Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - Consolidated Thread

[ShofarSoGood]

MARCH 10TH UKRAINE RUSSIA WAR WE WENT TO A POLISH REFUGEE CENTER IN GDAŃSK



www.bitchute.com/video/iiDm7D7oGcOu/

[schwartzie]

Russian Missiles Hit Targets Near Polish Border In Likely "Message To NATO"

BY TYLER DURDEN

FRIDAY, MAR 11, 2022 - 10:45 AM


In a likely 'message' and warning to NATO, Russia's air force is attacking locations in the far west of Ukraine - some of them for the first time since the invasion began on Feb.24.



Ukraine's government on Friday is saying that explosions rocked Lutsk, near the Polish border, as well as a military airfield at Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, which was struck by multiple missiles. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson described it a "possible message to NATO" as calls from Western officials to impose a no-fly zone, including among hawks in Congress, grow louder.

The Russian Defense Ministry in a Friday statement confirmed the reports, saying, "high-precision long-range weapons attacked Ukraine's military infrastructure."



"The military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankovsk were put out of action," the Russian Defense Ministry statement continued.



According to CNN, based on local Ukrainian government authorities:



There was substantial damage to the airport at Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, which is only about 70 miles from the Polish border. The governor of the Volyn region said four missiles had been fired from a Russian bomber and two people were killed. Plumes of smoke also rose from the military airfield at Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, which was struck by missiles.

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[Pink Rose]

Putin's 'convoy of death' targets Kyiv: Forty-mile column moves into 'attack positions' near capital as Ukraine says Russian forces are killing MORE civilians than soldiers in sledgehammer assault on cities


Russian 'death convoy' stalled north of Kyiv has begun moving again and taken up 'firing positions' near city

Other vehicles have 'dispersed' into nearby forests and civilian areas to make them harder for Ukrainians to hit

Comes as battle for capital - almost certain to be long and bloody - gets underway, with attacks to the west, east and north of the city prompting Ukrainian commanders to warn it will soon be surrounded

Shelling hit cities of Dnipro, Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in the early hours, leaving at least one civilian dead

Ukraine's defence minister says more civilians have now died than soldiers as Russia resorts to 'siege' tactics

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE and JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM



PUBLISHED: 00:46 EST, 11 March 2022 | UPDATED: 04:51 EST, 11 March 2022


A 40-mile Russian 'death convoy' that had been stalled to the north of Kyiv has begun moving towards the capital, satellite images reveal, with rocket artillery taking up firing positions as what is sure to be a long and bloody battle for control of the city enters its early stages.



Vladimir Putin's forces are now attacking to the north, west and east of Kyiv, Ukrainian commanders say, as the convoy - which had been stuck for two weeks due to fuel and logistical issues - gets moving again - dispersing to take up firing positions or else concealing itself in civilian areas and forests to prevent attacks.



Ukraine believes the capital - which is currently home to around 2million people - could soon be surrounded, after which it faces the same punishing fate meted out to the cities of Mariupol, which has been without water or power for 11 days, Kharkiv, and Sumy, where thousands of civilians have been killed.



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Territorial defence units, charged with protecting the city, were pictured digging trenches there and setting up barricades, as mayor Vitali Kitschko said the capital has been turned into a 'fortress'.



Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine's defence minister, said Russia's attacks have now killed more civilians than soldiers after generals switched tactics from American-style 'shock and awe' precision strikes - which largely failed due to poor battlefield tactics - to 'medieval'-style siege warfare of the kind Moscow's men waged in Syria.



Airstrikes early Friday struck the cities of Dnipro, in central Ukraine, Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, in the west, which have largely been spared attacks. The strike on Dnipro hit civilian areas including a shoe factory, killing at least one person. The bombings in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk are thought to have targeted military airports - mirroring attacks in the early days of the war. Two soldiers were killed.



Strikes on Kharkiv, a surrounded city in the north east of Ukraine, hit the Physics Institute which houses a nuclear reactor - drawing accusations from Ukraine that Russia is committing 'nuclear terrorism'. It comes after Putin's forces also attacked the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, further to the south.



Comparisons with Russia's assault on Syria are particularly chilling, because of the brutal punishment meted out to cities such as Aleppo which was all-but levelled by Russian artillery which killed thousands of innocents. Bashar al-Assad's forces also used chemical weapons on civilian targets during that campaign, most notably in Ghouta in 2013 and Khan Shakhun in 2017.



President Volodymyr Zelensky, giving a late-night address to his people on Thursday, confessed to fears that Russia itself is now preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine - having accused the Ukrainian government of preparing such an attack.



'We have found if you want to find out Russia's plans, you should look at what Russia is accusing others of,' he said, pointing out that ahead of Putin giving the order to invade Ukraine, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of preparing an attack against Russia.



'We're the ones being blamed, as if we've attacked a peaceful Russia. And what now,' he asked in an emotional late-night address. 'What does it mean, that we're being accused of preparing chemical attacks? Have you decided to conduct a dechemicalisation of Ukraine? With what? With ammonia? With phosphorus?





'What else have you prepared for us? What do you plan to hit with chemical weapons? A maternity hospital in Maripul? A church in Kharkiv? A children's hospital?'


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US intelligence said Russian forces had made gains elsewhere to the west of Kyiv and had inched three miles closer to the city centre. Tanks are now nine miles from the central government district, the Pentagon said late Thursday, having been 13 miles out previously.



