Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Woody]

Pentagon official was quoted by CNN saying they are assessing around 2000 Russian/Chechen troops currently in Mariupol.

[Woody]

Huge news

https://twitter.com/KonotopW/status/1522505047426453507

[Woody]

Some positive news: at least 500 civilians have left the Azovstal plant since the evacuations begun.

[Woody]

Some positive news: at least 500 civilians have left the Azovstal plant since the evacuations begun.

That is good news. Link?

( on a personal note, I can't believe I just recommended a sir Woodbury Post )

https://kyivindependent.com/uncategorized/yermak-almost-500-civilians-evacuated-from-besieged-mariupol-azovstal-steel-plant/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/06/un-plans-third-evacuation-from-azovstal-steelworks-as-battle-continues-to-rage

The Ukrainian deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said people would be evacuated from Mariupol at midday local time on Friday. The UN and the Red Cross said they had so far helped nearly 500 civilians flee the steel plant area in the southern port city during two operations in the past week.

UA authorities are saying that around 1000 is still left in the plant.

[Woody]

Russians have been aggressively russifying Kherson Oblast. They are officialy converting it into the ruble zone, rerouted it's internet to Russian, forcing schools to adopt Russian textbooks, and they are now planning giving out citizenship/passports to it's inhabitants. More plans as we know of include having it's gas and energy being sent from Russian occupied Crimea, restoring old powerlines which were destroyed after it's 2014 annexation & planned permanent Russian occupation as per Andrey Turchak's (Russian senator/Secretary of the General Council of United Russia) comments during his visit to Kherson.

[Woody]

Updates from the Severodonetsk front:

https://twitter.com/AggregateOsint/status/1522971109490106368?cxt=HHwWgIC5hfaJ16...
https://twitter.com/AggregateOsint/status/1522969345072193536?cxt=HHwWgICzjZyj1q...

[Woody]

Updates from the Izyum/Lyman front:

https://twitter.com/AggregateOsint/status/1522967692927696897?cxt=HHwWgoDQ1YbD1a...

[Woody]

Even more excellent news: Ukraine says all women, children now evacuated from Azovstal

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/diplomatic-efforts-seek-save-ukraine-fighters-mariupol-zelenskiy-2022-05-07/

[Woody]

Huge news from the frontlines. Popasna has fallen to Russia:

https://mobile.twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1523090542900355073?cxt=HHwWgoCppe6...

[Woody]

Confirmation by the Governor of Luhansk, UA forces have withdrawn from Popasna to "stronger positions" (Possibly as far back as Bakhmut)

https://t.me/serhiy_hayday/6369

Next in line for the Russians is the road to Bakhmut. A city that is across the Luhansk-Donetsk border and has a population a little over 70,000 people... either that or go up north and try to isolate/encircle Severodonetsk

In the Izyum front Russians have reached to northern outskirts of Shandryholove village. Lyman is surrounded by RU forces to it's south and east.

https://t.me/ukrinform_news/68970

[Woody]

All the civilians in Azovstal have been evacuated from Azovstal according to Zelensky.

“We took all civilians out of the Azovstal plant and are now preparing for the second stage of the evacuation mission to evacuate those who are wounded and medics,” he said. “Of course, we are working on evacuating our military, all the heroes who are defending Mariupol.”

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/8/russia-ukraine-war-all-women-children-evacuated-from-azovstal

Russia unlikely to let the few remaining Azov fighters leave.

[Woody]

Russians erected a pontoon bridge over the Siverskyi Donets. Seems like they are trying for the encirclement of Lysychansk/Sieverodonetsk from the North and now the South since they have Popasna.

https://mobile.twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1523453504609976320

https://t.me/serhiy_hayday/6379

[Woody]

As mentioned above, Ukrainians retaking land near Kharkiv. Russians are making more gains in the Izium front to it's west and east. Lyman is almost going to be surrounded by 3 sides.

https://mobile.twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1523815517630443520?cxt=HHwWgMC5-fi...

[Woody]

What would happen if Ukraine started to raid the Russian border?

Remember the Chechen Wars? Dozens of raids/terrorist acts in Russia (Nord-Ost, Nazran raid, Budyonnovsk hospital, Beslan, airport bombings, etc..) Nothing but more to stoke up the Kremlin and it's TV campaign.

[Woody]

Ukraine war: Russian-occupied Kherson will ask Putin to annex the region

https://www.euronews.com/2022/05/11/live-ukrainians-make-gains-in-east-hold-on-at-mariupol-mill

No plans for supposed "Kherson's people's republic" nor any referendum.. they will ask directly to be annexed to the Russian Federation.

