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Russia invades Ukraine

sweep_shot said:
What's the endgame of Russia here?

Do they want to annex the entire Ukraine or just the eastern portion of it?
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The Donbass region has already declared itself independent from Ukraine - the Russian operation is to 'demilitarize and de-Nazify' Ukraine, dismantle US bio-labs, destroy weapons dumps and neo-Nazis, like the Azov Battalion.

More to the point: what is the endgame of the US/West here? The following is what a former NATO Intel Officer states:

we have to understand, as you know, that the war in fact hasn’t started on 24 February this year. It started already in 2014. But I think that the Russians always hoped that this conflict could be solved on a political level, in fact; I mean the Minsk agreements and all that. So, basically what led to the decision to launch an offensive in the Donbas was not what happened since 2014. There was a trigger for that, and the trigger is two things; I mean, it came in two phases, if you want.

The first is the decision and the law adopted by [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy in March 2021—that means last year—to reconquer Crimea by force - started a build-up of Russian armed forces ... They were aware that an operation was to be launched against the Republics of the Donbas, but they did not know when, and, of course, they were just observing that, and then came the real trigger.

You may remember that—I think it was on the 16th of February—Joe Biden, during a press conference, told that he knew that the Russians would attack. And how would he know that? Because I still have some contacts, and nobody actually thought that the Russians—before end of January, beginning of February—I think nobody thought that the Russians would attack Ukraine. So, there must have been something that made Biden aware that the Russians would attack. And this something, in fact, is the intensification of the artillery shelling of the Donbas starting on the 16th of February, and this increase in the shelling was observed, in fact, by the [Border] Observer Mission of the OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe], and they recorded this increase of violation, and it’s a massive violation. I mean, we are talking about something that is about 30 times more than what it used to be, because the last eight years you had a lot of violations from both sides, by the way. But suddenly on the 16th of February you had a massive increase of violation on the Ukrainian side. So, for the Russians, Vladimir Putin in particular, that was the sign that the operation—the Ukrainian operation—was about to start.

And then everything started; I mean, all the events came very quickly. That means that if we look at the figures, you can see that there’s, as I said, a massive increase from the 16th-17th, and then it reached kind of a maximum on the 18th of February, and that was continuing.

And the Russian parliament, the Duma, also was aware of this possible offensive, and they passed a resolution asking Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of the two self-proclaimed Republics in the Donbas. And that’s what Putin decided to do on the 21st of February. And just after adopting the decrees, the law recognizing the independence of the two Republics, Vladimir Putin signed a friendship and assistance agreement with those two Republics. Why did he do that? So that would allow the Republics to ask for military help in case of attack. And that’s why, on the 24th of February when Vladimir Putin decided to launch the offensive, it could invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter that provides for assistance in case of attack.

Since last year we knew that the Ukrainians were building up their forces in the south of the country, not on the eastern border with Russia but on the border with the contact line with Donbas. And, as a matter of fact, as we have seen from the 24th of February, the Russians had almost no resistance in the start of the offensive, especially in the north. And so, they could, what they have done since then, they could surround the Ukrainian forces in the south, in the southeast part of the country—that means between the two Republics of the Donbas and the Ukraine mainland, if you want. And that’s where the bulk of the Ukrainian forces are today. And according to the…that’s exactly the Russian doctrine to fight, I mean operational doctrine. Their main offensive was on the south, clearly, because the objective stated by Vladimir Putin—we can probably come back on these details later on—but this was demilitarization and denazification.

Both objectives, in fact, were about to be done or to be reached in the south of the country, and that’s where the main efforts of the offensive was done. In the offensive order, the effort against Kiev is a so-called secondary effort, and it had, as a fact, you had two functions basically. First of all, to put some pressure on the political leadership in Kiev because the name of the game is to bring the Ukrainians to the negotiations. That was the first objective of this second effort.

The second objective of this second effort was to bind or to pin down the rest of the Ukrainian armored forces so that they could not reinforce the main forces which are in the Donbas area. And that worked quite well. So that means that the Russians could surround, as I said, the main forces, the bulk of the armed forces—the Ukrainian armed forces. Once they have achieved that they could withdraw some troops from Kiev, and that’s what they have done since end of March. They have pulled several units in order to reinforce what they want; I mean their own forces to carry on under the main battle in the Donbas area. So now they are pulling, and they have pulled these troops from the Kiev area, and these troops will now help to flank for the vanguard, the offensive against the main forces in the Donbas. And that’s what some called the ‘mother of all battles’ that is currently going on in the Donbas area, where you have—nobody knows exactly the number of Ukrainian troops; estimates vary from sixty thousand to eighty thousand who are surrounded—and the forces would be cut in smaller cauldrons and then destroyed or neutralized.

…I mean, nobody is interested in Ukraine, I think. The target, the aim, the objective is to weaken Russia, and once it will be done with Russia, they will do the same with China,

https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/15/us-eu-sacrificing-ukraine-to-weaken-russia-fmr-nato-adviser/
 
Zelensky looks battered. Poor nazi-sympathiser, relying on NATO to help him out but instead heckled like a poor comedian. The jokes is truly on him.
 
Jadz said:
So you believe US Intel - after its record of lies, deception and propaganda, most notably the non-existent WMDs in Iraq? [/url]
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The US Intel was wrong and politically motivated in Iraq and about Iran but they have been spot on when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. They were insisting an invasion was imminent even when Russia was denying and making fun of them for saying it. The truth was the decision was made a long time ago and they got the day right down to a matter of few days.

NATO are no angels and I don't consider them one at all, I have been a harsh critic of the US war in Iraq and Afghanistan which was fought on false pretences.

But just because Russia is opposing NATO, it doesn't mean they are truth tellers either. They are an autocratic regime looking for regional hegemony. Ukraine is a sovereign nation and they are free to chose a closer cooperation with the West instead of becoming a satellite state of Russia like Belarus.

The sources you mentioned are not independent journalists either, they just have a different agenda of their own which you happen to agree with.
 
Technics 1210 said:
Zelensky looks battered. Poor nazi-sympathiser, relying on NATO to help him out but instead heckled like a poor comedian. The jokes is truly on him.
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He is a tool of the US - of the military industrial complex. The US always employs extremists to further its agendas, it did so in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan - remember al-Mujaahideen? - Syria and so on. Neo-Nazis in Ukraine are historical enemies of Russia, which defeated Nazi Germany, suffering catastrophic losses in the process, 20+ million Russians.

The goal is the destruction of Russia -

Former Swiss intelligence officer and NATO adviser Jacques Baud on the roots of the Ukraine-Russia war and its growing dangers.


The target, the aim, the objective is to weaken Russia, and once it will be done with Russia, they will do the same with China, and you can already see. I mean, we have seen that now, the Ukrainian crisis has overshadowed the rest, but you could have a very similar scenario happening with Taiwan, for instance. So, the Chinese are aware of that. That’s the reason why they don’t want to give up their, let’s say, relationship with Russia.

Now, the name of the game is weakening Russia

https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/15/us-eu-sacrificing-ukraine-to-weaken-russia-fmr-nato-adviser/
 
oatmeal said:
The US Intel was wrong and politically motivated in Iraq and about Iran but they have been spot on when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. They were insisting an invasion was imminent even when Russia was denying and making fun of them for saying it. The truth was the decision was made a long time ago and they got the day right down to a matter of few days.

NATO are no angels and I don't consider them one at all, I have been a harsh critic of the US war in Iraq and Afghanistan which was fought on false pretences.

But just because Russia is opposing NATO, it doesn't mean they are truth tellers either. They are an autocratic regime looking for regional hegemony. Ukraine is a sovereign nation and they are free to chose a closer cooperation with the West instead of becoming a satellite state of Russia like Belarus.

The sources you mentioned are not independent journalists either, they just have a different agenda of their own which you happen to agree with.
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I don’t mind reading different perspectives and opinions but some just find it so hard to become objective and use nuance in their arguements so everything is black and white and one side must be evil come what may - like there can be western propaganda but there can’t be Russian propaganda. NATO and the US are always evil but I will turn the other cheek if Russia does it as it must be defended.

Good post by the way, my exact sentiments as well.
 
90MPH said:
I don’t mind reading different perspectives and opinions but some just find it so hard to become objective and use nuance in their arguements so everything is black and white and one side must be evil come what may - like there can be western propaganda but there can’t be Russian propaganda. NATO and the US are always evil but I will turn the other cheek if Russia does it as it must be defended.

Good post by the way, my exact sentiments as well.
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The Russians have surrounded azovstal which is the final holdout in Mariupol. Approximately 2500 soldiers there with many nato soldiers and some mercenaries. They have been given until 6:00 to surrender.

They have been calling Kyiv authorities over and over in the last few days about a surrender because they know it is over but the Ukrainian leadership isn’t letting them surrender. It appears as if the far right groups are fully in charge down there. They have been given orders that the nato commanders must not be captured under any circumstance.
 
bones said:
The Russians have surrounded azovstal which is the final holdout in Mariupol. Approximately 2500 soldiers there with many nato soldiers and some mercenaries. They have been given until 6:00 to surrender.