Putin's men are now facing a long and bloody mission to try and take the capital, which is thought to be the main target of their 'special military operation' - with the goal being to topple the government and install a puppet regime friendly to Moscow.



Russia has convened a UN security council meeting today to discuss what it claims are threats from Ukrainian chemical weapons. Should Russia decide to deploy WMDs, it is unclear where the attack would take place.



Moscow is officially committed to destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles under various international treaties, and has not used the weapons in combat for decades. The Soviets were last accused of using them during the invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.



However, the Kremlin is known to have maintained an illegal chemical weapons programme which it has used to attack political opponents. Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, was used in the failed assassination attempt on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK in 2018. It was also used in a failed attack on Alexei Navalny in 2020.

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[Pink Rose]

Now Putin bombs a disabled care home: Ukrainians claim Russians are killing MORE civilians than soldiers and have destroyed 48 schools - but Kyiv says it's breaking stranglehold on cities as another helicopter is blown out the sky


Care home for the disabled near Kharkiv, north east Ukraine, hit by Russian shelling, local officials say

63 of the home's 330 residents have been evacuated, whilst fate of other 267 is currently unknown

Came after Dnipro was hit in the early hours with strikes that destroyed a shoe factory and killed a civilian

But Ukrainian forces have been striking back, capturing five towns near besieged city of Chernihiv

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 07:00 EST, 11 March 2022 | UPDATED: 11:49 EST, 11 March 2022


Russia has today blown up a disabled care home near the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said, as Vladimir Putin's troops stoop to a new low just 48 hours after shelling women as they gave birth in a maternity hospital.



Oleg Sinegubov, an official from Kharkiv which has been under siege by Russian forces for days, accused Putin's men of committing a 'war crime' by launching air strikes against the facility in the town of Oskil which had 330 residents inside at the time the bombs hit.


Sinegubov said 63 care home residents have since been evacuated, but could not give an update on the other 267. Ten of those living at the home require wheelchairs, he said, while another 50 have reduced mobility. Ihor Terekhov, mayor of the city, said another 48 schools have been destroyed by Russian missiles.



Just 48 hours before the care home was destroyed, Russian jets had bombed a maternity hospital in the southern city of Mariupol as women gave birth inside. The Kremlin has sought to paint those wounded in the attack as 'crisis actors' as part of a vile propaganda attempt to dismiss allegations its troops are attacking women and children.



Ukraine says Russian attacks have now killed more civilians than soldiers - without giving an exact figure for either - as the Kremlin's generals pivot from shock-and-awe-style precision strikes to 'medieval' siege warfare. Dnipro, hundreds of miles to the south of Kharkiv, was hit by three strikes early Friday that damaged a kindergarten, a civilian apartment block, and a shoe factory - killing at least one person.



But Ukrainian forces continue to fight back, saying successful counter-attacks around the northern city of Chernihiv has recaptured five villages after Russian units took such heavy casualties that they were no longer able to attack effectively. It comes after another successful counter-attack in the same region on Thursday, and a counter-attack to the west of Kyiv which ground a Russian offensive to a halt.



Meanwhile footage showed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter being downed earlier this week, as western-supplied anti-aircraft missiles continue to inflict a heavy toll on Putin's air forces. It is unclear exactly when or where the footage was taken, though it was first posted to TikTok two days ago before circulating widely today.



Chernihiv is located around 80 miles to the north of Kyiv, where attacks are also underway today in an effort to surround the capital and subject it to the kind of siege already underway elsewhere. Satellite images revealed a 40-mile 'death convoy' that had previously clogged up highways nearby is now moving into attack positions.



Ukraine believes the capital - which is currently home to around 2million people - could soon be surrounded, after which it faces the same punishing fate meted out to the cities of Mariupol, which has been without water or power for 11 days, Kharkiv, and Sumy, where thousands of civilians have been killed.





Putin's men are now facing a long and bloody mission to try and take the capital, which is thought to be the main target of their 'special military operation' - with the goal being to topple the government and install a puppet regime friendly to Moscow.



Russia has convened a UN security council meeting today to discuss what it claims are threats from Ukrainian chemical weapons. Should Russia decide to deploy WMDs, it is unclear where the attack would take place.



Moscow is officially committed to destroying its chemical weapons stockpiles under various international treaties, and has not used the weapons in combat for decades. The Soviets were last accused of using them during the invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s.



However, the Kremlin is known to have maintained an illegal chemical weapons programme which it has used to attack political opponents. Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent, was used in the failed assassination attempt on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK in 2018. It was also used in a failed attack on Alexei Navalny in 2020.



Bashar al-Assad's forces, fighting alongside Russia, used chemical weapons on civilian targets during his campaign to re-take Syria after the civil war - most notably in Ghouta in 2013 and Khan Shakhoun in 2017.



President Volodymyr Zelensky, giving a late-night address to his people on Thursday, confessed to fears that Russia itself is now preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine - after Moscow accused the Ukrainian government of preparing such an attack.



'We have found if you want to find out Russia's plans, you should look at what Russia is accusing others of,' he said, pointing out that ahead of Putin giving the order to invade Ukraine, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of preparing an attack against Russia.



'We're the ones being blamed, as if we've attacked a peaceful Russia. And what now,' he asked in an emotional late-night address. 'What does it mean, that we're being accused of preparing chemical attacks? Have you decided to conduct a dechemicalisation of Ukraine? With what? With ammonia? With phosphorus?



