Countdown to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

President Erdogan calls on Putin to make an honourable exit from the war. The main point of contention between the two countries was the status of Crimea and the separatist-controlled regions of Donbas and Luhansk. “I think Zelensky made a good move by offering a referendum" he said.

I'm a bit surprised at Erdogan, I thought he was another dictator like Putin.
 

Kremlin says Russia would not be upset if it gets kicked out of the G20 for invading Ukraine and would focus on different countries for allies.
 
JonSR77 said:
On Ukraine - by former Russian Ambassador Michael McFaul

Ambassador McFaul is fluent in Russian, expert in Russian affairs, met with Putin, personally, endless times. Has real insight. Not just some media pundit.

(scroll down about 1 page for recent articles)

https://michaelmcfaul.com/?fbclid=IwAR3p0cqtD1b9YVQZ9dDGhFb7u7TizfWhfepxHW_6jIX9wFiuMGR2gl11H9M
Click to expand...
Great insight. Thank you for sharing. Someone mentioned in another thread that Putin views our current leadership as weak, which is why he chose to invade Ukraine during this administration. He clarified that wasn't his view but Putin's.

I personally think Putin views anyone who isn't a deranged, narcissistic psychopath as weak.
 
mellowyellow said:
President Erdogan calls on Putin to make an honourable exit from the war. The main point of contention between the two countries was the status of Crimea and the separatist-controlled regions of Donbas and Luhansk. “I think Zelensky made a good move by offering a referendum" he said.

I'm a bit surprised at Erdogan, I thought he was another dictator like Putin.
Click to expand...
Surprised as well. He and Putin are cut from the same cloth.

https://www.realclearreligion.org/a...ainst_humanity_in_erdogans_turkey_661936.html

The crimes committed against Hizmet followers, including murder and kidnapping, and the measures perpetrated against perceived political enemies in and outside Turkey could be seen as "crimes against humanity" within the meaning of article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Under certain conditions, these crimes could be subject to universal jurisdiction.

Although "genocide" is an international legal term that focuses on the extermination of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group — and does not apply to actions carried out against a civil society movement like Hizmet —Erdogan’s targeting of the group fits a genocidal pattern of human-rights abuses.

Erdogan has taken eight of scholar Gregory Stanton’s ten stages of genocide when it comes to Hizmet. The first stage is “Classification”—or “us and them.” In 2013, Erdogan blamed Hizmet and Gülen for a corruption probe against his government and began labeling Hizmet participants as traitors, a criminal network, and an enemy of the state. The second is “Symbolization”—or giving the group a new, defamatory name. The Hizmet movement was first talked about as a “parallel state structure” by Erdogan before he later introduced a distinctive and defamatory name, Fethullah’s Terrorist Organization (“FETO”)—an epithet that all officials and state-owned media use today.

The third stage is “Discrimination.” Hizmet participants repeatedly have been denied basic rights, including preventing them from accessing lawful employment, leaving the country and denying them legal counsel. The fourth stage is “Dehumanization.” During public rallies, Erdogan has described Hizmet participants as "leeches," "blood-sucking vampires," and "bloody assassins." Such language is reminiscent of the Nazi vocabulary and would constitute "hate speech" under the "hate crimes" legislation of many countries.

The fifth stage in Stanton’s analysis is "Organization." Victims’ reports state that there are specially formed torture units within the intelligence service targeting Hizmet participants. The sixth stage is "Polarization." Ongoing propaganda has made an accusation of association with the Hizmet movement certain to result in social ostracization.

The seventh stage is "Preparation." Erdogan and his supporters direct violent phrases at Hizmet participants, including "they will not have access to food and water" and "they will beg us to kill them to avoid torture." Widespread propaganda calls Hizmet participants "assassins," "terrorists" or pawns of foreign powers such as the CIA, Mossad or the Vatican. The eighth stage is "Persecution." The Turkish government investigated over 600,000 Hizmet supporters, of whom nearly 100,000 were sentenced to prison in politicized courts; 200,000 more await prosecution.

Erdogan's government has laid the groundwork for the final steps of the genocide ladder: extermination and denial. Now that Turkey holds office over an international body, will Erdogan feel emboldened to continue down this path? For Hizmet participants trapped in Turkey, including the kidnapped families, the unsubtle threat "if we don’t eradicate them, they will sink this country" may betray his intentions.
 
Tish said:
Then it is time the West gave them the long-range rockets, artillery, and drones as well as the intelligence needed to end this catastrophe.
The man is literally holding the West hostage with his threats of both chemical and nuclear weapons
Click to expand...
I dug further and this is on Radio Free Europe....Russia have effectively claimed victory( we know it isn’t) and the war seems as if it is going to be confined to Donbas again..just like the last eight years.Could be an intriguing couple of days..



‘Russia's Defense Ministry has indicated that it has scaled back its goals in Ukraine, announcing on March 25 that the first phase of its military operation was complete and it would now focus on two eastern regions claimed by Russia-backed separatists.
"The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished," said Sergei Rudskoi, the deputy chief of the Russian armed forces' General Staff.
"The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which...makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of the Donbas.’


Donbas was free of course until they attacked it in 2014.And shot that Malaysian plane down.
 
