Ukraine-invasion-part-16

[PestorPeston]

Warsaw Russian is letting out a lot of smoke - there has been no decision on who among them will be the next pontiff.

Biden is going there Friday

Is Boris Johnson the designated survivor?

Who the heck let me be in charge?

@Thunderpunt Here’s a link to an article about the cyber attack you mentioned (in Italian) www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2022/03/23/attacco-informatico-a-ferrovie-riconducibile-ad-hacker-russi_6b7a77ac-6f5e-4452-be40-4adb135ced6d.html Apparently it’s unconfirmed that Russia is behind it but experts seem to think it’s a strong possibility.

I’ve been lurking on these threads since the beginning and have learned so much, so am happy to finally be able to share something useful!

www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/24/ukraine-facial-recognition-identify-russian-soldiers?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1648158047
Ukraine uses facial recognition software to identify Russian soldiers killed in combat
The defense ministry began using technology from Clearview AI which scrapes images on the web to match uploaded photos

Ukraine is using facial recognition software to help identify the bodies of Russian soldiers killed in combat and track down their families to inform them of their deaths, Ukraine’s vice-prime minister told the Reuters news service.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice-prime minister who also runs the ministry of digital transformation, told Reuters his country had been using software facial recognition provider Clearview AI to find the social media accounts of dead Russian soldiers.

“As a courtesy to the mothers of those soldiers, we are disseminating this information over social media to at least let families know that they they’ve lost their sons and to then enable them to come to collect their bodies,” Fedorov said in an interview, speaking via a translator.

@Thunderpunt this is the article. The Register is a dry, witty, geeky and often accurate publication for IT people.

www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/heriot_watt_outage/?td=rt-3a

Ahem.

EU and NATO are a pile of shit

You know what? Give Russia 72 hours to fuck off before we implement a NFZ.

I am sure Russia agrees with you @TiddyTidTwo.

Easy, Tiddy, firebelly :)

@WallinoMio funnily enough I've lurked through all 16 threads and that was the first thing I posted (and felt rubbish that I couldn't find the link to the article that DH was reading... I realise from being on this thread how important sources are ) Thanks for finding it, and also yours @Ijsbear

@TiddyTidTwo

EU and NATO are a pile of shit

Don't be silly, if Ukraine had been in both, this war wouldn't have started, what does that tell you?

EU is a trading/economic bloc its not a military one & if or when it comes to rebuilding Ukraine, they'll be at the forefront, just as they rebuilt the former warsaw pact states.

In response to the posters calling for the introduction of a no fly zone I thought it would be helpful to go over exactly what this would mean:

A no fly zone would need to be enforced, it no use politely asking the Russians not to fly fighter jets they would need to be shot down by NATO planes. This would be a clear war between NATO and Russia.

Secondly as well as shooting down Russian jets , NATO would need to ensure that NATO jets are not shot down. Russia has some of the best surface to air missile systems (SAM) in the world and these would need to be destroyed. Many of these such as S400s are over the border in Russia itself so NATO would need to bomb these SAM systems on Russian soil.

Russia would be very likely to retaliate with attacks on NATO airbases (on NATO country soil) providing the air cover . As this would be a clear attack on a NATO country it would result in a full NATO against Russia war.

@TiddyTidTwo - as an ex military person I am sure you can see how we urgently need cool heads to prevail here to stop escalation very quickly in to WW3.

@TiddyTidTwo

EU and NATO are a pile of shit

And yet Ukraine would like to join both

@1dayatatime

But neither you nor tiddy nor any of us need cool heads! We aren't making decisions 🤣🤣.

It's a chat forum , we are allowed to let off steam.

Tiddy I agree on this frustrating situation and to be honest we seem to be continually saying what we can't do?
All the time to Putin??

Maybe some push back threats add that panic to the people around Putin to finish the bastard off?
If Igor on twitter has any element of truth to these wind of change tweets.. that's what they want!

They don't want our nuke's aimed and Ready to blast either;

It's so frustrating.

I keep saying that as soonas he got tanks on that border...un should have been able too send in "peace" tanks toe to toe.

