Countdown to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Furryanimal said:
This was always going to happen.
And could have been agreed before it even started.
Nothing unexpected but Zelensky is a realist.
Most of his enormous country is actually still intact and he wants to keep it that way.

It will take years for Ukraine to recover from this but Putin won’t be in power forever.
It seems generally agreed he is terminally ill.
But assuming my friend is okay I know what she will think of this.
But we were agreed Ukraine could never win.
And better this than more needless death and destruction.
If it was us Putin was doing this to I’d want such a deal too.
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It a good thing that most British weren't like you during WWII. They would of handed England over to Hitler.
 

hollydolly said:
...' The problem is they mentally exist there, and not here, with our people, with Russia,' he said. 'The West will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors... to divide our society.. to provoke civil confrontation... to strive to achieve its aim. And there is one aim - the destruction of Russia.'

He claimed that the conflict was merely a pretext for the West to impose sanctions because 'they just don't want a strong and sovereign Russia' and insisted the 'military operation' in Ukraine is going to plan despite his troops' advance remaining largely stalled on the outskirts of Kyiv. But he also told Russians, in words ironically reminiscent of Zelensky's speeches, that 'we are fighting for our sovereignty and the future of our children'.

It is the latest in the propaganda pushed by Moscow in a bid to justify their invasion of Ukraine to Russian citizens - including claims the war is about 'de-nazifying' the country and preventing a genocide of minorities waged by Kyiv. ...
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Some ideal of a restored and strong "Imperial Russia" (would love to see their fantasy expansion map) is driving those at the top and it won't stop with Putin's death. They undoubtably have his replacement lined up. The twitter guy I posted about above Kamil Galeev said Putin has used the need to protect Russia as an excuse for Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine 2014 (Crimea) and the current invasion of Ukraine. Each time, the scale escalates.

Kamil Galeev has an interesting bio. He's Russian with a B.A. in History from the Higher School of Economics (Moscow), MA in China Studies, Peking University, MLitt in Early Modern History, St Andrews. He looks to be in his 20s, so brings a different perspective than so many older pundits. He has posted a time or two about his opinions along the lines of "I think I got that wrong" which is heartening.
 

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Ouch! There have been Putin hints about nukes throughout this Ukraine debacle. Meanwhile China continues to threaten Taiwan, an island that we have said we will "defend". And Kim tests a new, larger, ICBM. Thankfully the test reportedly failed, but I am sure there will be another. Maybe it's time for a flying saucer to land and bring humanity back to its senses. (-8
 
The below article link comments briefly on games being played by elites in ongoing propaganda war. What Putin is doing is blatant though he obviously cares little if those in the West immediately reject and mock whatever because his audience is not with them but within his own authoritarian state he has suppressed Western views into. On the other hand, the propaganda in the West is not as obvious but rather requires uncommon skeptical, intelligent thinking by those with a good command over whatever language. The below article just mentions token examples for the sake of making points.

https://www.fairobserver.com/region...ladimir-putin-ukranian-nato-world-news-79103/

One thing I have noticed is that several of the links I've posted on this board from Google web searching over the last few weeks have mysteriously disappeared while using the same terms like "NATO AND neutral" or "war AND propaganda" or "Ukraine AND history". That shows neocons have influenced a more devious level of media suppression few might notice. From not understanding squat as this conflict began, as a member keen on not posting any text directly that is political, I've already noticed a list of additional troubling items I could present herein, however as I've noted previously, beyond posting a few links for others to consider on their own pro or con, nothing this micro peon might add will change anything.
 
hollydolly said:
Putin, today sent a chilling warning to the West and oligarchs telling 'scum' traitors that Russians will 'spit them out like a midge that flew into their mouths' - as he claimed Western 'attempts to have global dominance' is coming to an end.

The Russian President, speaking in a bombastic televised address from the Kremlin nearly three weeks into Moscow's invasion, warned the West would use 'those who earn their money here, but live over there' as a 'fifth column' to 'divide our society'.

'I do not judge those with villas in Miami or the French Riviera. Or who can't get by without oysters or foie gras or so-called 'gender freedoms.' The problem is they mentally exist there, and not here, with our people, with Russia,' he said. 'The West will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors... to divide our society.. to provoke civil confrontation... to strive to achieve its aim. And there is one aim - the destruction of Russia.'