Furryanimal said:
I dug further and this is on Radio Free Europe....Russia have effectively claimed victory( we know it isn’t) and the war seems as if it is going to be confined to Donbas again..just like the last eight years.Could be an intriguing couple of days..



‘Russia's Defense Ministry has indicated that it has scaled back its goals in Ukraine, announcing on March 25 that the first phase of its military operation was complete and it would now focus on two eastern regions claimed by Russia-backed separatists.
"The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished," said Sergei Rudskoi, the deputy chief of the Russian armed forces' General Staff.
"The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which...makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal, the liberation of the Donbas.’


Donbas was free of course until they attacked it in 2014.And shot that Malaysian plane down.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this @Furryanimal.
 
SeniorBen said:
I keep hoping that the military turns on him — either by refusing to continue the genocide against the Ukrainian people or by "taking him out."
Click to expand...
One of the Russian generals recently released a memo that he sent Putin in January, urging him not to invade, because it would be stupid and dangerous. That could be a sign that the military is starting to push back against him. Or not. I guess we will have to wait and see.
 
The next round of talks between Ukraine and the Russian Federation will take place in Turkey on March 28-30.
This was announced by the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, member of the delegation David Arakhamia, Ukrinform reports.
"Today, at the next round of talks held via video conference, it was decided to hold the next live round by the two delegations in Turkey on March 28-30," Arakhamia wrote on Facebook.
Arakhamia clarified that more details are yet to be announced.
 
Kateryna Tyshchenko - Monday, March 28, 2022, 22:46

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states that the situation in Ukraine should be perceived without excessive euphoria and inflated expectations, but also without assuming the worst.

Source: Presidential address

Verbatim: "You need to approach this situation with balance, as wisely as possible. There’s no need for excessive euphoria driven by success, but also there’s no need to assume the worst. We still need time, we still need weapons, we still need to fight and endure. We can't burn out now. So we avoid a burn out, you shouldn’t overhype expectations."


Details: The President said that Ukrainian defenders are advancing in the Kyiv region and regaining control over the territory.

"Irpin has been liberated ... The aggressors are being driven out from Irpin, they are being driven out from Kyiv. However, it is too early to talk about security in this part of our region. The fighting continues," he said.

Zelenskyy said that Russian troops controlled the north of the Kyiv region, had resources and manpower, and were trying to restore broken units.

"The level of their losses, even at 90%, is not an argument for them to stop. Hundreds and hundreds of units of burned and abandoned aggressors’ military equipment does not convince them that this will happen to everyone," the president said.

According to him, the situation in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donbas and southern Ukraine remains tense and very difficult.
 
ROMAN PETRENKO - TUESDAY, 29 MARCH 2022, 10:05

Negotiating teams from Ukraine and Russia have met in Istanbul, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressing them and calling for a truce.

Source: Erdogan's speech, which has been broadcast by Ukrainian TV channels

Details: Erdogan has called for a truce and said that the continuation of hostilities is not beneficial to anyone.


He expressed hope that the talks would yield a concrete result.

The Turkish president also said that successful talks in Istanbul would facilitate a meeting between Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

According to Erdogan: "As your neighbour, I am very upset about this situation. We have been making efforts to end it.

We have tried to restore peace, to restore international law.

All international platforms have tried to defend the rights of both countries to ensure a fair approach to the issue. Our country also lost a lot of troops, and we have tried not to let this happen again to the north of us.

Turkey feels responsible for peace in our region, we believe that peace will be restored. Continuation of the conflict will not be good for anyone - every person who dies, every building that is destroyed takes a piece away from our future.

Restoring peace will be good for both sides and for everyone.

We look forward to hearing from you with happy news."

More details: After the speech, Erdogan left the talks and said he was leaving for Uzbekistan.

Updated: At the negotiating table from Ukraine: Davyd Arakhamiya, head of the "Sluha Narodu" (Servant of the People) faction; Oleksiy Reznikov, Defence Minister; Andrii Kostin and Rustem Umerov, members of parliament; Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office; Mykola Tochytskyi, Deputy Foreign Minister; Kyrylo Timoshenko, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office; General Oleksandr Kyrylenko and Oleksandr Chalyi, diplomat and former official.

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is also in Istanbul. He had talks with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and members of the delegations before the talks began.

It is also known that Arakhamiya took part in a one-to-one meeting of the heads of the delegations with Vladimir Medinski
 
WhatInThe said:
Count down to war with Sweden who is mulling NATO membership. Nuclear weapon equiped Russian fighter jets breach Sweden's airspace

https://www.euractiv.com/section/po...ng-nuclear-weapons-violated-swedish-airspace/

Putin basically a rogue gangster demanding respect.
Click to expand...

That may not mean much. The military reality of borders is that countries with opposing views, who border each other...are almost constantly breaching each other's airspace, taunting their rivals, etc. It is basically normal military muscle flexing.

That kind of thing happened long before the Ukraine invasion.


Putin is a rogue gangster. I think he is "trying" to demand respect, but not really succeeding right now. Entire world community has had enough of him. World community is not going to back down to his threats...even if he threatens nuclear war.

He lives in a bubble where he thinks he is smarter and better than everyone else. He's not. Every major nation has extremely talented military officers and intelligence officers who are as smart and as fearless as anyone in the world.

Only delusional people think they are better than everyone else and can outsmart everyone else.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top