Duncin.

Ukraine has accepted it won't now.
Re EU it's to show more allegiance with Europe if Russia was a democracy do you think they would bother??

All this Russia/ Europe... allegiance stuff would not be any issue at all if a madman wasn't at the helm of Russia!
It's all safety moves for a dictator.

The west is always tip toeing around dictatorships!

I didn't see biden today, I'm praying he came across ok.

@PaperTyger

I didn't see biden today, I'm praying he came across ok.

He did alright. His remarks start 3 minutes into the video.

@1dayatatime

In response to the posters calling for the introduction of a no fly zone I thought it would be helpful to go over exactly what this would mean:

A no fly zone would need to be enforced, it no use politely asking the Russians not to fly fighter jets they would need to be shot down by NATO planes. This would be a clear war between NATO and Russia.

Secondly as well as shooting down Russian jets , NATO would need to ensure that NATO jets are not shot down. Russia has some of the best surface to air missile systems (SAM) in the world and these would need to be destroyed. Many of these such as S400s are over the border in Russia itself so NATO would need to bomb these SAM systems on Russian soil.

Russia would be very likely to retaliate with attacks on NATO airbases (on NATO country soil) providing the air cover . As this would be a clear attack on a NATO country it would result in a full NATO against Russia war.

@TiddyTidTwo - as an ex military person I am sure you can see how we urgently need cool heads to prevail here to stop escalation very quickly in to WW3.

Really helpful.

one tiny caveat (though I absolutely see what you're saying and agree) .... but ... Russia has some of the best surface to air missile systems (SAM) in the world ... it has to be said that the rest of their top notch equipment didn't exactly live up to standard so far!

(dry humour aside, I agree with you and while Ukraine is doing beyond anything anyone thought possible - Russia still has massively greater weight, plus a tyrannos who will not stop until he has got his way)

ISW

Key Takeaways

Russian forces entered central Mariupol on March 24 and continued to take ground across the city. Local Ukrainian authorities left the city in order to better coordinate regional operations amid the deteriorating situation in Mariupol itself.
Ukrainian forces conducted a successful attack on Russian ships docked at the occupied port of Berdyansk, likely sinking a landing ship and damaging or sinking another. Ukraine’s demonstrated ability to inflict serious damage on Berdyansk may disrupt Russian forces from renewing attempts to reinforce operations in Mariupol and around Kherson by sea.
Ukrainian forces did not retake any territory in continuing counterattacks northwest of Kyiv but forced Russian troops onto the defensive.
Ukrainian forces repelled renewed Russian attempts to advance toward Brovary from the northeast and complete the encirclement of Chernihiv.
Russian forces continue to shell Kharkiv and struck a humanitarian aid delivery point, killing six and wounding 15.
Russian forces secured several minor advances in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in the last 24 hours.

Please note: Mariupol is pretty well occupied now. This is a big thing; strategically it's really important.

There have been advances elsewhere.

Perhaps it's just me but I have a feeling that people think Ukraine is turning the tide. It seems to have stopped the advance but Russia has taken some hugely important strategic points at unforgiveably high cost and they can now, I think, place mines and hold their gains unless something else happens. If I'm wrong please correct me. Please.

I'm sorry for my earlier posts. I try to keep a cool head. Being ex military it's hard to watch genocide. My grandfather was a Japanese POW. He was a hero and kept others alive in the camp. He hid the Suffolk Regiment Standard flag. His mental positivity kept the others going. He was 6'2 and was 8 stone when he came back. But that bloody flag came back with him. It's now in his hometown museum and he was awarded the George medal.

My father followed in his footsteps and so did I. Not to that extent but we were in the British army. I didn't join for politics.

When my dad was much older and in the old comrades people who were with my grandad would come up to him and cry saying how grandad kept them alive by he sheer positivity.

My dad died last year. He was my hero as was my grandad. I absolutely cannot understand in 2022 we watch genocide, torture and innocent people starve and suffer.

I come from a different direction but it makes me weep to see Mariupol's people's suffering. It enrages me to see the utter lies of that poisonous old man and worse, the able lickspittles who serve him and do his bidding knowing what they do.

