Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[NOVA Green]

While I 100% do support boycotting products made in Russia right now, I do hope we don’t start seeing Russophobia from this. I’m guessing the overwhelming majority of the Russian diaspora aren’t even in favor of this and are pro-Ukraine, I hope Americans don’t use this as an excuse to be idiots…but they will won’t they?

Not a huge Vodka guy (Bourbon of my thing), but my wife would take Tito Vodka over Russian Vodka any day well prior to Russian aggression against Ukraine as she had for the past 10+ years!

[NOVA Green]

Ukraine Gvt now official requesting assistance from the "Fifth Brigade" in the form of computer hackers to target Russia per CNN (25 minutes ago)

Here is a link provided for anybody (including Atlas Posters) to help fight the cyberwar:

https://t.me/itarmyofurraine


Ukrainian official calls on "an IT army" to join the "fight on the cyber front"

"Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted Saturday that Kyiv was “creating an IT army” to “continue to fight on the cyber front” as Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine.

Fedorov tweeted a link to a channel on the messaging app Telegram that encouraged hackers to conduct cyberattacks on key Russian energy firms and financial firms. The proposed target list includes natural gas giant Gazprom and big Russian banks Sberbank and VTB. The Biden administration sanctioned the two banks on Thursday over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Telegram channel promoted by Fedorov was translated into English to appeal to “all IT specialists from other countries,” the English version said.

..."


https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-26-22/index.html

Yet still more evidence Ukraine's doing a great job in asymmetrical warfare. That's an area Russia is better than us at, but Ukraine is doing roughly even with Russia here.
You know what they say - necessity is the mother of invention.
EDIT: how the cloptad did that get bolded. Whatever

Assuming it was something I did...

Not quite sure what a cloptad is, but just call me Mary of Clopas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Clopas

[NOVA Green]

New footage from the NYT posted ~25 minutes back from fighting this Morning 40 miles NW of Kiev:

A video posted to social media on Saturday morning shows Ukrainian soldiers engaging in intense fighting 40 miles northwest of Kyiv, the capital, along one of Russia’s major attack lines toward the city.

The scene unfolded at a traffic circle near the town of Ivankiv, and shows a Ukrainian soldier walking behind several Ukrainian armored vehicles. A short distance away, two vehicles are ablaze. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has been promoting the footage on Facebook, saying, “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die from the sword.”

The soldier is carrying what appears to be an NLAW shoulder-fired missile, the kind Britain sent recently to Ukraine. American-made Javelin antitank guided missiles have also been sent to the country in recent weeks. And in a reversal of Germany’s previous position, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans on Saturday to send 1,000 antitank rockets and other weapons to Ukraine.


https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/26/world/ukraine-russia-war

[NOVA Green]

https://twitter.com/NatSecGeek/status/1497587401501327361
https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/1497298554381119491
So glad to see Anonymous getting its hands dirty again.

Anonymous are effectively the 21st Century version of Antifa, except mainly focusing on cyber actions vs street fighting.

[NOVA Green]

Okay, perhaps a bit petty and forgot to mention it when I first saw the article yesterday, but Pornhub has now blocked their content from Russian Users....

https://groundreport.in/pornhub-ban-russia-sanctions-no-one-is-talking-about/

Now--- Pornhub and Russia have exchanged beef before, going way back to 2016 and 2017

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pornhub-youporn-russia-blocked-premium-vladimir-putin-meet-people-in-real-life-a7308391.html

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/07/12/russians-told-to-log-in-to-pornhub-using-verified-social-media-accounts/

https://www.vox.com/2017/6/2/15726082/russia-putin-navalny-pornhub

[NOVA Green]

So the saga of "Snake Island" and the valiant Ukranian defenders continues:

Courtesy of CNN from 1 hour and ten minutes ago:

"1 hr 10 min ago
Pentagon denies Russia's claim that it's "highly likely" US used surveillance drones to help Ukrainian navy

From CNN’s Nathan Hodge and Vasco Cotovio in Moscow and Oren Lieberman at the Pentagon

The Pentagon has denied a claim from the Russian Ministry of Defence saying it is "highly likely" that the United States used some of its surveillance drones flying over the Black Sea to help the Ukrainian Navy attack its vessels.