'What else have you prepared for us? What do you plan to hit with chemical weapons? A maternity hospital in Maripul? A church in Kharkiv? A children's hospital?

Pictures and video at the link

[Pink Rose]

'Inept' Russian tactics baffle military experts: Tank commanders allowed Ukrainians to ambush them by driving straight up a main road as analysts say they've lost enough armoured vehicles to equip the ENTIRE German army


Military experts said they are baffled by Russian military tactics after a tank column was ambushed yesterday

Ukrainian forces surprised the column - that included some 30 tanks and support units - with artillery strikes

The tanks were forced to retreat after missiles rained down from above, destroyed a number of vehicles

The full scale of losses suffered by Putin's armies are unknown, but Ukraine has claimed it has destroyed over 12,000 troops, 350 tanks, 80 helicopters, 125 artillery units, 1,150 personnel carriers and almost 60 planes

Figures based just on visual confirmations has put the Russian hardware losses over 1,000

By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 06:34 EST, 11 March 2022 | UPDATED: 08:37 EST, 11 March 2022


Experts have said they are baffled by the ineptitude of the tactics displayed by Russia's armies after drone footage yesterday showed a column of tanks getting picked off one-by-one in an ambush carried out by Ukraine's forces.



Analysts have said Russian tank commanders allowed the Ukrainians to ambush their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv - and straight into a death trap. By multiple counts, President Vladimir Putin's forces have lost more tanks than are operational in entire German army.



The devastating artillery strikes came as Putin's troops inched closer to Kyiv, and saw a number of Russian T-72 tanks and other vehicles destroyed or routed in the surprise attack from the front and back of the convoy.





Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander.



Ukraine's masterful ambush in Brovary piled on the misery of Moscow's invading forces, which has suffered more losses than expected and are now facing freezing temperatures in the coming days. Morale is said to be low.



While reports said Russia's 6th tank regiment escaped with relatively minimal casualties, Russian commander Colonel Andrei Zakharov was reportedly killed, and his unit forced into a retreat. The smouldering wrecks of Russian tanks lay on streets after the fighting.



Defence experts have been left stunned by Russia's military tactics



Franz-Stefan Gady - an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - said the 'fight shows the danger of not securing urban terrain with adequate infantry plus recon. assets when main elements of a force pass through urban terrain ideally suitable for ambushes.'



Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow and military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, commented on the ambush, saying the Russian armoured force displayed 'very poor tactics'.



The Russian column was 'on an obvious avenue of approach, and they still decided to bunch up like this, leaving them more vulnerable to indirect fire,' he wrote on Twitter, while sharing drone footage of the strikes.



Of the Russian military activities in Ukraine, a former British army commander told The Daily Telegraph today: 'This is not the Russian army we trained to fight'.



Meanwhile, analysis by the Austrian military's R&D department demonstrated the column was part of a larger Russian Battle Tactical Group (BTG), The analysis highlighted different companies within the BTG seen in the drone footage, as it came under Ukrainian heavy artillery guided by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Pictures and video at the link

[Pink Rose]

Third Russian general 'killed' in Ukraine in eight days: Commander of armoured unit is the latest senior officer to be claimed dead by Ukrainian forces


Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army is Russia's latest high profile casualty

His death follows Major General Vitaly Gerasimov and Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky

Comes as care home for disabled near Kharkiv, north east Ukraine, hit by Russian shelling, local officials say

63 of the home's 330 residents have been evacuated, whilst fate of other 267 is currently unknown

Came after Dnipro was hit in the early hours with strikes that destroyed a shoe factory and killed a civilian

But Ukrainian forces have been striking back, capturing five towns near besieged city of Chernihiv

By JACK NEWMAN and CHRIS JEWERS and CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 10:30 EST, 11 March 2022 | UPDATED: 11:13 EST, 11 March 2022


A third Russian general has been killed in Ukraine in just eight days in another devastating blow to Vladimir Putin's savage invasion of Ukraine.



Major General Andrei Kolesnikov of the 29th Combined Arms Army became the latest high profile casualty of the war today, Ukraine's government announced.



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There are believed to be 20 Russian generals taking part in the faltering invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.



Western officials said the multiple general casualties suggest they are having to move to the front because Russia's troops are either unable to make their own decisions or are fearful of moving forward.



Kolesnikov's death comes four days after the killing of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army.



The general took part in the second Chechen war, the Russian military operation in Syria, and the annexation of Crimea, winning medals from those campaigns.



According to reports, Gerasimov was the son of Valery Gerasimov - the Chief of General Staff of Russia's armed forces.



And last week, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed.



Sukhovetsky died during a special operation in Ukraine, his comrade-in-arms Sergey Chipilev wrote on social media.



He was shot and killed by a sniper near Mariupol, which has been under a brutal siege by Russian forces for days.



Experts have said they are baffled by the ineptitude of the tactics employed by Russia's armies after drone footage yesterday showed a column of tanks getting picked off one-by-one in an ambush by Ukraine's forces.



Analysts have said Russian tank commanders allowed the Ukrainians to gun down their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv - and straight into a death trap. Putin's forces have now lost more tanks than are operational in entire German army.



Ukraine's masterful ambush in Brovary piled on the misery of Moscow's invading forces, which has suffered more losses than expected and are now facing freezing temperatures in the coming days. Morale is said to be low.