He claimed that the conflict was merely a pretext for the West to impose sanctions because 'they just don't want a strong and sovereign Russia' and insisted the 'military operation' in Ukraine is going to plan despite his troops' advance remaining largely stalled on the outskirts of Kyiv. But he also told Russians, in words ironically reminiscent of Zelensky's speeches, that 'we are fighting for our sovereignty and the future of our children'.

It is the latest in the propaganda pushed by Moscow in a bid to justify their invasion of Ukraine to Russian citizens - including claims the war is about 'de-nazifying' the country and preventing a genocide of minorities waged by Kyiv.

Putin spoke as Zelensky spoke to US lawmakers in a landmark virtual address to Congress in which he invoked Pearl Harbour, the 9/11 attacks and Martin Luther King Jr as he called for greater Western intervention against Russia.

In a coordinated move last month Britain, the US, Canada and the EU, barred Moscow from the Swift international banking system to prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves 'in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions'.

The states have since imposed a sweeping range of sanctions on exports of champagne, high-end cars, fashion apparel, expensive electronics, sports gear and even vodka among other things as they attempt to bring the Russian economy to its knees in a punishment over Putin's war in Ukraine.

And in the most recent measures, hundreds of Russian oligarchs, organisations and individuals are set to be hit with sanctions from the Government after a fast-tracked bill to target 'dirty money' in the UK is passed. Several oligarchs, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovitch, have already been targeted with sanctions.

Video of Putin talking here... https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ests-attempt-global-dominance-coming-end.html
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Dailymail is a questionable source for factual informtion

dailymail.JPG

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/daily-mail/
 
Ukraine has become part of the European Union’s Energy Union
"The joining together of the Ukrainian and the European energy systems has now been finalised. Now our electricity can flow to Europe and European electricity to Ukraine. I am grateful to the EU member states.
 
David777 said:
The below article link comments briefly on games being played by elites in ongoing propaganda war. What Putin is doing is blatant though he obviously cares little if those in the West immediately reject and mock whatever because his audience is not with them but within his own authoritarian state he has suppressed Western views into. On the other hand, the propaganda in the West is not as obvious but rather requires uncommon skeptical, intelligent thinking by those with a good command over whatever language. The below article just mentions token examples for the sake of making points.

https://www.fairobserver.com/region...ladimir-putin-ukranian-nato-world-news-79103/

One thing I have noticed is that several of the links I've posted on this board from Google web searching over the last few weeks have mysteriously disappeared while using the same terms like "NATO AND neutral" or "war AND propaganda" or "Ukraine AND history". That shows neocons have influenced a more devious level of media suppression few might notice. From not understanding squat as this conflict began, as a member keen on not posting any text directly that is political, I've already noticed a list of additional troubling items I could present herein, however as I've noted previously, beyond posting a few links for others to consider on their own pro or con, nothing this micro peon might add will change anything.
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I believe most Russian citizens agree in part with the west in that they don't like what Putin is doing. Also, most can see through the propaganda they're getting. They've lived with it all their lives, they know it when they see it. Not so true of citizens in the west. Too many of us still trust our media, but I think a lot of us don't.
 

Russian strike hits theater in Mariupol sheltering "hundreds" of residents, Ukraine foreign minister says.​


Russian forces struck a theater where "hundreds" of civilians were sheltering in the besieged port city of Mariupol on Wednesday, local officials and Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs said. There was no immediate word on deaths or injuries.

"The building is now fully ruined," tweeted Minister Dmytro Kuleba, along with a purported photograph of the destroyed theater. "Russians could not have not known this was a civilian shelter."

The Mariupol city council said on Telegram that Russia "purposefully destroyed the Drama Theatre, where hundreds of people are hiding." The council said a plane dropped a bomb on the building, destroying the "central part" of the theater and the "entrance to the bomb shelter in the building."

"It is still impossible to estimate the scale of this horrific and inhumane act," the city council said on Telegram.

Other images and video purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike were posted on social media.

Russia has denied targeting civilians. The Russian defense ministry said its forces had not struck the building and blamed the attack on the Azov Battalion, a far-right Ukrainian militia, RIA news agency reported.

Mariupol, a southern seaport of 430,000 residents, has become a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin's drive to crush democratic Ukraine - but also of a fierce resistance on the ground.


