Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - Consolidated Thread

[schwartzie]

2nd Hypersonic Missile Used In Ukraine: Russian Defense Ministry

BY TYLER DURDEN

TUESDAY, MAR 22, 2022 - 03:30 AM

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),



Russia said it has used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine for the second time since the outbreak of hostilities, this time claiming to have struck a storage facility for fuel and lubricants used by the Ukrainian armed forces near the southern village of Kostiantynivka.





Russia's MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jets carrying hypersonic Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles fly over Red Square during a military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2018. (Yuri Kadobnov/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia’s defense ministry said in a March 20 operational update that on Sunday morning it had launched an aircraft-based hypersonic Kinzhal (“Dagger”) missile from airspace over Crimea, hitting and destroying the storage facility near Kostyantynivka, which is in the northern part of the Mikolaiv Oblast.



If accurate, this would be the second use of a hypersonic missile in the Russia–Ukraine war and, at the same time, the second use of such a weapon in combat. The first reportedly took place on Friday, with Russia’s defense ministry saying its forces used a hypersonic missile to destroy a large underground storage facility for missiles and aviation ammunition in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankovsk region.



The Pentagon has not confirmed that a hypersonic weapon was used in the attacks and The Epoch Times has not been able to verify the claims.



Hypersonic weapons are defined as anything traveling beyond Mach 5, or around 3,800 mph, which is five times faster than the speed of sound.


The United States is in a race with Russia and China to develop hypersonic weapons and is accelerating development to catch up.



Hypersonic weapons travel at speeds similar to ballistic missiles but their maneuverability makes them difficult to shoot down.



Operational Updates

Russia’s defense ministry said in a Monday update that, to date, Russian forces have destroyed 216 Ukrainian drones, 1,506 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 152 multiple launch rocket systems, 592 field artillery and mortars, and 1,284 special military vehicles.



The Ukrainian military on Monday reported more attacks against Russian forces, claiming that at least 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in combat.



The Ukrainian General Staff said that at least 1,535 Russian armored personnel carriers, 969 vehicles, 498 tanks, 121 helicopters, 97 aircraft, and 24 drones have been destroyed.

Continued at link

[schwartzie]

Ukraine Sees Signs Of Another Neighbor Planning 'Direct Invasion'

BY TYLER DURDEN

TUESDAY, MAR 22, 2022 - 05:00 AM

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times 


Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Sunday claimed that Belarus is preparing its military to invade Ukraine before warning Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.


There are “signs of preparation” that Belarus will carry out the “direct invasion of the territory of Ukraine,” the Defense Ministry wrote on social media, according to a translation. It did not provide evidence for its claim, nor did it provide other details.



“The direct involvement of Belarusian troops in Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, against the will of ordinary soldiers and the vast majority of the Belarusian people, will be a fatal mistake for Alexander Lukashenko,” the ministry added.



Officials in Belarus have not issued a public comment in response to Ukraine’s allegations.



Belarus shares a lengthy border with Ukraine. Russian forces were seen amassing in Belarus in the weeks leading up to the start of the conflict on Feb. 24, although so far, it appears no Belarussian forces have been deployed in Ukraine.



Lukashenko said last week that his country had intercepted a missile that was fired from Ukraine, claiming the move is an attempt to draw his country into the conflict.



“I warned you that they would push us into this operation, into this war,” Lukashenko told Belarusian soldiers via state news agency BelTA.



“There’s nothing for us to do there, and we haven’t been invited,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the outlet, reported Reuters. “I want to emphasize again … We are not going to become involved in this operation that Russia is conducting in Ukraine.”



Over the weekend, Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since the early 1990s, praised Putin in an interview with Japanese broadcaster TBS. Lukashenko, who once kept his distance from the Kremlin, is now one of Putin’s closest allies.



“He and I haven’t only met as heads of state, we’re on friendly terms,” Lukashenko said. “I’m absolutely privy to all his details, as far as possible, both state and personal.”



He continued to say that “Putin is absolutely fit, he’s in better shape than ever … this is a completely sane, healthy person, physically healthy—he’s an athlete.”