While reports said Russia's 6th tank regiment escaped with relatively minimal casualties, Russian commander Colonel Andrei Zakharov was reportedly killed, and his unit forced into a retreat. The smouldering wrecks of Russian tanks lay on streets after the fighting.





Defence experts have been left stunned by Russia's military tactics.



Franz-Stefan Gady - an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - said the 'fight shows the danger of not securing urban terrain with adequate infantry plus recon. assets when main elements of a force pass through urban terrain ideally suitable for ambushes.'



Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow and military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, commented on the ambush, saying the Russian armoured force displayed 'very poor tactics'.



The Russian column was 'on an obvious avenue of approach, and they still decided to bunch up like this, leaving them more vulnerable to indirect fire,' he wrote on Twitter, while sharing drone footage of the strikes.



Of the Russian military activities in Ukraine, a former British army commander told The Daily Telegraph today: 'This is not the Russian army we trained to fight'.



It comes as Russia continued their barbaric assault today by blowing up a disabled care home near the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said, just 48 hours after shelling women as they gave birth in a maternity hospital.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Russian troops in Ukraine have been issued GAS MASKS: Chemical warfare equipment is seized from captured troops amid warnings from the West that Putin WILL launch a gas attack


Ukraine's Ministry of Defence shared images of gas marks seized from invading Russian troops

The masks were part of a hoard including WWII era helmets and equipment, with Ukraine branding it a 'sham'

Western leaders have warned Vladimir Putin is preparing a chemical attack against civilians in Ukraine

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 03:59 EST, 11 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:13 EST, 11 March 2022


Ukrainian forces have seized gas marks from Russian troops following warnings from the West that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons in his barbaric invasion.



The Ministry of Defence shared images of the captured equipment, which also included World War II era helmets and an ushanka hat, showing the dilapidated state of Putin's run-down military.



The ministry said on Twitter: 'The second army of the world is a sham. Equipment of "liberators". They want us to live like that? stoprussia.'


Western and Ukrainian leaders have issued dire warnings that Putin is preparing to use chemical weapons, and the masks issued to Russian troops suggest an attack is likely.

Continued at the link

[Honoria]

Russia Says 16,000 ‘Volunteers’ Want to Fight, Most from Middle East


FRANCES MARTEL
11 Mar 2022

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Friday that his government has identified over 16,000 foreigners, most of whom come from the Middle East, willing to fight on Russia’s side in the ongoing war with Ukraine.



Shoigu made this declaration in a meeting of the Russian Security Council, according to the Russian news agency Tass, which noted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was present and approved helping these foreign fighters enter the Ukrainian war theater. Putin reportedly pointed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s repeated pleas to foreign nationals to travel to the country and fight Russia as legitimizing Moscow making a similar effort.



Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, colonizing the Crimean peninsula and fueling separatist violence in the eastern Donbas region for eight years. In late February, Putin announced that he would recognize the two territories of Donbas, Donetsk and Luhansk (also spelled Lugansk), as sovereign nations, and send the Russian military into Ukraine at the request of those “governments.” Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was one of the few leaders in the world who followed Russia in recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics.”



Russia was heavily involved in the now mostly resolved Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, on behalf of dictator Bashar al-Assad. The conflict began as a violent, largely Sunni uprising against the Alawite Shiite leader, but the fighting soon attracted a variety of foreign fighters who joined the Islamic State jihadist organization, which attempted to establish a sovereign state with its capital in Raqqa, Syria. Iranian proxies, Kurdish forces that attracted Western volunteers, the militaries of: Iran, Russia, America, and Turkey, Al-Qaeda affiliates, and Christian militias, among other belligerents, all played some role in the decade-long war.



Russia, Shoigu said on Friday, had received “numerous requests from various volunteers from various countries, who want to come to the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics [Donbas, eastern Ukraine] to participate in what they believe is a liberation movement.”



“The majority of requests came from the Middle East, as we have received over 16,000 of them,” he claimed. “Certainly, we believe it is right to respond favorably to these requests, especially since these requests are not for [making] money, but about the true desire of these people.”

Continued at link

[ShofarSoGood]

Update from Amir Tsarfati's Telegram:


* Russian war ships just left their port in the Black Sea

* The convoy to Kiev moved to assault positions

* The internet is down in Chernihiv to prevent coverage of events

* Russian attacked Belarus from Ukraine territory to give a pretext for war

* European units are getting ready for chemical attack



RUSSIA IS UP FOR SOMETHING BIG IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE!

SATELLITE IMAGE FIRM MAXAR SAYS NEW IMAGERY SHOWS RUSSIAN MILITARY UNITS CONTINUING TO DEPLOY CLOSER TO KYIV, FIRING ARTILLERY TOWARD RESIDENTIAL AREAS.

[Pink Rose]

Russia warns US military shipments to Ukraine are 'legitimate targets', prompting fears other nations could get drawn into war as Zelensky says Putin will have to raze Kyiv to the ground to take the city and condemns lack of NATO bravery


Sergei Ryabkov warned the West that 'pumping weapons' into Ukraine could lead to an escalation of conflict

Ex-deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller is 'sceptical' of Russian success in a Kyiv battle

A huge column of tanks is slowly moving towards the capital after it was stalled for days on the outskirts

Fighting is continuing nearby with Putin's forces encircling the city in preparation for an expected assault

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:58 EST, 12 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:10 EST, 12 March 2022




Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.



Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets'.



The warnings came after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to 'World War Three'.





But Volodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying today he 'doesn't see any bravery from NATO' as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems. In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking 'diplomatic steps' to help the Ukrainian government.



Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, also said Putin's forces can only take Kyiv if they 'raze the city to the ground', with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby today, endangering attempted evacuations.



He added: 'If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.'



But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than just 'exchanging ultimatums', although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.



The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of 'extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens'.



Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.



Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.



The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.



A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.



But a former NATO official said she is 'sceptical' that Russian forces will 'gain much success' from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.



Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin's forces, saying she is 'sceptical' of any success in the capital.



She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.



Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin's botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.



In an address to the nation today, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia's heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.



The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he 'refused to cooperate with the enemy', sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.



It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county today despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.



Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: 'Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.'



Putin's troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.



A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine's emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.



Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.



In captured Kherson, which is under Russian control, a pseudo 'referendum' will be held on the creation of a new breakaway Kherson People's Republic, but few expect the vote to be legitimate.



Meanwhile Ukraine intelligence officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling the bodies of dead soldiers to stage a false flag attack at Chernobyl, releasing radioactive waste in a 'man-made catastrophe' that would amount to a 'terrorist attack'.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Invasion of the body snatchers: Russia is 'stockpiling Ukrainian soldiers' corpses' to use as evidence in 'false flag' Chernobyl nuclear 'terror attack', Kyiv claims as Putin's invaders close in on the capital


Intelligence officials say Kremlin forces are collecting 'fake evidence' for an operation at seized Chernobyl

They fear the corpses will be staged as killed saboteurs to justify further escalating the barbaric invasion

Putin's forces are closing in on Kyiv but the huge column is starting to disperse in a bid to encircle the city

The savage attacks on civilian buildings have increased with a cancer hospital and a mosque targeted

Mariupol's death toll has risen to 1,600 as Ukrainian officials plead for evacuation corridors to stay open


By JACK NEWMAN and JACOB THORBURN FOR MAILONLINE and GLEN KEOGH and MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL



PUBLISHED: 03:45 EST, 12 March 2022 | UPDATED: 11:37 EST, 12 March 2022




Russia is stockpiling the bodies of dead Ukrainians to stage a false flag attack at Chernobyl, releasing radioactive waste in a 'man-made catastrophe' that would amount to a 'terrorist attack', Ukraine has warned.



Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to release radioactive waste at the nuclear site which he plans to blame on Ukrainian 'saboteurs' in order to justify further escalating his barbaric war against the ex-Soviet country, officials fear.



Kyiv's Military Intelligence Directorate said Kremlin forces have been collecting 'fake evidence' for the planned operation at the power plant which was captured by Russian forces on the first day of the invasion, and has since been manned by staffers at gunpoint.


They said in a statement: 'Russian car refrigerators collecting the bodies of dead Ukrainian defenders were spotted near the Antonov airport in Hostomel. There is a possibility that they will be presented as killed saboteurs in the Chernobyl zone.'



The disaster - which would almost certainly cause radioactive fallout to land on Russia - would be used to justify the use of further force against Ukraine and 'blackmail the global community' for sanctioning Russia and providing weapons to Ukraine.



But there are fears there could also be an accidental leak at the nuclear site because the Russians manning it have 'no clue about nuclear security protocols', the daughter of a overnight staffer warned.



Natalia Ruemmele said technicians who usually work 12 hour shifts have been maintaining the nuclear plant at gunpoint for more than two weeks.



It comes as shelling has continued overnight across the country with Mariupol's death toll rising to 1,600, as Russians inch towards Kyiv which is preparing for a brutal onslaught that could be Russia's new Stalingrad, a Ukrainian MP said.



Sviatoslav Yurah, Ukraine's youngest ever MP and a former adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, referring to the bloody turning point of WWII: 'It's a massive town of millions and if the Russians try to come in they will have quite a fight on their hands - this will be their Stalingrad if they want to make it so.'



Air raid sirens continue to sound today in several cities, including the capital, Odessa, Dnipro and Kharkiv, as Ukraine expects a new wave of attacks after a slowdown in the offensive in recent days.



The Ukrainian military believes Russia is trying to take out Kyiv's defences to the north and west, where suburbs including Irpin and Bucha have already endured days of heavy bombardment.



Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on the capital's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunitions store.



The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the city centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city.



In besieged Mariupol, which has endured two weeks without food, power or water amid a brutal blockade, is facing continuing shelling as a mosque housing 80 civilians including children was targeted today, and barrages have thwarted attempts to bring supplies to the strategic port city.



A cancer hospital in Mykolaiv was also hit with hundreds of patients inside undergoing chemotherapy but no one was killed in the latest monstrous attack which comes after a maternity hospital and care home were destroyed.



A ceasefire should be in place today to allow trapped residents in Mariupol, Kyiv and Sumy evacuate through humanitarian corridors, but Russia has repeatedly failed to observe them, as Ukrainian officials pleaded with Russian forces to allow the citizens to escape.

Continued at the link

[shalom]

Israel, Ukraine deny report Bennett recommended yielding to Russian demands

Russian attacks continue during latest evacuation attempts * Ukraine’s president says Russia sending new troops

By REUTERS Published: MARCH 12, 2022 10:57

Updated: MARCH 12, 2022 15:16

A top Ukrainian adviser and an Israeli official on Saturday pushed back against a media report suggesting Israel tried to nudge Ukraine into caving to Russian demands during talks.



