Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[AndyHogan14]

And.... resistance begins in Russian Occupied Kherson per Washington Post:

Pro-Ukrainian protests break out in war-torn Kherson

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/05/russia-ukraine-war-news-live-updates/#link-CJR7RAK4KJFHBN2ONPSHYYCHFY

I have been seeing videos of the protests in Kherson and it is heartening to see. I remember seeing a post earlier (not sure when, everything blends together these days), saying that the Russians were planning a fake protest in Kherson (with people from Crimea) that was supposed to demonstrate that Kherson wanted to join up with Crimea/Russia. Seems to me the people of Kherson might have something to say about that.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://mobile.twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1500139415062069257?cxt=HHwWkoCyxbK2y...

When will Josh Hawley resign?

He is shameless, but not worth criticising while Biden continues to sell Ukraine out for lower gas prices.

[Storr]

damning UK MoD intelligence update:

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1500166358566375431?s=20&t=aFAKq0G...

[dead0man]

"Air superiority", sure, Jan.

That said, as much as I "enjoy" every Russian plane shot down and every Russian tank destroyed, I still feel kind of bad for many of the 20-something year old Russian soldiers not guilty of immediate war crimes dying in this senseless war, leaving parents, friends and spouses behind, for nothing. Mr. Putin for sure doesn't give sh-t about them.

agree, but the people flying the birds aren't those kids.  Efff 'em.

[compucomp]

https://twitter.com/farhip/status/1499948364988829700?s=21
Russia rushing headlong into totalitarianism.

You're saying this as some sort of gotcha, while at the same time Russia Today is kicked off the air in the West, while everyone is feverishly cheering it (see the thread in USGD). Hypocrisy is an allowed rhetorical technique but it sure makes you look dumb when you try to claim the moral high ground.

The Washington Post is neither owned nor run by the US government, but you already know this. You just choose to come in here to constantly spam the same asinine posts. So  off, kindly.

It's irrelevant whether the Washington Post is run by the US government or not because on this issue they are indistinguishable from an outlet that is run by the US government. They and other Western media have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in reporting and unabashedly doing pro-Ukraine reporting, to the point where they are reporting on Russian military movements while concealing Ukraine's. The Russian government is absolutely right to kick them out, and it is absolutely hypocritical to criticize that while feverishly cheering the ban on RT. Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

[Aurelius]

https://twitter.com/farhip/status/1499948364988829700?s=21
Russia rushing headlong into totalitarianism.

You're saying this as some sort of gotcha, while at the same time Russia Today is kicked off the air in the West, while everyone is feverishly cheering it (see the thread in USGD). Hypocrisy is an allowed rhetorical technique but it sure makes you look dumb when you try to claim the moral high ground.

The Washington Post is neither owned nor run by the US government, but you already know this. You just choose to come in here to constantly spam the same asinine posts. So  off, kindly.

It's irrelevant whether the Washington Post is run by the US government or not because on this issue they are indistinguishable from an outlet that is run by the US government. They and other Western media have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in reporting and unabashedly doing pro-Ukraine reporting, to the point where they are reporting on Russian military movements while concealing Ukraine's. The Russian government is absolutely right to kick them out, and it is absolutely hypocritical to criticize that while feverishly cheering the ban on RT. Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is simply defending itself.

https://mobile.twitter.com/dril/status/473265809079693312

[Boobs]

Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

No? I want you kicked out of here because you are a vile moron with zero contribution, Compucumforbrains.

[Roll Roons]

https://twitter.com/farhip/status/1499948364988829700?s=21
Russia rushing headlong into totalitarianism.

You're saying this as some sort of gotcha, while at the same time Russia Today is kicked off the air in the West, while everyone is feverishly cheering it (see the thread in USGD). Hypocrisy is an allowed rhetorical technique but it sure makes you look dumb when you try to claim the moral high ground.

The Washington Post is neither owned nor run by the US government, but you already know this. You just choose to come in here to constantly spam the same asinine posts. So  off, kindly.

