trades, these deals ensure that normally only the money flows through Switzerland.

Accordingly, no information about the scope of trade ends up with the Swiss customs. The Swiss National Bank publishes some data, but this information does not record the flow of raw materials in detail.

"The entire commodity trade is underrecorded and underregulated," Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi from the University of Bern told DW. "You have to gather quite a bit of data, and not all the information is available."

...

Source: https://m.dw.com/en/russia-and-its-...al-efficiency-helps-support-russia/a-61201507
 
What's not helping the West's case is the poor propaganda which isn't helping Ukraine at all. The mall strike in Kiev, videos online via drones and post blast showing Ukrainian army vehicles being moved and stored in the mall. Israel uses the same reasoning to justify civilian deaths ie that the defenders are hiding in civilian infrastructure. There the West backs Israel, heck they used the same excuse when they flattened Fallujah with depleted uranium.

Here its wrong? I mean it IS clearly wrong but again it shows the complete hypocrisy and the reason why so many people see this war as the West vs Russia. Not Ukraine defending themselves against the Russians. For all the ** about how people protested against Bush and Blair in Europe, well Bush and Blair both got re-elected very easily.

I feel horrible for Ukrainian civilians. They're being pushed into this war by the NATO who simply want this war to punish and weaken Russia, what do they care about thousands dying?
 
What's not helping the West's case is the poor propaganda which isn't helping Ukraine at all. The mall strike in Kiev, videos online via drones and post blast showing Ukrainian army vehicles being moved and stored in the mall. Israel uses the same reasoning to justify civilian deaths ie that the defenders are hiding in civilian infrastructure. There the West backs Israel, heck they used the same excuse when they flattened Fallujah with depleted uranium.

Here its wrong? I mean it IS clearly wrong but again it shows the complete hypocrisy and the reason why so many people see this war as the West vs Russia. Not Ukraine defending themselves against the Russians. For all the ** about how people protested against Bush and Blair in Europe, well Bush and Blair both got re-elected very easily.

I feel horrible for Ukrainian civilians. They're being pushed into this war by the NATO who simply want this war to punish and weaken Russia, what do they care about thousands dying?

It's a proxy war but it seems to have moved out of third world countries to the real battleground. Every country is being asked to choose sides, and I guess we have to look at who is forcing who to choose sides to understand where the motivation for this war is coming from.
 
Kyiv: Two "super powerful bombs" rocked Mariupol on Tuesday as Ukrainian authorities made a fresh attempt at rescuing civilians from the besieged port city which has suffered relentless shelling since Russia's invasion began almost a month ago.
More than 200,000 people are trapped in the strategic city described by those who managed to escape as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings", Human Rights Watch said, quoting figures provided by a local official.

"We know that there will not be enough space for everyone" on Tuesday, but "we will try to carry out the evacuation until we have gotten all the inhabitants of Mariupol out," vowed Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk in a video address.

Two "super powerful bombs" slammed into the city even as rescue efforts were ongoing, said Mariupol local authorities, without giving an immediate count of fatalities.

"It is clear that the occupiers are not interested in the city of Mariupol, they want to raze it to the ground, to reduce it to ashes," the authorities said.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky turned to Pope Francis for help, urging the pontiff to mediate in the conflict and to help end "human suffering".

Earlier, Zelensky said all issues would be on the table if Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed to direct talks to end the war, including the contested eastern regions Donbas and the annexed Crimea peninsula.

But he warned his country would be "destroyed" before it surrenders.

The Kremlin in return said it would like to see negotiations with Kyiv to be "more active and substantial".

Increasingly 'brutal'

Russia's position was "well-known to the Ukrainian side" because Moscow handed over its demands in written form "many days ago", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding, "we would like a more substantial and swift answer".

The two sides are currently holding negotiations remotely after several rounds of talks between delegations meeting on the border between Belarus and Ukraine, but little progress has been made.

With Russia's military campaign appearing to stall, fears are growing that Putin may resort to even more drastic means to turn the tide.

US President Joe Biden warned that Putin was considering using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, as he described Moscow's tactics as increasingly "brutal".

Biden is due to travel to Brussels on Thursday for a series of summits gathering NATO, EU and G7 leaders, before heading to Poland, which has received the bulk of more than 3.5 million Ukrainians fleeing war in their country.

'Desperate bid'

Since Russia launched its invasion on February 24, at least 117 children have been killed in the war, Ukraine's federal prosecutor said.

Some 548 schools have been damaged, including 72 completely destroyed.

Russia has pushed on with its assaults, in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions that has led international companies to pull out of the country and left its key banks shut out of the SWIFT messaging system.

But both Western and Ukrainian experts believe the war was not going the way the Kremlin had planned.

The invading forces were running out of supplies, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN, describing them as "frustrated" and "stalled."

The assessment was corroborated by Ukraine's army command which said Russian troops now had ammunition, food and fuel to last just three days.

Three hundred Russian soldiers have defected in the north-eastern Sumy region, added the army command on Facebook.

Even in areas Russia has captured, resistance has persisted.

Ukrainians "are going after Russians and pushing them out of places where the Russians have been in the past," Kirby said, pointing to Mykolaiv, in the south.

"We have seen this now increase over the last few days."

In the occupied southern city of Kherson, Ukraine's leaders on Tuesday accused Russian troops of firing on unarmed protesters.

A series of videos posted on social media and the messaging app Telegram showed citizens gathering in Kherson's "Freedom Square" protesting against Russia's recent seizure of the city.

Russian soldiers could be seen firing into the air.

An elderly person was wounded, said Ukraine's foreign ministry in a statement.

"The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating," it said, accusing Moscow of refusing to allow for an aid corridor to evacuate civilians and channel in food.

Pivotal target

More critical was the plight of residents from Mariupol, who have been without electricity and water for days.

Several bids to evacuate the population had been made but they have rapidly collapsed with both sides trading blame over violations.

