Ukraine Invasion: Part 26

[MagicFox]

Here we are, on top of our rock

BBC News:

Russia does not plan to "close the window" to Europe, the Kremlin said.
Despite relations between Moscow and the West hitting new lows following the invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted: "We are not planning to close anything."
The phrase "window to Europe" harks back to Peter the Great, Russia's first emperor who ruled for more 40 years until 1725. Next week marks the 350th anniversary of his birth.
Peskov said President Putin highly valued Peter the Great's role as he had profound knowledge of history.
Russia has criticised the US decision to arm Ukraine with more advanced artillery systems, accusing Washington of "adding fuel to the fire" - but says it won't change the course of war.
"Pumping (Western) weapons into Ukraine does not change all the parameters of the special operation," Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
"Its goals will be achieved, but this will bring more suffering to Ukraine."
Fierce fighting continues in eastern Ukraine where officials admit as much as 80% of the major industrial city of Severodonetsk is now in Russian hands.

Euromaidan Press AT EuromaidanPress
Remember the Bayraktar for Ukraine, for which Lithuania crowdfunded €5mn? Turkey will give it as a present

€1.5 of the sum will be used to buy ammunition for the drone and remaining €4.4 will go to other support to Ukraine, exact use to be decided

Brilliant stuff!

Absolutely bloody AMAZING isn't it. Really is.

@RedToothBrush · Today 14:16
Euromaidan Press AT EuromaidanPress
Remember the Bayraktar for Ukraine, for which Lithuania crowdfunded €5mn? Turkey will give it as a present

€1.5 of the sum will be used to buy ammunition for the drone and remaining €4.4 will go to other support to Ukraine, exact use to be decided

That is a nice gesture, and good news.

@katem98 - Today 14:10
Thank you for the BBC news.
Re:
^"Pumping (Western) weapons into Ukraine does not change all the parameters of the special operation," Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
"Its goals will be achieved, but this will bring more suffering to Ukraine."^

I wonder if they mean more suffering as opposed to not fighting, handing over some flowers, all their weapons, and all their people to be ‘filtered’, many to be tortured, imprisoned, raped, possibly deported, and brain-washed?

@LoveLarry · Today 14:06
This restores my faith a bit, even if it is for PR purposes

Remember the Lithuanian fundraising
twitter.com/baykartech/status/1532318260833705984?s=21&t=CsrjgjwVh_aMVxjKyIe60w

It does help restore faith doesn’t it. Thank you for the news.

BBC
The struggle to get the EU’s sixth package of sanctions over the line goes on.

It had been hoped that ambassadors would formally adopt the measures at a meeting last night. But diplomats say a spanner in the works is that Hungary doesn’t want the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Putin ally, Patriarch Kirill added to the sanctions list.

The patriarch is a staunch supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time claiming Russia has "never attacked anyone".

Why does Hungary feel special concern over Patriarch Kirill?

Fairly sure that Orban is very much pro-Russian invasion. I'd guess he'd like Russia and Hungary to unite.

Jomini of the West liked
WarMonitor🇺🇦
@WarMonitor3
·
16h
In Kherson region, Ukrainian artillery decimated Russian reserves at Kostromka and Tamaryne.

There is even reports of a whole Russian BTG being eliminated.

Fuat
@lilygrutcher
·
5h
Taiwan bans exports of all modern chips to Russia and Belarus.

if this is true, this is big. Everything runs on chips .... and the Taiwan chip manufacturing company has 54% of the market share.

Never thought I'd be sobbing over the funding of a drone.

Ooo Taiwan banning the export of chips to Russia and Belarus is excellent news!

BBC News:

Russia's defence ministry says that vessels carrying grain can leave Ukraine's ports in the Black Sea via "humanitarian corridors", with Russia ready to guarantee their safety, Reuters quotes the Interfax news agency as saying.
The ports have been largely blocked for exports since the invasion began in February. There have been international diplomatic efforts to restore the routes, including an appeal for action by the UN last month.
Ukraine is a major exporter of grain and its inability to export crops has led to global food prices soaring. But it's not known when - or even if - the corridors will be operational.