It's irrelevant whether the Washington Post is run by the US government or not because on this issue they are indistinguishable from an outlet that is run by the US government. They and other Western media have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in reporting and unabashedly doing pro-Ukraine reporting, to the point where they are reporting on Russian military movements while concealing Ukraine's. The Russian government is absolutely right to kick them out, and it is absolutely hypocritical to criticize that while feverishly cheering the ban on RT. Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

Very few things in international relations are black and white, but this situation is. Putin is unambiguously the bad guy here. He is trying to subjugate an independent country to fulfill his delusions of grandeur. He is the only aggressor here, and there is zero justification for what he is doing.

[NOVA Green]

Not a big fan of political use of PoWs, but it might help corroborate information we have seen elsewhere.

" Ukrainians present Russian prisoners of war to the press.

KYIV, Ukraine — With hands still dirty from the battlefield, a dozen Russian prisoners of war were presented to journalists at a hastily called news conference in Kyiv on Saturday, intended to support Ukraine’s claim of capturing significant numbers of Russian soldiers.

The prisoners sat, stony-faced, at a table in a conference room of a Ukrainian news agency while heavily armed and masked Ukrainian security service officials looked on.

....

Each read out a statement from a handwritten text on a piece of paper and later answered questions. They blended details of chaotic early firefights in the conflict that led to their capture, which sounded genuine, with woodenly phrased condemnations of their own country’s leadership for starting the war.

All said they had not been mistreated.

Their comments, and the fact of their captures, supported accounts by Western military analysts and governments that the Russian offensive had suffered setbacks early in the war, though the Russian army’s superior numbers and equipment could well reverse that trend.

“The whole column burned,” said one soldier, who identified himself as Lt. Dmitry Kovalensky, with a Russian tank unit. He said they were attacked with what he believed was a mix of projectiles from a drone and shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles near Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine. He said he ran into a forest and later surrendered to Ukrainian forces.

The men looked exhausted but showed no outward signs of mistreatment.

All the prisoners of war described being captured after their armored columns were ambushed on roads, accounts that supported Ukraine’s assertions that its military has made good use of Western-supplied antitank weaponry, such as the American-made Javelin missile. But independent analysts have also described less dramatic problems for the Russian army, including logistical snarls that forced soldiers to abandon vehicles that ran out of fuel.

....

"



https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/05/world/russia-ukraine/ukrainians-present-russian-prisoners-of-war-to-the-press

[NOVA Green]

Anybody got any more info on this?

Saw this on the NYT posted two hours ago....

"Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel is in Moscow for a meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin about the war in Ukraine, according to reports in Israeli media and state-controlled media in Russia."

[NOVA Green]

So here's another report of the Anti-Russian occupation protests from Kherson earlier today per NYT:

Apparently anti-occupation protests also took place in several other Russian held cities as well.

"Ukrainian protesters take to the streets in occupied Kherson.

ODESSA, Ukraine — Kherson, in southern Ukraine, was the first major city to fall to Russian forces and now popular street protests are presenting a challenge to the new authority there.

At around 10 a.m. on Saturday, people started gathering in Liberty Square, the central square in the city center, according to video streamed live by protesters at the scene. There appeared to be hundreds of people, chanting and holding Ukrainian flags.

One video verified by The New York Times showed a man on top of a Russian armored personnel carrier, waving a Ukrainian flag as it drove down the street, prompting cheers from onlookers.

The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhaev, said that at one point Russian forces fired into the air to disperse the crowd though protesters initially remained rooted to the spot. There were no reports of casualties, the mayor said. The mayor estimated that about 2,000 people attended.

The protest was the most visible example yet of resistance to Russian occupation, and a direct challenge to the Russian forces that Kremlin officials claim were sent to liberate Ukrainian cities.

There were reports of protests in other cities and towns under Russian control, including in Berdyansk and Melitopol, where a video showed residents walking down the street holding Ukrainian flags and singing the national anthem.