They have been calling Kyiv authorities over and over in the last few days about a surrender because they know it is over but the Ukrainian leadership isn’t letting them surrender. It appears as if the far right groups are fully in charge down there. They have been given orders that the nato commanders must not be captured under any circumstance.
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I am not denying that Mariupol is on the verge of being captured as the last remaining Ukrainian fighters are holed up in a huge industrial steel factory.

However I was expecting this to happen weeks ago though and so did many others independent millitary analysts.

When it does fall. It will be a rare strategic victory for Russia in this war as they can build a land bridge/corridor along the southern front from Crimea to Donetsk but as this has took them 2 months to do and throwing everything including the kitchen sink by bombing and shelling it to hell, it just shows how difficult this campaign overall has been for them, that’s why they can only focus on the eastern parts now to save some face.
 
90MPH said:
I am not denying that Mariupol is on the verge of being captured as the last remaining Ukrainian fighters are holed up in a huge industrial steel factory.

However I was expecting this to happen weeks ago though and so did many others independent millitary analysts.

When it does fall. It will be a rare strategic victory for Russia in this war as they can build a land bridge/corridor along the southern front from Crimea to Donetsk but as this has took them 2 months to do and throwing everything including the kitchen sink by bombing and shelling it to hell, it just shows how difficult this campaign overall has been for them, that’s why they can only focus on the eastern parts now to save some face.
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You didn't have a clue 2 weeks ago and you still haven't got a clue now.

Just think of a moment, the Russians only introduced their high altitude strategic bombers after 6 weeks and that too for a small salvo. The Russians haven't used their huge amount of Thermobaric rockets. They have been going door to door, street to street risking huge losses of their own to avoid as many civilian casualties as possibilities.

The Azov battalion have been using human shields there are tons of videos on social media about this, but the western media haven't shown any of this.

As Scott Ritter said in an interview with The Duran recently, the vast majority of people haven't got a clue just how bad the situation is for Ukraine and it's forces. The Russians don't care about the propaganda war, they're winning the actual war.
 
bones said:
You didn't have a clue 2 weeks ago and you still haven't got a clue now.

Just think of a moment, the Russians only introduced their high altitude strategic bombers after 6 weeks and that too for a small salvo. The Russians haven't used their huge amount of Thermobaric rockets. They have been going door to door, street to street risking huge losses of their own to avoid as many civilian casualties as possibilities.

The Azov battalion have been using human shields there are tons of videos on social media about this, but the western media haven't shown any of this.

As Scott Ritter said in an interview with The Duran recently, the vast majority of people haven't got a clue just how bad the situation is for Ukraine and it's forces. The Russians don't care about the propaganda war, they're winning the actual war.
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All you can do is respond with is the exact talking points the propagandists of an autocratic regime want you to say - that they are winning this conflict when it has been overall been a complete disaster for them in the last 2 months. The warship going down 72 hours ago along with possibly the captain epitomises it perfectly.

The only one clueless is you because you keep quoting Scott Ritter as your source - this guy was talking so much nonsense that Twitter suspended him twice for good reason. He is also a convicted child sex offender, don’t you have anyone better to quote ?
Scott said on 26th February that Kyiv was going to fall more easily and quickly than Fallujah had fallen to US offices in Iraq.
That statement alone shows what a deluded lying propagandist Scott Ritter has become but you still quote him because you are in the same bubble as him. You just read what you want to read and gobble up any nonsense they feed you and just regurgitate with a few diffent words.

Why don’t you read and look up news outside your comfort zone ? Can’t you think for yourself and make your own judgements ? I told you Mariupol is on the verge of falling and you can lap that up as a great victory but you want to argue with that statement as well because it’s not good enough for you.
Ok in that case nothing will be good enough for you.
 
90MPH said:
that they are winning this conflict when it has been overall been a complete disaster for them in the last 2 months. The warship going down 72 hours ago along with possibly the captain epitomises it perfectly.
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Scott admitted later on he got it very wrong, as did a couple of the other military men who have been shut off MSM. Since then they have explained why they though the way they did - for the most part that America via their puppet Zelesnky are really willing to fight Russia to the last Ukranian. An example is today, they are surrounded in Azovstal with no way out, they have been ordered to stay put and fight.

Mariupol was taken 3 weeks ago, they just had to go through slowly and methodically doing the mopping up job. So whilst the western MSM and folk like you are slamming the Russians for being incompetent, they are actually being slow and methodical.

Folk like you see a few tanks taken out or in one instance a naval ship destroyed as a huge success. For the Russians success is eliminating an entire brigade. Success for the Russians was taking out the Ukranian supply and communications lines.

It boggles the mind that someone can see an entire army of between 40-60k soldiers stuck in a cauldron without secure comms, without any mobility and without any resupplies (food, medicine, ammo, fuel) and say that the Russians have failed.

Whilst the west, while you were busy with the "Russian defeat in Kyiv", the Russians actually did something which is far more devastating.

It will be very interesting to see how the western MSM plays this Russian victory out to their people. Perhaps they'll say something like the Russians couldn't even take Kyiv. Even though that was never in their plan (reference is Putin's speech on day 3 of the invasion).
 
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can we just get a couple of things correct:

The 'Azov batallion' no longer exists. It was disbanded and incorporated into the National Guard.
NATO has no troops in Ukraine.

Thanks
 
Earlier on we reported on the deadly shelling in Kharkiv, which led to five people being killed and 13 injured, according to regional health officials.

A series of strikes were heard across the city.

The shelling hit the city centre and saw fire engines called into operation from all areas. Firefighters have been battling the blazes in residential buildings.

Reporters from the news agency AFP were on the scene and have described what happened. They said that the shelling ignited fires throughout the city and tore roofs from buildings, showering debris onto the roads below.

Ever since Russia pulled back from its offensive to capture the capital Kyiv, the Kremlin has scaled up attacks on the east of Ukraine including Kharkiv, which is just 21km (13 miles) from the Russian border.

On Friday, shelling of residential areas of the city killed 10 people, and on Saturday a strike claimed two more lives.
 
cpleigh said:
can we just get a couple of things correct:

The 'Azov batallion' no longer exists. It was disbanded and incorporated into the National Guard.
NATO has no troops in Ukraine.

Thanks
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Sure but this is incorrect.

Their official name is Azov Special Operations Detachment. Its not been disbanded or cease to exist, its now the National guard. They still use their fascist flags, symbols, clothing and most importantly their Nazi ideology not only continues to exist but has been spread throught Ukranian forces and polticians.

Meanwhile...

Russian Radio intercepts have picked up mulitple convos between Ukranian forces trapped in Mariupol and their leaders in Kiev. The forces are advising they have no food, no water and no ammo. They are requesting to surrender but Kiev is refusing this and threatening them with execution as per their laws if they surrender and return.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Russian Radio intercepts have picked up mulitple convos between Ukranian forces trapped in Mariupol and their leaders in Kiev. The forces are advising they have no food, no water and no ammo. They are requesting to surrender but Kiev is refusing this and threatening them with execution as per their laws if they surrender and return.
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Hmm...sounds like a walkover for the Russian troops then.

Except...

Russia: Hold my Vodka!
 
I don't understand why they just don't remove the troops out of the vicinity of the steel plant and drop the father of all.bombs on the plant and end it.
 
mazkhan said:
I don't understand why they just don't remove the troops out of the vicinity of the steel plant and drop the father of all.bombs on the plant and end it.
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They really should to be quite blunt about it. If we use US logic, it would end the war and thus remove a lot of future suffering. Then Russia could rebuild Ukraine while disarming them from any future military misadventures while rebuilding their culture in their own image.
 


Yes they are all dead, just like Ghost of Kiev was also true, snake island was true, the young girl who was standing up to Russians wasnt Palestinian standing up to Zionist invaders.

The lies and propaganda in this conflict has been on another level.
 
Ukraine has said it will "fight absolutely to the end" as the last-known pocket of resistance in Mariupol hopes to defend the city against Russian forces.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine's soldiers will keep fighting in the besieged port city, which has been reduced to rubble in a seven-week siege, as Russian missiles and rockets also battered other parts of the country.

The city of Mariupol appears to be on the brink of falling in what would give Moscow its biggest victory of the war so far.

Russian troops would then be freed up for the expected new offensive to take control of the Donbas region in the east of Ukraine.

It also would allow Russia to fully secure a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, and deprive the country of a major port and its prized industrial assets.

Mariupol's last pocket of resistance is made up of a few thousand fighters who are in a four-square mile sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels.

SKY
 
mazkhan said:
I don't understand why they just don't remove the troops out of the vicinity of the steel plant and drop the father of all.bombs on the plant and end it.
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Rumours are that they took 1000 civilians with them to use as shields. You also have to understand this is a huge site so even a huge bomb would only wipe out a small section.
 
The first images of one of Russia's most prestigious warships shortly before it sank are being shared online.

Ukraine says it struck the Moskva in a missile attack. However, Russia says the damage to the flagship vessel was caused by a fire that detonated ammunition on board. It says the warship then sank during a storm.

Defence analyst H I Sutton has shared this graphic labelling the different parts of the warship and highlighting the main areas of damage.

Writing on his website, Mr Sutton says the limited evidence in the photos casts some doubt on Russia's claim a fire broke out compared to Ukraine's claim that they struck the ship with missiles.

He writes: "The damage does not rule out a missile strike(s), and it remains the likely cause. Possible puncture marks in the side of the hull are visible below where the fire is.