“On the evening of February 25, during the evacuation of 82 Ukrainian servicemen who voluntarily laid down their arms from Zmeiny [Zmiiny] Island, 16 boats of the Ukrainian Navy, using the 'swarm tactics,' tried to attack the ships of the Black Sea Fleet,” Russian defense ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Saturday. “During the attack by Ukrainian boats over the provocation area, US strategic unmanned aerial vehicles RQ-4 'Global Hawk' and MQ-9A 'Reaper' were overhead.”

“It is highly likely that it was American UAVs that directed Ukrainian boats at the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Konashenkov said.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby denied the claims:

“Russian claims that the United States was involved in any way with Ukrainian naval operations near the Zmiiny Island are false. We did not provide ISR or any other support. Chalk this up to just one more lie by the Russian Ministry of Defense,” he told CNN.
Konashenkov also said that six boats of the Ukrainian navy were destroyed but that none of the 82 Ukrainian servicemen from the island, also known as Snake Island, were injured.

..."


https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-26-22/index.html

So new update on the "Snake Island" story per CNN....

"Defenders of Ukrainian island may still be alive and now POWs, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine says

From CNN's Sebastian Shukla in Kyiv

The defenders of the small Ukrainian island of Zmiinyi in the Black Sea may still be alive, according to a statement released on Saturday by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU).

"We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive,” the statement said.

Both President Zelensky and the SBGSU said Friday all the soldiers had been killed following the small island’s capture by Russian forces.

Preliminary information that border guards may be dead came before the defenders lost contact," Saturday's statement said.
On Friday, Russian Major-General Igor Konashenkov said 82 Ukrainian servicemen “laid down their arms and voluntarily surrendered to a unit of the Russian Armed Forces.”

The SBGSU statement added, “Russian media reported that Ukrainian servicemen on the island had been sent to Sevastopol” in Crimea.

On Friday, audio emerged of an exchange between the Ukrainian fighters and an officer of the Russian navy. In the exchange, the Ukrainians were heard to say to “Russian warship – go f*** yourself.” "

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-26-22/index.html

[NOVA Green]

One item curiously lacking from the Ukranian Military Defensive repertoire are the use of items to slow down the Russian Armored Advance.

This would include items such as Anti-Tank Mines (which naturally would trigger explosions of other Russian heavy vehicles), setting off explosive devises along major routes Russian convoys are using, let alone more of an IED style of asymmetrical warfare which has been extremely successful over the decades.

Hell, even the IRA used IED devices back in the '80s in Northern Ireland against English military convoys with a certain technology which used infrared light beams to trigger an explosive device.

This same technology ended up getting shipped back to the Middle East which was effectively used against British convoys in Basra Province in Iraq War 2.0.

Any ideas why (or if I just missed updates when) Ukraine hasn't deployed such tactics against the Russian Military Convoys???

[NOVA Green]

Ten people of "Greek origin" were killed by airstrikes per New York Times:

Ten civilians “of Greek origin” were killed by Russian airstrikes near the city of Mariupol, on Ukraine’s southeastern coast, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece said on Twitter. “Stop the bombing now!” he wrote. Earlier Saturday, Greece’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador in Athens.

Greek update:

I would imagine that Anti-War sentiment will be dramatic in Greece and quite possibly large massive street demos Tomorrow against Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with all major political formations united.

"....

Greece’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that 10 people of Greek origin were killed and six others injured in fighting near Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine and home to many from the Greek diaspora.

...

The fatalities include six people from the village of Sartana and four from Buhas. In Sartana, about six miles from Mariupol, six people — including one child — were injured, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said in news releases. At least 240 civilians have died because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations said Saturday.

The deaths of the people of Greek origin — whose identities were not released — prompted Greek government officials to summon the Russian ambassador in Athens to the Foreign Ministry for a meeting Monday, according to a statement from Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.

....

