Ukraine war mega thread

[misskit]

Inability to counterattack Ukrainian army makes fighting by Russian forces in Kyiv region chaotic – Kyiv region police chief

Active hostilities in Irpin and activities of enemy saboteur groups continue.


There are reports from Bucha about violent crimes and property theft by Russian soldiers. That's according to Kyiv Regional Police Chief Andriy Nebytov, who said the enemy has occupied several villages in the region.


On Thursday, at a briefing in Kyiv, he said Russian troops fired on Novi Petrivtsi for the first time.


"It's an absolutely peaceful village, without any military installations. They raided private houses, a store and wrecked social infrastructure. There were no Ukrainian soldiers there," he said.


As for Irpin, active hostilities are taking place there.


"The enemy had certain defensive positions there, which were destroyed in a certain way. The enemy regrouped. Their saboteurs acted vilely throughout the village. Journalists and civilians have been killed when the enemy suddenly appears from the forest belt or in other locations," he said.


In Bucha, according to Nebytov, there are also many Russian troops who continue to resist the Armed Forces of Ukraine.


"We constantly receive information about the commission of crimes there: from property theft to violent crimes," he said.


Nebytov said Russian soldiers are running out of food and water and are looting.


"They have no desire to move forward, fearing a response from Ukrainian military units," he said, noting that the occupier does not have the support of the local population.


"There is a partisan movement… The Russian soldiers understand that they made a big mistake by coming to Ukraine," he stressed.


In recent days, we have been observing that the shelling has been carried out chaotically, we have recorded the destruction of civilian facilities, social and humanitarian infrastructure… Either it brings them pleasure, or it is intimidation of the population. But they will not intimidate our people. With each shelling, we become even more united. There are no more strikes on some military facilities, they cannot give a worthy rebuff to the armed forces of Ukraine. They attack civilian targets out of anger or uncertainty," he said.


Nebytov said local authorities are working normally in Brovary.


"But there are problematic issues regarding Bohdanivka, Shevchenkovo and Pobeda, town which are occupied by Russian troops. There are reports of crimes and atrocities there," he said.

Inability to counterattack Ukrainian army makes fighting by Russian forces in Kyiv region chaotic – Kyiv region police chief

[misskit]

I can’t help but to think Russia won’t be able to protect itself when the Chinese arrive to take back a good bit of Siberia.

[OhOh]

Agreement with Kiev could stop events in Ukraine fast — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov noted that Russian delegation exerted huge efforts, and displayed much higher readiness to hold talks in emergency mode

17 Mar, 19:44

"MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. An achievement of an agreement with Kiev, and its implementation can promptly stop the current events in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov believes.

"It is the signing of the document, clear negotiation of all parameters, and their implementation can stop what is happening [in Ukraine] very fast," the spokesman told journalists Thursday.

"Our delegation exerts huge efforts, and displays much higher readiness to hold talks in emergency mode than our Ukrainian counterparts," Peskov said. "Our terms are clear as day, they were formulated and conveyed to the Ukrainian negotiators," the spokesman said.

He pointed out a feature of Ukrainian negotiation style.

"We know that the Ukrainian style of negotiation is very, very relaxed; we are well acquainted with it and we remember it well from our anticipation of Ukraine’s fulfillment of obligations under the Minsk Package of Measures. Back then, things also progressed in a very relaxed fashion, and it eventually became one reason of the impasse that everything is at now," Peskov stated.

"We would very much like to hope that this style will not be applied during these negotiations," Peskov admitted. "We actually expect an energetic participation [of the Ukrainian side]," he noted.

The first round of Russian-Ukrainian talks took place on February 28 in Belarus. Later, the sides met on March 3 and March 7, also in Belarus. On March 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba met in Turkey’s Antalya. Currently, the negotiations proceed daily via online mode"


https://tass.com/politics/1423675

[Troy]

^^^^ (misskit post) Even when things are really tough, some people have such lovely thoughts...

[OhOh]

some people have such lovely thoughts

Including the Ukrainians, it appears:

Settling Russia-Ukraine disagreements to take one and a half weeks — Ukrainian side

During this time, the parties to come closer to drafting a peace treaty

17 Mar, 21:33

"WARSAW, March 17. /TASS/. Settling disagreements at negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will last several days to one and a half weeks, Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mikhail Podolyak said in an interview to the Internet portal Virtual Poland.