"But these would need closer examination to confirm whether they were caused by missiles, or are simply fire damage."

What can a two-second video tell us?

A short video clip began to circulate around the same time as the photos.

Sky News has removed the audio from the video, as a man can be heard shouting in Russian: "Motherf***er! What the f*** are you doing?" before the camera moves down and then turns off.

The video shows the weather was fairly settled when the clip was filmed. Some wind can be heard in the original audio but the sea is calm and no rain can be seen.

This contradicts a statement put out by the Russian Defense Ministry that the ship sank during a storm.

A news report from Russian agency TASS on 14 April said: "The Moskva missile cruiser sank while being towed amid storm because of hull damage sustained during the detonation of ammunition, Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday."

SKY
 
The pictures and video is clear as day - Anyone still denying that the Moskva wasn’t hit by cruise missiles and still buying the official Russian version that it got sunk in “accidental fire while being towed in stormy weather” is dumb as rocks.

It’s absurd the lengths the Russian state will go to defend their losses. There was no stormy weather when that ship was on fire - and it was already banking to one side.

The only question is the casualties. One Russian mother has already said her conscript son died as she only got the call today - 4 days after the ship had gone down.
But we simply don’t know because the Russians have become such a secret state they are not revealing anything. One source says 40 died but another says could be hundreds.

Whatever the case those 2 cruise missiles did significant damage on impact. Capturing the port of Odessa seems out of the question for Russia now considering the threat their ships will face going that way.
 
Two British men reportedly captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine have appeared on Russian state TV appealing to Boris Johnson for help.

Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, were shown in two separate videos on Monday, asking to be exchanged with a pro-Russian politician held in Ukraine.

It is not clear if their pleas to the prime minister, shown on the Rossiya 24 channel, were made under duress.

The Foreign Office called on the Kremlin to treat prisoners humanely.

A source from the department condemned "the exploitation of prisoners of war for political purposes".

In the two clips, Mr Aslin and Mr Pinner address the prime minister, asking to be exchanged for pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk. In his video, Mr Aslin speaks while an unidentified man stands over him.
Mr Medvedchuk has also appeared in a video, released by Ukraine's intelligence service.

Both Britons had been living in Ukraine before it was invaded and have Ukrainian partners.

They had both been serving as marines in Ukraine's military.

In an earlier social media video Mr Pinner, who is originally from Bedfordshire, gives his name and says he was fighting in the besieged port city of Mariupol before being captured.

He says he is now in the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic area in eastern Ukraine. Again, it is not clear if he was speaking under duress.

The family of Mr Pinner say he is a "funny, much-loved, well-intentioned" man.
They said they are hoping for a quick resolution to his situation.

They called for him and Mr Aslin to be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

The convention includes treating them humanely and prohibiting humiliating and degrading treatment.

In a statement, Mr Pinner's family said he was a "well-respected" soldier in the British Army before he moved to Ukraine four years ago to use his previous experience and training with the Ukrainian military.

He is a "proud member of his unit" in the Ukrainian Marines, they said.

"Shaun enjoyed the Ukrainian way of life and considered Ukraine as his adopted country over the last four years. During this time, he met his Ukrainian wife who is very focussed on the humanitarian needs of the country," they said.

Mr Pinner's three-year contract was due to expire at the end of the year and he was planning to enter a humanitarian role in the country, according to his family.
"Shaun is a funny, much-loved, well-intentioned husband, son, father, brother and friend to many," they said.

"We are hoping for a quick resolution to allow Shaun and Aiden to return safely to their families and we ask for privacy at this difficult time.

"Our hearts go out to all those caught up in this horrific conflict."

A Foreign Office source said it was aware of the detention of two British nationals and had been in touch with their families to support them, adding that it was advising against all travel to Ukraine.
Former care worker Mr Aslin, who has a Ukrainian fiancée and dual citizenship, is also believed to have been captured in Mariupol.

Fighting has continued in the city despite an ultimatum from Moscow for the remaining fighters to give up.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the defenders would fight to the end against Russian forces.

Mariupol is seen as a major strategic prize for Russia as it would gain control of a vast swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine.

The situation for civilians in the city is desperate, with homes destroyed and widespread water shortages.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61139735
 
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90MPH said:
The pictures and video is clear as day - Anyone still denying that the Moskva wasn’t hit by cruise missiles and still buying the official Russian version that it got sunk in “accidental fire while being towed in stormy weather” is dumb as rocks.
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Did they really say that? :91:

Straight out of the IAF handbook, that. No wonder our military likes Russian/Soviet junk so much.
 
Russia is going to have a heck of a hard time recovering from this.

India has reportedly cancelled helicopter deal , the reason given is Make in India..(ok)

China is having a tough time due to EU and US being its big export partners.

Sweden Finland might join NATO..

Brazil seems to be only one remaining now..
 
Russia is going crazy banning their own media outlets , unable to go on with their goals and the significant Ship destruction, Russian army seems desperate and are now firing across.
 
This thread is an extension of the rubbish we hear from bbc and cnn. The ship that sunk was evacuated there are clips on social media showing the officers of which there are in my estimate easily over 300 including the captain being told they will be redeployed. People here are claiming Russian equipment is awful but fail to highlight the deficiencies of western weapons.

According to the Ukrainians and Americans the Javelin has a success rate of over 90% but according to the Russians who have now captured these weapons as they move forward, they are malfunctioning on launch or just before.

Russia has a professional army, it’s not perfect but it’s very professional and they are fighting very well given that they are outnumbered.
 
JaDed said:
Russia is going crazy banning their own media outlets , unable to go on with their goals and the significant Ship destruction, Russian army seems desperate and are now firing across.
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Read the quotes from Zelensky and Russia’s leaders in the last 48 hours and then come back and tell who sounds more desperate. Ukraine’s military are getting pummelled - they are getting obliterated. BBC and CNN don’t show you but hundreds of Ukrainians are surrendering each day. Soon it will be in the thousands because the Russians have deployed over 70 BTGs in Donbas who have no supply or communication issues.

If America wasn’t pulling the strings Ukraine would have surrendered and negotiated a month ago.
 
bones said:
This thread is an extension of the rubbish we hear from bbc and cnn. The ship that sunk was evacuated there are clips on social media showing the officers of which there are in my estimate easily over 300 including the captain being told they will be redeployed. People here are claiming Russian equipment is awful but fail to highlight the deficiencies of western weapons.

According to the Ukrainians and Americans the Javelin has a success rate of over 90% but according to the Russians who have now captured these weapons as they move forward, they are malfunctioning on launch or just before.

Russia has a professional army, it’s not perfect but it’s very professional and they are fighting very well given that they are outnumbered.
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Ha ha, the video and pics of the sailors are old. Pre moskva sinking.

The captain is dead. You seem to just swallow Russian propaganda
 
bones said:
This thread is an extension of the rubbish we hear from bbc and cnn. The ship that sunk was evacuated there are clips on social media showing the officers of which there are in my estimate easily over 300 including the captain being told they will be redeployed. People here are claiming Russian equipment is awful but fail to highlight the deficiencies of western weapons.
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I mean. Of course Ukrainian missiles didn’t sink the ship. Probably Putin ordered the ship to become a submarine.
 
cpleigh said:
Ha ha, the video and pics of the sailors are old. Pre moskva sinking.

The captain is dead. You seem to just swallow Russian propaganda
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Dude use some common sense, they have numerous vessels in the Black Sea, do you really think when a fire breaks out on one or one starts to sink the others don’t come to the rescue and evacuate the ship? Just please for once use your brain.

No one seems to have any idea what the Ukrainians (NATO) are going to do about the huge army they have in Donbas around Slavsyansk/Kramatorsk covering approximately 150-200 sq miles. The Russians have surrounded them from 3 sides. They have no mobility, no supply or comma and they are getting pounded by land and air. The Russians haven’t got any of these issues and have deployed 70+ BTGs with 10 more BTGs to come.

What do experts have to say about the situation in Donbas?
 
Varun said:
I mean. Of course Ukrainian missiles didn’t sink the ship. Probably Putin ordered the ship to become a submarine.
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Please don’t resort to petty comments. I did not say that it wasn’t downed by missiles, I said that most of the crew was evacuated soon after the damage was done and the fires couldn’t be contained.

Please see my previous post and share your views about the Ukrainian army surrounded in Donbas.
 
“Immediately lay down arms” - Russia told the Ukrainian forces on Tuesday as it gave a warning to the defenders in the strategic port city of Mariupol, hours after the battle for the rebel-held region of Donbas, in the eastern part of the war-hit nation, started. But Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser, Oleksiy Arestovych, said that Moscow won't be able to make gains, pledging resistance till the last moment. "The battle for Donbas, which was announced and apparently began yesterday, is underway and is going very cautiously. The battle will not go in Russia's favour," he said.


Here are ten updates on the Ukraine war:

1. Russia has claimed that it’s making rapid gains. More than 1,200 Ukrainian targets were struck overnight, the defence ministry. A Ukrainian MiG-29 jet in the Donetsk region was forced down, Reuters cited the officials as saying.

2. Calling on Kyiv to show "reason and give the corresponding orders to fighters to cease their senseless resistance", Moscow has said defenders in the strategic port city of Mariupol would be "guaranteed survival" if they laid down their arms starting at noon.