Getting civilians out was the priority on Tuesday, said Ukrainian officials. Three routes have been drawn up linking the port city to Zaporizhzhia, Deputy Prime Minister Vereshschuk said.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had described as a "massive war crime" the siege of Mariupol, which had killed more than 2,000 people.

Russia had given Mariupol until Monday morning to surrender, but Kyiv rejected the ultimatum and said the city's resistance was bolstering the defence of all of Ukraine.

Mariupol is a pivotal target in Putin's war -- providing a land bridge between Russian forces in Crimea to the southwest and Russian-controlled territory to the north and east.

Meanwhile in Kyiv, a 35-hour curfew came into effect from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) Monday, after Russian strikes laid waste to the "Retroville" shopping complex, killing at least eight people.

Russia claimed the mall was being used to store rocket systems and ammunition.

Maxim Kostetskyi, 29, a lawyer, said residents in the capital were using the "pause" imposed by the lockdown to regroup.

"We don't know if the Russians will continue with their efforts to encircle the city, but we are much more confident, the morale is high and inspiring," he told AFP.

'Unwinnable'

Making his relentless push on the diplomatic front, Zelensky has renewed a call for direct talks with Putin.

The Ukrainian president said he was even willing to discuss Russian-occupied Crimea and the breakaway Russian regions in Donbas, though he insisted he still believes they must be returned to Ukraine.

"At the first meeting with the president of Russia, I am ready to raise these issues," he said, adding that any agreement involving "historic" changes would be put to a national referendum.

For UN chief Antonio Guterres, it was high time for Russia to end its "absurd war" in Ukraine.

"Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house," he said.

"This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. That is inevitable," he added.

NDTV
 
What's not helping the West's case is the poor propaganda which isn't helping Ukraine at all. The mall strike in Kiev, videos online via drones and post blast showing Ukrainian army vehicles being moved and stored in the mall. Israel uses the same reasoning to justify civilian deaths ie that the defenders are hiding in civilian infrastructure. There the West backs Israel, heck they used the same excuse when they flattened Fallujah with depleted uranium.

Here its wrong? I mean it IS clearly wrong but again it shows the complete hypocrisy and the reason why so many people see this war as the West vs Russia. Not Ukraine defending themselves against the Russians. For all the ** about how people protested against Bush and Blair in Europe, well Bush and Blair both got re-elected very easily.

I feel horrible for Ukrainian civilians. They're being pushed into this war by the NATO who simply want this war to punish and weaken Russia, what do they care about thousands dying?

It was also told on MSM a mosque was bombed by Russians. A few days later , the Imam confirmed it was a lie. Ukrainians may have bombed another mosque since, not sure.

Meanwhile Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was pranked by Russians pretending to be a Ukrainian MP.

Wallace tells him, we are running out of Anti-Tank missiles. Not what we hear on BBC. :)
 
Ukraine's President Zelensky made an impassioned plea for people all over the world to take to the streets on Thursday to show their support for Ukraine.

He gave his latest nightly video address earlier - and it was in English for the first time.

Russia's war was not just against Ukraine, he said, but the freedom of people everywhere - and the world needed to stop Russia's crude use of force.

"Come from your offices, your homes, your schools and universities, come in the name of peace, come with Ukrainian symbols to support Ukraine, to support freedom, to support life," the president said.

Zelensky's address came hours before a Nato summit in Brussels where Western countries are expected to agree on sending reinforcements to Central and Eastern Europe to bolster the bloc's defences.

US President Joe Biden will be attending the meeting on a day that will mark one month since the Russian invasion began.
 
1 month on its safe to say the Russian ground invasion has comepletley stalled. They haven’t captured 1 major city and there are plenty of independent analytical millitary videos essays available on YouTube that give sound reasons on why their objectives are not being fulfilled.

Even today on twitter there are videos of Russian warships getting bombed and destroyed. The Ukrainians despite being outnumbered have a few things in their advantage - they know their own terrain much better than the Russian forces who now don’t trust anyone (when they were fed bogus intelligence they were going to be welcomed) and don’t know where to travel to before getting ambushed.

But the biggest aspect that people are not factoring is is that the Ukrainians are getting tones of satellite intelligence from western countries. They can plan ambushes for a long time on the Russian forces so they can’t even come close to encircling Kyiv at the moment.
 
1 month on its safe to say the Russian ground invasion has comepletley stalled. They haven’t captured 1 major city and there are plenty of independent analytical millitary videos essays available on YouTube that give sound reasons on why their objectives are not being fulfilled.

Even today on twitter there are videos of Russian warships getting bombed and destroyed. The Ukrainians despite being outnumbered have a few things in their advantage - they know their own terrain much better than the Russian forces who now don’t trust anyone (when they were fed bogus intelligence they were going to be welcomed) and don’t know where to travel to before getting ambushed.

But the biggest aspect that people are not factoring is is that the Ukrainians are getting tones of satellite intelligence from western countries. They can plan ambushes for a long time on the Russian forces so they can’t even come close to encircling Kyiv at the moment.

Funny you didn't reply to the previous post I wrote for you. Where I dissected every single point of yours and why you were wrong.

Please read this article, it gives a more realistic view of what's going on and it's from the Pentagon.

https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/23/pentagon-drops-truth-bombs-to-stave-off-war-with-russia/

The invasion has not stalled, the Ukranians are hiding in civilian buildings all over the country and going through road by road building by building takes time. Note how quickly they cover rural ground but the slowdown as expected is in urban areas.

In Mariupol for example they are using human shields and the Azov battalion are killing civilians who try to escape.

The Ukranians are getting satellite intelligence? What about the Russians? They have plenty of satellite intelligence too and who is to say the Chinese aren't playing a part secretly too?

Like I said many times to you already, if the Russians wanted to, they could have used their high altitue bombers and obliterated Ukraine, sent them into ancient history. But that is not their objective. In fact they are leaving the energy and water supplies running in many places where often these are the first things to go.

The Russians have lost 1 ship, nothing that can't and won't recover from. You need to really sit down and understand the military and political goals of the Russians until you do, you'll continue type the kind of rubbish that you are.
 