[Woody]

Russians erected a pontoon bridge over the Siverskyi Donets. Seems like they are trying for the encirclement of Lysychansk/Sieverodonetsk from the North and now the South since they have Popasna.

Sorry Comrade, no luck today, but try try again.

General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine: Russian troops managed to cross Siversky Donets river near Lyman

Source: https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1524605123175063552

https://mobile.twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1524543939528769538?cxt=HHwWhICygde...

[Woody]

Russians erected a pontoon bridge over the Siverskyi Donets. Seems like they are trying for the encirclement of Lysychansk/Sieverodonetsk from the North and now the South since they have Popasna.

Sorry Comrade, no luck today, but try try again.

General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine: Russian troops managed to cross Siversky Donets river near Lyman

Source: https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1524605123175063552

Not a hater Sir W. , but still it appears your "counter-narrative" is perhaps a bit more misleading than the reality on the ground?

?? Huh

If the UA government is not a good source to cite for you when it's time to confirm where they are retreating/what is going on the ground... then wtf is?

Also, literally everything you just mentioned above that comment has not been cited nor remotely mentioned anywhere.

[Woody]

In other news, Russian forces have started to directly assault Sieverodonetsk from the North-West now that Voievodivka (Voedovka) has fallen.

As per the General Staff of Armed forces of Ukraine the Russians has "limited success" in their offensive:
https://t.me/lumsrc/1474

Map of the outskirts so you can get a picture in your head where everything is:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Mr_Hornblower/status/1524413771858464768

[Woody]

The pontoon bridge that was destroyed was to the north of Bilohorivka. Where the Russians had success crossing the Siversky Donets was to the east of Lyman/Yampil. Confirmed by Livemap and literally the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

I really wish you guys would stop the conclusions.. I talk about what's going on in Kharkiv & genocide going on in the occupied territories, civilians, unlawful annexations, etc.. and I cite my sources now when it's beyond reasonable doubt (geolocation and other 3rd parties) or it's either confirmed by both sides (UA General Staff and RU)

So how on earth is that not good enough?

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/OTregub/status/1524698941434048513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwc...
Supposed accounts of citizens of the Russian Federation moving to Kherson / Document from the Russian-installed military government. Would be a Crimea-redux.

[Woody]

https://mobile.twitter.com/War_Mapper/status/1525993365438976005

[Woody]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ThatKHersch/status/1526083901189414912

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1526188874539704320

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-16-22/h_167ab523a8d66c93bafa773d9460043a

"On May 16th, as a result of negotiations with representatives of Ukrainian servicemen blocked on the territory of the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol, an agreement was reached on the removal of the wounded," the ministry said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

"Currently, a ceasefire regime has been established in the area of ​​the enterprise and a humanitarian corridor has been opened, through which wounded Ukrainian servicemen are being delivered to a medical facility in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People's Republic, to provide them with all the necessary assistance," the statement continues.

Novoazovsk is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Mariupol.

No response from Ukraine about this yet. But if true, those guys are most likely going to end up as prisoners, no way Russia is letting back members of Azov if they are in their hands.

[Woody]

https://twitter.com/KevinRothrock/status/1526188874539704320

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-16-22/h_167ab523a8d66c93bafa773d9460043a

"On May 16th, as a result of negotiations with representatives of Ukrainian servicemen blocked on the territory of the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol, an agreement was reached on the removal of the wounded," the ministry said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

"Currently, a ceasefire regime has been established in the area of ​​the enterprise and a humanitarian corridor has been opened, through which wounded Ukrainian servicemen are being delivered to a medical facility in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People's Republic, to provide them with all the necessary assistance," the statement continues.

Novoazovsk is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Mariupol.

No response from Ukraine about this yet. But if true, those guys are most likely going to end up as prisoners, no way Russia is letting them back members of Azov if they are in their hands.

What does Russia get from this?

More fighters out of the steel plant, more POWs, propaganda (Big scary Azov now taken as prisoners and under their care), etc..

[Woody]

There is still the question if Russia will even let some of the surrendered Azov fighters leave/be exchanged. Already calls from some in the Russian side for detaining them indefinitely, or outright execution:

However, Russia's TASS news agency quoted the speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, as calling the Ukrainian fighters "Nazi criminals" that should not be exchanged.

Another lawmaker, Leonid Slutsky, said that although Russia had a moratorium on the death penalty, it should "think carefully" about capital punishment for the Azov fighters.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/azovstal-evacuate-mariupol-ukraine/31854197.html