Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[emailking]

Pregnant woman and her baby die after Mariupol maternity hospital bombing

A pregnant woman who was injured when a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was bombed on Wednesday has died, along with her newborn baby, a surgeon who was treating her confirmed on Monday.

The surgeon, Timur Marin, told Ukrainian television from Mariupol: "While she was being resuscitated and the anti-shock measures were being taken, we performed a caesarean section and took a child with no signs of life. The child's resuscitation for more than half an hour did not work. Resuscitation of the mother for half an hour or more -- without any results. They both died."

An Associated Press image of emergency workers carrying the injured woman on a stretcher outside the bombed hospital was shown around the world last week, including by CNN. 

According to the AP, medics did not have time to get the woman's name before her husband and father came to retrieve her body, so she did not end up in one of Mariupol's mass graves.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/europe/mariupol-pregnant-woman-baby-death-intl/index.html

[emailking]

I think everybody thinks the war is getting so bloody and likely to get worse that NATO will get involved, which obviously raises the nuclear stakes quite a bit. But I trust Biden to hold the line on this. No direct attack on Russian forces unless they attack a NATO member.

[emailking]

I think everybody thinks the war is getting so bloody and likely to get worse that NATO will get involved, which obviously raises the nuclear stakes quite a bit. But I trust Biden to hold the line on this. No direct attack on Russian forces unless they attack a NATO member.

This is nothing but appeasement

Not a negative here.

[emailking]

Doesn't sound like that big of a fine. I figured she'd get arrested.

[emailking]

They bombed Lviv, guess they seriously do want the entire country…

Just now? Or the strike on the base a few days ago.

[emailking]

Can ya'll seriously stop feeding the troll? Most of the last 3 pages have been taken up by a inane debate caused by one or two bootlickers

You'll never see them again:

What does "Make profile visible to registered forum members only" do? I can't seem to view anybody's profile logged out. It forces you to login.

[emailking]

They bombed an art school.

https://twitter.com/PaulaChertok/status/1505438546974322691

Russia bombs art school in Mariupol with residents inside - city council

City council in Ukraine's Mariupol city said on Sunday that Russian forces bombed an art school where 400 residents had taken refuge.

Council added that there were yet no reports regarding the casualties from the bombing.

https://www.anews.com.tr/world/2022/03/20/russia-bombs-art-school-in-mariupol-with-residents-inside-city-council

[emailking]

https://twitter.com/lesiavasylenko/status/1512521115981467649

NATO is not responsible for this wtf.

[emailking]

Apparently Biden used the g word (genocide) in his remarks in Iowa just now.

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Ukraine sunk their flagship!

[emailking]

I wonder if this will become the biggest thread on the site. If the war lasts the rest of the year like Blinken estimates and it keeps pushing 2-4 pages a day, it will get there easily.

[emailking]

The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, about a family's life during the ongoing war in the Donbas, is finally coming out June 21. I will watch it.

[emailking]

West pushes Russia into its first foreign debt default since 1918

Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the Bolshevik revolution more than a century ago.

Following reports that Moscow had failed to pay about $100 million in interest on two bonds during a 30-day grace period that expired Sunday, the White House said the default showed the power of Western sanctions imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine.

"This morning's news around the finding of Russia's default, for the first time in more than a century, situates just how strong the reactions are that the US, along with allies and partners, have taken, as well as how dramatic the impact has been on Russia's economy," a senior administration official said on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Germany.

Russia denied it was in default, saying the payments had been made, in dollars and euros, on May 27 and the money was stuck with Euroclear, a settlement house based in Belgium.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/27/economy/russia-debt-default-sanctions/index.html

[emailking]

Russia and Ukraine agree to deal that would resume Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a deal that would allow the resumption of vital grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports — a major diplomatic breakthrough aimed at easing a global food crisis sparked by the war, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday.

This comes after months of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia mediated by Turkey and the United Nations.

“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever,” Guterres said.

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-07-22-22#h_35db4ee1dbc643cbab64b29936da1eef

[emailking]

Biden calls Nord Stream pipeline leaks a ‘deliberate act of sabotage’

President Joe Biden on Friday called the Nord Stream pipeline leaks a “deliberate act of sabotage” and accused Russia and President Vladimir Putin of “pumping out disinformation and lies,” though he did not directly accuse Moscow for the sabotage.

Biden said that the US is working with allies to “get to the bottom of exactly – precisely what happened” and he has already directed resources to help allies enhance protection of the pipeline.

“Let me say this, it was a deliberate act of sabotage and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies,” Biden said, the first time he has described the incident as an act of sabotage.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/30/politics/biden-ukraine-putin-pipeline/index.html

[emailking]

https://twitter.com/breaknewsi/status/1579489093255598082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

Oh man.

I hope she made it.

[emailking]

Gunmen kill at least 11 people in attack on Russian military recruits, Russia's state media reports

Two gunmen opened fire on Russian military recruits at a training ground in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing at least 11 people and wounding another 15, Russia’s state news agency TASS reports.

The attack happened Saturday during a training session at the Western Military District, according to TASS, which cited the Russian Defense Ministry. The gunmen were said to be from former Soviet states. Russian officials have branded the attack an act of terrorism.