In Ukraine, nearly all people of Greek origin reside by Mariupol, Ukraine’s 10th-largest city. Located in the Donetsk oblast, the city of about 400,000 has more than 100,000 people of Greek origin.

...."



https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/26/russia-ukraine-war-news-updates/#link-R2K3JOQR4BG6ZFMPF63DLLQLAU

[NOVA Green]

UK Ministry of Defense updated Assessment:

9 min ago


UK defense ministry: Russia's force "suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance"


From CNN's Josh Campbell and Jonny Hallam

"Russian forces are facing stiff resistance in Ukraine and making slower progress than they planned, according to Britain's Ministry of Defense in a statement late on Saturday.

"Russian forces are not making the progress they had planned. They are suffering from logistical challenges and strong Ukrainian resistance," the United Kingdom MOD intelligence update said.

The MOD said Russian forces are "sustaining casualties and a number of Russian troops have been taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces."

"The Russian government has reportedly restricted access to a number of social media platforms in a probable attempt to conceal details regarding the situation in Ukraine from their own people," it added.

"

[NOVA Green]

The ever strong Ukraine-New Jersey alliance: https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497712275402235907?s=20&t=8ZMsliRwDI1vig...

Makes sense considering the large Ukrainian American population in New Jersey...

https://nj1015.com/listen-ukrainians-in-nj-worried-for-their-families-back-home/

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/02/hudsons-ukrainian-community-unspeakable-terrifying-feeling-for-families-still-in-their-homeland.html

http://zipatlas.com/us/nj/city-comparison/percentage-ukrainian-population.htm

Heck, even in North Carolina there is a large Ukrainian-American diaspora which gotten local news coverage demonstrating against the Russian Invasion of Ukraine....


https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article258734128.html

[NOVA Green]

Just heard on CNN that Russia has destroyed the dam northwest of Kiev.

Is there another Source?

I think I already read this earlier this morning or heard it on radio.

Well sounds like a Russia missile headed for the dam was shot down 11 hours ago... so not implausible since sounds like Russia has it on their target list of acceptable military options.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/ukraine-says-russian-missile-headed-for-water-reservoir-near-kyiv-shot-down/

So recent confirmation of Russian destruction of the Dam near Crimea from the Washington Post:

"Russia claims to explode Ukrainian dam that had blocked water to Crimea

By Meg Kelly, Elyse Samuels and Atthar Mirza7:00 p.m.

Video verified by The Washington Post captured a large explosion at a dam along the Northern Crimean Canal on Saturday that had been a source of increasing tensions between Russia and Ukraine over water rights.

Russian media shared the video, saying Russian military forces were responsible for the destruction. It is unclear who originally recorded the video.

The first frames of the video show that the bridge crossing the river had already fallen by the time of the explosion. Then, a large cloud of black and grey dust enveloped the area. Rubble showers down into the river.

Recent images show that the bridge was intact as recently as January.

Ukraine built the makeshift dam in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea, blocking what had been a main source of water for the region. Hostilities over it increased in recent months after a drought worsened Crimea’s water crisis, and Ukraine made efforts to build a more permanent piece of infrastructure. Reports from as early as May 2021 suggested the situation was serious enough that residents in the area, roughly 10 miles from the Crimea border, were preparing for war."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/26/russia-ukraine-war-news-updates/#link-R2K3JOQR4BG6ZFMPF63DLLQLAU

[NOVA Green]

Not necessarily completely relevant to the international dimension, but Trump once again opened his mouth on the situation in Ukraine:

"Trump praises Putin but calls invasion ‘appalling’


By Colby Itkowitz9:13 p.m.

Former president Donald Trump again lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin as “smart,” telling a crowd of his most ardent supporters that the problem is not with Putin, but that U.S. leaders “are dumb.”

Most of Trump’s comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Saturday were focused on himself and his grievances; he and Putin understood each other, Trump said, so this wouldn’t be happening if he were still president.

He mildly criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine without denigrating Putin directly, saying it’s “appalling and it’s an outrage and an atrocity that should never have been allowed to occur.” It would never have happened “if our election was not rigged,” he said — a reference to Trump’s false assertion that a 2020 election win was stolen from him.