3. Russia’s Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has reportedly given time to the Ukrainian troops - holed up at the giant Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol - until midday (0900 GMT) Tuesday to surrender.

4. The Kremlin's focus has shifted back to Mariupol which, according to an AP report, could free up nearly a dozen battalion tactical groups for use elsewhere in the Donbas.

5. In the past, the Ukrainian troops have refused to accept such offers. The Azovstal plant, which covers the territory of about 11 square kilometers (over 4 square miles) is the last major Ukrainian pocket of resistance in Mariupol.

6. Earlier, Zelensky, in his nightly address, had said: "We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, which they have been preparing for a long time. No matter how many Russian soldiers are brought here, we will fight. We will defend ourselves."

7. No civilian evacuations were allowed for the third straight day in Ukraine. "Today, April 19, there will unfortunately be no humanitarian corridor," Ukraine's deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.


WORLD NEWS
8. On Monday, at least six people were killed in the Russian missile strikes in the western city of Lviv, which was considered to be largely safe.

9. Over 4 million people have so far been forced out of their homes in the war-battered nation.

10. The eastern part of the country remains largely besieged as the war enters the eighth week.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/worl...ays-op-in-east-will-fail-101650357074983.html
 
Russia has started its expected major new offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has said.

Vladimir Putin's forces have attacked along a 300-mile front as part of a full-scale ground offensive to take control of the Donbas region.

The stepped-up assaults began on Monday and focused on the Donbas regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, with Russian forces trying to advance in several sections, including from neighbouring Kharkiv.

"The occupiers made an attempt to break through our defences along nearly the entire frontline," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement.

Russia's defence ministry has claimed its anti-aircraft forces downed a Ukrainian MiG-29 jet in the Donetsk region in Donbas overnight.

The ministry said the jet was brought down as Russian missile and artillery forces struck 1,260 targets in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian-backed separatist forces are trying to storm the Azovstal plant in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the RIA news agency quoted separatist spokesperson Eduard Basurin as saying on Tuesday.

At the underground hospital in Mykolaiv , Oksana Suslenko and her sons, Artyem, 11 and Nikita, 4
Ukraine war: Boy, 4, says his father 'is a hero' as forces fight 'to the end' in Mariupol

Mariupol is expected to fall as Ukraine's last pocket of resistance there is made up of a few thousand fighters holed up in the steel plant.

Russia later told the fighters inside to surrender by noon Moscow time (10am UK time), with the defence ministry saying: "All who lay down their arms are guaranteed to remain alive."

Moscow's forces have been repositioning and reinforcing for several weeks after being thwarted in their attempt to capture the capital Kyiv.

Russia has declared the capture of the Donbas to be its main goal in the war since its assault on the capital failed.

The Kremlin has said it wants to "liberate" the region and pro-Russian separatist fighters have been battling Ukraine's military in the area since 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Monday: "The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time.

"A significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive.

"No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day."

Oleksiy Arestovych, an aide to the Ukrainian president, has said Russia's new offensive in eastern Ukraine will fail because Moscow's forces lack the strength to break through Ukrainian defences.

Ukraine news live: Russia dropping 'bunker-buster' bombs on Mariupol

He said Russian forces were trying to find "sensitive spots" in Ukraine's defences but added: "Their offensive will fail - I give you a 99% guarantee - they simply do not have enough strength."

"The battle for Donbas, which was announced and apparently began yesterday, is under way and is going very cautiously. The battle will not go in Russia's favour," he said on national television.

Mr Arestovych spoke after several Ukrainian officials said a "new phase of the war" had begun.

Oleksiy Danilov, the security council secretary, said Russia had attempted to break through defences "along almost the entire front line of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions".

He added: "Fortunately, our military is holding out. They passed through only two cities. This is Kreminna and another small town."

Russian forces have taken control of Kreminna after street battles in the city, according to Luhansk regional military administrator Serhiy Haidai.

He told Ukrainian TV that heavy artillery fire set seven residential buildings on fire and targeted a sports complex where the nation's Olympic team trains.

Mr Haidai said that before advancing, Russian forces "just started levelling everything to the ground". He said his forces retreated to regroup and keep fighting.

It comes as there are fears Russia's attempt to take Donbas will be more successful than its failed push to take Kyiv.

A satellite image shows armoured vehicles heading towards the Donbas region
Former head of the British Army Lord Dannatt told Sky News it would have been "meticulously prepared", as opposed to the "haphazard" attempt to capture the capital.

Meanwhile, three people are wounded after Ukrainian forces struck a village near Russia's border with Ukraine, according to the governor of the Russian province of Belgorod.

It was not immediately clear whether the strike referred to by governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in posts on messaging app Telegram was carried out by artillery, mortars, missiles or was an aerial attack.

Mariupol on the brink of falling under Russian control

It comes as the city of Mariupol, which has been pummelled for weeks, appears on the brink of finally coming under total Russian control.

Bunker-busting bombs are reportedly being dropped on the Azovstal plant where the last remaining fighters, and upwards of 1,000 civilians, have taken refuge in underground shelters.

Smoke rises above Azovstal steelworks, in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this still image obtained from a recent drone video posted on social media. MARIUPOL CITY COUNCIL/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Image:
Smoke rises above the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol where the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance is holed up
"Russian occupational forces, and their proxy... know about the civilians, and they keep willingly firing on the factory," said the commander of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard Denys Prokopenko.

Deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk has demanded an "urgent humanitarian corridor" for women, children and civilians.

If Russia takes the city it could free up even more troops for the battle in the east and crucially achieve one of its key aims - creating a land corridor from Crimea, through Mariupol, to Donbas.

Russia's defence ministry also claimed to have hit hundreds of military targets in Ukraine overnight into Monday.

At least seven killed in western city as explosions heard overnight

At least seven people were killed in the western city Lviv, near the Polish border, which has been a relatively safe haven so far and attracted refugees from across the country.

Lviv's proximity to Poland and the EU has made it a major gateway for the large amounts of weaponry donated by the US and European allies.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Ukrainian media reported a series of explosions along the front line in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, with shelling taking place in nearby Marinka, Slavyansk, and Kramatorsk.

Local officials also said explosions were heard in Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine, Mykolaiv in the south, and Zaporizhzhia in the southeast

https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-...wed-eastern-offensive-says-zelenskyy-12593456
 
Russia has started its expected major new offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Zelenskyy has said.

Vladimir Putin's forces have attacked a boomerang-shaped front that stretches more than 300 miles as part of a full-scale ground offensive to take control of the Donbas region.

The stepped-up assaults began on Monday and focused on Donetsk and Luhansk in Donbas, with Russian forces trying to advance in several areas.

Russia said it struck several areas with missiles, including the north-eastern city of Kharkiv as well as areas around Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro, west of the Donbas.

At least three people were killed and 16 were wounded in shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday, regional governor Oleh Synehubov has said.

Moscow's troops also seized control of the town of Kreminna in the Donbas on Monday, according to Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai.

SKY
 
 
Russia have given the troops in Azovstal another chance to surrender, it seems like the morale is so low down there that they might take them up on the offer.

Apparently Kyiv is discussing the terms of surrender. I personally think they are overreaching given these are Azov led forces.
 
Ukrainian forces are continuing to repel attacks by Russian forces in the east of the country, the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said, as President Zelenskyy renewed calls for more military assistance.

Russia has recently started repositioning and reinforcing its troops in the east of Ukraine after failing to take control of the country's capital, Kyiv.

If successful, the Russian offensive, in what is known as the Donbas, would essentially slice Ukraine in two and give Russia's President Vladimir Putin a badly needed victory.

But according to the MoD, Russia's ability to progress continues to be impacted by "logistical and technical challenges", as well as the "resilience of the highly-motivated Ukrainian armed forces".

One of the areas that has been targeted is the eastern city of Kharkiv, which saw at least four people killed and 14 wounded during a shelling attack on Tuesday night.

Other developments
• Russia captures first city in new offensive after launching attack along 300-mile eastern front
• UK will give more artillery to Ukraine as war enters new phase, says Boris Johnson
• Biden set to announce new military aid package for Ukraine, says US source
• Russian businessman speaks out against 'crazy' invasion

SKY
 
20,900 Russian troops lost during invasion, Ukraine claims

In the last few moments, Ukraine has provided its latest update on the number of losses Russia has suffered since the start of the war.

It claims 20,900 Russian troops have been killed since 24 February and 2,087 armoured personnel vehicles have been destroyed.

Sky News has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian military was throwing everything it had into the battle.

"They have driven almost everyone and everything that is capable of fighting us against Ukraine," he said in his nightly video address to the nation.
 
A Ukrainian commander has said forces in Mariupol "will not lay down our weapons" as fighting against Russian forces continues – as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Ukraine would have “ended the war” by now if they had enough weapons.

Major Serhiy Volyna, of the 36th separate marine brigade, said his soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant would continue "to conduct combat operations and to complete our military tasks as long as we receive them".

In a video sent to The Washington Post, the commander also asked world leaders to help secure the safety of people leaving Mariupol.
 
Kremlin insiders believe war in Ukraine was 'catastrophic mistake' - reports

As Russian military losses continue to mount, Kremlin insiders are reportedly questioning President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.