...

According to TASS, two individuals who committed the “terrorist act” were killed in retaliatory fire at the training ground.

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-10-15-22?utm_term=1665867508573f5ac3d0b8bf8

[emailking]

US intelligence suggests Russia put off announcing Kherson retreat until after midterm elections

The US has intelligence that Russia may have delayed announcing its withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson in part to avoid giving the Biden administration a political win ahead of the midterm elections, according to four people familiar with the intelligence.

Senior Russian officials discussed the US midterms as a factor during deliberations about the withdrawal announcement, one person familiar with the intelligence said. Waiting until after the US election was always a “pre-planned condition” of Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, a second person familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

Still, the election was far from the only consideration in Russia’s retreat, officials said. Military analysts say Russia had few other operational options and had been preparing to pull back for weeks, leading US officials to wonder when the Russians would officially acknowledge the withdrawal.

While the intelligence is not a formal assessment of Russia’s intentions, it is a sign that Russia has a continued interest in influencing the US political landscape — although the sources said Russia probably miscalculated the impact such an announcement would actually have on the elections.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/15/politics/us-intelligence-russia-withdrawal-midterm-election/index.html

[emailking]

Rockets or missiles reported to have landed in Poland near Ukrainian border, killing 2

Two missiles or rockets are reported to have hit a farm in Poland, near the border with Ukraine. Two people are reported killed.

Polish media showed an image of a deep impact and upturned farm vehicle at the site, near the town of Przewodow.

It's unclear where the projectiles came from.

However, the missiles or rockets landed at roughly the same time as a Russian missile attack on western Ukraine.

A government spokesperson said that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has convened the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs.

https://www.cnn.com/webview/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-11-15-22/h_e7fcb96313566fdeabb625b08f4b4b7f

[emailking]

Austin says they see no evidence that contradicts the President of Poland's assessment that it was a likely a Ukrainian anti air missile that struck Poland.

[emailking]

Biden and Zelensky planning to meet in Washington for Ukrainian president’s first foreign trip since war began

President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are planning to meet at the White House on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the planning, in a Washington visit that is tentatively scheduled to include an address to a joint session of Congress.

Zelensky is already on his way to Washington, two separate sources said, for a visit that marks his first trip outside of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February of this year.

The visit to the White House, which hasn’t been finalized and has remained tightly held due to security concerns, will include a meeting with Biden and top administration officials and is planned to coincide with the administration’s intent to send the country a new defense assistance package. Biden will announce an additional $1.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine during the expected visit, a significant boost in aid headlined by the Patriot missile systems within the package, a US official told CNN.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/20/politics/volodymyr-zelensky-washington-dc-visit/index.html

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Zelenskyy's speech to the joint session is at 7:30 PM EST tonight.

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Germany approves long-awaited delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as US finalizes plans to send Abrams

Germany confirmed it will send a long-demanded contingent of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in a major sign of support for Kyiv that is expected to be matched by the United States.

The announcement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday, coupled with an anticipated decision by the US to send about 30 M-1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, marks a landmark moment that followed weeks of intense pressure on Berlin from some of its NATO allies.

Scholz told his Cabinet of his decision that Germany will further strengthen its military support for Ukraine, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said. “The Federal Government has decided to make Leopard 2 battle tanks available to the Ukrainian armed forces,” he said.

“This is the result of intensive consultations that took place with Germany’s closest European and international partners. This decision follows our well-known line of supporting Ukraine to the Ukraine to the best of our ability.”

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/25/europe/german-tanks-ukraine-intl/index.html

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Defiant Putin makes ‘working visit’ to occupied Mariupol, symbol of Ukrainian resistance

Vladimir Putin has made a “working visit” to Russian-occupied Mariupol, in an apparently defiant move reported just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him.

Putin was flown into Mariupol by helicopter and toured districts around the city in a car, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

It said the Russian leader had stopped to speak to residents in the city’s Nevsky neighborhood and claimed he was invited into a resident’s home. It did not make clear when the visit took place.

News of the visit comes after the ICC issued arrest warrants on Friday for Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia.

The visit is likely to be seen as particularly provocative to Ukrainians as Mariupol was long a symbol of resistance that has witnessed some of the most intense fighting since Russia launched its invasion last year.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/19/europe/putin-mariupol-visit-icc-intl-hnk/index.html

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Russia’s Wagner group claims to have captured Bakhmut but Ukraine says it still controls a part of it

The chief of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Saturday that his forces have taken complete control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after months of brutal fighting.

“The operation to capture Bakhmut lasted 224 days,” he said in a video posted to Telegram, seeking to claim a final victory in the city.

CNN could not independently verify Prigozhin’s claim, but an initial response from the Ukrainian side disputed it.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, in a Telegram post less than an hour after the Russian mercenary’s claim was published, admitted the situation in Bakhmut was “critical” but said Ukrainian troops were still “holding the defense” in a district on Bakhmut’s western-most edge.

“As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector,” she said.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/20/europe/bakhmut-capture-wagner-ukraine-russia-intl/index.html