"For now, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations adhere to their stance. Eliminating disagreements may take several days to one and a half weeks. During this time, we are to come closer to drafting a peace treaty," he said.

The first round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations was held in the Gomel Region of neighboring Belarus on February 28. It lasted five hours.

The second round followed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus on March 3.

The delegates met for a third time in the Brest Region on March 7.

And on March 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba held a meeting on the sidelines of the diplomatic forum in Turkey’s Antalya.

Currently, talks between Moscow and Kiev are held by video link every day."

https://tass.com/world/1423729

[Backspin]

Australian journalist John Helmer reports that the alleged meeting in Kiev with Zelensky was fake. They met in Poland.

Dances With Bears >> THE ZELENSKY SUMMIT MEETING IN KIEV ON MARCH 15 WITH POLISH, CZECH AND SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTERS WAS A FAKE DEVISED IN WARSAW – THE MEETING WAS AT PRZEMYSL, POLAND; ZELENSKY ALSO

[sabang]

^^ I know.







Even Adolf liked dogs.

[bsnub]

Australian journalist John Helmer reports that the alleged meeting in Kiev with Zelensky was fake. They met in Poland.

Have I called you an idiot today? Well you are an idiot and your link does not work as usual you pathetic fraud.

They met in Poland.

[misskit]

^The link worked for me and I read it but was not convinced.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter a bit where they met.

[bsnub]

Anyway, it doesn’t matter a bit where they met.

Maybe not, but we know they met in Kyiv, and the fact is that skiddy has been lying and posting up fake news and propaganda. He was always a phony plagiarist, but since this war began he has gone into overdrive posting total BS. He is desperate to portray the Russians as winning this war.

[misskit]

More Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine Than U.S. Troops in Over 20 Years

More than 7,000 Russian soldiers have died since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, according to U.S. intelligence estimates cited by several news outlets.


Top officers among the Russian troops, including four generals, have allegedly been killed by the Ukrainian armed forces. U.S. officials estimate that 20 generals were initially sent on the ground in Ukraine.


Only the death of one general, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division and deputy commander of the 41st Army, was confirmed by Vladimir Putin in a televised speech on March 3.

For many among the Russian ranks, whose numbers totaled 150,000 troops at the beginning of the war, these losses have likely come as a shock.

And on Wednesday, Pentagon officials said Vladimir Putin may need to send in replacement troops to offset war losses.

"We have seen them deliberate and discuss the possibility of resupply to include replacement troops," a Pentagon senior defense official said. "But we don't have—we haven't seen any indications that anything is moving right now outside of what they have already in Ukraine. But we know they said that they are suffering losses every day; losses of people, losses of equipment, losses of aircraft."

On Tuesday, Ukraine's Armed Forces said the Ukraine military has destroyed over 1,200 Russian armored personnel carriers, 640 vehicles and 404 tanks since the start of the invasion.


Russian soldiers initially deployed at the border of Ukraine in the military build-up preceding the full-scale invasion were told they were just there for training.

Then they were told they would be greeted as saviors once they liberated Ukraine from Nazi leaders allegedly oppressing their fellow citizens.


"Mom, this is so hard," a Russian's soldier texted his mother before dying on the fifth day since the beginning of the invasion. "We had been told that people would welcome us here, but they jump under our vehicles, not letting us pass. They call us fascists," the soldier dramatically told his mother, in texts widely shared by the Ukrainian Security Services.

The reality is that Russian troops faced fierce opposition in Ukraine, both from Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. In 21 days of war, the losses suffered by the Russian troops are significant.

Ukrainian officials estimate the number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine to be over 13,500, while Russian figures downplay the total to only 498. U.S. estimates combine these different numbers with satellite images and estimates based on intelligence data and set that number to 7,000.


It is estimated that just over 7,000 American soldiers died in post-9/11 operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan between 2001 and 2021.


The deaths of the American troops in post-9/11 operations affected their families, their friends, and the lives of those who returned from the war zone. It is estimated that four times as many troops died of suicide after returning from Afghanistan and Iraq than were killed in battle.

More Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine Than U.S. Troops in Over 20 Years

[Norton]

This seems to me a very good, very moderate, common sense article. I invite comments or (more accurately) reactions from those that say it is not :-


Arsenal of Democracy or Simply an Arsenal?