Continued at link

[shalom]

Ukraine's Zelensky will take part virtually in NATO summit

902 civilians have been killed, 1,459 wounded so far in Ukraine war • 3,528,346 Ukrainians fled abroad • The war is 'absurd', UN secretary-general says

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS Published: MARCH 22, 2022 12:06

Updated: MARCH 22, 2022 21:16



Ukraine's president said on Tuesday there was "nothing left" of the city of Mariupol after weeks of Russian bombardment, and Kyiv appealed to Moscow to allow the evacuation of at least 100,000 people who want to leave.



Ukraine has issued increasingly dire warnings about the situation in the encircled southern port city, where officials say residents are without food, medicine, power or running water. Read full story



Officials said 300,000 civilians were also running out of food in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, highlighting what an international aid official said was the breakdown of Ukraine's humanitarian system.



"There is nothing left there. Only ruins," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said of Mariupol, which has a peacetime population of 400,000, in a video address to the Italian parliament.



As he was speaking, the city council said Russian forces had dropped two large bombs on Mariupol but gave no details of casualties or damage. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Russia did not immediately comment on it.

Continued at link

[OmegaMan]

Ukraine’s top military medical commander brags about ordering mass CASTRATION of all wounded Russian soldiers in latest Nazi-like eugenics celebration

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 by: Ethan Huff

Tags: Adolf Eichmann, bad doctors, badmedicine, bragging, castration, ethnic cleansing, eugenics, evil, Fahruddin Sharafmal, Gennadiy Druzenko, genocide, human rights, mass murder, Middle Eastern, Nazi, Russian soldiers, Twisted, Ukraine, War crimes, wounded


(Natural News) The head of the Ukrainian military’s medical service has stated that “strict orders” were given to Ukrainian soldiers to “castrate all the wounded” Russians who are captured during the ongoing conflict in the Eastern European country.



According to Gennadiy Druzenko, who used to work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) , Russians “are cockroaches, not humans,” and thus deserve to be treated as such. This is full-on Nazi eugenics in action, and it is being celebrated not only by Druzenko but also by some in the Western media, including CNN.



“Not all fascists wear Swastikas or Wolfsangels,” wrote filmmaker Dan Cohen of Mint Press News in a Twitter post about Druzenko’s statements during a recent Channel 24 interview.



The United States government continues to tell Americans to “support Ukraine,” but this is what they are supporting when they do so: anti-Russia hatred and racism coupled with violence and genocide. Is this what we should be reporting just because Vladimir Putin is supposedly the “bad” guy?



“Druzenko is closely tied to the U.S. government,” Cohen added. “He’s had stints at USAID/Chemonics and the Wilson Center.”



Ukrainian TV host says he embraces the “doctrine” of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann


Not long after Druzenko made these heinously racist statements, which, if true, amount to war crimes, he claimed that they were “taken out of context” and were just “emotions.”

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Ukraine's President Zelensky says 100,000 are still trapped in Mariupol in 'inhumane conditions with no food, no water, no medicine, under constant shelling' and accuses Russians of seizing aid convoy trying to get into besieged city


Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says 100,000 trapped in Mariupol with no supplies and under attack

Two 'super powerful bombs' struck Mariupol today as civilians were being evacuated, local officials said

Came as UN General Secretary called for an end to the 'absurd war' which he described as 'unwinnable'

By ELMIRA TANATAROVA and CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 22:10 EDT, 22 March 2022 | UPDATED: 22:53 EDT, 22 March 2022




Volodymyr Zelensky said some 100,000 are still in the besieged city of Mariupol, trapped 'in inhumane conditions' while low on supplies and under constant attack.



In his regular evening address the Ukrainian president said that one group fleeing along an agreed humanitarian route were 'simply captured by the occupiers.'



He added: 'There are about 100,000 people in the city - in inhumane conditions, in a complete blockade, no food, no water, no medicine, under constant shelling.'





Mr Zelensky also accused Russian forces of not only blocking a humanitarian convoy trying to take desperately needed aid to Mariupol but seizing what another Ukrainian official said were 15 of the bus drivers and rescue workers on the aid mission, along with their vehicles.