1 month on its safe to say the Russian ground invasion has comepletley stalled. They haven’t captured 1 major city and there are plenty of independent analytical millitary videos essays available on YouTube that give sound reasons on why their objectives are not being fulfilled.

Even today on twitter there are videos of Russian warships getting bombed and destroyed. The Ukrainians despite being outnumbered have a few things in their advantage - they know their own terrain much better than the Russian forces who now don’t trust anyone (when they were fed bogus intelligence they were going to be welcomed) and don’t know where to travel to before getting ambushed.

But the biggest aspect that people are not factoring is is that the Ukrainians are getting tones of satellite intelligence from western countries. They can plan ambushes for a long time on the Russian forces so they can’t even come close to encircling Kyiv at the moment.

No doubt about it, there will be plenty of help from western nations for Ukraine, there's nothing we like better than a proxy war where lots of people die on both sides but we remain untouched. It's wonderful seeing foreign cities bombed to rubble, long may it continue Insha'Allah.
 
Funny you didn't reply to the previous post I wrote for you. Where I dissected every single point of yours and why you were wrong.

Please read this article, it gives a more realistic view of what's going on and it's from the Pentagon.

https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/23/pentagon-drops-truth-bombs-to-stave-off-war-with-russia/

The invasion has not stalled, the Ukranians are hiding in civilian buildings all over the country and going through road by road building by building takes time. Note how quickly they cover rural ground but the slowdown as expected is in urban areas.

In Mariupol for example they are using human shields and the Azov battalion are killing civilians who try to escape.

The Ukranians are getting satellite intelligence? What about the Russians? They have plenty of satellite intelligence too and who is to say the Chinese aren't playing a part secretly too?

Like I said many times to you already, if the Russians wanted to, they could have used their high altitue bombers and obliterated Ukraine, sent them into ancient history. But that is not their objective. In fact they are leaving the energy and water supplies running in many places where often these are the first things to go.

The Russians have lost 1 ship, nothing that can't and won't recover from. You need to really sit down and understand the military and political goals of the Russians until you do, you'll continue type the kind of rubbish that you are.

You are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think the Russian millitary hasn’t botched this invasion.

Seriously it’s just totally pointless even debating or responding to someone that has such skewed evens of this current war that you would have to pick and choose articles that no one has heard of just to confirm your own biased views. You don’t have to pick western media sources, like I said go to YouTube and there is plenty of information why the Russians have been bogged down and going nowhere but the Far East.

If things change I will admit them, like if the Russians take Mariupol I will not pretend to live on the clouds saying it didn’t happen. You can’t seem to grasp anything on what’s actually happening.

Btw do you know the author of the article ? Joe Lauria is a joke, just check his twitter account. He retweets nothing but pro Russian grifters and propagandists.
Seriously you want to give thoughtful independent news links I will welcome them but just check your sources, that’s if you actually care about giving accurate information.
 
No doubt about it, there will be plenty of help from western nations for Ukraine, there's nothing we like better than a proxy war where lots of people die on both sides but we remain untouched. It's wonderful seeing foreign cities bombed to rubble, long may it continue Insha'Allah.

Well maybe Putin should have thought twice before invading a sovereign nation in every direction. Not every military adventure works the way you want to or envisage on what will happen.
You can blame the west or our favourite bogeyman America on a lot especially in the Middle East but it’s not hard to figure out where the blame should lay on this one.
 
Russian warship destroyed in occupied port of Berdyansk, says Ukraine

A Russian landing ship has been destroyed and two other boats have been damaged in the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk, say Ukrainian officials.

The Ukrainian military posted footage early on Thursday and said the Orsk had been hit by its forces.

Details of what caused the explosion and fire on board the ship are unclear.

Berdyansk, which is west of the besieged port of Mariupol, was seized four days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia says it has used the port as a base to ferry in equipment for its troops.

Russian army TV hailed the arrival of the Orsk in Berdyansk last week as an "epic event" as it was the first Russian warship to dock there.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told Ukrainian TV that the military had hit a "huge target", capable of carrying 20 tanks, 45 armoured vehicles and 400 troops.

The BBC cannot independently verify the claim.

Berdyansk is of major strategic value to the Russians, lying between Crimea and the besieged city of Mariupol, some 80km (50 miles) to the east, where an estimated 100,000 people remain stranded facing Russian bombardment.

Capturing the towns of Berdyansk and Melitopol are part of Russia's bid to create a land bridge from Crimea to the Russian border, as well as establishing an inland route towards the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Residents have staged protests against Russia's occupation of Berdyansk, and video posted on social media this week showed the military beating people in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

Ukrainian officials said the attack on the Orsk had further symbolic value, suggesting that it may have taken part in Russia's original capture of Crimea in 2014, pointing to medals apparently awarded to the ship's commander and a crewman.
 
Well maybe Putin should have thought twice before invading a sovereign nation in every direction. Not every military adventure works the way you want to or envisage on what will happen.
You can blame the west or our favourite bogeyman America on a lot especially in the Middle East but it’s not hard to figure out where the blame should lay on this one.

I am not blaming anyone, just enjoying the sight of cities and people getting pulverised. The good thing is we are in the right, and we are quite safe over here.
 
I am not blaming anyone, just enjoying the sight of cities and people getting pulverised. The good thing is we are in the right, and we are quite safe over here.

Well to be fair it’s the Putin playbook. He totally flattened and destroyed Grozny because he saw Russian tanks get pulverised in thei first Chechen war so he decided to make it a parking lot with his airforce in the second war.
He did the same in Syria to save his puppet Assad, destroyed entire cities like Aleppo not just in the air but with chemical weapons as well to break a 5 year siege.
However this time he decided to send his army in because he couldn’t get rid of the current Ukrainian government without air power alone.

The blame should go to someone obviously, a military invasion doesn’t happen without someone authorising it, maybe it’s too hard for some as they want to remain as neutral as they can be without saying anything on the guy waging this unjustified war in the first place.
 