The former president called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “brave man,” then quickly qualified his affinity for Zelensky, who was the central figure in the 2019 impeachment charges against Trump. At the time, Zelensky said he hadn’t felt pressured during a phone call in which Trump conditioned U.S. military aid on Ukraine digging up dirt on Joe Biden and his family.

Before his CPAC remarks, Trump told reporters that the war in Ukraine could “spread throughout the world.”

“This could be a world war,” he said. “Something has to be done.”

Asked what specifically should be done, Trump said there were things “that would end it very quickly,” but he wasn’t going to talk about them to the news media. "



https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/26/russia-ukraine-war-news-updates/#link-R2K3JOQR4BG6ZFMPF63DLLQLAU

[NOVA Green]

In contrast to the based commies in Japan, our breed of commies are f*****g morons.

https://mobile.twitter.com/CpusaDepartment/status/1497944574961938432

Well, to be fair, one is way more serious than the other. The Japan Communists are, well, social democrats at this point, and they are a serious party with a large membership (it claims 270000 members), has 10 representatives and 13 senators. It got 7% of the vote last election and has non-stop representation in the Diet since democracy came back after WWII.

The CPUSA, well. It claims less than 10000 members and did not run candidates for election since 1984 and never elected anybody anywhere.

Also something like 2/3 of the CPUSA chapters split off and formed the "Committees of Correspondence" in 1991.

I actually attended some of their local Oregon meetings before, during, and after the split, and likely still have some of their old newsletters floating around in one of my storage bins of old political materials.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committees_of_Correspondence_for_Democracy_and_Socialism

[NOVA Green]

Kharkiv Update: New York Times including some video footage dated 2/27/22:

This appears to perhaps reflect a slightly different interpretation than some of the material posted by others upthread.

" Footage shows fighting drawing closer to the center of Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russian troops have escalated their assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, according to videos and photographs analyzed by The New York Times.

The imagery from Sunday shows clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops occurring closer to the city center than was previously seen, suggesting a deeper Russian incursion into Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.

In several locations, it appears that these advances may have stalled. Videos show some Russian vehicles burning, and others being ransacked by Ukrainian troops."







https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/26/world/ukraine-russia-war

[NOVA Green]

Missile hit a radioactive waste storage facility in Kiev per NYT report from 18 minutes ago:

"A missile hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in Ukraine’s besieged capital Kyiv overnight but there were no reports of damage or any indication of radioactive release, the head of the United Nations nuclear monitor, Rafael M. Grossi, said Sunday. Mr. Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Ukrainian officials had informed him of the missile strike and their assessment, which was continuing. The strike came a day after Ukrainian officials reported damage at an electrical transformer at a similar nuclear waste disposal facility near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Both Kyiv and Kharkiv have been under assault since Russia’s invasion forces entered the country on Thursday. “These two incidents highlight the very real risk that facilities with radioactive material will suffer damage during the conflict, with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment,” Mr. Grossi said."



https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-war

[NOVA Green]

Another part of my morning New York Times news roundup:

"Russia has begun adopting siege tactics, Pentagon says.

WASHINGTON — Russian forces have begun adopting siege tactics around the historic city of Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, the Pentagon said Sunday morning, in an ominous forecast of a medieval battlefield strategy that would sharply raise the number of civilian casualties.

While Russia’s advance on Ukrainian cities continued to be slowed by ferocious resistance from Ukrainian troops, as well as by Russia’s own logistical and sustainment challenges, the adoption of what a senior Defense Department official characterized as a “siege mentality” around Chernihiv opens a new shift in the war.

....

Russia still has not managed to achieve air superiority over Ukraine, the Pentagon said. The Defense Department official said that Ukraine had retained an ability to mount an air defense, and was still putting war planes into the air.

...."




https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-war

[NOVA Green]

British Petroleum is pulling out of their partial investment in a Russian oil company per NYT 15 minutes back:

"BP to ‘exit’ its 20 percent stake in the Russian oil company Rosneft.