Israel has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.



A report carried by Israel's Walla news, The Jerusalem Post and US news site Axios had suggested, citing an unidentified Ukrainian official, that Bennett had urged Ukraine to give in to Russia.



Israel, "just as other conditional intermediary countries, does NOT offer Ukraine to agree to any demands of the Russian Federation," Ukrainian adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. "This is impossible for military & political reasons. On the contrary, Israel urges Russia to assess the events more adequately."



Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region on Saturday morning, Interfax Ukraine quoted the local mayor as saying.



The rocket attacks also hit an ammunition depot, Vasylkiv Mayor Natalia Balasynovych said.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia was sending new forces to Ukraine after suffering what he said was its biggest loss in decades.

Continued at link

[shalom]

Seven dead as Russian forces shoot at evacuation convoy

Moscow has denied targeting civilian areas in what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. * 1,300 Ukrainian troops dead since fighting began.

By REUTERS Published: MARCH 12, 2022 15:08

Updated: MARCH 12, 2022 19:44



Russian forces shot at a group of civilians consisting exclusively of women and children during an attempt to evacuate civilians from the village of Peremoha (Baryshivskyi district, Kyiv region) towards the village of Gostroluchcha along an agreed-upon humanitarian corridor, Ukraine's Defence intelligence (GUR) reported on Saturday evening.



According to reports, the result of this act by Russian forces left seven dead, one of them a child. The exact number of injured is currently unknown.



After the shooting, the Russian forces forced the remnants of the group to return to the village of Peremoha and did not let them evacuate.



At present, it is almost impossible to establish contact with them, as well as provide humanitarian and medical assistance, according to the GUR.


The eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed following the Russian invasion but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement, Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Saturday.

Continued at link

[shalom]

Russia may be using Commissar 'execution squads' again - report

It seems Putin does not believe in his own army and resorts to using "execution squads" to prevent Russian soldiers from deserting.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF Published: MARCH 12, 2022 15:31

Updated: MARCH 12, 2022 15:38


A captured Russian soldier spoke about the use of "execution squads" to eliminate deserters as tensions within the Russian military rise, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Saturday.



It seems Putin does not believe in his own army and resorts to Stalinist methods of controlling soldiers.



"However, this does not save him from the riots that have already begun to arise among the Russian military." Another captured soldier has said during questioning conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) according to Interfax.



Several questioned soldiers have said that "army leadership has resumed the practice of 'execution squads' - echelons that follow the main forces of the Russian Federation and kill those who want to escape,", just like Soviet Union's commissar squads, the SBU said in a message posted on Telegram Saturday.



The SBU has stated that according to the captured soldiers they have questioned, as the Russian Federation soldiers moved deeper into Ukraine, they began to realize that they were far from being on a peacekeeping mission as they were first told.



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[ExquisiteGerbil]

Russia Threatens Attack On NATO Weapons Shipments To Ukraine: "Legitimate Targets"

Tyler Durden's Photo

SATURDAY, MAR 12, 2022 - 04:44 PM

Setting the stage for a potential major escalation with Western and NATO powers, the Kremlin warned on Saturday that the Russian military is prepared to target Western arms shipments that are continuing to pour into Ukraine. Russia's Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov said on state TV that Washington had been informed in the last days that Moscow will see weapons supply convoys entering Ukraine as "legitimate targets".



"We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets," Ryabkov said in the remarks, which served as a severe warning to the West.


He added that Russia has formally warned "about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems and so on." He added that from Moscow's point of view, the US administration has failed to take these warnings seriously.



Weeks prior the lead-up to Russia's Feb.24 invasion of Ukraine, the US Embassy in Kiev had tweeted photographs anytime a major arms shipment arrived. The US authorized Baltic allies in the transfer of Javelin anti-tanks missiles to supply Ukrainian forces; at the same time, the UK had sent many rounds of transport plane-loads of munitions and weapons systems.



It's also believed that supplies Stinger anti-aircraft missiles are being ramped up. The fresh Russian warning also comes following the US-Poland MiG-29 fiasco. Warsaw had prematurely offered to give all off its MiGs to the US so that they could be flown into Ukraine from Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.



The Biden admin said the offer was a "surprise" while the Pentagon flat-out rejected the plan, saying that the risk would be too high of bringing NATO into direct conflict with Russian forces, given that the planes would have to enter Ukraine from the West, risking an aerial engagement incident.

Continued at link

[Midnight]

Israel Intervenes in Ukraine – Russia Conflict – Suggests Ukraine Take Putin’s Offer – Zelensky Declines

By Joe Hoft

Published March 12, 2022 at 8:10pm




Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has attempted to intervene in the Russia – Ukraine conflict. He recommended that Zelensky take Putin’s offer.

Earlier this week Putin offered terms to Ukraine and Ukraine’s President Zelensky reportedly was considering the terms.


The Jerusalem Post reports:


Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he recommends Ukraine take the offer made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war – which includes many Ukrainian sacrifices – in a phone call on Tuesday, according to an official in Ukraine’s government.



According to the official, Zelensky did not take Bennett’s advice.



The source claimed that the phone call was initiated by Bennett. “If I were you, I would think about the lives of my people and take the offer,” Bennett reportedly said.