The Ukrainian president said the Russians had agreed to the route ahead of time.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Mariupol is hit by two 'super powerful bombs' as Ukrainian authorities try to rescue civilians from the city and UN calls on Russia to end 'absurd war' that's 'going nowhere fast'


Two 'super powerful bombs' struck Mariupol today as civilians were being evacuated, local officials said

Came as UN General Secretary called for an end to the 'absurd war' which he described as 'unwinnable'

Mariupol has been besieged for three weeks and was described by humanitarian activists as a 'hell-scape'

Those who have managed to flee describe children dying from dehydration after water supplies ran out, and people being operated on with kitchen knives and no anesthetic because hospitals were destroyed

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 07:30 EDT, 22 March 2022 | UPDATED: 21:21 EDT, 22 March 2022




Two 'super powerful bombs' hit Mariupol today as officials tried to evacuate thousands of civilians from the besieged city, which has been described as a 'hell-scape riddled with dead bodies' by humanitarian workers.



Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said there 'will not be enough space for everyone' to leave the city on Tuesday - amid estimates that up to 300,000 people remain there - but 'we will try to carry out the evacuation until we have gotten all the inhabitants.'



As the evacuation got underway two 'super powerful bombs' struck the port city, local officials said, without saying whether they killed anyone. 'It is clear that the occupiers are not interested in the city of Mariupol, they want to raze it to the ground, to reduce it to ashes,' they said.





It came as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the 'absurd war' started when Vladimir Putin gave the order to invade almost exactly a month ago, warning that the conflict is 'going nowhere fast' and that the Ukrainian people are 'enduring a living hell.'



'Continuing the war in Ukraine is morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical,' Guterres said. 'Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house.



'This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. It is time to end this absurd war,' he added.



Mariupol has now been surrounded and under siege for more than three weeks - cut off from food, water, electricity and reinforcement, and constantly shelled in an effort to force the defenders to surrender. Multiple attempts at evacuating civilians along 'humanitarian corridors' have failed, amid claims Russia attacked them.



Several thousand have managed to make it out - many by making life-or-death breaks for the outskirts in their own vehicles - and have begun to tell of the horrors they faced inside.



Victoria, who only gave her first name, told the BBC today that three infants she knows have died because they could not access drinking water, after the snow they had been melting for supplies ran out.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Russian troops are retreating and deserting and have been repelled from strategic Kyiv suburb which could stop Putin's forces from surrounding the capital, Ukraine claims


Ukraine's armed forces said Moscow has lost its 'offensive potential' in their attempts to capture Makariv

Located 37 miles from Kyiv, Makariv is seen as a strategic location to help Putin's forces surround the capital

Russian forces have enough supplies to last 'no more than three days', Ukraine's generals also claimed today

Putin's men are running low on food, fuel and ammunition due to logistical failings that have stalled attacks

Ukrainian troops claim to have re-taken city of Makariv, near Kyiv, while attacks on Mariupol were 'repulsed'

But failing attacks could spell more death for Ukrainians, as Joe Biden warns Putin is thinking about using chemical and biological weapons because his 'back is against the wall'

By CHRIS PLEASANCE and STEPHEN WYNN-DAVIES FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 09:21 EDT, 22 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:40 EDT, 22 March 2022




Russian troops are retreating after being repelled from a strategic Kyiv suburb, Ukraine has claimed, in a move which could stop Vladimir Putin's forces from surrounding the capital.



Ukraine’s armed forces said Moscow has lost its 'offensive potential' and reinforcements were being called in from the 'depths' of Russia to help them capture Makariv, a city located 37 miles from Kyiv.



Ukrainian forces have been fighting back in Makariv in order to prevent Russian forces from surrounding the capital.





The armed forces claimed the 'heroic actions of our defenders' have forced Russian troops back while a counterattack in the south has pushed Putin's forces in the direction of Mykolayiv, a city near the Black Sea.



In an update issued today, Ukraine's armed forces said: 'Having lost the offensive potential, the Russian occupying troops continue forming and deploying the reserves from the depths of the Russian Federation to the borders of Ukraine.'