Some members in Mr Putin's elite circle believe Russia's war with Ukraine was a "catastrophic mistake that will set the country back for years", 10 sources told the American-based television network.

The sources also said Kremlin insiders saw "no chance" the Russian leader would change course, with some voicing their fears that Mr Putin could resort to nuclear weapons.

Yesterday, Russia appeared to have taken its first city since it began a major new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

The city of Kreminna fell to the invaders after forces launched attacks along 300 miles of the country's eastern front.

The offensive had been expected for several weeks after Kremlin forces withdrew from the capital Kyiv.

Skynews
 
The head of Russias central Bank has warned the economy is about to plummet but putin won't listen
 
cpleigh said:
Ha ha, the video and pics of the sailors are old. Pre moskva sinking.

The captain is dead. You seem to just swallow Russian propaganda
Click to expand...

Prove it.


The Ukrainian Nazis and their Zionist PM are on the verge or defeat. They should allow their Nazis and foriegn fighters holed up in the factory to surrender. Russia is being kind, it could have wiped out them hour days ago.

The liberation of Dombass is now taking place.
 
Russia 'properly notified' the US ahead of missile test launch - Pentagon

The Pentagon has reacted to news that Russia has completed a "successful" test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.

The US claims the move is "not a threat" to the US and its allies, adding that Russia properly notified the Pentagon of its plans.

"It was not a surprise," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The Sarmat is a new heavy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile which Russia is expected to deploy with ten or more warheads on each missile, according to the US Congressional Research Service.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said the launch, from Plesetsk in the country's north-west, would "provide food for thought" for those who threaten Russia.
 
MenInG said:
Russia 'properly notified' the US ahead of missile test launch - Pentagon

The Pentagon has reacted to news that Russia has completed a "successful" test launch of its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.

The US claims the move is "not a threat" to the US and its allies, adding that Russia properly notified the Pentagon of its plans.

"It was not a surprise," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The Sarmat is a new heavy Intercontinental Ballistic Missile which Russia is expected to deploy with ten or more warheads on each missile, according to the US Congressional Research Service.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said the launch, from Plesetsk in the country's north-west, would "provide food for thought" for those who threaten Russia.
Click to expand...

Many feel this is the most powerful ICBM in the world!

Also known as Satan 2. Putin is waking up the fools in London and Washington. Their stupidy is trying to weaken a powerful nuclear Russia will only put their own people in danger.
 
LongHorn said:
That bit is clear
What is not clear is why so many posters here (with seemingly no Russian links) are hellbent on worshipping Russia and cheering them
Click to expand...

What are your thoughts on the Bandera worshipping Nazis?
 
KingKhanWC said:
Many feel this is the most powerful ICBM in the world!

Also known as Satan 2. Putin is waking up the fools in London and Washington. Their stupidy is trying to weaken a powerful nuclear Russia will only put their own people in danger.
Click to expand...

The arrogance of the Americans is that they thought they could bully Russia like they have bullied everyone else.

The Russians have shown with the Chinese alliance they are not going to be bossed around.
 
bones said:
The arrogance of the Americans is that they thought they could bully Russia like they have bullied everyone else.

The Russians have shown with the Chinese alliance they are not going to be bossed around.
Click to expand...

When bullies are used to hitting on poor nations such as Afghanistan or those with little military such as Libya, Iraq etc they get carried away with their own arrogance.

Never has a nation been supported politically or militarily in a conflict/war as Ukraine has. Sure some Russians have been killed or captured but overall they have achieved all their objectives so far without killing many civilians, unlike Nato which kill civilians first to scare the nation in not to fight back.
 
It seems Gonzalo Lira may have been killed now by Ukrainians who kidnapped him. A journalist who showed opposite views of the western narrative was unlikely to survive in Ukraine.
 
KingKhanWC said:
It seems Gonzalo Lira may have been killed now by Ukrainians who kidnapped him. A journalist who showed opposite views of the western narrative was unlikely to survive in Ukraine.
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The sad part is he was just there to report the truth. I actually watched the what I think was his last video on Friday with both Alex’s on The Duran. He was unarmed, had no intel and did promote any fighting.

I really hope that the Russians take the city and deal with these Nazis. The people responsible deserve the death penalty.
 
bones said:
The sad part is he was just there to report the truth. I actually watched the what I think was his last video on Friday with both Alex’s on The Duran. He was unarmed, had no intel and did promote any fighting.

I really hope that the Russians take the city and deal with these Nazis. The people responsible deserve the death penalty.
Click to expand...

Yes its sad to see almost none independent reports from Ukraine. Check out these two Youtube channels, I dont agree with everything they say but we do need alternative views.. iEarlGrey & HistoryLegends.

A good breakdown in a video( on HistoryLegends) of the various Nazi units and their friends which were trying to 'defend' Mariupol. Russia wont wait much longer before they are send to meet Hitler. Do check them out.
 
Also for real war footage, check out Patrick Lancaster. I cant embed his latest video as it might break the house rules but for those who sit back and cheerlead Ukrainians to war, will know what war is like.
 
MoD: Russian forces advancing from staging areas in Donbas towards Kramatorsk

Russian forces are advancing from staging areas in Donbas towards Kramatorsk, which continues to be hit by rocket attacks, a British military update said this morning.

High levels of Russian air activity continue as it seeks to provide close air support to its offensive in eastern Ukraine, and to suppress and destroy Ukrainian air defence capabilities, the UK Ministry of Defence tweeted.

"Russia likely desires to demonstrate significant successes ahead of their annual 9th May Victory Day celebrations. This could affect how quickly and forcefully they attempt to conduct operations in the run-up to this date," the tweet added.
 
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed the "liberation" of the flattened city of Mariupol after nearly two months of fighting, but signalled he would forgo a final bloody offensive against beleaguered Ukrainian defenders there.
The fate of the besieged port has become totemic as Russia battles to complete a land bridge covering territories of Ukraine already under its control, including Crimea.

The West staged another show of support for President Volodymyr Zelensky with a visit to Kyiv by the Spanish and Danish prime ministers, a day after European Council leader Charles Michel came and vowed the EU would do "everything possible" to help Ukraine win the war.

Zelensky said Ukraine still did not have enough weapons, despite billions in Western military aid that has forced Russia to re-focus its offensive away from Kyiv and towards the east of the country.

In morgues around the capital, the bodies of some 1,020 civilians are being stored after Russian troops withdrew from the region, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna told AFP.

The bodies of nine civilians, some showing signs of torture, have been found in the town of Borodyanka outside Kyiv, the region's police chief Andriy Niebytov said.

"The Russian military knowingly shot civilians who did not put up any resistance," he said, adding that one of the victims was a 15-year-old girl.

Biden 'proud'

While the West remains nervous about igniting a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia, US President Joe Biden said he was "amazed" by Ukrainian resistance since the invasion began on February 24.

"They're tougher and more proud than I thought," he said, adding that Western "weapons and ammunition are flowing in daily".

The Pentagon had said Ukraine was receiving fighter planes to bolster its air force -- but it later said only aircraft parts had been delivered.

However, the flow of hardware, including anti-tank missiles, has not prevented Russia from carving a trail of destruction across Ukraine, not least in Mariupol on the shores of the Sea of Azov in the southeast.

"Mariupol has been liberated," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin during a televised meeting. "The remaining nationalist formations took refuge in the industrial zone of the Azovstal plant."

Shoigu said around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers remained inside the giant steel plant, where the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance has been sheltering in a network of underground tunnels.

Thousands of civilians are believed to have died in the beseiged city, and up to 2,000 others are also sheltering in the plant without access to drinking water or food, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Putin said the "liberation" of Mariupol was a "success" for Russian forces but ordered Shoigu to call off the planned storming of the industrial area, dismissing it as "impractical".

"There is no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities. Block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can escape," Putin said.

Bodies pile up

The Ukrainian defenders said they were refusing to surrender but appealed for security guarantees.

"We are pleading so we can collect the bodies of the dead, so the civilians can calmly walk out from Azovstal," said Captain Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the far-right Azov Regiment.

A humanitarian corridor reopened on Wednesday, with Ukrainian authorities reporting that four buses had left Mariupol carrying women, children and the elderly.

Further from the frontlines, residents were still reeling weeks after Russian forces withdrew from the area around Kyiv.

NDTV
 
Mariupol is a mess but now in control of Russia.

The Ukranian Nazi soldiers have been using public buildings inc apartments to hide their snipers.

Clearly nothing more than Nato puppets who dont give a two hoots for the people. Neither does Nato leaders, they will sell their mothers in order to keep this war going.
 
KingKhanWC said:
Mariupol is a mess but now in control of Russia.

The Ukranian Nazi soldiers have been using public buildings inc apartments to hide their snipers.

Clearly nothing more than Nato puppets who dont give a two hoots for the people. Neither does Nato leaders, they will sell their mothers in order to keep this war going.
Click to expand...


The US - its vassals - always employ extremists, whether 'Muslim' or far-right, in order to destabilize and destroy countries.