..."


https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/world/europe/kherson-protests-ukraine.html

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anybody got any more info on this?

Saw this on the NYT posted two hours ago....

"Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel is in Moscow for a meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin about the war in Ukraine, according to reports in Israeli media and state-controlled media in Russia."

Haaretz report here.

[dead0man]

So the leader of Isreal flew on the Shabbat, to meet a war criminal, who is currently using "look Nazis" as an excuse to invade a country?  Yep, we are in a strange timeline.

[NOVA Green]

This WSJ article might help explain why many Middle East countries are avoiding taking sides in the Ukrainian Invasion:

Long article and lots more in the original piece.


" Ukraine War Sanctions Hit Middle East Sovereign-Wealth Funds’ Russia Bets

The Qatar Investment Authority has suffered some of the biggest losses

March 5, 2022 8:00 am ET

DUBAI—Persian Gulf sovereign-wealth funds have suffered some of the worst losses from falling asset prices in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala InvestmentCo. and the Qatar Investment Authority were some of the most active sovereign-wealth funds in Russia over the past decade and are now among the most exposed to Russia’s growing financial isolation. Until March, Middle East government funds held 69% of all assets bought by state-owned investors in Russia, according to Global SWF, a New York organization that tracks sovereign-wealth fund investments.

The financial commitments are one reason U.S. partners in the Middle East have so far stayed neutral or tempered criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. While companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. and government funds from Norway and Denmark have announced exits from Russia, Persian Gulf investors haven’t indicated they are selling.

“They have bet more on the Russian economy than other funds have,” said Diego Lopez, managing director at Global SWF. “They identify Russia as a long-term play and could be looking at buying cheap assets.”

The punishing economic sanctions enacted by the U.S. and Europe against Russian entities and wealthy individuals, and Moscow’s countermeasures like currency controls, have complicated the Middle East wealth funds’ investments. Some of the funds’ Russian co-investors, for example, are now under sanctions.

Any Russia losses the Middle East funds have experienced are on paper for now. But the prospect of recovering any Russian losses seem grim, with President Vladimir Putin appearing intent on continuing the war and the West looking unified in its response.

....

QIA, as the Doha-based sovereign-wealth fund is known, has taken a $6 billion hit on its Russia investments this year, Global SWF estimates. The value of Russian assets fell to roughly $9.6 billion as of March 1, down from $16 billion on Dec. 31, the research firm said. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s investments lost about $600 million over that same period, the research firm added.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala also bet big in Russia in recent years. It set up an office in Moscow dedicated to the country and has gone one step further than most sovereign-wealth funds, which largely have exposure to liquid equities and bonds, and directly invested in private companies and infrastructure.

....

"



https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-war-sanctions-hit-middle-east-sovereign-wealth-funds-russia-bets-11646451439?st=ybkqq0z03ps8yhz&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[compucomp]

https://twitter.com/farhip/status/1499948364988829700?s=21
Russia rushing headlong into totalitarianism.

You're saying this as some sort of gotcha, while at the same time Russia Today is kicked off the air in the West, while everyone is feverishly cheering it (see the thread in USGD). Hypocrisy is an allowed rhetorical technique but it sure makes you look dumb when you try to claim the moral high ground.

The Washington Post is neither owned nor run by the US government, but you already know this. You just choose to come in here to constantly spam the same asinine posts. So  off, kindly.

It's irrelevant whether the Washington Post is run by the US government or not because on this issue they are indistinguishable from an outlet that is run by the US government. They and other Western media have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in reporting and unabashedly doing pro-Ukraine reporting, to the point where they are reporting on Russian military movements while concealing Ukraine's. The Russian government is absolutely right to kick them out, and it is absolutely hypocritical to criticize that while feverishly cheering the ban on RT. Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

Very few things in international relations are black and white, but this situation is. Putin is unambiguously the bad guy here. He is trying to subjugate an independent country to fulfill his delusions of grandeur. He is the only aggressor here, and there is zero justification for what he is doing.

