The Invasion Continues...

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Thread two as thread one is complete...

Yy ginger!!

Doesn't the Swift ban just drive the Russians into the arms of China?

Alexandra this is from an article in the Spectator.

A few hours after Vladimir Putin sent his tanks into Ukraine, Beijing announced that Russian wheat, previously barred because of fungal contamination, was now disease-free and large scale imports to China would begin. It was a first tangible sign of Xi Jinping’s willingness to cushion the blow of western sanctions on the Russian economy, and in effect underwrite Putin’s Ukrainian aggression.

Russia is one of the world’s biggest wheat producers, and trade is highly vulnerable to western restrictions. China’s wheat lifeline followed the signing last month of a 30-year contract for Russia to supply natural gas to China’s north east and a commitment to far greater energy cooperation. Significantly, the gas deal was in euros rather than US dollars, the usual currency of the resource markets.

Twitter for the past 30mintes has been saying a missile strike is imminent on the capital.

BBC news has just broken the news, that a missile strike is imminent, air ride sirens are blasting out, people are being told to take cover.

This is horrific, the devastation and brutality about to be inflicted on those sheltering in the capital.

[quote Wrongkindofovercoat]@FatFredsFriedEgg not sardonic, just hoping that all the people in the traffic jams get to safety over whichever border they are trying to cross. If weapons are coming in across the same routes, albeit in a different direction, they would be seen as legitimate targets ? The weapons not the people, the people would just unfortunately be in the same proximity ?[/quote]
Maybe I didn't actually click 'Post Message' on what I typed earlier.

I'm in logistics. I could get stuff from UK storage to the PL/UKR border tomorrow. How it could get from there to troops on the ground who know how to use it, under current circumstances, is beyond me.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine has accused Russia of war crimes and of deliberately targeting civilian targets (residential buildings, buses with children, kindergartens etc).

@FatFredsFriedEgg Interested to know how Nato allies can get weapons across without it being seen as an incursion/escalation ?

I have the utmost sympathy for everyone in Ukraine, but was a bit surprised at what I just watched. Staff are asking people boarding evacuation trains to leave bags behind to allow more standing room. There was a woman waiting to get on carrying her widescreen TV in it's box. No luggage, just the telly.

If Russia deploy those thermobaric bombs on Kyiv that HAS to be a war crime.

Watching the 10 o’clock news and Lyse Doucet has been saying that there is a warning that the Russians are now advancing from all directions on Kyiv.

@BronwenFrideswide

If Russia deploy those thermobaric bombs on Kyiv that HAS to be a war crime.

The TOS-1 that launches them has been positioned near enough to the capital apparently.

He can't use them, he just can't, they are a war crime for even existing never mind their use of you ask me!

[quote Wrongkindofovercoat]@FatFredsFriedEgg Interested to know how Nato allies can get weapons across without it being seen as an incursion/escalation ?[/quote]
This is the really fascinating thing. They're all being really loud and open about what they're doing.

Putin told NATO not to intervene or they'd face consequences they'd never seen before, it looks like they're calling his bluff.

I mean NATO can also do cyber war and we also have nukes. Why back down.

He used them in both Chechnya and Syria.

Ursula von der Leyen confirmed certain Russian banks are to be remove from SWIFT.

EU also freezing the assets of Russia's central bank, which I don't personally totally understand but a lot of people seem to think is a really big deal?

Also apparently the entire EU airspace will be shut to Russian airlines

@dreamingbohemian

Also apparently the entire EU airspace will be shut to Russian airlines

I wonder if there would be a travel ban on more Russians coming to countries where there assets are?

@OnlyOpenMouthToChangeFeet

I have the utmost sympathy for everyone in Ukraine, but was a bit surprised at what I just watched. Staff are asking people boarding evacuation trains to leave bags behind to allow more standing room. There was a woman waiting to get on carrying her widescreen TV in it's box. No luggage, just the telly.

I suppose it's like earlier wars where people would grab jewellery as means to barter wherever they ended up. Except now the valuables people own are more likely to be in the form of electronics.

She might just really like the TV of course but that would be my explanation.

[quote Wrongkindofovercoat]@FatFredsFriedEgg Interested to know how Nato allies can get weapons across without it being seen as an incursion/escalation ?[/quote]
They don't have to get them across. Who's stopping UKR transport from meeting them on the PL side of the border, for example.

And there's nothing actually stopping NATO countries from delivering direct anyway. Madmen make their own decisions on what's allowable though...

We all assume for now that the line is a NATO country using force against Russian troops. That's not written down anywhere. A madman could decide that if he's decided there's malicious intent from a NATO member, or even from an ally of a NATO member, that's all the excuse he needs.

In his mind he makes his own rules.

From the Wall St Journal re freezing Russia's main bank assets.

"Broadening sanctions on the central bank would be a major blow to Moscow. It holds a formidable war chest of more than $630 billion in reserves. Those reserves—composed of gold, bonds, deposits and securities denominated in foreign currencies—are critical for Russia’s efforts to halt the ruble’s depreciation and slow inflation from the currency’s weakness"

@BronwenFrideswide

If Russia deploy those thermobaric bombs on Kyiv that HAS to be a war crime.

Using such devastating weapons in innocent civillians in a war that has grabbed the West's attention and resolve will have massive repercussions. Russia has to try and have some countries who are not against them - and this kind of action would drive even more countries against them.

I wonder - and would hope - that any Army commander would realise that and refuse.

"Financial director for Gazprom, Russia's state owned gas/energy company and largest company in Russia by revenue, found dead by suicide in St Petersburg.”

CNN just reported 2 massive explosions, believed to be approximately 12 miles from centre of Kyiv. The first is still lighting up the sky from miles away

@Phrenologistsfinger

"Financial director for Gazprom, Russia's state owned gas/energy company and largest company in Russia by revenue, found dead by suicide in St Petersburg.”

Do you have a link?

There is a terryfying assault on the capital.
Something is on fire giving off a strange glow?

What the f is it?

I wonder - and would hope - that any Army commander would realise that and refuse

I hope so. I saw today on France 24 that apparently some army generals don't even agree with the invasion.

Overall that is my hope - that Putin will be stopped or thwarted from within. There are plenty of decent people and excellent brains in Russia, and they no doubt can see where this irrational Putin is taking their country.

@OnlyOpenMouthToChangeFeet

I have the utmost sympathy for everyone in Ukraine, but was a bit surprised at what I just watched. Staff are asking people boarding evacuation trains to leave bags behind to allow more standing room. There was a woman waiting to get on carrying her widescreen TV in it's box. No luggage, just the telly.

I'm surprised that this is the thing you've chosen to focus on.