Those who seek to expose neo-Nazi atrocities in Ukraine are brutally murdered - the West is deafeningly silent, because the goal has always been to balkanize Russia, do the same to China whilst regime changing Iran and taking control of oil-rich former Soviet States. The path through Afghanistan has been blocked by the Taliban - but bombings of Shi'aa Masaajid or schools continue by the so-called 'Islamic State' in order to ensure the country never experiences any form of stability or security - so an opening has occurred through Pakistan. The great ally against China in the region is, of course, India - however, it has historically excellent ties with Russia, but this the West can circumvent by pressuring Modi to remain 'committed' to India's relations with it, otherwise..


When Belorussian authorities pulled Roman Protasevich, a blogger who had served a combat tour in the neo-Nazi Azov battalion before working for Radio Free Europe’s Belarus channel out of Prague, off an airplane in May, 2021, on charges of inciting a political opposition (roughly the equivalent of sedition), the world went crazy, accusing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of trampling on free speech. Protasevich is alive and well, living under house arrest while awaiting trial.

When reports emerged that Gonzo Lira, a Chilean social media “influencer” who resided in Kharkov, Ukraine, and who published online content critical of the Ukrainian government, was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the Kraken Unit, part of the Azov battalion affiliated with the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), the West is silent.

Free speech isn’t a one way street. To remain silent in the murder of Gonzo Lira is to be complicit in his death, and the deaths of all journalists who pursue the truth, even if it runs counter to the mainstream narrative. Critical thinking should not be a death sentence. Unfortunately for Gonzo Lira, it seems it was.


https://t.me/ScottRitter/27?fbclid=IwAR09KMTD3UhY-13lDYpbUyLqCU-U9LwzMyk4Fsa2xpBhL2gkVEn441_BSAM


“One less traitor”: Zelensky oversees campaign of assassination, kidnapping and torture of political opposition
MAX BLUMENTHAL AND ESHA KRISHNASWAMY·APRIL 17, 2022


"...The Ukrainian SBU security services has served as the enforcement arm of the officially authorized campaign of repression. With training from the CIA and close coordination with Ukraine’s state-backed neo-Nazi paramilitaries, the SBU has spent the past weeks filling its vast archipelago of torture dungeons with political dissidents.

On the battlefield, meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has engaged in a series of atrocities against captured Russian troops and proudly exhibited its sadistic acts on social media. Here too, the perpetrators of human rights abuses appear to have received approval from the upper echelons of Ukrainian leadership.

While Zelensky spouts bromides about the defense of democracy before worshipful Western audiences, he is using the war as a theater for enacting a blood-drenched purge of political rivals, dissidents and critics.

“The war is being used to kidnap, imprison and even kill opposition members who express themselves critical of the government,” a left-wing activist beaten and persecuted by Ukraine’s security services commented this April. “We must all fear for our freedom and our lives....”
 
One of the last Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol has told the BBC that the besieged steelworks where they are holed up is largely destroyed above ground and civilians are trapped under collapsed buildings.

Speaking from the Azovstal plant - the last part of Mariupol not under Russian control - Svyatoslav Palamar from the controversial Azov regiment said defenders had repelled waves of Russian attacks.

"I always say that as long as we are here, Mariupol remains under control of Ukraine," he said.

Earlier President Vladimir Putin called off a planned Russian assault on the steelworks - a maze of tunnels and workshops - and ordered his troops to seal it off instead.
"Block off this industrial area so that a fly cannot not pass through," he said.
Much of Mariupol has been destroyed in weeks of heavy Russian bombardment and intense street fighting. Taking the Sea of Azov port is a key Russian war aim and would release more troops to join a Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region.

Capt Palamar said the Russians had fired on the steel plant from warships and dropped "bunker-busting" bombs on it.
The BBC has not been able to verify any of his account. But it tallies with testimony earlier this week from a Ukrainian marine commander also in the steelworks, who said fighters were outnumbered and running out of supplies.

"All the buildings in the territory of Azovstal are practically destroyed. They drop heavy bombs, bunker-busting bombs which cause huge destruction. We have wounded and dead inside the bunkers. Some civilians remain trapped under the collapsed buildings," Capt Palamar said.

The Azov regiment was originally a far-right neo-Nazi group that was later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard. Its fighters along with a Marine brigade, border guards and police officers are the last Ukrainian defenders left in the city.

When asked how many Ukrainian defenders remained in Mariupol, Capt Palamar answered simply "enough to repel attacks".

He said that civilians were in separate locations away from fighters. They were in basements containing 80-100 people each but it was unclear how many civilians there were in total as some buildings had been destroyed and fighters could not reach them because of shelling. Entrances to some of the bunkers were blocked by heavy concrete slabs that only heavy machinery could move, he said.

"We keep in touch with those civilians who stay in places that we can get to. We know that there are small children there as young as three months old," he said.
The fighter appealed for civilians to be given safe passage out of the steelworks and called for a third country or an international body to act as a guarantor for their safety.

"These people have got through a lot already, through war crimes. They don't trust Russians, and they are scared," he said, adding that they feared torture and murder at the hands of Russian troops or deportation to Russia through so-called filtration camps.

Elderly civilians in the steelworks were in need of medicine while there were also about 500 seriously wounded fighters who were not getting the care they needed - including major surgery such as amputations.

"After 52 days of blockade and heavy fighting we are running of medicines. And then we also keep unburied bodies of our fighters whom we need to bury with dignity in Ukraine-controlled territory," he said.

Capt Palamar said Ukrainian defenders also wanted to secure their own evacuation if possible - but there could be no question of surrender.

"As for surrender in exchange for the safe way out for civilians, I hope we all know whom we are dealing with. We definitely know that all guarantees, all statements of the Russian Federation are worth nothing."

He said many of the defenders left in Azovstal came from Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He himself had been married there and his child had been born there.

"I witnessed how this city was developing. How this city became the pearl of Azov and it's a hometown for me as well," he said.

"Russia is not renewing or rebuilding anything. It aims to destroy and terrorise... If we fall this horde will go further and the whole civilised world will be in danger."

Ukraine has accused Russian forces of bombing civilian shelters and of using weapons banned or restricted by international law - including phosphorus bombs and cluster munitions - in attacks on Azovstal.

Ukraine as well as the US and UK have announced investigations into the possible use of chemical weapons in Mariupol, something Russia has denied. The BBC cannot independently confirm the allegations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61183062
 
EU advises its workers to work from home to hurt Russia. Theory being, WFH will mean less demand on petrol/gas.

Proper plumbs, Putin has the EU over an oil barrel!
 
KYIV, April 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory on Thursday in the biggest battle of the Ukraine war, declaring the port city of Mariupol "liberated," although hundreds of Ukrainian troops and civilians were still holding out inside a giant steel works.

The United States disputed Putin's claim and said it believed Ukrainian forces still held ground in the city. Putin ordered his troops to blockade the steel complex, where Ukrainians were told earlier to either surrender or die.

Ukraine said Putin wanted to avoid a final clash with its forces in Mariupol, as he lacked troops to defeat them. But Ukrainian officials also appealed for help to evacuate civilians and wounded soldiers.

In a televised meeting at the Kremlin, Putin congratulated his defence minister and Russian troops for having "successfully completed the combat effort to liberate Mariupol".

He said it was unnecessary to storm the industrial zone containing the Azovstal steel plant.

"There's no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities... Block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can get through," Putin said.

Mariupol, a major port in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, sits between areas held by Russian separatists and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized in 2014. Capturing the city would allow Russia to link the two areas as it intensifies its offensive in Ukraine's east. read more

Even as Putin claims his first big prize since his forces were driven away from the capital Kyiv and northern Ukraine last month, it falls short of the unambiguous victory Moscow has sought after months of combat in a city reduced to rubble.

In a late-night address, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was doing all it could "to talk about at least some victories", including mobilising new battalion tactical groups.

"They can only postpone the inevitable - the time when the invaders will have to leave our territory, including from Mariupol, a city that continues to resist Russia regardless of what the occupiers say," Zelenskiy said.

Russia calls its invasion a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext for a war that has killed thousands and uprooted a quarter of Ukraine's population.

Moscow stepped up its attacks in eastern Ukraine this week and made long-distance strikes at other targets including Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, where missiles killed seven people on Monday.

Heeding continued Ukrainian calls for new weapons, Washington authorized another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday, including heavy artillery. read more

Asked about Putin's victory declaration in Mariupol, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said it was "yet more disinformation from their well-worn playbook".

Mariupol, once home to 400,000 people, has seen not only the most intense battle of the war that started when Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, but also its worst humanitarian catastrophe.

Ukraine estimates tens of thousands of civilians have died in Mariupol. The United Nations and Red Cross say the civilian toll is at least in the thousands.

Journalists who reached Mariupol during the siege found streets littered with corpses, nearly all buildings destroyed, and residents huddled freezing in cellars, venturing out to cook scraps on makeshift stoves or to bury bodies in gardens.

Ukrainian fighters remain inside the Azovstal steel complex, one of the biggest metallurgical facilities in Europe, covering 11 sq km with huge buildings, underground bunkers and tunnels.

Mariupol's mayor, Vadym Boichenko, told Reuters on Thursday that Putin alone can decide the fate of the 100,000 civilians still trapped in the city.

"It's important to understand that the lives that are still there, they are in the hands of just one person - Vladimir Putin. And all the deaths that will happen after now will be on his hands too," Boichenko said in an interview. read more

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers needed to be brought out from the plant immediately, blaming Russian forces for the failure to establish a safe corridor that she said had been agreed.