Elsewhere, the Ukrainian think tank, The Centre for Defence Strategies claimed that Russian troops in the Okhtyrka region of Sumy 'left the area of operations' in order to 'choose desertion to avoid death' and in Havronshchyna, in the Makariv district, that Russians had stolen cars to drive towards the border with Belarus.



It comes after Kyiv's generals today claimed Vladimir Putin's troops only have enough food, fuel and ammunition for another three days of fighting in Ukraine, while attacks on the besieged city of Mariupol were turned back and offensives elsewhere in the country remained stalled.



Logistical failings by Russian forces including their inability to establish a fuel pipeline to supply troops at the front has left them facing the imminent prospect of running out, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed in their morning update.



Meanwhile British intelligence said attempts by Moscow to capture the southern city of Mariupol - seen as a key target for Putin to be able to claim any semblance of success in his 'special military operation' - 'continue to be repulsed' amidst heavy fighting.



Offensives elsewhere in the country - such as in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv - 'have endured yet another day of limited progress with most forces largely stalled', the Ministry of Defence added.



Some analysts have questioned whether Russia is capable of capturing Kyiv after its failure to take other key cities and towns. Lord Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News Russia was 'hunkering down for a long fight in Kyiv' but do not have the 'motivation or the will to push into the centre'.



Ukraine's assessment tallies with other Western experts who predicted that Russian forces are likely to reach 'culmination' this week, the point at which supplies built up for initial attacks will run out - forcing Russia to stop its offensive and start defending while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.



Taking an 'operational pause' will leave Russian troops vulnerable to counter-attack by Ukrainian forces, who today claimed to have re-taken the city of Makariv on the outskirts of Kyiv - capturing a key highway in the process and allowing them to block Russian troops from surrounding the city from the northwest.



But it does not mean that Putin's army has been defeated or that a ceasefire is imminent. Evidence from the battlefield so-far shows that that Russia's tactics are likely to become more brutal and bloody the longer its forces remain stuck. Western leaders, Joe Biden chief among them, have been warning of the risk that Russia will use biological or chemical weapons because Putin's 'back is against the wall'.

Continued at the link

[shalom]

Russian losses in Ukraine exceed Soviet losses in Afghanistan

Poland's special services asked the foreign ministry on Wednesday to expel 45 Russian diplomats.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS Published: MARCH 23, 2022 09:18

Updated: MARCH 23, 2022 22:53


Russia has suffered more losses in the 26 days since the start of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine than the Soviet army did over the course of a decade (1979-1989) in Afghanistan, data shared by the Ukrainian defense ministry has shown.



The infographic released by the defense ministry shows that the official Soviet army losses in Afghanistan amounted to 15,051 personnel, whereas the losses currently suffered by the Russian army in Ukraine amount to around 15,300 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces


Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych on Wednesday said he expected the active phase of the Russian invasion to be over by the end of April as the Russian advance had already stalled in many areas.



Speaking on local television, Arestovych said Russia had already lost 40% of its attacking forces, and also played down the prospect of Russia waging nuclear war. Reuters could not independently verify his statements.



Adviser to the President's Office Oleksiy Arestovych said on March 22 that, according to preliminary data, Ukrainian forces had shot down the 100th Russian plane over Mariupol, and two more enemy planes had been shot down over the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Continued at link

[OmegaMan]

Biden regime putting American troops in Ukraine, setting country up for direct engagement in World War III

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 by: JD Heyes

Tags: American troops, false-flag, Joe Biden, Pentagon, Russian invasion, special operations, SPECOPs, training mission, U.S. forces, U.S. troops, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, White House, world war, World War III

(Natural News) Unbeknownst to the vast majority of Americans, the Biden regime has deployed U.S. military personnel on the ground in Ukraine in what appears to be a direct effort to draw the country into a conflict with Russia that will spark World War III.



According to Trending Politics, there are new reports that U.S. Special Forces troops are currently in Ukraine performing “operational prep of the battlefield.”