The New Cold War Is Here to Stay, Until It Isn't

Good stuff. Astor is spot on in what he is saying about the militarism and the huge amount of US treasure dedicated to the Pentagon. By any measure the US has by far the biggest most capable military the world has ever seen. If the US unleashed it's full military power anywhere in the world it would win militarily.

Up until Vietnam the US did commit it's full military power and was victorious. It never did so in Vietnam so had to leave, by any measure, defeated. Since then all the defeats were caused by the inabilty and will to fully commit to winning.

Why? Something called the "Vietnam Syndrome" is in play. Fear of losing and/or starting ww3.

Here we are again in the Ukraine. Same old shit. Another half hearted military misadventure. Use the huge military power to declare the US is at war with Russia and get on with it.

Do that or dump the ridiculous amount of money we continually spend to build a military that we don't use.

At this late date, I’m not sure we can do it. I only know that we must.

I'm not sure either. Shit or get off the pot. I prefer getting off the pot militarily. Put the treasure to better use for things that are needed and unlike our military will be used to make things better for Americans and the rest of the world.

[sabang]

There is only one thing I can add to that Norton- call it the bogeyman in the room. MAD Syndrome. The justified fear of full scale nuclear war has changed the metrics somewhat, surely.

[sabang]

Petro-Yuan Still Far-Fetched Even Amid Saudi Mulling Oil Deals



Bloomberg) -- The yuan is getting a boost from reports that Saudi Arabia is in talks with Beijing to price some oil sales in the Chinese currency, a development that analysts believe may be some way off.

While a deal between the world’s biggest producer and importer of oil could undermine the dominance of the dollar and euro in such trades, market watchers expect that to be a drawn out process. The main hurdle is the yuan’s limited convertibility and that it is still tightly managed by China.

The onshore yuan rose as much as 0.4% to 6.3460 per dollar, most since December 31 after The Wall Street Journal reported the talks between China and Saudi Arabia. China’s vow to keep the stock market stable also supported the currency. Global Times, a Chinese state-owned media, reported that India is to buy Russian oil at discounted prices and is considering the yuan as a reference currency for payments.

The reports are adding to speculation the yuan will expand its global use in commodity trades as it benefits from an accelerated de-dollarization in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. China started its own crude-oil contract in Shanghai in 2018 that allows direct participation by international investors to price oil in yuan.

Here’s what strategists and analysts are saying:

Mitul Kotecha, chief emerging markets Asia and Europe strategist at TD Securities
Most oil is priced in dollars and it seems unlikely that there would be a quick move away from that by commodity-producing countries simply because of the logistics involved.
“The yuan remains far from being a rival to the dollar at this stage. Nonetheless, it may encourage greater yuan use by other countries in trade and the share of yuan in trade is likely to grow,” he said. “The fact that the yuan is not a fully convertible currency acts as a stumbling block.”

Fiona Lim, senior FX strategist at Malayan Banking Bhd
“At this point, it feels more like a symbolic breakaway from the Petrodollar. Should this gain traction into more yuan-denominated oil deals beyond China-Saudi Arabia trades, yuan can become a more dominant reserve currency for central banks.”

Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group
Based on calculations referring to 2019 data, 10%-20% of the China oil imports from Saudi Arabia done in yuan, which would be about $4 billion-$8 billion, which at the margin will be supportive for the yuan.
“Saudi could use the yuan to pay for imports from China or they could invest it in Chinese government bonds, diversifying their FX reserves.”

Terence Wu, FX strategist at Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp
The discussion between China and Saudi Arabia about pricing oil contracts in yuan has been on and off over the past few years, and there is little to suggest that there has been any concrete progress toward an agreement in this instance. The timing of this headline -- amid geopolitical uncertainty -- also adds a layer of skepticism.
“Any concrete progress and broader adoption would be a near-term positive for the yuan from a feel-good angle, but the medium-term implications are less clear. Overall, it may be premature to explicitly consider this to be a win for yuan internationalization.”

David Chao, global market strategist for Asia-Pacific ex-Japan at Invesco Ltd.
“Confidence in the dollar and euro has been eroded after the U.S. and many of its allies froze the Russian Central Bank’s foreign reserves and removed many of its financial institutions from SWIFT. It makes sense for the Saudi and other governments around the world to think about diversifying their stores of wealth -- which should provide a boost to the internationalization of the yuan.”
“The biggest headwind to the internationalization of the yuan is that it continues to be non-convertible in most places in the world. Chinese policy makers are not likely to give up control of it’s currency and expose it to outside forces.”