Moscow says Russia has taken in 140,000 civilians from Mariupol in humanitarian evacuations. Kyiv says some were deported by force, in what would constitute a war crime.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday proposed a four-day humanitarian pause to the fighting during the Orthodox Easter period. Both Ukrainians and Russians are predominantly Orthodox Christians, and mark Easter Sunday on April 24.

A Ukrainian association of churches and religious communities separately proposed an Easter truce, and the head of Ukraine's Orthodox church urged Ukrainians to forgo night-time Easter services, fearing Russian bombardment. read more

Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russia had "rejected the proposal to establish an Easter truce," but said Ukraine still had hope during the holiday. It was not immediately clear which truce proposal Zelenskiy was referring to.

There was no immediate Russian comment.

An aide to Zelenskiy's chief of staff told Ukrainian television Russian forces captured 42 villages in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday, but Ukraine might soon take them back. read more

After announcing new military aid for Ukraine, including dozens of howitzer artillery systems, U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington and allies were "moving as fast as possible" to provide Kyiv with the weapons it needs. read more

"We're in a critical window now of time where they're going to set the stage for the next phase of this war," Biden said.
 
FYI - Gonzalo Lira is alive. Hooray.

He just did a video with The Duran on youtube.
 
Britain is to reopen its embassy in Kyiv thanks to the "extraordinary fortitude and success" of Ukraine in resisting Russian forces, Boris Johnson has announced.

The prime minister made the commitment, described as a show of support for the country and its people, at a news conference during his trip to India.

Britain moved its embassy away from the Ukrainian capital in February before Russia invaded the country.
 
'US media: Germany expels Afghan refugees to accommodate Ukrainians'

A new report released by US media says Germany is evicting hundreds of Afghans to make way for a large flood of Ukrainian war refugees who are arriving in the country.

US-based Foreign Policy magazine recounted the story of helpless Afghan families which arrived in Germany as refugees fleeing the Taliban rule but were quite recently expelled by the German government to make room for incoming Ukrainian refugees.

Even German social workers voiced frustration at Berlin’s treatment of Afghan refugees, it said.

The German government grants asylum seekers temporary residence that is re-evaluated every six months. But it often does not approve extension and eventual asylum, depending on the situation in their home country.

Most Afghans evacuated since last August, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, skipped this process entirely, immediately receiving three-year residency permits.

“This means that soon after their arrival, Afghans fell into the same category—and are treated—as asylum-seekers who have been granted asylum and who have already been living in Germany for years, able to speak the language and to navigate the system,” said an unnamed social worker.


Germany’s Merkel urges ‘controlled’ Afghan refugee response from EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for coordinated European Union (EU) action to take in the most vulnerable people from Afghanistan amid the takeover of the country by the Taliban militant group.

These Afghans are now being displaced by the German government to make room for a large flood of Ukrainian war refugees who are arriving in Germany.

“The evictions purposefully weren’t publicized. Some people had lived in their homes for years and were ripped out of their social structures, including children who were moved to locations far from their respective schools,” said Tareq Alaows, a board member of the Berlin Refugee Council, a collaboration of different organizations helping to improve conditions for refugees in the German capital and making sure their rights are adhered to.

Berlin said Afghans were evicted from the so-called “arrival centers” where they should only be staying for a short time. But some families had been living there for years, while others were living in accommodation other than arrival centers.

“Few people’s living conditions improved, but most were afraid to speak up, afraid it could impact their immigration status,” Alaows said, explaining that around 10 residences had been expelled from the German capital.

Western double standards on Ukraine and other conflicts

One of the things that the conflict in Ukraine has shown is how Western media chooses which conflicts it wants to highlight.

According to the report, the eviction decision was made by Berlin’s Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Services. The department argues that the move is “based on operationally necessary and difficult considerations” and that there is no alternative because Ukrainians, including many women with children, needed a roof over their heads and a bed.

Before the commencement of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Germany was Europe’s biggest host country for refugees with more than 1.24 million people living in it, after Berlin opened its borders in 2015 to people mostly fleeing war in Syria.

After the war in Ukraine, Poland became the biggest host country for refugees in Europe which has taken in 2.8 million Ukrainians so far.

https://ussanews.com/2022/04/21/us-media-germany-expels-afghan-refugees-to-accommodate-ukrainians-2/
 
Russia had a pre-hatched plan for its troops to torture, rape and execute civilians in Ukraine who refuse to capitulate, Ukraine's top prosecutor has said.

Iryna Venediktova said, as a Ukrainian citizen, she understood why political leaders like US President Joe Biden have accused Vladimir Putin's forces of committing genocide in her country, but as a prosecutor she said she must gather the evidence in areas like the besieged city of Mariupol.

"I will give you the evidence when I have access to this territory", she told Sky News in an interview at her offices in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

SKY
 
Russia is aiming to take full control of southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region, a senior Russian commander says.

Maj Gen Rustam Minnekayev was quoted in state media as saying that goal would allow Moscow to form a land bridge to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

He also said it would give Moscow access to the Russian-backed separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova.

Transnistria is a small region that borders Ukraine's west.

It is unclear if Gen Minnekayev's comments were officially sanctioned by the Kremlin, but they were widely cited in Russian state media including the Interfax and Tass news agencies.

Bbc
 
Russian forces trying to storm steel plant in Mariupol, Ukrainian official says

If you've been following the latest in the conflict over the last few days, you may know that the final Ukrainian troops in Mariupol are holed up in a steel plant.

They are thought to be stuck there with up to 1,000 civilians who are holed up in bomb shelters beneath the complex along with soldiers, marines and medics.

Ukraine's presidential adviser has now said Russian forces are trying to conduct operations to storm the Azovstal plant and have resumed airstrikes.

SKY
 
Mariupol steelworks: Video appears to show children in Azovstal bunker

Ukraine's Azov regiment has posted a video showing women and children purportedly sheltering underground at the Azovstal plant - the last part of Mariupol not under Russian control.

Women and children in a crowded room can be heard saying they are running out of food and water, and pleading to be evacuated from the southern city.

Some say they have seen no daylight for weeks, having been there from February.

The BBC has not verified the video, believed to be filmed on 21 April.

On the same day, President Vladimir Putin called off a planned Russian assault on the steelworks, and ordered his troops to seal it off instead.

Moscow also declared itself to be in full control of the strategic city - a claim denied by Ukraine, who says Russian troops were simply unable to seize the Azovstal steelworks.

The plant - a maze of tunnels and workshops - is a huge industrial site in central Mariupol.

Taking the Sea of Azov port - which has been almost erased by weeks of heavy Russian bombardment - is a key Kremlin war aim, and would release more troops to join an ongoing Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61201548
 
Bits from Zelensky's ongoing press conference right now:

Blinken to visit Kyiv on Sunday - Zelensky

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Kyiv on Sunday, Zelensky says.

The visit, which will also include US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will be the first official trip by US government officials since Russia began its invasion in February.

"Tomorrow, the American officials are coming to visit us," Zelensky told reporters.

Zelensky calls for Putin meeting

The Ukrainian leader is calling for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war.

"I think that whoever started this war will be able to end it," Zelensky said at the news conference he is continuing to hold in Kyiv.

He added that he was "not afraid to meet" Putin if it meant reaching a peace settlement between the two nations.

Peace talks over if Mariupol defenders killed - Zelensky

Kyiv's negotiators will pull out of peace talks with Moscow if Russia kills the Ukrainian forces still holding out in Mariupol's vast Azovstal steelworks, the Ukrainian president says.

"If our men are killed in Mariupol," Zelensky told journalists, "Ukraine will withdraw from any negotiation process".

The defenders - made up of marines, members of the controversial Azov regiment, border guards and police officers - are the last Ukrainian forces left in Mariupol, which has been battered by Russia for weeks.

There are also reportedly civilians sheltering in the steelworks.

In a video released by the Azov regiment - which began as a far right group and was later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard - women and children in a crowded room can be heard saying they are running out of food and water, and pleading to be evacuated.

BBC
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy has said Ukraine hopes to secure heavy weapons at talks with the US secretaries of state and defence in Kyiv on Sunday.

He added the supplies would be vital for Ukraine to eventually retake Russian-occupied territory.

"As soon as we have (more weapons), as soon as there are enough of them, believe me, we will immediately retake this or that territory, which is temporarily occupied," he told reporters.
 
So Zelensky wants more weapons but also threatening to walk away from peace talks. Man seems confused. If Nato sends weapons arms convoys could become Russian targets.
 
daytrader said:
So Zelensky wants more weapons but also threatening to walk away from peace talks. Man seems confused. If Nato sends weapons arms convoys could ebecome Russian targets.
Click to expand...

They already are.

Not shown in western mainstream media but the Russians have taken out equipment already located at various bases. Heavy equipment on the move is being monitored and destroyed upon reaching the destination.

The Russians are now taking out bridges and train lines that are used to transport equipment.
 
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit Ukraine's capital Kyiv later today, accompanied by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The pair are expected to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to talk about the country's request for more weapons to repel the Russian invasion.

Mr Zelenskyy announced the visit on Saturday, saying: "I believe that we will be able to get agreements from the United States or part of that package on arming Ukraine which we agreed on earlier.

