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  1. #1226
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    We are planning for a long war. We intend to prepare the American people for that, and we are prepared to ask Congress for more money
    Of course should be planning for a long war cuz it will be. Years, not months so reckon this thread will at least 10k posts until the mainstream media tires of daily Ukraine war headlines as they have done with the Syian war which is still going after 11 years.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect,"

  2. #1227
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norton View Post
    Of course should be planning for a long war cuz it will be. Years, not months so reckon this thread will at least 10k posts until the mainstream media tires of daily Ukraine war headlines as they have done with the Syian war which is still going after 11 years.
    That's nothing. North and South Korea have been at war since 1950.

  3. #1228
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    Then there is 'Turkish' Cyprus- the UN's longest extant Peace mission, Sudan & Sth Sudan, Kosovo/ Bosnia, and those weird breakaway Russian republics in the Caucasus. Lot of it about! This may well end up as an uneasy peace with 'unrecognised by the west' republics, or an ongoing lower grade war- such as Ukraine has been waging against Donbass since 2015. One relevant question is how much taxpayer money is the US & EU taxpayer willing to throw at it, and for how long? Ukraine is certainly perpetually begging for more- and it's never enough.

  4. #1229
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    how much taxpayer money is the US & EU taxpayer willing to throw at it, and for how long? Ukraine is certainly perpetually begging for more- and it's never enough.
    Enough to keep it going until puffy leaves or dies.

  5. #1230
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    The new Russian boss might say "No more Mr Nice Guy".

  6. #1231
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    One relevant question is how much taxpayer money is the US & EU taxpayer willing to throw at it, and for how long?
    Two relevant questions innit?

  7. #1232
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    The new Russian boss might say "No more Mr Nice Guy".
    Was that from TASS or RT?

  8. #1233
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Since the start of the war in February, at least 20 yachts worth over $2.25 billion have been seized from Russian owners.




    US authorities have hired a new crew to sail a Russian oligarch's luxury yacht from Fiji to Hawaii, Bloomberg first reported.

    The $325 million vessel, which US authorities said belonged to gold tycoon Suleyman Kerimov, left the port of Lautoka in Fiji early on Tuesday, according ship-tracking data from analytics firm Spire.

    The yacht, called Amadea, is now heading for Hawaii, a US state, per Spire data.

    After Fiji ruled on Tuesday that Kerimov's yacht was in the hands of US authorities, the vessel departed from the island bearing the American flag, according to ship-tracking site MarineTraffic. It previously flew the Cayman Islands flag.

    Bloomberg reported that a different crew is now in control of the 348ft Amadea, which features a helipad, jacuzzi, swimming pool, and a winter garden, according to Superyacht Fan.

    The Department of Justice declined to comment about the new crew but told Insider on Tuesday that "the judicial process to determine the disposition of the vessel will continue."

    Amadea moored in Fiji on April 12 after sailing across the Pacific from Mexico before it was banned from leaving due to a restraining order.

    In early June, Fiji's supreme court ordered the yacht to "sail out of Fiji waters" because its running costs were becoming too expensive for the country's government.

    After being sanctioned by the US in 2018 for alleged money laundering, Kerimov was also sanctioned by the UK and European Union following the invasion of Ukraine for his close ties with Vladimir Putin.

    He is a member of the Russian Federation Council and his family owns a controlling stake in Polyus Gold, which claims to be Russia's biggest gold producer.

    Kerimov also owns Nafta Moscow, a Russian financial and industrial group.

    Update





    _____________




    The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with an additional $1 billion in military aid to help the country defend itself from Russia.

    Driving the news: The aid comes as Ukraine and Russia engage in a fierce battle for control of Severodonetsk, the last remaining major city still under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk region of the Donbas.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last week that the fight for the city would determine the fate of eastern Ukraine.

    During his nightly address Tuesday, Zelensky repeated pleas for more and faster deliveries of Western arms, especially anti-missile defense systems, AP reported.

    The big picture: The aid package will include more arms for Ukraine, such as coastal defense systems, artillery, advanced rocket systems and ammunition, President Biden said in a statement.

    It will include weapons that can be efficiently shipped from current U.S. stockpiles, and new contracts to ensure long-term supplies for Ukraine, CNN reported.