BP said on Sunday that it would “exit” its nearly 20 percent stake in Rosneft, the Russian state-controlled oil company. The London-based oil giant also said that both its chief executive, Bernard Looney, and his predecessor, Bob Dudley, would resign their seats on the Rosneft board.

BP has worked in Russia for over 30 years, but the invasion of Ukraine led the company to conclude that its involvement with Rosneft, “simply cannot continue,” BP’s chairman, Helge Lund, said in a statement on Sunday."

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/27/world/russia-ukraine-war

[NOVA Green]

Washington Post has a few updates on the military front from the Pentagon's perspective, including a few titbits not widely reported elsewhere:

"Russia adopting ‘siege tactics’ against a city north of Kyiv, as forces press into Ukraine on multiple fronts

By Karoun Demirjian12:03 p.m.

Russian forces have started to use “siege tactics” against a city near Ukraine’s border and just to the north of Kyiv, according to the Pentagon, raising the specter of more civilian casualties as the fighting worsens.

....

Russian troops entered Kharkiv overnight, and while they remain about 30 kilometers (19 miles) to the north of downtown Kyiv, reconnaissance elements have been operating in the capital city, the senior defense official said. Some members of those reconnaissance units have been wearing Ukrainian uniforms and have been outed by locals, the official added. It remained the Pentagon’s assessment on Sunday morning that the Russian military still has not seized control of any Ukrainian cities.

The Pentagon believes Russian forces are still about 50 kilometers (31 miles) outside of central Mariupol, an important port city along Ukraine’s southeastern coast. “Mariupol will be defended,” said the senior defense official, who credited Ukraine with mounting a “creative resistance” that was both “heroic” and “inspiring.” But the official cautioned that Russia still has significant “operational advantages” over Ukraine and would probably learn from errors that had slowed Russian forces’ advance in the days ahead.

...

The Pentagon has also determined that some, though not the majority, of the more than 320 missile launches Russia has undertaken against Ukraine have suffered failures.

...."




https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-news/#link-IHZ4JKV5NBADFK25EPASOZSD6Y

[NOVA Green]

Israel is sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine:

"Israel throws its weight behind Ukraine but is wary of provoking Russia

By Shira Rubin
Today at 8:39 a.m. EST

TEL AVIV — Israel is increasingly going public with its support for Ukraine while avoiding public condemnation of Russia, the primary backer of the Syrian regime, which is classified by Israel as an enemy state on its northern border.

“We are praying for the well-being of the citizens of Ukraine and hope that additional bloodshed will be avoided,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday in a statement. “We are conducting a measured and responsible policy.”

He said that over the next two days, Israel will send 100 tons of water purification kits, medical drugs, tents, blankets and other humanitarian equipment for civilians in the combat zones in Ukraine and to Ukrainians attempting to flee.

Bennett also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, said a statement released by Bennett’s office.

....

On Saturday night, thousands of Israelis, mostly of Ukrainian descent, marched through Tel Aviv calling for the end to the Russian assault, as the City Hall was lit with the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag. In Jerusalem, a famous Russian pub named Putin removed its sign, after one of the Russian-Israeli owners said they “want no connection with an occupier.”

...."


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/ukraine-israel-russia-negotiations/

[NOVA Green]

Meanwhile more impacts to Russian participation in international sporting events--- long article from the Wall Street Journal so this is naturally just a small fraction of the content:

"International Soccer Spent 20 Years Befriending Russia. Now It Has a Russia Problem.

European soccer authorities will strip St. Petersburg of the Champions League final, but longer-term questions remain

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech to a soccer stadium on a warm Moscow afternoon in 2018 had been more than a decade in the making. There had been campaigns behind the scenes, deals in back rooms, and billions of dollars thrown at the project, but the effort had worked: Putin was hosting the first ever World Cup in Russia.

“In our country football is not just the most popular sport,” he told a packed Luzhniki Stadium at the opening match. “Russians love football. And that is what we call love at first sight.”

The feeling was mutual. International soccer has spent much of the 21st century entangling its interests with Russia’s, including major sponsorship deals and the awarding of hosting rights to major matches and tournaments. But following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week, the game’s authorities are facing urgent choices.