Seth Harp, an investigative reporter and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, noted on Twitter: “US special operators are currently on the ground in Ukraine doing ‘operational prep of the battlefield,’ according to a well informed source. The military unit is JSOC’s Advance Force Operations, including members of Delta Force and SEAL Team 6.”



A search of Harp’s Twitter feed did not turn up this tweet, so it’s likely he has deleted it; Trending Politics got a screengrab of it, however, which can be seen below.



Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

'The ashes of a dead land': Drone footage gives a glimpse of the devastation wrought on the besieged city of Mariupol as survivors describe fleeing past piles of corpses rotting in the streets


Drone footage gives a glimpse into the damage Russian forces have caused to Mariupol, in southern Ukraine

Buildings in Livoberezhnyi District, in the south of the city, are seen smouldering after being hit by artillery

Officials say Russian attacks have reduced Mariupol to the 'ashes of a dead land' and near-totally destroyed it

Survivors describe fleeing past piles of corpses left to rot in the streets because there is nobody to bury them

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 09:37 EDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 10:59 EDT, 23 March 2022




Drone footage and satellite images have today given a glimpse at the extent of the devastation in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has now been under siege by Russian forces for almost a month as officials say it has been reduced to the 'ashes of a dead land'.



Video taken in the skies above the hard-hit district of Livoberezhnyi, to the east of the city, shows thin lines of smoke drifting through the air between blocks of destroyed apartments, shredded trees and dead grass - with barely a building left undamaged by Russian shelling.



Satellite images taken above other areas of the city show the grim picture repeating many times over in what Human Rights Watch has described as a 'hell-scape.' 'It is clear that the occupiers are not interested in the city of Mariupol,' a local official said. 'They want to raze it to the ground, to reduce it to ashes of a dead land.'





Though humanitarian convoys trying to reach the city have largely been thwarted - with President Zelensky saying on Tuesday that Russian forces had captured some aid workers heading there - a steady stream of refugees has managed to flow out, bringing their horror stories with them.



Julia Krytska, who managed to flee the city with her husband and son earlier this week, described passing piles of rotting bodies lying in the streets because there are no workers left to bury them.


Continued with videos at the link

[Pink Rose]

'15,600 Russian soldiers have now been killed', as Ukraine goes on the counter-attack: City is recaptured and Putin's forces are pushed back in the south as Pentagon says generals are 'able and willing' to re-take territory


Ukraine has launched a series of counter-attacks across the country, Kyiv and the Pentagon have said

Troops have re-taken Makariv, west of Kyiv, putting Russian forces at risk of being cut-off, Ukraine says

Pentagon says attacks are also underway near Mykolaiv, in the south, and Izyum, in the north-east

Ukrainian forces pushed Russians 60 miles back from city of Voznesensk and counter-attacked at Kherson

US says Ukraine is now 'able and willing to take back territory', potentially marking a shift in the war

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE and AP



PUBLISHED: 07:16 EDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 11:11 EDT, 23 March 2022


Russia has lost more than 15,000 troops in Ukraine, the country's generals claimed today, as they launched a series of counter-attacks across the country to push back Putin's forces after a month of dogged defending.



Ukraine's General Staff said Wednesday that Russia has now lost 15,600 men in fighting, along with 517 tanks and 1,600 armoured vehicles amid reports that their troops have recaptured the city of Makariv, to the west of the Kyiv, as photos showed troops raising a Ukrainian flag from one of the buildings.



Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal

Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis.



Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine.



For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families – mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly – fleeing from the bombs and guns.



As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support.


The move puts Russian forces bogged down fighting in Irpin, Bucha and Borodyanka at risk of being cut off.



Meanwhile counter-attacks were also underway in the south, with the BBC reporting a Russian tank column was destroyed by Ukrainian troops and volunteers at Voznesensk - pushing Moscow's forces back 60 miles from the strategically-important town that spans the Bug River. Attacks were also launched on the captured city of Kherson.



Russian troops have also been forced to reposition around Mykolaiv after coming under attack by Ukrainian forces, the Pentagon said last night, while also reporting heavy fighting in Izyum - hundreds of miles away to the northeast - as Ukraine tries to thwart attempts to surround its armies near the Donbass.