Well to be fair it’s the Putin playbook. He totally flattened and destroyed Grozny because he saw Russian tanks get pulverised in thei first Chechen war so he decided to make it a parking lot with his airforce in the second war.
He did the same in Syria to save his puppet Assad, destroyed entire cities like Aleppo not just in the air but with chemical weapons as well to break a 5 year siege.
However this time he decided to send his army in because he couldn’t get rid of the current Ukrainian government without air power alone.
The difference here is and you fail to understand it - the Russians will have to rebuild most of what they destroy, especially in the South and East. So they are trying to avoid infrastructure damage. You yourself admit that they haven't done a Grozy/Aleppo and there is nothing to stop them from doing that militarily. They have superior aircraft and ammunition. They have vastly more quantities too.

Right from the outset you can see the Russian objective was to avoid collateral damage and that is still the case. A few schools have been blown up and hospitals which have been proven to have hosted UA forces so they become legitimate targets.

This time he can't get rid of the government so easily because the government are western puppets. They continue with this simply because they are told to.
 
You are living in cloud cuckoo land if you think the Russian millitary hasn’t botched this invasion.

Seriously it’s just totally pointless even debating or responding to someone that has such skewed evens of this current war that you would have to pick and choose articles that no one has heard of just to confirm your own biased views. You don’t have to pick western media sources, like I said go to YouTube and there is plenty of information why the

The same YouTube that has shutdown Russian and Pro-Russian channels? Yesterday I was reading a threat on twitter where a reported translated about 40 interviews of civilians who had evacuated from Mariupol. Every single one of them said the same thing, the Ukranian Forces (Azov) would not let them leave, they barricaded all the evacuation corridors and they even shot many civilians who tried to escape. That thread has since been removed and the account blocked on Twitter.

Is this the fair and independent media you ask us to view?

Believe what you like, but the map certainly shows that the Russians are making moves forward, 10-15km a day in places and are about to encircle the large UA forces to the SE of the country.
 
I wonder why the Ukranians didn't surrender Mariupol when they had the chance, I guess it's probably related to the fact the Russians do not want a single Azov Neo-Nazi to be able to walk freely so there was probably some order to take them as PoW.
 
The difference here is and you fail to understand it - the Russians will have to rebuild most of what they destroy, especially in the South and East. So they are trying to avoid infrastructure damage. You yourself admit that they haven't done a Grozy/Aleppo and there is nothing to stop them from doing that militarily. They have superior aircraft and ammunition. They have vastly more quantities too.

Right from the outset you can see the Russian objective was to avoid collateral damage and that is still the case. A few schools have been blown up and hospitals which have been proven to have hosted UA forces so they become legitimate targets.

This time he can't get rid of the government so easily because the government are western puppets. They continue with this simply because they are told to.

Lmao, the main objective was to get rid of the Ukraine government and replace it with a pro Putin puppet government.
Yeah we know Putin can destroy entire cites because the guy is a psychopath who doesn’t give a crap about thousands of innocent human beings being vanished into thin air because he has a track record to boot.

However this time like I said it’s 10 times harder to do because Ukraine is a massive country and if he could destroy it he would have lost his propaganda argument when he claimed he was liberating it and plus unlike his other millitary adventures he can’t just destroy Ukraine because the country has long cultural links with Russia, at least 10 million have relatives in Russia. That’s like Pakistan going into Afghanistan and totally destroying it while claiming to liberate it when that wouldn’t make any sense to anyone in Pak or Afghanistan.
Maybe one day you will get it, maybe not.
 
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Lmao, the main objective was to get rid of the Ukraine government and replace it with a pro Putin puppet government.

However this time like I said it’s 10 times harder to do because Ukraine is a massive country and if he could destroy it he would have lost his propaganda argument when he claimed he was liberating it and plus unlike his other millitary adventures he can’t just destroy Ukraine because the country has long cultural links with Russia, at least 10 million have relatives in Russia. That’s like Pakistan going into Afghanistan and totally destroying it while claiming to liberate it when that wouldn’t make any sense to anyone in Pak or Afghanistan.
Maybe one day you will get it, maybe not.

See why you're contradicting yourself. You say it's 10 times harder to do, yet the size doesn't make it 10 times harder either?

Like I said, you seem to get all your info from BBC, CNN so please carry on watching them and in a few weeks when Russia have achieved their goals which are a neutral Ukraine, officially releasing Crimea and independence for Donbass, then perhaps we'll discuss this topic again.
 
I have just seen a video on social media showing the Russian troops have to clear a long road between Kherson and Mikolaiv of mines. These mines were planted by the Ukranian forces to slow the Russians down, it's definitely worked in slowing them down. It a highly co-ordinated exercise involving several teams.
 
Russia hasn’t done as bad as western nations are saying also not as good as they were supposed to.

If in another month Russia doesn’t capture major cities then Russia would had failed and this will end up being their 1980’s Afghan fiasco.

Russia doesn’t have the financial muscle of Americans to recover from disastrous wars.
 
It took a joint US, UK and Iraqi force 3x the size of the ISIS force 46 days to take Fallujah. A town already destroyed by civil war.

This is despite the enormous numerical, technological and logistical superiority of the Allies. Ukraine is no pushover and Russia is not carpet bombing Ukraine unlike the Allies did in Libya/Iraq etc. Taking cities over is not easy - esp when you are not looking to completely destroy everything unlike Grozny. Russia is not losing this war. Putin has no option now but to go all the way. Hopefully, this don't go nuclear.

That said - it is tragic to see so many people's lives uprooted this way. The common Ukrainian is paying the price for stupid politics between the Russians and the Nato countries. Zelensky - today's hero - is nothing more than a sucker. US and the NATO have cleverly played this to hurt Russia very badly by propping up Ukraine's people as collateral damage.
 
Russia hasn’t done as bad as western nations are saying also not as good as they were supposed to.

If in another month Russia doesn’t capture major cities then Russia would had failed and this will end up being their 1980’s Afghan fiasco.

Russia doesn’t have the financial muscle of Americans to recover from disastrous wars.