The first will be to strip St. Petersburg of the marquee event of the club soccer calendar, the Champions League final, according to a person familiar with the decision, which is due to be confirmed after an emergency meeting of European soccer’s governing body on Friday. The Russian national team is also due to play a make-or-break World Cup qualifying playoff against Poland in Moscow next month, even as Russian troops shell parts of Ukraine just miles from the Polish border. And more broadly, Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, has had its logo on the prestigious Champions League since 2012.

...."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-ukraine-invasion-champions-league-putin-11645719011?st=myzf952y52dt3s0&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[NOVA Green]

Fed-Ex and UPS are suspending shipments to Russia:

"51 min ago

UPS, FedEx Halt Shipments Into Russia

By Paul Ziobro

FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. have suspended shipments into Russia amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S.-based shipping giants had earlier cut off shipments to and from Ukraine and were preparing contingency plans for their Russian operations. Now, both have temporarily stopped delivering shipments bound for Russia.

UPS said that packages en route to Russia and Ukraine will be returned free of charge to the sender if possible.

"Our focus is on the safety of our people, providing continued service and minimizing disruption to our customers," UPS said in a service alert on its website. "UPS continues to closely monitor the situation and will re-establish service as soon as it is practical and safe to do so."

FedEx issued a similar service alert on its website. “We are closely monitoring the situation and have contingency plans in place,” FedEx said.

FEDEX CORP.FDX(U.S.: NYSE)
$220.72 USD
4.80
2.22%
▲
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC. CL BUPS(U.S.: NYSE)
$209.95 USD
2.76
1.33%
▲
1 hour ago

"

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-26/card/ups-fedex-halt-shipments-into-russia-gMS7VIk7WuZXVnVxh8Ju

[NOVA Green]

Looks like the Turkish anti-tank drones are making an impact at some locations:


"4 hours ago

Ukraine Says It Used Turkish-Made Drones to Hit Russian Targets

By Brett Forrest and Jared Malsin


Ukraine’s air force confirmed two strikes on Russian targets by Turkish-made drones, evidence that Kyiv is using the drones effectively against Moscow’s invading forces.

The chief of Ukraine’s air force, Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, called the Bayraktar TB2 drones “life-giving” in a Facebook post.

A video posted on Twitter by the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara showed a convoy of more than a dozen vehicles consumed by a fireball and a plume of smoke. The embassy tweeted two more videos taken out the window of a moving vehicle showing the charred wreckage of military vehicles.

The Ukrainian air force confirmed that one of these videos depicted the result of a TB2 strike in the town of Chornobaivka, in southern Ukraine, an area that has experienced serious fighting over the past couple of days.

“Never a rose without a thorn,” the embassy wrote in one of the tweets. “Russian invaders have to put up with Bayraktar TB2s.”

The embassy called the strike “divine justice” for a Russian airstrike that killed 34 Turkish soldiers in Syria on this date two years ago.

Ukraine began receiving shipments of the Turkish-made drones in 2019 and has been using their high-powered cameras to view the battlefield and laser-correct artillery strikes. The TB2 can stay aloft for 24 hours, with an altitude ceiling of roughly 25,000 feet. A remote pilot can fly the drone from as far away as 185 miles, weather permitting."

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-26

[NOVA Green]

Kharkiv Update: New York Times including some video footage dated 2/27/22:

This appears to perhaps reflect a slightly different interpretation than some of the material posted by others upthread.

" Footage shows fighting drawing closer to the center of Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russian troops have escalated their assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, according to videos and photographs analyzed by The New York Times.

The imagery from Sunday shows clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops occurring closer to the city center than was previously seen, suggesting a deeper Russian incursion into Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.

In several locations, it appears that these advances may have stalled. Videos show some Russian vehicles burning, and others being ransacked by Ukrainian troops."







https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/26/world/ukraine-russia-war

Washington Post now also verifying the footage of street fighting today in Kharkiv, with some additional analysis:

"Video verified by The Washington Post shows a snapshot of the battle between Ukrainian and Russian forces on Sunday in the city of Kharkiv, about 300 miles east of Kyiv. The battle for control of the country’s second-largest city was marked by intense street fighting

The video shows Ukrainian soldiers, identified by the yellow on their uniforms, taking cover as a rapid gunfire rings out for several seconds. One fighter walks toward the camera, away from the shots, with a cigarette in his mouth and two AR-style rifles in either hand.

