Ukraine Invasion: Part 27

[MagicFox]

27th thread, thanks for the continued company and analysis all

Aaaand ...

@RedToothBrush · Today 09:24
www.politico.eu/article/poland-cities-strain-help-ukraine-refugees/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social
Polish cities feel the strain of helping Ukrainian refugees
Local leaders say they urgently need more funds to address housing crunch and build schools.

That is a huge amount responsibility for Poland. I wonder if there is any European centralised system for communally paying for a region taking on such a disproportionate load?

@notimagain · Today 10:34

Thank you for your explanation about precision and non precision missiles. I remember those news programmes during the Gulf War showing the precise cross/hair sightings of targets and the feeling viewers had that war was now different because civilians could be avoided. I am sure it wasn’t always what it seemed. I also remember the first news about ‘shock and awe’ in Iraq, seeing the whole skyline in flames and realising many civilians must have been hit or burned by whatever they were using.

I thought it was supposed to be illegal for cluster bombs to be used in the way the Russians have though. I wonder if the Russians have run out of those yet? They do seem to want to wipe out cities and people regardless of precision or the lack of it.

Specialist gang ‘targeting’ Ukrainian treasures for removal to Russia | Ukraine | The Guardian

www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/12/specialist-gang-targeting-ukrainian-treasures-for-removal-to-russia
amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/12/specialist-gang-targeting-ukrainian-treasures-for-removal-to-russia

@ScrollingLeaves

I thought it was supposed to be illegal for cluster bombs to be used in the way the Russians have though

Not sure if this encompasses all the supposed rules:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_Cluster_Munitions

Re Russians stealing Ukrainian artifacts especially those of Scythian gold - lest there be any idea mooted by Russia that these works of art are really ‘Russian’ this map shows that Scythia was in Ukraine.

Ukraine NOW
@UkraineNowMedia
“Gerhard Schröder's commitment to Russian energy companies has raised many questions in Europe, especially with our Eastern European neighbors, and has left many questions for our country,” Steinmeier said.

WarMonitor🇺🇦
@WarMonitor3
·
2h
Russians have now a total of 32 BTGS in the Izyum area. They have increased the number by at least 10 in the past two weeks. Units that were regrouping have been moved to the front.
There has been increased attempts to push south and south east towards Slovyansk.

WarMonitor🇺🇦
@WarMonitor3
·
1h
Russians are now very close to Bohorodychne, they are attacking the town from two main directions.
First is north across the river and second is south from Pasika, so far the main offensive has come from that south of Pasika push.
Some Russian SOF pushed across the river.

This is John Sweeney's take on things. It seems .... reasonable.

John Sweeney
@johnsweeneyroar
Inside a captured Russian Armoured Personnel Carrier. It's not great. The Ukrainian Army needs freight trains of APCs, big guns and tanks from the West. It's not got enough. So Vladimir Putin is winning.

@Ijsbear · Today 13:40
This is John Sweeney's take on things. It seems .... reasonable.

John Sweeney
@johnsweeneyroar
Inside a captured Russian Armoured Personnel Carrier. It's not great. The Ukrainian Army needs freight trains of APCs, big guns and tanks from the West. It's not got enough. So Vladimir Putin is winning.

Thank you @Ijsbear. It is like standing by with piles of bandages while watching someone bleed to death.

Are any miracles possible?

Just popping in with a book recommendation.
I'm halfway through the Norwegian journalist Erika Fatland's book "The Border", written in 2017. In it, she travels around the entire border of Russia staying only in neighboring countries with the aim to examine what it has meant for each country to have Russia as its neighbor. It is as much history book and historical analysis as it is travel documentary.
The book is long, over 600 pages, but very interesting and really fills out the historical context of Russian empire building, and expansionism to gain control over ports, trade routes and material goods. One bit, now several hundred pages back, so I'll paraphrase badly and inaccurately from memory , described historical conquests to gain access to warm water ports as Russia being willing to pay with the lives of hundred of thousands of people in return for getting access to those ports. It really rings a bell as to what is being done now.

Also worth reading is “Savage Continent” basically about the aftermath of WW2 in the East of Europe.

can second @ohdrearydrearyme's recommendation, it's very good!

WarMonitor🇺🇦
@WarMonitor3
·
1m
The Russian Federation is forming additional combat units for deployment

⚡️The traditional meeting between Putin and foreign business leaders and investors at SPIEF will not take place this year, the Kremlin stated.

well that was unexpected, eh?

Well they aren’t going to be very well trained are they?

Flash
@Flash43191300
·
4h
⚡️Vladimir Zelenskyi became the winner of the Boris Nemtsov Prize for Courage.

The Boris Nemtsov Foundation annually awards a person for the defense of democratic values and human rights.

He ought to get a bloody Nobel too. Not sure what category but he damn well deserves one.

Daily Fail link sorry but thought this was nice to see. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10908575/Ukrainians-flock-beaches-Kyiv-defiance-against-Russian-invasion.html

'Illegal'.

Its not quite that straightforward. There is a UN agreement to ban them and make their use illegal.

Except its utterly worthless.

The US and Russia have not signed it.

Agreed, it's like a lot of those rules/laws of conflict even the Geneva Conventions...almost utterly worthless when dealing with an adversary who hasn't signed on the line (and in many cases pretty useless anyway because they may not care that they have signed on the line).

For anybody wondering about the whys of cluster munitions in the first place then one example is that they were one of the main NATO weapons of choice for dealing with massed formations Soviet equipment, especially armour, for quite some time in the Cold War....bet the Ukrainians might find some handy right now, either air delivered or by some other means .......

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BL755

@Igotjelly · Today 15:05
Daily Fail link sorry but thought this was nice to see. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10908575/Ukrainians-flock-beaches-Kyiv-defiance-against-Russian-invasion.html

Very nice to see. They must be counting every moment.

@RedToothBrush
Re-cluster bombs
Its not quite that straightforward. There is a UN agreement to ban them and make their use illegal.

Except its utterly worthless.

The US and Russia have not signed it.

Ah.

@notimagain

Thanks for explaining the finer points too.

This is very sad. It does sound though that he has really been of help to Ukraine. Through his help in training people there he may have helped many others live.

Ukraine war: Former British soldier Jordan Gatley killed in fighting - BBC News

www.bbc.com/news/uk-61777224
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61777224.amp

On a note (or notes) a lot lighter than many on this thread, the words "warm water port" reminded me of a song about an earlier Kremlin imperialist attempt at expansion.

Sorry for lowering the tone, but it seems to me that making fun of Russia is also important.

So very sad. What a hero. He did not just stand by. RIP Jordan Gatley

hell yeah, given just how brilliant the Ukrainians' sense humour is, definitely ! @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

@ohdrearydrearyme rydrearyme · Today 14:18
and @Igotjelly

Thank you both for the books you recommended.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime Today 16:41

Droll and much needed, thank you.