The war is not going to result in the realization of any of putin's objectives. he may have consolidated his position in Crimea and possibly gained some territory in the East, but apart from those, this has been quite a disaster.

Moreover, the absolute pulverization of the Russian economy, which unfortunately will hurt the average russian more, is going to severely dent putin's credibility. recall that it was the false flag bombings in 1999 that helped putin rise, and it very well could be that this misadventure leads to his decline. unlikely, but possible.
 
Got to love how people who are cheering the resistance of Ukraine like to pretend cities and populations aren't getting pulverised. Unless Ukraine or Russia decide this isn't worth it after all, populations will get pulverised. So keep cheering, it's all in a good cause.
 
Ukraine's navy claims to have destroyed a Russian landing ship near the coastal city of Berdyansk, as the country marks one month since the invasion began.

Pictures appear to show fire and huge plumes of smoke rising into the air near the Sea of Azov port, which has been under Russian control since 27 February.

In a statement on Facebook the Ukrainian navy said it had destroyed the Orsk landing ship, a loss not confirmed by Russian authorities.
 
BBC:

— Nato to send 40,000 additional troops to Eastern Europe.

— Nato leaders approve major increases of the alliance's forces in Eastern Europe at an emergency summit in Brussels.

— Jens Stoltenberg says four new battlegroups will be sent to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

— He said the invasion had changed security for the long term - and Nato was prepared for the "long haul".
 
BBC:

— Nato to send 40,000 additional troops to Eastern Europe.

— Nato leaders approve major increases of the alliance's forces in Eastern Europe at an emergency summit in Brussels.

— Jens Stoltenberg says four new battlegroups will be sent to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

— He said the invasion had changed security for the long term - and Nato was prepared for the "long haul".

So basically NATO is doing its best to keep the war going at the expense of Ukraine. After all, it's not their citizens suffering. I suppose it will take Americans crying blue murder at higher gas prices and commodities to get NATO to de-escalate the situation.
 
Ukraine: Western leaders meet as war enters second month

NATO allies have agreed to bolster eastern defenses, while G7 leaders have warned Russia against using chemical weapons in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has stressed unity among allies.

  • Ukrainian President Zelenskyy calls for more military aid from NATO
  • NATO agrees to bolster eastern flank defenses
  • Ukraine accuses Russia of forced deportations
  • UN says more than half of children in Ukraine displaced by invasion
  • China denies prior knowledge of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
  • EU leaders refuse Putin's demand to buy gas in rubles

https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-weste...r-enters-second-month-live-updates/a-61240748

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Ukrainians must overthrow current NATO puppet and install a pro Russian puppet.

That is the only logical way to end this war and misery.
 
So basically NATO is doing its best to keep the war going at the expense of Ukraine. After all, it's not their citizens suffering. I suppose it will take Americans crying blue murder at higher gas prices and commodities to get NATO to de-escalate the situation.

You are absolutely correct but believe me these warmongers do not care about their citizens. Their agenda is run and approved by corporations who are massively benefitting from this war.

---

US economy is reaping benefits from the Ukraine crisis


24289383-95c0-47f9-9005-17204f4cfabd.jpeg


The beneficiary of all the current turmoil in global markets is the US while the Russia-Ukraine conflict looks to be exactly aligned with US' interest.


ffcca4f7-31e3-4571-8cfc-7642b5c5384b.jpeg


First, the crisis has greatly increased US' natural gas exports to the Europe which used to purchase more than 40 percent of its gas from Russia. In 2021, Russia's natural gas exports to the EU amounted to 192.6 billion cubic meters, accounting for 81 percent of its total exports. The gas was mainly delivered by pipeline through Ukraine and the Nord Stream 1, which have both been cut off after the conflict broke out. Additionally, the Nord Stream 2 deal is now dead.

Adding to the SWIFT sanction against certain Russian banks, gas exports to Europe will shrink sharply and the US, which has recorded a surge in gas production in recent years, is ready to fill the gap.

Second, the crisis will strengthen the US dollar and attract global capital flows. All the geopolitical crisis the US has created or actively instigated over the past two decades, without exception, have strengthened its currency. In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the value of the dollar will be boosted making the US a financial sanctuary since Europe is no longer safe.

Third, the crisis has disrupted bilateral trade between Russia and the EU, Russia's largest trading partner. As EU members join to sanction Russia and some Russian banks are excluded from the SWIFT system, bilateral trade will shrink significantly which is exactly what the US needs.

Moreover, the crisis could also hugely benefit the American military-industrial complex. As the conflict continues, the US, Germany and other NATO countries are providing weapons to Ukraine. And more importantly, it has created great anxiety among European countries about the continent's security, subsequently increasing their dependence on NATO, and ultimately on the US.

To better understand the impact of these measures one must take a look at the history and background of the situation in Ukraine. After pledging not to expand "one inch" eastward when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, NATO has, however, move eastward on repeated occasions. Almost all the European countries to the west of Russia, with the exception of Belarus and Ukraine, are already NATO members. Instead of a defensive organization, NATO is in fact a huge offensive bloc.

Why, regardless of Russia's request, is the US still refusing to make concessions and promise not to include Ukraine in NATO?

The truth is that the US needs this crisis, although these economic factors do not entirely explain why the US needs the conflict. More importantly, the crisis is in line with the US' geopolitical interests and its hegemonic position. Understanding the economic drivers behind the situation could help us to have a clear picture about the nature of the crisis.

Currently, the Russian and Ukrainian sides have started negotiations and it is hoped that a balanced peace agreement, that takes into account the security interests of all parties, can be reached soon. All countries should make efforts to promote world peace.

Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1253787.shtml
 
The NATO puppet journalists still arent learning.

Maybe she is married to the Azov ?

Siren gas is ok for Muslims, no need to worry but oh when it hits Europeans its soooo sooo wrong.

 
Sorry to say MOST of the reports on this thread are from CNN, BBC, or other western news media. The od one from the likes of NDTV.

RT should be posted for a more balanced and frankly more truthful summary of events.
 