    Biden also announced another $225 million in humanitarian aid to help Ukrainians, "including by supplying safe drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter, and cash for families to purchase essential items."

    What they're saying: "The bravery, resilience, and determination of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world. And the United States, together with our allies and partners, will not waver in our commitment to the Ukrainian people as they fight for their freedom," Biden said.

    Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, urged the more than 45 participating countries to demonstrate "our unwavering determination to get Ukraine the capabilities that it urgently needs to defend itself," AP reported.

    _______________




    Wikimedia Foundation, the owner of Wikipedia, has filed an appeal against a Russian court order that demanded the site remove information related to the invasion of Ukraine, stating that the removal would be a “violation of people’s rights to free expression and access to knowledge.”

    The nonprofit organization filed an appeal last week to challenge a Moscow court calling for the removal of several Wikipedia articles, mostly related to the invasion, fining them 5 million rubles, or about $65,000.

    The foundation challenged the appeal, saying that the information should be protected by freedom of expression.

    “The information at issue is fact-based and verified by volunteers who continuously edit and improve articles on the site; its removal would therefore constitute a violation of people’s rights to free expression and access to knowledge,” the organization said in a press release.

    The lower court’s decision states that the articles on the site are disinformation, “which poses risk of mass public disorder in Russia.”

    The articles include Russian Invasions of Ukraine (2022), Battle for Kyiv, War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Shelling of Hospital in Mariupol and others.

    “This decision implies that well-sourced, verified knowledge on Wikipedia that is inconsistent with Russian government accounts constitutes disinformation,” said Stephen LaPorte, associate general Counsel, said in the statement. “The government is targeting information that is vital to people’s lives in a time of crisis. We urge the court to reconsider in favor of everyone’s rights to knowledge access and free expression.”

    The court also found that the foundation operates inside Russian territory, which would require it to comply. However, Wikimedia asserts that the country does not have jurisdiction over the organization.

    The foundation also argues that the requests for the removal of information “constitutes a violation of human rights.”

    “Russian-language Wikipedia is a crucial second draft of history, written by and for Russian speakers around the world who volunteer their time to make reliable, fact-checked information available to all,” the organization said. “Blocking access to Wikipedia in Russia would deny more than 145 million people access to this vital information resource.”

    “The Wikimedia Foundation remains committed to defending the right of everyone to freely access and share knowledge,” it added.

    The Russian government will have the opportunity to respond to the appeal in the coming weeks.

    Wikimedia has previously faced scrutiny from the Russian government when Russian leaders demanded it remove the content surrounding the Ukrainian invasion for months, which the foundation said was “censorship.”

    Most recently, in April, Russian mass media regulator Roskomnadzor warned the organization to take down an article that it said was disinformation, which Wikimedia also refused.

    _____________




    The leaders of France, Germany and Italy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv Thursday and expressed support for granting Ukraine candidate status for accession to the European Union.

    Why it matters: Zelensky this week urged Western countries to quickly deliver more arms as Ukraine attempts to fend off Russian forces in the country's east.

    In recent days, Ukraine's government has criticized some European countries for dragging their feet on supplying additional military aid.

    David Arakhamia, who leads Ukraine's negotiations with Russia and is one of Zelensky's closest advisers, said that the German government was still very reluctant to approve export licenses to arm Ukraine, per Axios' Dave Lawler.

    Driving the news: French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv by train and later visited the devastated suburb of Irpin.

    Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also arrived in the city on Thursday for a visit on a separate train, he tweeted.

    During a joint press conference after their meeting, Macron said that all four leaders were in favor of granting Ukraine "immediate" EU candidate status, Reuters reported.

    The big picture: The visit comes ahead of an expected decision from the European Commission to recommend that Ukraine be granted candidate status to join the bloc, per Politico.

    Macron said at a press conference that all four EU leaders attending the meeting with Zelensky also promised to back candidate status for Ukraine, AP reported.

    President Biden also announced Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with an additional $1 billion in military aid.

    What they're saying: The leaders "want to send a strong signal of support and solidarity to president [Zelensky] and the people of Ukraine in these dire times," German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit tweeted.