Michael Every, global strategist at Rabobank
“Even if we assume all Saudi-China trades switch to yuan, that is $320 million per working day versus the $6.6 trillion global daily FX market.”
Saudi Arabia would end up accumulating yuan, which is of no use unless everyone else makes the same shift. Saudi Arabia would probably still price oil in dollars given its own balance sheet, and just allow some Chinese oil payment in yuan.
“Yet geopolitically this news is highly significant. First and foremost, it suggests China is preparing for possible U.S. sanctions.”

Guo Jiayi, chief FX analyst at CIB Research and Consulting Co.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has accelerated the reshaping of the global currency system, and Saudi Arabia’s consideration of using the yuan to settle oil transactions would be an important step.
“We expect more countries will use yuan for trade settlement and as a reserve currency. Despite recent outflow pressure, China’s real yield remains appealing to overseas investors with its contained inflation. The yuan paid in China’s import could flow back to China via export or via asset allocation. ”

Eugenia Victorino, head of Asia strategy at Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB
“China is the largest oil importer in the world and it is assumed that most of China’s oil deals are being settled in dollars or euro. Saudi’s likely shift may prompt other countries to start thinking about settling their trade in yuan.”
“Accepting yuan for some of its oil trade also sets the stage for using more of yuan as an alternative reserve currency. Currency swap agreements with the PBOC are suddenly interesting.”
“It is unlikely that Saudi would settle all of its oil trade with China in yuan. But if the two parties come to an agreement, then regulations/financial links will have to change to accommodate the trade.”

Petro-Yuan Still Far-Fetched Even Amid Saudi Mulling Oil Deals

[bsnub]

Why on earth would you put that in this thread?

[sabang]

It's News, and no matter how much you may be unfamiliar with the world of international finance snubby- big news. A lot of money people are really wondering about the ramifications of recent US 'moves' against Russia, and what it may (or may not) augur- I kid you not.

[bsnub]

It has nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine and was planned months before this war. Off-topic if anything ever was.

[sabang]

It has everything to do with the invasion of Ukraine, and resultant measures taken. Everything.

[Norton]

MAD Syndrome

Yes all part of ww3 fear.

[sabang]

An aside really, but I still get a fragment of the stuff that people are thinking of and ruminating, in the Biz. WW3 may actually be fought in the financial and cyberspace arena, according to some Futurists. ��

[David48atTD]

Australian journalist John Helmer reports that the alleged meeting in Kiev with Zelensky was fake. They met in Poland.

Dances With Bears >> THE ZELENSKY SUMMIT MEETING IN KIEV ON MARCH 15 WITH POLISH, CZECH AND SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTERS WAS A FAKE DEVISED IN WARSAW – THE MEETING WAS AT PRZEMYSL, POLAND; ZELENSKY ALSO

Link doesn't work ... johnhelmer.net is a host error

[spliff]

^^ I know.







Even Adolf liked dogs.

No way you can fault a dog or cat lover.

[bsnub]

Link doesn't work ... johnhelmer.net is a host error

I pointed that out already, and it should be of no surprise. Just more BS fake news from Skiddy.

[NamPikToot]

what you will see now is europe and the uk coming to a deal with iran about supplying oil/gas to europe , and the US will have plausible deniability with the saudi

The timing of the deal over the payment of nearly £400M owed since the 70s for the release two UK Nationals certainly helps thaw relations with Iran and make it easier to put a deal in place.

[OhOh]

your link does not work as usual you pathetic fraud.

Local information censorship is rife in your country, it seems.

Link doesn't work ... johnhelmer.net is a host error

And yours.

WWII - "Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (RMVP), headed by Joseph Goebbels"

Who are today's equivalents, Tucker Carlson .... ?



Currently available in Thailand, but for how much longer?

Maybe the wrong person, but there are plenty of others to suggest.

Same old shit. Another half hearted military misadventure. Use the huge military power to declare the US is at war with Russia and get on with it.

Your military, may now be being deployed for just that.

Allegedly reinforcing, personnel, equipment, weapons etc., to the NATO eastern border is underway.

Some may now understand why THE LORD is currently only utilising a small % of his military forces.