The people of Eastern Ukraine will suffer for this for generations and generations. I know something of trauma and the child scooped up when he was left alone by his parents - that child is unlikely to ever recover and become a secure adult for really quite a number of reasons. How many more of them are there? clinging to their dead mothers? How many mothers holding their children as they die of thirst, one of the worst deaths there is?

But when you are dealing with an absolute ruler whose pattern of action is escalation - you have to be careful. You have to stand up to him and if you don't bad things will happen; but if you are too hawkish, even worse things might well happen.

I hope that fucker remembers what it is, deep down, to be unloved (because he wasn't, much) and to be weak and I hope he dies seeing that the only thing he cares about, power, is ripped away from him and he that dies lonely and in physical pain like he's inflicted on so many others.

But not at the expense of more people dying.

Balance, and keep as many alive as possible because some will die in great pain. The trick is keeping that number as low as possible. And living with the grief.

“Onceuponatimeinalandfaraway

PaperTyger
Really 20 millions tanks??
I did say I might have got the number wrong, I’m terrible for Mixing Things up. And my memory is shit. So yes it might not be 20million, maybe 20,000 maybe another number entirely. I’ll see if I can find it…”

This is a transcript of Zelensky’s speech:
www.cnn.com/2022/03/24/politics/zelensky-speech-nato-transcript/index.html

Here is one part where he says:

“Yes, we are receiving support from some members of the alliance. And I am very grateful. All Ukrainians are very grateful for this sincerely to all of you who are giving us what you have to support us. But what about the alliance? The Article 5 issue is fundamental. I want you to know that we are thinking about it. And I sincerely hope that we are wrong in our assessment and in our doubts. And I hope that you indeed are a powerful alliance. Because if we are wrong, then the world is safe. But if we are not mistaken, at least by 1 percent, I want you to I ask you to review your assessment, and review your approach, and look after security in Europe and in the world.
You can give us 1 percent of all your planes, 1 percent of all your tanks, 1 percent. We cannot buy it. These supplies depend on NATO's political decisions. Multiple rocket launch systems, anti-warship systems, air defense systems, can we fight this war without it? So when we finally have it, it will give us and you 100% security. And we need only one. The only thing I ask of you after this one month of war, is to ask you on behalf of our military, after this one month war with Russia, in the war with Russia, please do not tell us that our army is not up to NATO's standards.”

Earlier in the speech he mentioned the 20,000 tanks.

@Ijsbear

I come from a different direction but it makes me weep to see Mariupol's people's suffering. It enrages me to see the utter lies of that poisonous old man and worse, the able lickspittles who serve him and do his bidding knowing what they do.

The people of Eastern Ukraine will suffer for this for generations and generations. I know something of trauma and the child scooped up when he was left alone by his parents - that child is unlikely to ever recover and become a secure adult for really quite a number of reasons. How many more of them are there? clinging to their dead mothers? How many mothers holding their children as they die of thirst, one of the worst deaths there is?

But when you are dealing with an absolute ruler whose pattern of action is escalation - you have to be careful. You have to stand up to him and if you don't bad things will happen; but if you are too hawkish, even worse things might well happen.

I hope that fucker remembers what it is, deep down, to be unloved (because he wasn't, much) and to be weak and I hope he dies seeing that the only thing he cares about, power, is ripped away from him and he that dies lonely and in physical pain like he's inflicted on so many others.

But not at the expense of more people dying.

Balance, and keep as many alive as possible because some will die in great pain. The trick is keeping that number as low as possible. And living with the grief.

^ This

It’s heartbreaking, sometimes we are so far away we lose touch. These people are like all of us on this thread. 1 month ago, they were living their lives just like us & now they are living through hell

Zelenksyy is right. This war is not about Ukraine but the security of Europe.

I cannot get my head around a sovereign European country where people are starving and are drinking out of radiators, drinking water from ditches with rotting corpses and having to eat their own pets to survive. Or those pets are so hungry they are feeding of corpses.

That the way over the red line for me