    French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Kyiv that the trip "a message of unity ... to the Ukrainians."
    Last edited by S Landreth; 17-06-2022 at 11:05 PM.
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  9. #1234
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    EU backs Ukraine’s membership bid as war brings huge shift

    BRUSSELS/KYIV, Ukraine, June 17 (Reuters) – The European Union gave its blessing on Friday for Ukraine and its neighbour Moldova to become candidates to join, in the most dramatic geopolitical shift to result from Russia’s invasion.


    Ukraine applied to join the EU just four days after Russian troops poured across its border in February. Four days later, so did Moldova and Georgia – smaller ex-Soviet states also contending with separatist regions occupied by Russian troops.


    “Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the country’s aspiration and the country’s determination to live up to European values and standards,” the EU’s executive Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels. She made the announcement wearing Ukrainian colours, a yellow blazer over a blue shirt.


    President Voloymyr Zelenskiy thanked von der Leyen and EU member states on Twitter for a decision he called “the first step on the EU membership path that’ll certainly bring our victory closer”.


    Moldova’s President Maia Sandu hailed a “strong signal of support for Moldova & our citizens!” and said she counted on the support of EU member states.


    “We’re committed to working hard,” she said on Twitter.


    While recommending candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova, the Commission held off for Georgia, which it said must meet more conditions first.


    Von der Leyen said Georgia has a strong application but had to come together politically. A senior diplomat close to the process cited setbacks in reforms there.


    Leaders of EU countries are expected to endorse the decision at a summit next week. The leaders of the three biggest – Germany, France and Italy – had signalled their solidarity on Thursday by visiting Kyiv, along with the president of Romania.


    “Ukraine belongs to the European family,” Germany’s Olaf Scholz said after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.


    Ukraine and Moldova will still face a lengthy process to achieve the standards required for membership, and there are other candidates in the waiting room. Nor is membership guaranteed – talks have been stalled for years with Turkey, officially a candidate since 1999.


    But launching the candidacy process, a move that would have seemed unthinkable just months ago, amounts to a shift on par with the decision in the 1990s to welcome the ex-Communist countries of Eastern Europe.


    “Precisely because of the bravery of the Ukrainians, Europe can create a new history of freedom, and finally remove the grey zone in Eastern Europe between the EU and Russia,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.


    If admitted, Ukraine would be the EU’s largest country by area and its fifth most populous. All three hopefuls are far poorer than any existing EU members, with per capita output around half that of the poorest, Bulgaria.


    All have recent histories of volatile politics, domestic unrest, entrenched organised crime, and unresolved conflicts with Russian-backed separatists proclaiming sovereignty over territory protected by Moscow’s troops.


    PORT BLOCKADE


    President Vladimir Putin ordered his “special military operation” officially to disarm and “denazify” Ukraine. One of his main objectives was to halt the expansion of Western institutions which he called a threat to Russia.


    But the war, which has killed thousands of people, destroyed whole cities and set millions to flight, has had the opposite effect. Finland and Sweden have applied to join the NATO military alliance, and the EU has opened its arms to the east.


    Within Ukraine, Russian forces were defeated in an attempt to storm the capital in March, but have since refocused on seizing more territory in the east.


    The nearly four-month-old war has entered a punishing attritional phase, with Russian forces relying on their massive advantage in artillery firepower to blast their way into Ukrainian cities.


    Ukrainian officials said their troops were still holding out in Sievierodonetsk, site of the worst fighting of recent weeks, on the east bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. It was impossible to evacuate more than 500 civilians who are trapped inside a chemical plant, the regional governor said.


    In the surrounding Donbas region, which Moscow claims on behalf of its separatist proxies, Ukrainian forces are mainly defending the river’s opposite bank.


    Near the frontline in the ruins of the small city of Marinka, Ukrainian police made their way into a cellar searching for anyone who wanted help to evacuate. A group of mainly elderly residents huddled on mattresses in candlelight.


    “There’s space down here, you could join us,” joked one man as the officers came in. A woman named Nina sighed in the darkness: “There is nowhere. Nowhere. Nowhere to go. All the houses have been burnt out. Where can we go?”


    In the south, Ukraine has mounted a counter-offensive, claiming to have made inroads into the biggest swath still held by Russia of the territory it seized in the invasion. There have been few reports from the frontline to confirm the situation in that area.