Renault pulling out of Russia.. what’s the endpoint for Russia here to go back to Soviet Era level of per capita income?

What’s the point of years of economic growth if it will be wasted fighting a war in a country that will absolutely despise them and are intelligent
 
Some journalists are suggesting that NATO know the war is lost so they are contemplating a deal with the Russians where part of the west is given to Poland because the Russians don’t care about that area.

The Russians do care about Odessa, even more than Kyiv so we may see a huge push to the south west if Ukraine aren’t allowed to the table.
 
Good read:
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/larry-...-army-has-been-defeated-whats-left-is-mop-up/

Larry C. Johnson: "The Ukrainian Army Has Been Defeated. What's Left Is Mop-Up"
MIKE WHITNEY • MARCH 21, 2022 • 2,200 WORDS • 473 COMMENTS • REPLY

Question 1– Can you explain to me why you think Russia is winning the war in Ukraine?

Larry C. Johnson– Within the first 24 hours of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, all Ukrainian Ground Radar Intercept capabilities were wiped out. Without those radars, the Ukrainian Air Force lost its ability to do air to air intercept. In the intervening three weeks, Russia has established a de facto No Fly Zone over Ukraine. While still vulnerable to shoulder fired Surface to Air Missiles supplied by the U.S. and NATO to the Ukrainians, there is no evidence that Russia has had to curtail Combat Air Operations.

Russia’s arrival in Kiev within three days of the invasion also caught my attention. I recalled that the Nazi’s in Operation Barbarossa took seven weeks to reach Kiev and the required 7 more weeks to subdue the city. The Nazis had the advantage of not pulling punches to avoid civilian casualties and were eager to destroy critical infrastructure. Yet many so-called American military experts claimed that Russia was bogged down. When a 24 mile (or 40 mile, depends on the news source) was positioned north of Kiev for more than a week, it was clear that Ukraine’s ability to launch significant military operations had been eliminated. If their artillery was intact, then that column was easy pickings for massive destruction. That did not happen. Alternatively, if the Ukrainian’s had a viable fixed wing or rotary wing capability they should have destroyed that column from the air. That did not happen. Or, if they had a viable cruise missile capability they should have rained down hell on the supposedly stalled Russian column. That did not happen. The Ukrainians did not even mount a significant infantry ambush of the column with their newly supplied U.S. Javelins.

The scale and scope of the Russian attack is remarkable. They captured territory in three weeks that is larger than the land mass of the United Kingdom. They then proceeded to carry out targeted attacks on key cities and military installations. We have not seen a single instance of a Ukrainian regiment or brigade size unit attacking and defeating a comparable Russian unit. Instead, the Russians have split the Ukrainian Army into fragments and cut their lines of communication. The Russians are consolidating their control of Mariupol and have secured all approaches on the Black Sea. Ukraine is now cut off in the South and the North.

I would note that the U.S. had a tougher time capturing this much territory in Iraq in 2003 while fighting against a far inferior, less capable military force. If anything, this Russian operation should scare the hell out of U.S. military and political leaders.

The really big news came this week with the Russian missile strikes on what are de facto NATO bases in Yavoriv and Zhytomyr. NATO conducted cyber security training at Zhytomyr in September 2018 and described Ukraine as a “NATO partner.” Zhytomyr was destroyed with hypersonic missiles on Saturday. Yavoriv suffered a similar fate last Sunday. It was the primary training and logistics center that NATO and EUCOM used to supply fighters and weapons to Ukraine. A large number of the military and civilian personnel at that base became casualties.

Not only is Russia striking and destroying bases used by NATO regularly since 2015, but there was no air raid warning and there was no shutdown of the attacking missiles.

Question 2– Why is the media trying to convince the Ukrainian people that they can prevail in their war against Russia? If what you say is correct, then all the civilians that are being sent to fight the Russian army, are dying in a war they can’t win. I don’t understand why the media would want to mislead people on something so serious. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Larry C. Johnson– This is a combination of ignorance and laziness. Rather than do real reporting, the vast majority of the media (print and electronic) as well as Big Tech are supporting a massive propaganda campaign. I remember when George W. Bush was Hitler. I remember when Donald Trump was Hitler. And now we have a new Hitler, Vladimir Putin. This is a tired, failed playbook. Anyone who dares to raise legitimate questions about is immediately tarred as a Putin puppet or a Russia stooge. When you cannot argue facts the only recourse is name calling.

Question 3– Last week, Colonel Douglas MacGregor was a guest on the Tucker Carlson Show. His views on the war are strikingly similar to your own. Here’s what he said in the interview:

“The war is really over for the Ukrainians. They have been ground into bits, there is no question about that despite what we hear from our mainstream media. So, the real question for us at this stage is, Tucker, are we going to live with the Russian people and their government or we going to continue to pursue this sort of regime change dressed up as a Ukrainian war? Are we going to stop using Ukraine as a battering ram against Moscow, which is effectively what we’ve done.” (Tucker Carlson– MacGregor Interview)

Do you agree with MacGregor that the real purpose of goading Russia into a war in Ukraine was “regime change”?

Second, do you agree that Ukraine is being used as a staging ground for the US to carry out a proxy-war on Russia?

Larry C. Johnson– Doug is great analyst but I disagree with him—I don’t think there is anyone in the Biden Administration that is smart enough to think and plan in those strategic terms. In my view the last 7 years have been the inertia of the NATO status quo. What I mean by that is that NATO and Washington, believed they could continue to creep east on Russia’s borders without provoking a reaction. NATO and EUCOM regularly carried out exercises—including providing “offensive” training—and supplied equipment. I believe reports in the United States that the CIA was providing paramilitary training to Ukrainian units operating in the Donbass are credible. But I have trouble believing that after our debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan, we suddenly have Sun Tzu level strategists pulling the strings in Washington.

There is an air of desperation in Washington. Besides trying ban all things Russian, the Biden Administration is trying to bully China, India and Saudi Arabia. I do not see any of those countries falling into line. I believe the Biden crew made a fatal mistake by trying to demonize all things and all people Russian. If anything, this is uniting the Russian people behind Putin and they are ready to dig in for a long struggle.