"Besides, we have strategic questions about security guarantees, which it is time to discuss in detail, because the United States will be one of those leaders of security countries for our state.

"As soon as we have (more weapons), as soon as there are enough of them, believe me, we will immediately retake this or that territory, which is temporarily occupied."
 
bones said:
They already are.

Not shown in western mainstream media but the Russians have taken out equipment already located at various bases. Heavy equipment on the move is being monitored and destroyed upon reaching the destination.

The Russians are now taking out bridges and train lines that are used to transport equipment.
Click to expand...



The US and its vassals are sending massive amounts of military equipment to Ukraine - but have no idea where all this weaponry is ending up. Really quite typical, flood a country with huge supply of arms and let different factions fight for supremacy, extremists usually claim victory and use the power vacuum to rampage across cities and towns in search of dissenters and anyone who opposes their toxic ideologies. Having a completely collapsed Ukraine serves the interests of those who seek to destabilize and balkanize Russia - however, the threat of unintended consequences looms large on the horizon for the US/West.



'Ever since the crisis over Ukraine began last year, a minority of commentators, including the present author, have cautioned about the dangers of inundating the country with weapons, and the risk of fueling extremist groups that could destabilize the country and create blowback for the West, as the United States’ anti-Soviet policy in Afghanistan did in the 1980s. A new CNN report suggests US officials are well aware of these risks.

A suite of anonymous sources told the network that Washington has no way of tracking the weapons they send or knowing where they end up when they enter Ukraine, one of Europe’s largest arms trafficking markets even before the war. “It drops into a big black hole, and you have almost no sense of it at all after a short period of time,” one source told CNN.

According to the report, both military analysts and US officials acknowledge that the massive quantity of arms being supplied by more than twenty governments could in the long term “wind up in the hands of other militaries and militias that the US did not intend to arm.” Ukrainian troops pick up trucks loaded with weapons mostly in Poland, states the report, before driving them across the border, at which point it’s entirely up to Ukrainians how and where they’re given out.

This isn’t the first time Western officials and analysts have acknowledged this. Back in March, a senior US military official told Al Jazeera that “we believe that risk is worth taking right now.” Earlier this month, one expert suggested to Radio-Canada that while “after the war, it could be a problem for the extreme right to find itself armed,” it was justified by the “exceptional results on the ground.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced early on in the war that he would give out weapons to anyone willing to fight, suggesting a less-than-judicious attitude about where they end up — understandable given the circumstances, but no less risky. Besides this, members of white supremacist and other far-right extremist groups have infiltrated the country’s military and become part of its National Guard, another potential direct point of access to the arms. The Organized Crime Index notes that most of the arms trafficking inside Ukraine takes place domestically, but is also linked to weapons black markets in nearby Eastern and Central European states and in EU countries.

Ukraine’s ultranationalists have been key drivers of instability within the country over the last decade, toppling one government through violence, attacking marginalized groups and political opponents, and threatening and carrying out anti-government violence across multiple administrations, including Zelensky’s, often to derail peace efforts. Various voices — from West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center and the counterterror Soufan Center, to human rights organizations and the mainstream press — warned before the war that the Ukrainian far right not only had their sights set on a coup, but that they stood at the nexus of an international movement of far-right militants looking to take power in Europe, organizing in ways similar to jihadist networks.

https://jacobinmag.com/2022/04/unit...cKBC8OihZEeZCJpNvS7Ig5B29wZethiVPr2TDa8Zn9tBc
 
daytrader said:
So Zelensky wants more weapons but also threatening to walk away from peace talks. Man seems confused. If Nato sends weapons arms convoys could become Russian targets.
Click to expand...

As with every conflict or war It takes two to tango for a peaceful outcome to become viable.

Of course Zelensky wants weapons, there is no comparison whatsoever with the firepower Ukraine has compared to what the Russian millitary machine has in its arsenal and the reputation it did have before this invasion had begun.

The Ukrainians firstly got a batch of defensive weapons and they used them very effectively to drive the Russians back from outside the towns of Kyiv. The Russian armoured vehicles just became easy cannon fodder for the Ukrainians with Nlaw and Javelin anti tank missiles. There are tons of videos and photos on twitter that illustrate this - no one can deny it when the evidence is crystal clear.

However now the fight is going to be in the Donbas region it will be in much more open flatter areas in which defensive weapons are not going to be enough - they understandly want heavier offensive weapons like long range artillery and tanks.

Putin started this insane millitary adventure so the pressure should be on him to withdraw his forces, not just on Zelensky to come to the negotiating table to surrender more land as other than decimating whole cities like Mariupol he hasn’t achieved much in 2 months.
If that’s a victory to Putin it’s a very small hollow short term one because that formula can’t be used for every single city in Ukraine where you slaughter over 20,000 people and destroy 90% of a city to capture it.

Lastly the Russians must surely know the supply route these NATO weapons are coming from but for some reason are not targeting them or very little of it so that alone tells a story they are treading very carefully so it doesn’t escalate further.
NATO isn’t going to be directly involved and neither does Russia want them to either.
 
90MPH said:
As with every conflict or war It takes two to tango for a peaceful outcome to become viable.

Of course Zelensky wants weapons, there is no comparison whatsoever with the firepower Ukraine has compared to what the Russian millitary machine has in its arsenal and the reputation it did have before this invasion had begun.

The Ukrainians firstly got a batch of defensive weapons and they used them very effectively to drive the Russians back from outside the towns of Kyiv. The Russian armoured vehicles just became easy cannon fodder for the Ukrainians with Nlaw and Javelin anti tank missiles. There are tons of videos and photos on twitter that illustrate this - no one can deny it when the evidence is crystal clear.

However now the fight is going to be in the Donbas region it will be in much more open flatter areas in which defensive weapons are not going to be enough - they understandly want heavier offensive weapons like long range artillery and tanks.

Putin started this insane millitary adventure so the pressure should be on him to withdraw his forces, not just on Zelensky to come to the negotiating table to surrender more land as other than decimating whole cities like Mariupol he hasn’t achieved much in 2 months.
If that’s a victory to Putin it’s a very small hollow short term one because that formula can’t be used for every single city in Ukraine where you slaughter over 20,000 people and destroy 90% of a city to capture it.

Lastly the Russians must surely know the supply route these NATO weapons are coming from but for some reason are not targeting them or very little of it so that alone tells a story they are treading very carefully so it doesn’t escalate further.
NATO isn’t going to be directly involved and neither does Russia want them to either.
Click to expand...

Where to start with the endless false comments in this post.

The Ukrainians had a chance to negotiate 5 weeks ago, they don’t now. Russia has this war won and comprehensively.

You still think that Russia intended to take Kyiv. The idea of feints and fixing hasn’t entered your head once. Don’t take my word for it look at what military forums are saying. Most said the Russians were fixing the Ukrainians around Kyiv in March - turns out they were right. They were laughing at western media and those who believed them like you - because there were nowhere near enough soldiers to take it. As soon as the land corridor to Crimea was complete they withdrew from the north including Kyiv.

If you disagree find an example in history that proves you can take a city of millions with just 50k soldiers. I know you won’t because it’s not possible.

The NLAW and javelin missiles are over rated, according to the military guys on defence forums you require more than 3 hits sometimes to take s vehicle out and these devices often fail on launch. None of the media highlights these deficiencies because only Russia can have crappy equipment right?

The Russians are losing lots of equipment but so too are the Ukrainians. It’s war what do you expect to happen? The difference is Russia can afford to lose a lot more because they have a lot more.

The Russians are targeting the NATO equipment why do you think missiles are landing in places like Lviv, Dnipro and Poltova?

The Russians are on the verge of a great military victory. Despite being outnumbered by 3 to 1 that are going to achieve their military objectives and more. Ukraine’s best army in Donbas is gradually getting ground down and will either surrender or be defeated. They cannot retreat because the routes are cut off and their leadership won’t allow it.

The situation is so bad that even the Times and the guardian newspapers in the uk have finally admitted that Russia could win this war. At least it’s a step in the right direction.

If anyone is interested please read military forums where some experienced and well studied military people have gone into great detail on the war. Whichever way any looks at it, they
 
Have people noticed that whilst the west along with Ukraine are busy with there are no clips of successful bayraktar drone attacks anymore? Seems like Russian anti air has eliminated all of them.

Colonel Douglas MacGregor said in a video recently that since the war started the Ukrainians have not been able to launch a single counter offensive at the battalion level or above. Any counter offensives are at a low level.

A couple of days ago the Ukrainians tried to mount an assault towards the Russian border near Kharkiv with a combination of 10 armoured vehicles and tanks. It resulted in 8 destroyed and 2 fleeing. There is footage over social media. Not one mention of this in mainstream media.
 
As expected the donbass offensive has stalled

Ukraine is now striking targets in Russia blown up a massive oil facility.

Once those heavy weapons get delivered in particular artillery and tanks you will see russians on backfoot again.


This is turning into an afghanistan for russia but much worse.

Putin looks worried and in ill health from recent appearances on camera I think he knows deep down he has been set up trapped by the west and he has sealed his fate and Russias that's why you have noises of nuclear response and icbms by russia they have lost.

To save this war the only way is to use chemical weapons and mini tactical nukes russia cannot win conventionally.
 
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