    Ukraine claimed its forces had struck a Russian tugboat bringing soldiers, weapons and ammunition to Russian-occupied Snake Island, a strategic Black Sea outpost.


    EU backs Ukraine's membership bid as war brings huge shift | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

  10. #1235
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    Switzerland inches towards Nato as neutrality is put to the test

    Switzerland’s defence ministry is eyeing closer co-operation with Nato in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The defence ministry is compiling a report detailing the options for the future of Swiss security. This could see the Swiss military joining in with Nato exercises and backfilling munitions. Alternatively, it could take the form of high-level meetings between military leaders from Switzerland and the US-led alliance.

    The report is scheduled for completion in September, and will then be submitted to the cabinet and parliament for discussion.

    Defence Minister Viola Amherd said on a trip to Washington last week that Switzerland should collaborate more closely with Nato, but should stop short of becoming a member.

    Switzerland is renowned for its cautious observation of military neutrality, which dates back to 1815. But this maxim could be undergoing a shift, according to Paelvi Pulli, head of security policy at the Swiss defence ministry. "Ultimately, there could be changes in the way neutrality is interpreted," she said in an interview last week.

    Pulli added that neutrality was aimed at increasing Swiss security, rather than as an end in itself. Therefore working more closely with Nato would not contradict the underlying principles of the policy of neutrality.

    Switzerland continues to produce most of its own weapons, but it purchased fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin last year, which are also used by some Nato countries.

    A recent poll found that 56% of Swiss support working more closely with Nato. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, that figure stood at just 37% on average.

    Sweden and Finland, also historically neutral countries, are both on the brink of applying to join NATO as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, 16 May, Finland’s parliament approved the country’s Nato application. It is expected that Sweden and Finland will make a formal joint approach to Nato on Tuesday or Wednesday during Finnish President Sauli Niinisto’s visit to Stockholm.

    Russia had previously threatened retaliation against any decision by the nordic states to join Nato. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov had warned that "they should have no illusion that we will simply put up with it." However, an announcement by President Vladimir Putin on Monday indicated a possible change of rhetoric in favour of calm acceptance.

    "As far as expansion goes, including new members Finland and Sweden, Russia has no problems with these states – none. And so in this sense there is no immediate threat to Russia from an expansion to include these countries," Putin said

    bne IntelliNews - Switzerland inches towards Nato as neutrality is put to the test.

  11. #1236
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    'our product, our rules'

    Gazprom: Russian gas boss says 'our product, our rules' in supply row



    The boss of Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom has said it is a case of "our product, our rules" after the firm halved its supply to Germany.

    The German economy minister has accused Gazprom of attempting to push up energy prices by sharply reducing supplies.

    But Gazprom said it was due to the delayed return of equipment serviced by Germany's Siemens Energy in Canada.

    Italy and Austria have also reported big falls in Russian gas supply. The Kremlin said this was not premeditated.

    Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller said Russia would play by its own rules after limiting the amount of gas to Germany to under 70m cubic metres per day - well under half the current rate.

    "Our product, our rules. We don't play by rules we didn't create," Mr Miller said during a panel discussion at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

    He said he saw no solution to the equipment issue at the Portovaya compressor station, part of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that carries Russian gas to Germany.

    Mr Miller blamed sanctions for hampering the return of equipment - a claim Germany dismissed as "unfounded".

    Meanwhile, Italian energy giant Eni said it would receive only 65% of the gas requested on Thursday from Gazprom, because of the problems at Portovaya.

    But the Italian government has all possible counter-measures in place if gas supply cuts from Russia continue in the coming days, the country's ecological transition minister said on Thursday.

    "The gas situation is under control, we are monitoring flows day and night, damages are so far limited," Roberto Cingolani said.

    FULL- Gazprom: Russian gas boss says 'our product, our rules' in supply row



  12. #1237
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Vladimir Putin blasts the West in combative speech, says Russia remains strong despite 'insane' sanctions

    Russia launches Ukraine invasion-screenshot-2022-06-18-20-43-a

    In one of Vladimir Putin's most substantial addresses since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, the Russian President used his nation's pre-eminent investment conference as an opportunity to lash out against his Western enemies.