Maybe we’ll see this week what Zelensky is waiting for. Realistically he is in a very poor position.



link

[Pink Rose]

Defiance amid home-made barricades of Fortress Kyiv: Brave residents vow 'I will not leave' Ukrainian capital as Russian forces press on the city, RICHARD PENDLEBURY writes


The bulk of Russian forces are now no more than 15 miles from the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv's city centre

Fortress Kyiv has become a web of evermore intricate defences that line the streets and alleys for protection

Thousands of fighting positions, tank obstacles and sandbagged redoubts were thrown up around the city

By RICHARD PENDLEBURY AND PHOTOGRAPHER JAMIE WISEMAN IN KYIV FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY



PUBLISHED: 17:00 EDT, 12 March 2022 | UPDATED: 21:29 EDT, 12 March 2022




A lovely morning in Fortress Kyiv. Clear blue skies and a hint of spring in the air. Alas, spring has some aerial competition here.



We are outside the Clinical Hospital No 7, on the western fringes of this vast metropolis when, like an orchestra tuning up, the gathering battle for the Ukrainian capital runs through its full acoustic range.



First there is a profound, window-rattling 'boom!' as some heavy explosive falls to earth.

Then, from the wooded hillside in the visible near distance, there comes – to our surprise and dismay – a burst of heavy machine-gun fire.



And again. And again. Are they really that close?



Finally, a continuous roar overhead – what sounds like a Russian jet.



However, I'm advised it's the launch of a missile by Ukrainian air defence forces. That distinction is a fine one. One such noise follows the other.



Nearby, two young women are sitting on a bench in the garden of a shabby block of flats. They say they are refugees from the bitterly contested town of Hostomel to the north-west.



That is where a Russian airborne division seized an airfield in the early hours of the war and are now poised to strike at Kyiv.


Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

The moment Ukrainian troops take out Russian tanks in ANOTHER ambush: Anti-tank missiles are used to lethal effect as Zelensky claims 500 of Putin’s troops surrendered in one day


Ukrainian troops have ambushed a second Russian tank convoy to lethal effect

Footage shows Russian tanks driving straight into an ambush laid by Kyiv troops

It is the second ambush of Vladimir Putin's tanks by Zelensky forces in three days

Military experts said they are baffled by Russia's display of ineptitude at tactics

President Zelensky claimed that 500 Russian troops surrendered in a single day

By LAUREN LEWIS FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 16:58 EDT, 12 March 2022 | UPDATED: 23:53 EDT, 12 March 2022


This is the moment Ukrainian troops took out Russian tanks in another ambush after using anti-tank missiles to lethal effect - after President Vlodymyr Zelensky claimed that 500 of Vladimir Putin's troops had surrendered in a single day on Thursday.



Dramatic footage of the ambush - the second in three days - purports to show at least one Russian tank and one armoured personnel carrier hit by missiles fired from behind a copse of trees.



Video posted online shows what appears to be Russian troops running across the road into a field and diving to take cover after one of the convoy was obliterated.





A second video purports to show a flaming Russian tank driving down a road after being hit while separate footage reveals one of Moscow's armoured vehicles allegedly being destroyed in an aerial strike.



It appears to be Ukrainian forces' second successful ambush of Russian vehicles in three days after a column of tanks was filmed getting picked off one-by-one while driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv.



Experts have said they are baffled by the display of ineptitude of the tactics displayed by Putin's forces in recent days as by multiple counts, Moscow's forces have lost more tanks than are operational in entire German army.

Continued with video and pictures at the link

[schwartzie]

[schwartzie]

[J.J.Gibbs]

US officials say Russia has asked China for military help in Ukraine


Russia has asked China for military ​equipment to ​support its invasion of Ukraine, ​according to US officials, sparking concern in ​the White House that Beijing ​may undermine western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country.



US officials told the Financial Times that Russia had requested military equipment and other assistance since the start of the invasion. They declined to give details about what Russia had requested.



Another person familiar with the situation said the US was preparing to warn its allies, amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia. Other US officials have said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine extends into its third week.



The White House did not comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for a comment.



The revelation comes as Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, heads to Rome for talks on Monday with Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy official.



Before leaving Washington on Sunday, Sullivan warned China not to try to “bail out” Russia by helping Moscow to circumvent the sanctions that the US and its allies have imposed on President Vladimir Putin and his regime.



“We will ensure that neither China, nor anyone else, can compensate Russia for these losses,” Sullivan told NBC television on Sunday. “In terms of the specific means of doing that, again, I’m not going to lay all of that out in public, but we will communicate that privately to China, as we have already done and will continue to do.”



The apparent request for equipment and other kinds of unspecified military assistance comes as the Russian military struggles to make as much progress in Ukraine as western intelligence believe they expected.

Continued at link

[songbird]

NATO Chief Warns Russia on Use of Chemical Weapons

BY RICK MORAN MAR 13, 2022 2:30 PM ET


The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is warning that there will be a further escalation of the fighting in Ukraine and that it may lead to Russia using chemical weapons.



Stoltenberg denied accusations by Russia and China that the United States and Ukrainian governments are operating a secret “military-biological program,” which is “proof” that Russia’s invasion was justified.



DW:



He said Ukrainians were resisting Russian forces with courage and determination, but the coming days could get worse.



Stoltenberg also dismissed recent “absurd claims” by Moscow that the US was secretly operating laboratories in Ukraine to make chemical and biological weapons.