In the nearly three weeks since Russia's war began, two Associated Press journalists have been the only international media present in Mariupol, chronicling its fall into chaos and despair. The city is now encircled by Russian soldiers, who are slowly squeezing the life out of it, one blast at a time.

Several appeals for humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians went unheeded, until Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that about 30,000 people had fled in convoys of cars. Airstrikes and shells have hit the maternity hospital, the fire department, homes, a church, a field outside a school. For the estimated hundreds of thousands who remain, there is quite simply nowhere to go.

The surrounding roads are mined and the port blocked. Food is running out, and the Russians have stopped humanitarian attempts to bring it in. Electricity is mostly gone and water is sparse, with residents melting snow to drink. Some parents have even left their newborns at the hospital, perhaps hoping to give them a chance at life in the one place with decent electricity and water.

People burn scraps of furniture in makeshift grills to warm their hands in the freezing cold and cook what little food there still is. The grills themselves are built with the one thing in plentiful supply: bricks and shards of metal scattered in the streets from destroyed buildings.

Death is everywhere. Local officials have tallied more than 2,500 deaths in the siege, but many bodies can't be counted because of the endless shelling. They have told families to leave their dead outside in the streets because it's too dangerous to hold funerals.

Many of the deaths documented by the AP were of children and mothers, despite Russia's claims that civilians haven't been attacked. Doctors say they are treating 10 civilians for every injured Ukrainian soldier.

"They have a clear order to hold Mariupol hostage, to mock it, to constantly bomb and shell it," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 10.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-strike-theater-mariupol-residents-ukraine-foreign-minister-says/
 
Furryanimal said:
A warning from History....


https://inews.co.uk/opinion/demonising-russia-risks-making-compromise-impossible-and-prolonging-the-war-1512064?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=i Editor's Choice 12/03/2022&utm_term=inews
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Does the author of this piece or anyone else really believe that what we do or don't do here will change Putin's mind and actions? Especially if he is as unhinged as reports are suggesting. I think he's going to continue to do as he pleases with no regard to civilian lives. He's been given opportunities to end this peacefully and things have escalated instead.
 
Murrmurr said:
Putin is out of his gourd.


I've always known his invasion of Ukraine is totally about the west and his own glory.
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yes I put a link to it in my last post..I feel that he's either got a terminal illness and wants to go out in a blaze of glory or he's become mentally ill...and someone has to relieve this man of his post...someone in Russia, but how is the question.. and would it be a jumping from the frying pan into the fire situation... is he now being used a sock puppet ?..who knows.... The man has always been super intelligent there's never been any doubt about that, and dangerous ... but I can't believe he's being allowed to say and do all this without the backing of a whole bunch of others..

Excuse me it's very late and I'm tired I'm probably waffling here..
 
hollydolly said:
yes I put a link to it in my last post..I feel that he's either got a terminal illness and wants to go out in a blaze of glory or he's become mentally ill...and someone has to relieve this man of his post...someone in Russia, but how is the question.. and would it be a jumping from the frying pan into the fire situation... is he now being used a sock puppet ?..who knows.... The man has always been super intelligent there's never been any doubt about that, and dangerous ... but I can't believe he's being allowed to say and do all this without the backing of a whole bunch of others..

Excuse me it's very late and I'm tired I'm probably waffling here..
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His backing is the CCP....my best guess. Not that he trusts Xi, and Xi doesn't trust Putin, but I think they're colluding - East takes West, by any means necessary.

Xi is more intelligent (cunning) that Putin, imo.

'night, Holly.
 
Russia continued to lie through its teeth today claiming that the Kremlin's forces 'don't bomb cities' and dismissing the Mariupol theatre bombing as a 'lie' - as rescuers race to free survivors buried under the rubble.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, speaking in a briefing from Moscow, repeated claims that Moscow's forces are only targeting strategic military locations and are not waging war on the civilian population of Ukraine.

But there have been repeated attacks on residential areas by Putin's forces, with three people killed and five wounded after Russian shelling on Wednesday in Kharkiv, and scores more feared dead after the Mariupol Drama Theatre was bombed.

Satellite imagery from Monday showed the word 'children' written in large white letters in Russian in front of and behind the theatre building in an apparent effort to stave off any attack by Vladimir Putin's forces. But two days later, Russian forces bombed the theatre where hundreds - including sick children and women - were sheltering.