    Key points:
    • In a lengthy speech, Mr Putin accused the West of denying Russia its sovereign rights
    • He said Russia's economy remained strong despite Western sanctions
    • The Russian President also vehemently defended his country's actions in Ukraine




    After a lengthy denunciation of countries that he claims want to weaken the Russian state with "reckless and insane" sanctions, President Putin used the stage at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum to lambaste the United States.

    In his 73-minute speech, he also said Russia was taking its place in a New World Order in which rules would be set by "strong and sovereign states".

    Vladimir Putin blasts the West in combative speech, says Russia remains strong despite '''insane''' sanctions - ABC News
    Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago ...


  13. #1238
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Russia is struggling to make $100 million in debt payments because of US sanctions, and Moscow may see its first default in a century

    Roughly $100 million of coupon payments on Russian debt has not yet arrived in creditors' accounts, Bloomberg reports, with a deadline approaching later this month that could trigger a default.

    Moscow aims to pay foreign creditors through unsanctioned banks, even after the US blocked bond payments last month.

    Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that the Kremlin still intends to deliver dollar and euro payments to bondholders, though he did not elaborate on a timeline.

    Under the proposed plan, Russian bondholders would receive payments after unsanctioned lenders take in ruble payments from Moscow and convert them into other hard currencies.

    When asked how Moscow would get its debt through the National Settlement Depository, which the EU has blacklisted, Siluanov replied, "we'll manage."

    The $100 million in payments have a grace period that expires June 26, per Bloomberg, and if they still haven't been processed by then, Russia could see its first foreign debt default in a century.

    Until last month, an exemption to sanctions on Russia for its war on Ukraine allowed Moscow to send payments through the US financial system to American bondholders. But the US Treasury allowed that carve-out to expire on May 25.

    At the time, Russia responded by saying the US was forcing an "artificial" default. Moscow officials have maintained that the nation cannot be declared in default because it has shown ongoing willingness to pay.

    "We've done everything we can to lead the horse to water. But it's not up to us whether it wants to drink or not," Siluanov told the media on Thursday.

    Quote Originally Posted by FO David48atTD View Post
    Russia remains strong despite 'insane' sanctions
    Last edited by S Landreth; 18-06-2022 at 08:20 PM.

  14. #1239
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Video of first Americans captured by Russian forces since Ukraine's invasion broadcasted by Russian TV


    A video of the first Americans captured by Russian forces since the beginning of Ukraine's invasion has been broadcasted by Russian state television.


    Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh, two US military veterans who went missing last week while fighting in Ukraine, are from Alabama.

    The two soldiers are being held by Russian-backed separatist forces in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine according to RT.

    During the telecast, Drueke can be heard saying, “Mom, I just want to let you know that I’m alive and I hope to be back home as soon as I can be. So, love Diesel for me. Love you.”

    The United States "will do everything we can" to get them back, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby.


    After being caught fighting for Ukraine, two British citizens and a Moroccan were sentenced to death by a separatist court in the unrecognised Russian-speaking Donetsk People's Republic.


    While Huynh is a former US marine who left the service in 2018, Drueke served two tours in Iraq, the last as a lead gunner in Baghdad in 2008-09.

    After seeing pictures of civilian casualties as Russia retreated from towns outside Kyiv in late March, both felt compelled to support the government


    Russian President Vladimir Putin, who calls his attack on Ukraine a ''special military operation'' to demilitarise and denazify its neighbour, has denied attacking civilians and has accused Western citizens of acting as "mercenaries".

    VIDEO HERE Video of first Americans captured by Russian forces since Ukraine's invasion broadcasted by Russian TV - World News

  15. #1240
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by S Landreth View Post
    Russia
    S Landreth, this is the news thread, not the commentary thread, nor the opinion thread ... I'm simply reporting the news.

    You bitch worse than many wives (apologies MK)

    Russia launches Ukraine invasion-screenshot-2022-06-19-07-54-a

  16. #1241
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    There Is No Military Path For Ukraine To ‘Defeat’ Russia

    .... Throughout the first three months of the war, there were almost universal positive statements by U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, suggesting Kyiv’s troops would “drive Russia from” Ukrainian soil and that Kyiv would not accept any negotiated settlement that ceded any territory to Russia. Yet earlier this week London’s The Independent revealed portions of a leaked classified intelligence report out of Kyiv that exposed a much harsher battlefield reality than had been admitted publicly.