Then, about 15 seconds into the video, a Ukrainian fighter fires a high explosive, antitank PG-7 warhead from a shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenade launcher, according to a review of the footage by Mark Hiznay, associate director of the arms division of Human Rights Watch. The soldier fires two additional rockets from the launcher, identified as a RPG-7, over the next 30 seconds.

Other videos verified by The Post show a line of damaged, abandoned Russian military vehicles, identified by the letter Z painted on the back door, in the same area. Smoke engulfs one of the vehicles. Debris and glass from nearby buildings is scattered on the ground. The same group of Ukrainian soldiers are seen inspecting the vehicles and examining the ammunition and supplies that were left behind."


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-news/#link-QUYEGEHPWFH3FIW6FT5JYT4UO4

[NOVA Green]

Looks like Traders are expecting a major drop off in the value of the Russian Ruble quite possibly falling 50% against the dollar once foreign exchange markets reopen here shortly:

"Traders say they expect the dollar value of the Russian ruble to drop sharply when foreign-exchange markets open late Sunday after the U.S. and allies said they will cut some Russian banks off the Swift financial network and take actions to prevent Russia’s central bank from deploying its reserves.

Several banks on Sunday quoted that it would require between 100 rubles and 150 rubles to buy $1, a sharp rise from its close of about 84 rubles to a dollar on Friday, according to investors who trade in Russian markets.

“I think it’s gonna be a bloodbath,” said Paul McNamara, an emerging-market fund manager at GAM. “It’s very hard to see who is going to come in tomorrow and buy Russian assets.”

Investors fear that anything connected to Russia may get frozen by the sanctions or could become difficult to sell, deterring any bargain hunters who would otherwise scoop up assets if the price fell low enough.

The Russian website of Austria's Raiffeisen Bank, which has a major presence in the country, quoted 150 rubles to buy one U.S. dollar around 6 p.m. local time in Moscow."


https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-26/card/traders-gird-for-violent-fall-in-russian-markets-ixu3FdekQ4efRAjnCkJ2

[NOVA Green]

More reporting from Kharkiv today this time from The Guardian newspaper.

Possibly one of the more detailed reports out there of events today... again am only doing limited quoting for copywrite reasons, but note they have a free website (although you can donate if you want).

"Kharkiv governor claims Russian troops repelled from city

Oleh Synyehubov says Ukrainian soldiers are now ‘cleaning up’ the eastern city

Ukrainian forces have repelled a Russian attempt to seize Kharkiv, the city’s governor has claimed, after fierce fighting and street battles with advancing Russian troops.

Kharkiv’s governor, Oleh Synyehubov, said Ukrainian soldiers were “cleaning up” the eastern city. He said Russian soldiers were surrendering in groups of five to 10 and throwing their equipment in the middle of the road.

“Control over Kharkiv is completely ours,” Synyehubov posted on Facebook. “A complete cleansing of the city from the enemy is happening. The Russian enemy is absolutely demoralised.”

Earlier on Sunday, the governor said Russian light military vehicles had broken “into the city”, including in central areas. They arrived in the northern suburbs at 8am, he said. He urged all civilians to stay inside, adding: “Citizens of Kharkiv, don’t leave shelter, don’t use transport.”

Videos on social media showed images of Russian troops moving through residential areas and past Soviet-era apartment blocks. Soldiers on foot used armoured vehicles as cover. Their vehicles were marked with Z, the symbol of Russia’s four-day invasion.

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Other footage suggested the Ukrainian military had inflicted losses. There were images of a destroyed Russian column and a skirmish in the south-east of the city. A group of Russian soldiers took refuge in an empty school, number 88, witnesses said, close to Traktornyi Zavod subway station.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/kharkiv-fighting-russia-ukraine-invasion