“Now that these false allegations have been made, we must remain vigilant, because it is possible that Russia itself could be conducting missions with chemical weapons under this tissue of lie,” he said.



He also rejected calls for NATO to impose and enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “That could mean a direct confrontation and escalation. We need to end this war, not let it expand,” he added.



As a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: “End this war, withdraw all your forces back and commit to diplomacy.”



On Friday, Joe Biden warned that Russia will pay a “severe price” if the country uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.



Continued at link

[Midnight]

Russia is asking CHINA for military equipment to try and prop-up its flagging Ukrainian invasion after running out of weapons three weeks into conflict, US officials warn

A U.S. official reports that Russia in recent days has asked China for military equipment to help bolster its sluggish invasion

The official did not provide details on the scope of the request, which was first reported by the Financial Times and The Washington Post

The U.S. and China are sending top aides to meet in Rome on Monday amid mounting tensions between the two countries

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union

China needs access to those markets, yet it also has made gestures supportive of Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with 'no limits'

By REUTERS and ASSOCIATED PRESS



PUBLISHED: 16:35 EDT, 13 March 2022 | UPDATED: 00:52 EDT, 14 March 2022


Russia has asked China for military equipment after running out of weapons during its sluggish invasion of Ukraine, US officials have claimed.



Details on what types of weaponry were requested, and whether China has moved to supply Vladimir Putin's government have yet to emerge - but the request has sparked extreme concern among western governments.



On Sunday night, the US was said to be preparing to warn its allies, amid some indications that China may be preparing to help Russia out, the Financial Times reported.





Other US officials have said there were signs that Russia was running out of some kinds of weaponry as the war in Ukraine extends into its third week.



Russia, which calls its action in Ukraine a 'special operation,' rather than an invasion or war, has tightened cooperation with Xi Jinping's communist government after both nations came under strong Western pressure over human rights and a raft of other issues.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Putin deliberately targeted Ukraine's 'foreign legion' with strike 12 miles from NATO border: Kremlin warns it will continue to 'destroy mercenaries' and foreign weapon shipments after bombing raid killed at least 35


Russian airstrikes on military base at Yavoriv, 12 miles from Ukraine's border with Poland, killed 35 on Sunday

Defence ministry said base was targeted because it was hosting foreign fighters and foreign weapon caches

British intelligence said targeting a base so close to Poland, a NATO member, was 'highly deliberate' by Russia

Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, warned any strike on a NATO state would be met with 'full force'

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 07:28 EDT, 14 March 2022 | UPDATED: 07:55 EDT, 14 March 2022


Russia deliberately blew up foreign fighters and arms shipments at a Ukrainian base close to the Polish border on Sunday and has vowed to carry out more strikes in a direct warning to the West.



Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia's ministry of defence, said the base at Yavoriv - 12 miles from NATO territory - was struck by 'long-range, high-precision' weapons because it was hosting 'foreign mercenaries and a large shipment of foreign weapons'.



He added: 'The destruction of foreign mercenaries who arrived on the territory of Ukraine will continue.'





Konashenkov said up to 180 people had been killed in the strike, though Ukraine says 35 people died and another 134 were wounded. Bombs fell on the base early Sunday morning, with witnesses saying many of the foreign recruits were sleeping when the strike was carried out. Foreigners are thought to be among the victims.



British military veterans at the base who survived the attack, described hearing the sound of incoming engines before several large blasts destroyed one building, damaged another, and sprayed shell fragments through the air. It is thought the base was hit by Russian cruise missiles as opposed to fighter jets.



It came just a day after Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, warned that foreign aid shipments to Ukraine are considered to be legitimate targets. British intelligence said overnight that striking a base so close to Poland was 'deliberate and designed to illustrate willingness to escalate should the West not cease its supplies.'



Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, warned Moscow that any strike on a NATO nation - including an accidental one - would prompt the alliance to respond with 'full force', meaning a direct confrontation between American and Russian forces that would likely spark World War Three.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Chernobyl nuclear plant LOSES POWER again, raising fears cooling systems will shut down and allow radioactive substances to leak


Russian forces have reportedly damaged power lines to Chernobyl nuclear plant

Grid operator Ukrenergo said the power lines were taken offline early Monday

It comes just one day after the electricity supply to the plant was restored

The power supply had been cut off last week, sparking fears the plant's cooling system which safeguards radioactive waste would fail

Staff at the plant have not been allowed to leave by their Russian captors

Chernobyl - site of the 1986 nuclear disaster - was seized by Russia in late Feb

By RACHEL BUNYAN and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 07:30 EDT, 14 March 2022 | UPDATED: 08:01 EDT, 14 March 2022




A high-voltage power line to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant was damaged by Russian forces earlier today, according to grid operator Ukrenergo.



A loss of power at the plant has raised fears that radioactive material may begin to leak, as the cooling system which regulates nuclear waste is forced to run on a backup diesel generator.



The Russian attack on the power line comes just one day after electricity was restored to the nuclear plant following a previous bout of fighting which cut off the power supply.





Ukraine's Energy Minister German Gulashenko said yesterday: 'Ukrainian energy engineers, by risking their own health and lives, were able to avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe that threatened the whole of Europe.'



But the plant has been plunged into jeopardy yet again, especially as exhausted staff at the power plant have reportedly stopped carrying out safety-related repairs.



Ukrenergo said it will attempt another repair, but declined to provide a timeframe for the operation.



Continued at the link