A senior Pentagon source, briefing journalists on the situation on the ground in Ukraine, said the US is 'starting to see indications' that Kyiv's generals are now 'able and willing to take back territory' - potentially marking a turning-point in the conflict as Russia's advance grinds to a halt with supplies running low.



Videos posted online late Tuesday appeared to show one of the counter-attacks, wit Ukrainian troops engaged in heavy fighting to the west of Kyiv, unleashing a hail of rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Kremlin REFUSES to rule out using nukes: US slams 'dangerous' rhetoric after Putin's spokesman said Russia would use weapons to see off an 'existential threat' amid war in Ukraine


Putin's spokesman was asked three times to rule out using nuclear weapons after Russian leader made thinly-veiled threats over the war in Ukraine

Dmitry Peskov refused to rule out the possibility that Moscow would use nukes

He said Russian doctrine allows weapons to be used against 'existential threats'

Comes amid fears Putin may do something desperate as war turns against him

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 04:42 EDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:32 EDT, 23 March 2022


The Kremlin has refused to rule out using nuclear weapons after Vladimir Putin made thinly-veiled threats over the war in Ukraine.



Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, was asked three times on CNN whether he could definitively rule out the possibility of the Russian leader pushing the button - and three times refused to give a straight answer.



Instead, Peskov said only that Russian doctrine allows Putin to use nukes see off 'existential threats' - raising fears he could justify using the weapons over Ukraine, having previously said the country poses a direct threat to the security of Russia.


John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, slammed Peskov's rhetoric as 'dangerous' saying it is 'not the way a responsible nuclear power should act'.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Putin loses his 15TH top commander as Ukraine continues to take out elite troops: Colonel is latest to die as Russia suffers worst loss of military leaders since World War Two


Colonel Alexei Sharov became the latest Russian commander to die in what has become the country's biggest loss of military leaders since World War II

Sharov's death was announced by Ukrainian armed forces on social media Tuesday

The commander of the 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade in the Russian Marines, Sharov was reportedly killed in Mariupol

At least 902 civilians have been killed and 1,459 wounded in Ukraine as of midnight on March 19, the UN human rights office said

Sharov is the fifth colonel to die and marks 15 members of Russia's top military command to have died in the invasion

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM



PUBLISHED: 01:41 EDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:37 EDT, 23 March 2022


Vladimir Putin's Russian Army has lost another commander - the 15th of Putin's top military leaders to be killed as the country's invasion of Ukraine heads into its second month.



Colonel Alexei Sharov became the latest high-ranking Russian official to die in what has become the country's biggest loss of military higher-ups since World War II. His death was announced by Ukrainian armed forces on social media Tuesday.



The commander of the 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade in the Russian Marines, Sharov was reportedly killed in Mariupol, a city in which over 100,000 people have been trapped amid a siege by the invading Russians.


At least 902 civilians have been killed and 1,459 wounded in Ukraine as of midnight on March 19, the UN human rights office said.



Ten million people have been displaced, including nearly 3.4 million who have fled the country, the U.N. refugee agency said.

Continued at the link

[ShofarSoGood]

Russia Is Systematically Destroying NATO Training Sites IN UKRAINE

By Larry Johnson

Published March 21, 2022 at 1:15pm


I will admit upfront that I had no idea how extensive NATO’s presence in Ukraine was until this week. I just had not paid attention. But Russia’s blistering attacks on Yavoriv, Delyatyn, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr have caught my eye. If you are not paying attention you should.


My most recent article, Russia Exploits Ukraine’s Western Flank, addressed the attacks on Yavoriv and Delyatyn. My curiosity is fully piqued and I am now searching the internet for U.S. and NATO documents describing their activities at those sights.



Have you heard about Zhytomyr? Did you know that NATO carried out cybersecurity training for Ukraine at Zhytomyr in September 2018 and described Ukraine as a “NATO PARTNER.”



As part of the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme for Ukraine, experts from allied countries visited the Serhiy Korolylov Zhytomyr Military Institute (ZMI) from 24 to 28 September, 2018 to assist with the development of a new course on cybersecurity. Ukraine is one of the first NATO partners (together with Tunisia) to develop such a course.