It hadn’t occurred to me to wonder how they were responding to the war but when you come to think of it it’s no surprise they generally want to stand up to big countries who invade little ones…

My memory is shit but I think theyvé done quite a bit given their size.

They seem to be doing quite a lot. More than enough to piss China off

www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-says-taiwan-taking-advantage-ukraine-island-sends-more-aid-2022-03-16/

We know all about Russian "humaitarian corridors", don't we.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime Yes, I thought this too.

❤

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · Today 18:36

“katem98
BBC News:

Russia's defence ministry says that vessels carrying grain can leave Ukraine's ports in the Black Sea via "humanitarian corridors", with Russia ready to guarantee their safety, Reuters quotes the Interfax news agency as saying.
The ports have been largely blocked for exports since the invasion began in February. There have been international diplomatic efforts to restore the routes, including an appeal for action by the UN last month.
Ukraine is a major exporter of grain and its inability to export crops has led to global food prices soaring. But it's not known when - or even if - the corridors will be operational.”

Asking answered:
We know all about Russian "humaitarian corridors", don't we.

@katem98 · Today 18:3

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime
Yes, I thought this too.

Me too. Are they really being nice about this, or does ‘humanitarian corridor’ have a special meaning?

@ScrollingLeaves my friend is shocked by the lower standard of living in Russia. He says the way of life is vastly different.

He says Moscow feels very oppressive. There are police and cameras everywhere and helicopters are constantly circling.

ScrollingLeaves
Are they really being nice about this, or does ‘humanitarian corridor’ have a special meaning?

I think the translation into Russian, means "legitimate target".

OwlsDance, ScrollingLeaves, CatAndHisKit, thanks for making it through the video interview with Dmitry Potapenko mentioned earlier in the thread and your views. It is refreshing to hear a 'cool headed' view from a Russian intellectual, as opposed to that of the usual crazy warmongering propagandist posing as an intellectual. I wonder whether the dry sarcasm is his way of mocking the Russian actions without them being the wiser. I probably read too much into it, not having the benefit of Russian language to pick up the nuances.

Hearing his view that the alternative down the road is a military junta, I do think it is better for Putin to stay in power, as a lame duck rather than have someone more hawkish and energetic take over. I doubt anyone other than Putin will have the standing and command of the Russian people to get Russia to withdraw from Ukraine and since Putin won't do it, better it be him than the hawkish heads in command who will only escalate. Hillsmakeyoustrong and ljsbear, interesting to hear your views on better the devil you know.

We have to wait for the snake to eat itself.

@Hillsmakeyoustrong · Today 20:05
@ScrollingLeaves my friend is shocked by the lower standard of living in Russia. He says the way of life is vastly different.

He says Moscow feels very oppressive. There are police and cameras everywhere and helicopters are constantly circling.

That is extraordinary somehow. I had imagined Moscow as being generally prosperous and modern.

The police and cameras must be owing to fears for back lash over the war rather than usual, I suppose.

Is your friend safe there, having come from Ukraine? Did they have to go through filtration?

🔺The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine named Russia's priority goals for the next stage of the war in Ukraine:

➖ increase in the intensity of air and missile strikes against civilian and military objects throughout Ukraine;

➖ continue the total destruction of critical infrastructure and civilians;

➖ further encircle and destroy the United Forces grouping, to create a stable land corridor from the Rostov region to the Crimea and then to Transnistria. And as a result, to deprive Ukraine of access to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov;

➖ identification of logistics routes and destruction of warehouses with equipment and ammunition and disruption of supplies of equipment from partners.

Note about the less-than-stellar german performance: this has actually been promised and delivered

Also, received and already use German mines DM22 and DM31. We use it to destroy Russian tanks.

It hits the side of the tank. It makes any vehicle non-functional.

Good that the world supports us with weapons to do our job.