    According to the report, Russia’s relentless bombardment of Ukrainian troops over the first 100+ days of the war had destroyed major portions of their Soviet-era equipment and depleted their stocks of artillery ammunition. The result is that frontline Ukrainian units are outgunned 20-1 in artillery and an eye-popping 40-1 in artillery rounds. Combined with the fact Russia continues to have significant advantages in air power (up to 300 air sorties per day compared with three to five for Ukraine) and manpower, it is not surprising Ukraine is losing its grip on the Donbas.

    Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov confirms upwards of 100 UAF troops are being killed each day (some reports suggest the number is closer to 200 per day) and 500 more wounded. Zelensky concedes that Russia occupies more than 20% of Ukrainian territorygrowing by the day. While it is entirely understandable that no Ukrainian leader would ever want to cede any of its country to an invading power, there are other, harsher realities that must be taken into account.

    The choice, in other words, may not be a matter of whether Ukraine should give up territory or not, but whether it must give up territory now to limit the damage or continue fighting in the hopes of one day winning it all back – at egregious cost now, and with no guarantee that they would not later lose even more territory. For example, today Ukraine still holds key parts of the Donbas (the Slavyansk/Kramatorsk salient in the north, the Avdiivka area in the center, and large portions of the Donetsk region to the south. Kharkiv and Odessa are still fully under Kyiv’s control. Evidence suggests that as more time passes, that list of Ukraine-controlled cities will continue to shrink.

    It would be a near-impossible feat for the West to provide enough heavy weaponry to Ukraine – and the massive volumes of large-caliber artillery ammunition the howitzers need – that would bring back into balance the major disadvantage Ukraine has in firepower. Even the modern rocket launchers the U.S. and UK recently committed will not materially change the negative balance for Kyiv.

    Zelensky and the Ukrainian people will soon come face-to-face with the ugly prospect that continuing to fight will only bring more death and destruction to its people, cities, and armed forces – but be insufficient to stave off defeat. The truth is, military fundamentals and simple capacity are in Moscow’s favor. It is unlikely those factors change in time to avoid defeat for Kyiv and its brave people. That is the ugly, bitter reality of war.

    Daniel L. Davis is a Senior Fellow for Defense Priorities and a former Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army who deployed into combat zones four times. He is the author of “The Eleventh Hour in 2020 America.” Follow him @DanielLDavis1.
    FULL- https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/06/...defeat-russia/

  17. #1242
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Of course Fox News correspondents will be talking up Russia.

  18. #1243
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Russia Sets Free Ukrainian Medic Who Recorded Mariupol Mission


    Russian forces released a Ukrainian medic from prison Friday who recorded 256 gigabytes of footage in Mariupol using a body camera, documenting her team’s efforts to save wounded soldiers on both sides of the war, the Associated Press reported. Yuliia Paievska, better known in Ukraine as Taira, has been in captivity since her capture on March 16. That same day, a Russian airstrike killed about 600 people in a city center theater. Paievska’s footage reached millions of people across the world, the AP said. “It was such a great sense of relief. Those sound like such ordinary words, and I don’t even know what to say,” Paievska’s husband, Vadim Puzanov, told The Associated Press. Despite no basis or evidence, Russia claimed Paievska had ties to the Azov Battalion, a far-right Ukrainian group. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was glad to see Paievska return: “I’m grateful to everyone who worked for this result. Taira is already home. We will keep working to free everyone,” he said.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia...=home?ref=home

  19. #1244
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Top Azovstal commanders transferred to Russia for investigation - TASS

    (Reuters) - Two top commanders of fighters who defended the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine's southeastern port of Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for investigation, Russia's state news agency TASS reported.


    Uncertainty has surrounded the fate of hundreds of fighters captured by Russian forces in May after a months-long siege of Mariupol. Moscow said at the time they were moved to breakaway Russian-backed entities in eastern Ukraine.


    Citing an unnamed Russian law enforcement source, TASS said late on Saturday that Svyatoslav Palamar, a deputy commander of the Azov battalion, and Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were moved to Russia.


    Special forces officers transferred them from Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian province that Moscow recognises as a pro-Russian republic, "to conduct investigative activities with them," TASS cited the source as saying.