I am shocked at the miscalculation in thinking economic sanctions on Russia would bring them to their knees. The opposite is true. Russia is self-sufficient and is not dependent on imports. Its exports are critical to the economic well-being of the West. If they withhold wheat, potash, gas, oil, palladium, finished nickel and other key minerals from the West, the European and U.S. economies will be savaged. And this attempt to coerce Russia with sanctions has now made it very likely that the U.S. dollar’s role as the international reserve currency will show up in the dustbin of history.

Question 4– Ever since he delivered his famous speech in Munich in 2007, Putin has been complaining about the “architecture of global security”. In Ukraine we can see how these nagging security issues can evolve into a full-blown war. As you know, in December Putin made a number of demands related to Russian security, but the Biden administration shrugged them off and never responded. Putin wanted written assurances that NATO expansion would not include Ukraine (membership) and that nuclear missile systems would not be deployed to Romania or Poland. Do you think Putin’s demands are unreasonable?

Larry C. Johnson– I think Putin’s demands are quite reasonable. The problem is that 99% of Americans have no idea of the kind of military provocation that NATO and the U.S. have carried out over the last 7 years. The public was always told the military exercises were “defensive.” That simply is not true. Now we have news that DTRA was funding biolabs in Ukraine. I guess Putin could agree to allow U.S. nuclear missile systems in Poland and Romania if Biden agrees to allow comparable Russian systems to be deployed in Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico. When we look at it in those terms we can begin to understand that Putin’s demands are not crazy nor unreasonable.

Question 5– Russian media reports that Russian “high precision, air-launched” missiles struck a facility in west Ukraine “killing more than 100 local troops and foreign mercenaries.” Apparently, the Special Operations training center was located near the town of Ovruch which is just 15 miles from the Polish border. What can you tell us about this incident? Was Russia trying to send a message to NATO?

Larry C. Johnson– Short answer—YES! Russian military strikes in Western Ukraine during the past week have shocked and alarmed NATO officials. The first blow came on Sunday, March 13 at Yavoriv, Ukraine. Russia hit the base with several missiles, some reportedly hypersonic. Over 200 personnel were killed, which included American and British military and intelligence personnel, and hundreds more wounded. Many suffered catastrophic wounds, such as amputations, and are in hospital. Yet, NATO and the western media have shown little interest in reporting on this disaster.

Yavoriv was an important forward base for NATO (see here). Until February (prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), the U.S. 7th Army Training Command was operating from Yavoriv as late as mid-February. Russia has not stopped there. ASB Military news reports Russia hit another site, Delyatyn, which is 60 miles southeast of Yavoriv (on Thursday I believe). Yesterday, Russia hit Zytomyr, another site where NATO previously had a presence. Putin has sent a very clear message—NATO forces in Ukraine will be viewed and treated as combatants. Period.

Question 6– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been lionized in the western media as a “wartime leader” and a modern-day “Winston Churchill”. What the media fails to tell its readers is that Zelensky has taken a number of steps to strengthen his grip on power while damaging fragile democratic institutions in Ukraine. For example, Zelensky has “banned eleven opposition-owned news organizations” and tried to bar the head of Ukraine’s largest opposition party, Viktor Medvedchuk, from running for office on a bogus “terrorist financing” charge. This is not the behavior of a leader that is seriously committed to democracy.

What’s your take on Zelensky? Is he really the “patriotic leader” the media makes him out to be?

Larry C. Johnson– Zelensky is a comedian and an actor. Not a very good one at that in my view. The West is cynically using the fact he is Jewish as a diversion from the size-able contingent of Neo-Nazis (and I mean genuine Nazis who still celebrate the Ukrainian Waffen SS unit’s accomplishments while fighting with the Nazis in WW II). The facts are clear—he is banning opposition political parties and shutting down opposition media. I guess that is the new definition of “democracy.”

Question 7– How does this end? There’s an excellent post at the Moon of Alabama site titled “What Will Be The Geographic End State Of The War In Ukraine“. The author of the post, Bernard, seems to think that Ukraine will eventually be partitioned along the Dnieper River “and south along the coast that holds a majority ethnic Russian population.” He also says this:

“This would eliminate Ukrainian access to the Black Sea and create a land bridge towards the Moldavian breakaway Transnistria which is under Russian protection. The rest of the Ukraine would be a land confined, mostly agricultural state, disarmed and too poor to be build up to a new threat to Russia anytime soon. Politically it would be dominated by fascists from Galicia which would then become a major problem for the European Union.”

What do you think? Will Putin impose his own territorial settlement on Ukraine in order to reinforce Russian security and bring the hostilities to an end or is a different scenario more likely?

Larry C. Johnson– I agree with Moon. Putin’s primary objective is to secure Russia from foreign threats and effect a divorce with the West. Russia has the physical resources to be an independent sovereign and is in the process of making that vision come true.

Bio– Larry C Johnson is a veteran of the CIA and the State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. He is the founder and managing partner of BERG Associates, which was established in 1998. Larry provided training to the US Military’s Special Operations community for 24 years. He has been vilified by the right and the left, which means he must be doing something right. His analysis and commentary can be found at his blog, https://sonar21.com/
 

If the Ukrainian army is destroyed like Larry claims then at least a few cities would have fallen by now. They haven’t and they are just resorting to shelling from outside the cities.
You don’t lose massive landships to a disorganised opposition like they did today if they are just “mopping up”.
Fact is Ukraine was there for the taking in 2014, they had a total rag tag army with old soviet weapons and no lethal anti tank weapons like they do now to destroy Russian tanks. He had the chance but he buckled and only took Crimea and eastern parts because he probably gambled that eventually a pro Putin government will come in Ukraine.
Too bad for Putin it didn’t and this gave the Ukrainians 8 years to organise on what was coming.
 