That's your point of view. There's a country of 1.4 billion people who strongly disagree and believe that NATO expansionism and refusal to compromise provoked Russia into the war. There's another country of 1.3 billion or so people that also disagree, maybe not for the same reason or as strongly, but enough that their government's actions are indistinguishable from those of the first. Yes, it's true that the Western world is united in this view, and given their combined economic and cultural clout they're able to intimidate other countries that are not China or India into taking this view, and so it feels like the situation is black and white. In other words might makes right. I thought you guys hated this principle?

[NOVA Green]

So the leader of Isreal flew on the Shabbat, to meet a war criminal, who is currently using "look Nazis" as an excuse to invade a country?  Yep, we are in a strange timeline.

If some type of peace deal ends up being brokered at some point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Israel play a major role.

[Earthling]

https://mobile.twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1500139415062069257?cxt=HHwWkoCyxbK2y...

When will Josh Hawley resign?

He is shameless, but not worth criticising while Biden continues to sell Ukraine out for lower gas prices.

I don't disagree.

But Biden needs to weigh all options and all risks. For us it's easy to just shout and complain that Biden and other leaders are not doing enough. But with WWIII a real risk I expect our leaders to be carefull.

[Aurelius]

https://twitter.com/farhip/status/1499948364988829700?s=21
Russia rushing headlong into totalitarianism.

You're saying this as some sort of gotcha, while at the same time Russia Today is kicked off the air in the West, while everyone is feverishly cheering it (see the thread in USGD). Hypocrisy is an allowed rhetorical technique but it sure makes you look dumb when you try to claim the moral high ground.

The Washington Post is neither owned nor run by the US government, but you already know this. You just choose to come in here to constantly spam the same asinine posts. So  off, kindly.

It's irrelevant whether the Washington Post is run by the US government or not because on this issue they are indistinguishable from an outlet that is run by the US government. They and other Western media have abandoned any pretense of neutrality in reporting and unabashedly doing pro-Ukraine reporting, to the point where they are reporting on Russian military movements while concealing Ukraine's. The Russian government is absolutely right to kick them out, and it is absolutely hypocritical to criticize that while feverishly cheering the ban on RT. Let's put it this way, the Chinese government has not paid me a dime, yet you still want me kicked out of here because I support them.

Very few things in international relations are black and white, but this situation is. Putin is unambiguously the bad guy here. He is trying to subjugate an independent country to fulfill his delusions of grandeur. He is the only aggressor here, and there is zero justification for what he is doing.

That's your point of view. There's a country of 1.4 billion people who strongly disagree and believe that NATO expansionism and refusal to compromise provoked Russia into the war. There's another country of 1.3 billion or so people that also disagree, maybe not for the same reason or as strongly, but enough that their government's actions are indistinguishable from those of the first. Yes, it's true that the Western world is united in this view, and given their combined economic and cultural clout they're able to intimidate other countries that are not China or India into taking this view, and so it feels like the situation is black and white. In other words might makes right. I thought you guys hated this principle?

The number of people holding an opinion does not in itself give strength to that opinion. And I've already previously discussed the effect of state censorship on public opinion in China, which you continue to studiously ignore.

As far as I can tell you're basically arguing for might makes right here, so I have no idea what you're getting at with that attempted gotcha at the end.

[NOVA Green]

Brief excerpt from WSJ report from earlier today:

Iran Nuclear Deal Threatened by Russian Demands Over Ukraine Sanctions

Western and Iranian officials have said they were very close to reaching a deal to restore the nuclear pact

Fresh demands from Russia threatened to derail talks to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, as Moscow said it wanted written guarantees that Ukraine-related sanctions won’t prevent it from trading broadly with Tehran under a revived pact.

The demands, made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, came as Western and Iranian officials said they were near to reaching a deal to restore the nuclear pact, which lifted most international sanctions on Iran in exchange for tight but temporary restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear programs.

...