Up to 1,200 civilians are believed to have been sheltering in the theatre and officials said late on Wednesday that it was impossible to know how many people were killed or injured in the attack because the shelling of residential areas continues in the city, meaning rescuers cannot reach those trapped in the rubble.

After Russia's bombs hit the theatre, the central part of the building collapsed, burying large numbers of people under rubble, Ukrainian officials said. The debris also blocked the entrance to the bomb shelter located inside the building.

The targeting of civilians drew strong condemnation, with US President Joe Biden for the first time branding Putin as a war criminal and Ukraine saying the attack was a war crime.

Putin faced further allegations of war crimes on Wednesday after video of an attack that was later confirmed by Ukraine's prosecutor general showed at least 10 civilians gunned down while they were queueing for bread outside Chernihiv.

Ukraine's prosecutor general confirmed in a statement the attack by Russian forces who 'fired at people standing in line for bread near a grocery store.' While new drone footage appeared to show Russian soldiers executing a lone Ukrainian civilian as he held his hands up to surrender on a highway west of Kyiv last week.

Russian rocket attacks also targeted a convoy of people fleeing Mariupol, killing civilians, including children, on Wednesday after earlier strikes targeted a nearby hub for displaced people. It is not yet known how many were killed in the shelling but an image from the scene showed a burnt out car, with a damaged door blown open.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...remlin-spokeswoman-says-dont-bomb-cities.html
 
hollydolly said:
Russia continued to lie through its teeth today claiming that the Kremlin's forces 'don't bomb cities' and dismissing the Mariupol theatre bombing as a 'lie' - as rescuers race to free survivors buried under the rubble.
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Putin so lives in the past, and seems oblivious to the world being totally transparent these days.
He needs to crawl back under his rock.. There is so much evil in him.
 
Perhaps as a country, we've gotten better, but, March 10th slid by without a reminder that we can also be very barbaric. :(:(

Anyone sincerely outraged by what is happening in Ukraine shoud also devote themselves to kindling the memory of the mass murder that took place in 1945.

Check the pages of your daily paper and the coverage of your television news and corporate media websites for March 10 1945 and see how much (if any) time or space was accorded the mass slaughter of civilians, after the armed forces of the United States government turned the residential sections of Tokyo into a gargantuan human barbecue pit.

If “Never Again” are the watchwords in the noble campaign to prevent future holocausts, should not the incineration of Tokyo's civilian population be remembered on the date it occurred, and its lessons imparted to all the people, in our schools, Congress and the cathedrals of media?

On March 10, 1945 hundreds of thousands of napalm explosives were dropped from three hundred B-29 Superfortress bombers on the residential sections of the city of Tokyo, intentionally setting afire 16 square miles of densely packed wooden dwellings mainly inhabited by women, children and men too old to fight. In a single morning at least 100,000 people were killed, and one million were made refugees.



Tokyo holocaust March 10 1945.jpg
 
This couple day old 17 minute PBS video interview with Julia Ioffe at the below link is a welcome example of a journalist with honest appraisals of the war situation despite having a pro-Western orientation. Her excellent natural flowing elocution reflects practiced public speaking of a keen mind. Some regardless of subject tend to dislike any others listening to biased media sources opposite their own positions because they seem to believe others regardless of skill won't be able to digest whatever with levels of skepticism accurately. Although that may be true for the majority of public audiences, I use this as an example of someone whose choice of words and style rings with honesty and truth, I've spent a lifetime honing.

Julia Ioffe: Why Ukraine Invasion Is Europe's 9/11
snippet:

As efforts continue to find a diplomatic solution for the war in Ukraine, the majority of Russians reportedly support Putin’s plan. Russian-born American journalist Julia Ioffe is a founding partner at Puck News and speaks with Walter Isaacson about the future of Russia.

https://www.pbs.org/video/julia-ioffe-why-ukraine-invasion-is-europes-911-ayhyhl/

​

 
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Not defending it but who started the war? Remember Pearl Harbor? The military was offered choice to surrender but they refused. Estimates to storm mainland Japan would have cost 100,000+ American lives. We can read about because of our freedom, whereas in Russia can only read what Kremlin want you to read.
 

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