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If the Ukrainian army is destroyed like Larry claims then at least a few cities would have fallen by now. They haven’t and they are just resorting to shelling from outside the cities.
You don’t lose massive landships to a disorganised opposition like they did today if they are just “mopping up”.
Fact is Ukraine was there for the taking in 2014, they had a total rag tag army with old soviet weapons and no lethal anti tank weapons like they do now to destroy Russian tanks. He had the chance but he buckled and only took Crimea and eastern parts because he probably gambled that eventually a pro Putin government will come in Ukraine.
Too bad for Putin it didn’t and this gave the Ukrainians 8 years to organise on what was coming.

Fight over the last Ukrainian and to the last standing building is what the west is doing. Supplying weapons to Ukraine and watching the show from the side. Threaten India, China from buying Russian oil while continue to do the same yourself.
 
NATO "would respond" if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has said.

Asked if the alliance would take military action, Mr Biden said such an attack "would trigger a response in kind".

Speaking after meetings of NATO and the G7, he said: "We would respond. We would respond if he uses it [chemical weapons].

"The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use."
 
NATO "would respond" if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has said.

Asked if the alliance would take military action, Mr Biden said such an attack "would trigger a response in kind".

Speaking after meetings of NATO and the G7, he said: "We would respond. We would respond if he uses it [chemical weapons].

"The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use."

So Russians can kill Ukrainians by conventional weapons but not by chemical ones. :facepalm:

Come on, I can't be only one who is annoyed by these warmonger clowns.

Time for Ukrainian people to overthrow warmonger leadership and make a deal with Russia.

If NATO want a war with Russia, then Ukrainians shouldn't let NATO use their country as a (weapon testing) battleground and their sons as sacrificial lambs.
 
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Chechen and Tatar Muslims take up arms to fight for Ukraine

Chechen warlord and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov boasted of his soldiers' part in Russia's war in Ukraine. But many Chechen and Tatar Muslims are defending Ukraine and settling scores with the rulers of their homelands.

The number of these fighters deployed to Ukraine is unknown, but their reputation for brutality and ruthlessness in enforcing domestic rule is well-known, and their presence has raised memories of grisly urban combat and guerilla fighting from the Chechen wars in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, known as one of the most loyal allies of President Vladimir Putin, announced on his Telegram channels that his men would be fighting in the "hottest hotspots in Ukraine."

However, some military analysts have cast doubt on whether his braggadocio on social media has accurately reflected his troops' performance on the battlefield.

Across the frontlines, another group of Chechens has also joined the war — but they intend to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion.


"Dear Ukrainians, please do not see those people as Chechens," said Adam Osmayev, an exiled Chechen leader, in a video published on social media, referring to Kadyrov's soldiers. "They are traitors … puppets of Russia."

"Real Chechens are standing with you, bleeding with you, as they have in the past eight years," he said, holding a gun and standing next to three other armed men with masked faces.


Source: https://www.dw.com/en/chechen-and-tatar-muslims-take-up-arms-to-fight-for-ukraine/a-61174375
 
Poland’s state energy company on Thursday said it would not pay for Russian gas in rubles, becoming the latest to reject Kremlin demands amid unprecedented sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine.

“We don’t see how we could,” PAP news agency quoted Pawel Majewski, head of state oil and gas company PGNiG, as saying.

“The contract... sets the means of payment. It does not allow one party to modify this according to its will.”

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia would only accept payments in rubles for gas deliveries to “unfriendly countries” after Moscow was hit by an avalanche of sanctions over its war.

https://english.alarabiya.net/busin...and-refuses-to-pay-for-Russian-gas-in-rubles-

Poland refuses, wonder how other European nations have responded.

Smart move by Putin. If he cuts some supplies he cant be blamed but it will send western economy into recession.
 
Chechen and Tatar Muslims take up arms to fight for Ukraine

Chechen warlord and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov boasted of his soldiers' part in Russia's war in Ukraine. But many Chechen and Tatar Muslims are defending Ukraine and settling scores with the rulers of their homelands.

The number of these fighters deployed to Ukraine is unknown, but their reputation for brutality and ruthlessness in enforcing domestic rule is well-known, and their presence has raised memories of grisly urban combat and guerilla fighting from the Chechen wars in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, known as one of the most loyal allies of President Vladimir Putin, announced on his Telegram channels that his men would be fighting in the "hottest hotspots in Ukraine."

However, some military analysts have cast doubt on whether his braggadocio on social media has accurately reflected his troops' performance on the battlefield.

Across the frontlines, another group of Chechens has also joined the war — but they intend to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion.


"Dear Ukrainians, please do not see those people as Chechens," said Adam Osmayev, an exiled Chechen leader, in a video published on social media, referring to Kadyrov's soldiers. "They are traitors … puppets of Russia."

"Real Chechens are standing with you, bleeding with you, as they have in the past eight years," he said, holding a gun and standing next to three other armed men with masked faces.



Source: https://www.dw.com/en/chechen-and-tatar-muslims-take-up-arms-to-fight-for-ukraine/a-61174375

The history of Islam in Ukraine is very intersting. When the Ottomans were around, Muslims were the majority.

This just seems more propaganda to try to divide Russians. There may be the odd Muslims but you wont see a large amount fighting alongside Nazis.
 
https://english.alarabiya.net/busin...and-refuses-to-pay-for-Russian-gas-in-rubles-

Poland refuses, wonder how other European nations have responded.

Smart move by Putin. If he cuts some supplies he cant be blamed but it will send western economy into recession.

Western economy or European economy? American Big Oil is minting money right now.

World will figure out alternatives, West is always well placed to face recession not poor countries.

Hopefully India and Pakistan can buy oil from Russia at cheaper prices like they plan to.
 
Western economy or European economy? American Big Oil is minting money right now.

World will figure out alternatives, West is always well placed to face recession not poor countries.

Hopefully India and Pakistan can buy oil from Russia at cheaper prices like they plan to.

India will due to its economy and due to the fact West needs them against China, Pakistan and its ****** politicians are too sell outs nor does Pakistan has a strong economy to upset the West.

Our economy, while improving, is still dependent on a lot of trade with the West.
 
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