It was always understood by Western officials that Russia’s specific role within the 2015 nuclear deal would need to be protected from sanctions. That includes receiving enriched uranium from Iran and exchanging it for yellowcake, Russia’s work to turn Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility into a research center and other nuclear-specific deliveries to Tehran’s facilities.

However, Mr. Lavrov appeared to demand far more sweeping guarantees that could introduce major loopholes in the tight financial, economic and energy sanctions the West has imposed in recent days because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We have asked for a written guarantee…that the current process triggered by the United States does not in any way damage our right to free and full trade, economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation with the Islamic State,” Mr. Lavrov said.

"

https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-nuclear-deal-threatened-by-russian-demands-over-ukraine-sanctions-11646487044?st=qc05y6fzm9g83hg&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[NOVA Green]

The economic cost of the war is starting to hit Russian consumers per WSJ from earlier today:

"Russia Imposes Antihoarding, Price-Control Measures

The Russian government issued antihoarding measures and price controls, amid a slew of punishing economic sanctions from the West.

Authorities said major retail chains could restrict the sale of a number of “socially important goods,” such as food staples, and limit how high they mark up their prices. The measures were aimed at possible speculation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Saturday.

The ministry said cases of hoarding had been recorded in several regions. Certain goods were bought all at once “in an obviously larger volume than necessary for private consumption (up to several tons) for subsequent resale,” the ministry said. It said the decision was taken “to ensure that citizens have the opportunity to purchase affordable products." It didn't specify the exact items on which restrictions would be placed.

The Russian state news agency, TASS, reported that some retailers had agreed to limit markups on a number of items, including dairy products, bakery goods and sugar, to 5%."


https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-04/card/russia-imposes-antihoarding-price-control-measures-YRKE3kS4E3EeEk34cXAU

[Mike88]

This is so weird... At 0:17, you can see Putin's hand just going through the microphone. He's not in the room with those people:

https://twitter.com/danbarker/status/1500125004062679041

[NOVA Green]

Per CNN about 15 minutes ago:

"US aircraft carrier is in northern Aegean Sea to ensure flight operations if tensions escalate in region

The American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman has been in the northern Aegean Sea this week in part to ensure it can conduct flight operations from there if tensions escalate in the region due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a US official familiar with the carrier’s current task. 

The official did not disclose the exact location of the ship, but noted it is not routine to operate in the Aegean’s northernmost waters. The area is relatively confined for carrier operations due to the number of small islands and heavy commercial maritime traffic.

“In the event of further escalation,” the Navy could be told to project more fighter jet air patrols into the Black Sea, the official said. “If Russia sought to run the Turkish strait and Turkey asked for NATO support,” then the carrier aircraft could be used for combat air patrols over the Black Sea and Strait of Dardanelles, according to the official.
Turkey administers passage permission to transit into the Black Sea for warships, and there is concern about Russia’s future plans there. US fighter aircraft often conduct air patrols for deterrence, and it would not necessarily signal the US is entering conflict.

The Truman’s fighter jets are currently flying over Romania as part of the NATO mission to demonstrate presence and resolve against Russian aggression.

The carrier is accompanied by the cruiser USS San Jacinto in the North Aegean. Five other US warships and a Norwegian surface combatant are further south in the Aegean.

This development comes as the Pentagon is also acknowledging it may have to reconsider and increase the long-term US military presence in Europe in the wake of Russia’s aggression.

"

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-05-22/index.html

[Frodo]

Thoughts?

Biden's Bold Gamble Might Just Save Ukraine | Opinion

[Storr]

Based

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1500147298520768515?s=20&t=otjnBT45zVM...

[NOVA Green]

Based

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1500147298520768515?s=20&t=otjnBT45zVM...

Judging from the photo they might even be on the verge of hitting the elevator weight limit, since I'm counting (10) guys plus all their gear!

I can just imagine them picking up the emergency call phone in the elevator and receiving a very strongly worded response in Russian from the Ukrainian facility technician about where exactly they will go....