    "Other officers of various Ukrainian units were also transported to Russia."


    Reuters could not immediately verify the report and there was no immediate reaction from Kyiv. Earlier this month, Ukraine said its intelligence services were in communication with the captured Azovstal steelworks fighters.


    The Azov Battalion, an all-volunteer infantry military unit which formed in 2014 as an extreme right-wing volunteer militia to fight Russian-backed separatists, and the 36th Marine Brigade unit, were key in defending the steelworks.


    Kyiv is seeking the handover of all the fighters in a prisoner swap with Moscow, but some Russian lawmakers want some of the fighters put on trial.


    Russian agencies reported in early June that more than 1,000 Azovstal fighters were transferred to Russia to undisclosed locations for investigation.


    The self-styled Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics are in the industrial Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia is fighting to remove from Kyiv's control.

    Top Azovstal commanders transferred to Russia for investigation - TASS

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    Russia advances in battle for key eastern Ukraine city

    Moscow claims its forces have taken control of a village near the industrial city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

    Russia has said its forces seized a village near Ukraine’s industrial city of Severodonetsk, a prime target in Moscow’s campaign to control the country’s east.

    The defence ministry said on Sunday it had won Metyolkine, a settlement of fewer than 800 people before the war began. Russian state news agency TASS reported that many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there.

    Ukraine’s military said Russia had “partial success” in the area, which is about 6km (4 miles) southeast of Severodonetsk.

    After failing to take the capital Kyiv early in the war, Russian forces have focused on trying to take complete control of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, which together comprise the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Some parts of the Donbas were already held by Russian-backed separatists before the February 24 invasion.

    Moscow said on Sunday its offensive to win Severdonetsk itself was proceeding successfully.

    Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai told Ukrainian TV that fighting made evacuations from the city impossible, but that “all Russian claims that they control the town are a lie. They control the main part of the town, but not the whole town”.

    Among the communities around Severodonestk, Haidai told Ukraine TV that a Russian attack on Toshkivka, 35km (22 miles) south, “had a degree of success”.

    The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday claimed that both Russia and Ukraine have continued heavy bombardment around Severodonestk “with little change to the front line”.

    The UK military assessment said morale for Ukrainian and Russian combat units in the Donbas was likely “variable”.

    “Many Russian personnel of all ranks also likely remain confused about the war’s objectives. Morale problems in the Russian force are likely so significant that they are limiting Russia’s ability to achieve operational objectives,” the ministry tweeted.

    Russia continues bombardment

    In Severodonetsk’s twin city of Lysychansk, residential buildings and private houses had been destroyed by Russian shelling, Haidai said. “People are dying on the streets and in bomb shelters,” he added.

    He later said 19 people had been evacuated on Sunday. “We are managing to bring in humanitarian aid and evacuate people as best we can,” Haidai said.

    In Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, northwest of Luhansk, Russia’s defence ministry said its Iskander missiles had destroyed weaponry recently supplied by Western countries.

    Russian forces were trying to approach Kharkiv, which experienced intense shelling earlier in the war, and turn it into a “frontline city”, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.

    In southern Ukraine, Western weaponry had helped Ukrainian forces advance 10 km (6 miles) towards Russian-occupied Melitopol, its mayor said in a video posted on Telegram from outside the city.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged Western countries on Sunday they must be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic support to Kyiv during a grinding war which could last years.

    “We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high — not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices,” Stoltenberg told German daily newspaper Bild.

    Germany to phase out Russia gas

    Meanwhile, Germany’s economy minister said the country will turn to coal and limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in gas supplies from Russia.

    Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

    Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. “That’s bitter, but it’s simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage,” he said.

    “It’s obvious that [Russian President] Putin’s strategy is to unsettle us by driving up the price and dividing us,” Habeck said. “We won’t let that happen.”

    Russian gas giant Gazprom has said that exports to countries that did not belong to the former Soviet Union were down 28.9 percent between January 1 and June 15 compared with the same period last year.

    Separately on Sunday, Italy’s state-owned energy exchange disclosed that Gazprom said it will only partially meet a request by Italy’s Eni for gas supplies on Monday, signalling a sixth consecutive daily shortfall.

    The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through its next winter, but he warned Italians that “restrictions” affecting gas use might be necessary.

    Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that reductions in supply were not premeditated and were related to maintenance issues. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has dismissed this explanation as a “lie”.

    Russia advances in battle for key eastern Ukraine city | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

  21. #1246
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    The defence ministry said on Sunday it had won Metyolkine, a settlement of fewer than 800 people before the war began.
    After how many weeks or months has it been and as far as they can get is a small village on the outskirts of Severdonetsk.

    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Moscow said on Sunday its offensive to win Severdonetsk itself was proceeding successfully.


    With all the might they are pouring into that area, it should have fallen weeks ago. It is just further proof of how horridly inept the Russians are at fighting war.

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    Russia no longer in full control of Kherson, official says

    Russian troops are no longer in full control of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson after a counterattack by Ukrainian forces, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said Friday.

    Russian forces captured Kherson in the first week of its invasion, the first major city to be captured after invading the country last month.

    “We can’t corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson, but the point is, it doesn’t appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before. The Ukrainians are trying to take Kherson back,” the official told reporters. “We would argue that Kherson is actually contested territory again.”

    There was now "heavy fighting" underway in Kherson, the official said.

    The news came after U.S., British and Ukrainian officials said Ukrainian troops had stymied Russia's assault on the capital, Kyiv, and pushed back the Russians in some areas around the city.

    If Russia lost Kherson in the south, it would represent a major battlefield setback and complicate any attempt by it to capture the Black Sea port of Odesa, the Defense Department official said.

    If the Ukrainians took back Kherson, “that would be a significant development, no question about that,” the official added.

    Russia no longer in full control of Kherson, official says

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    this could draw NATO into the conflict.

    Russia condemns Lithuania transit ban to Kaliningrad, vows response

    MOSCOW, June 20 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Monday called Lithuania's decision to ban the transit of some goods to Russia's Kaliningrad region "unprecedented" and vowed to respond.

    Lithuanian authorities banned the transit of goods which are sanctioned by the European Union across its territory, which includes the only rail route between mainland Russia and the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea. Banned goods include coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-condemns-lithuania-transit-ban-kaliningrad-vows-response-2022-06-20/

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    Oh boo fucking hoo. Poor puffy.

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    EU nations push for new Russia sanctions, more military aid to Ukraine

    Several European Union countries are pushing to start work on a new package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine and also want to grant more military support to Kyiv, according to diplomats and a draft document.

    About one-third of the 27 EU governments, mostly Nordic and eastern states, want the EU Commission to begin work on a seventh round of sanctions, diplomats said.

    The latest version of the draft conclusions of a summit of EU leaders to be held later this week does not include a reference to new sanctions but diplomats said the text, dated June 15 and seen by Reuters, was likely to be tweaked after a meeting of EU envoys late on Monday.

    Germany and a few other states prefer to focus now on applying existing sanctions and closing loopholes, rather than embark on the complex process of agreeing fresh measures, diplomats said.

    After weeks of wrangling, the EU last month agreed to its sixth round of restrictive measures against Russia and Belarus since the start of the war in Ukraine, which included an oil ban and sanctions on shipping and banks.

    Limiting or reducing import of gas from Russia is considered too sensitive at the moment, given EU's high reliance on this source of energy from Moscow, officials said.

    Ambassadors have also discussed new military support to Ukraine, although they remain divided on the matter.

    According to the draft conclusions for the June 23-24 summit, the EU "remains strongly committed to providing further military support to help Ukraine exercise its inherent right of self-defence against Russian aggression".

    Sweden and Poland lead a group of Nordic and eastern countries calling for an immediate disbursement of additional funds to Ukraine.

    The EU has already made available 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in military support to Kyiv from a so-called European Peace Facility.

    The budget ceiling on this facility is 5.6 billion euros until 2027, but with approved funding to Kyiv and plans for more, half of its resources will have been used up, officials said.

    Germany and other states are reluctant to tap this facility further, citing budgetary concerns and risks that not enough money would be available for other crises.

    In the draft conclusions, a paragraph on the question of further military support for Ukraine through the facility is in brackets, meaning that this reference is likely to be revised.

    Poland calls for seventh sanctions package against Russia

    Quote Originally Posted by FO David48atTD View Post
    Russia remains strong despite 'insane' sanctions

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