The experts provided working examples of cybersecurity education in a military institute context (Canadian, Polish and Irish military academies), facilitated through the adaptation of the Generic Reference Curriculum on Cybersecurity. They also demonstrated a step-by-step process to develop a customized course for a specific national context. This included a walk through of syllabus development, and a presentation of detailed lesson plans and laboratory exercises. The exercise involved cyber operations, both defensive and offensive, in support of an overarching military mission scenario.



NATO was training Ukraine for “offensive” cyber operations. Russia did not have to task any intelligence operatives to find this out. All they needed was someone capable of doing a Google search. This is not an imaginary Russian fear. This is real. It is detailed at the link in NATO’s own words.



The Ukrainian base at Myolaiv also was hit yesterday (Saturday):



Continued at link

[schwartzie]

Ukraine: Zelensky Marks One Month of War Accusing Russians of Mass Rape


FRANCES MARTEL24 Mar 2022219

7:42

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address on Thursday observing one month of full-scale war with Russia by accusing Russian soldiers of a variety of human rights abuses against civilians, including looting, seizing humanitlinkarian aid, and rape.



Ukrainian officials have sporadically mentioned reports of rape in urban areas that Russian soldiers have invaded, but without providing details or evidence. The U.S. State Department, in its formal accusation against Russia of war crimes this week, did not mention any incidents of alleged rape of Ukrainian civilians by Russian soldiers.



The Russian government has denied all allegations of rape against its soldiers, simply referring to them as “lies.”



Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, escalating an existing eight-year-old war by sending Russian forces into major Ukrainian urban centers, including Kyiv, on February 24. In announcing the military “operation,” Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine did not have a “tradition” of being a sovereign state and modern Ukraine was “completely created by Russia.” Putin recognized two Russian proxy entities, the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics,” as sovereign states within what the international community respects as the borders of Ukraine, and claimed these “governments” requested Russian military intervention.



In his address, shared online by the state media outlet Ukrinform, Zelensky accused Russia of attempting to “wipe off the face of the earth” the modern Ukrainian state and declared that the Russians, by failing to end the war quickly, had already lost.



|The original plan of the Russian troops failed already in the first days of the invasion,” Zelensky declared. “They thought Ukrainians would be frightened. They thought Ukrainians would not fight. They were wrong.”



Continued at 

[shalom]

Russia-Ukraine war: Russia outraged at Poland's expulsion of diplomats

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special operation," has triggered Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War Two.

By REUTERS Published: MARCH 24, 2022 10:55


The United States plans to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, two sources familiar with the forthcoming announcement told Reuters. The US will also announce $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.



The United States is also launching the 'European Democratic Resilience Initiative' with $320 million in funding to support media freedom, social resistance, and human rights in Ukraine and nearby countries, the official said.



The expected announcement comes as US President Joe Biden meets with European leaders on Thursday to coordinate Western nations' response to Moscow's assault on its neighboring country.



It was not immediately clear how the effort would work, including travel and immigration logistics.



Not all of the accepted Ukrainians will come through the US refugee program, one Biden administration official said, with others coming on family-based visas or another process known as humanitarian parole.



Ukraine deserves to be full member of EU - Zelensky

Ukraine is fighting for the security of the whole of Europe and should be a full member of the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelensky told Swedish lawmakers on Thursday via video link.



"We are not fighting just for the people of Ukraine, but for Europe's security and we have shown that we deserve to be a fully-fledged member of the EU," Zelensky said in an address to Sweden's parliament.



"It's time to go ahead with that decision and I am convinced you are going to support us even in that."



Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country in the month since Russia launched its invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" its neighbor.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Ukraine destroys Russian landing ship after state media revealed its location with propaganda footage: Huge fireball rises over port that had been taken by Putin's forces


Ball of flames and smoke seen rising from Berdyansk, a Ukrainian port under the control of Russian forces

Kyiv's navy claimed to have hit and destroyed the Orsk, a 370ft Alligator-class Russian landing ship

If confirmed, it would be the largest vessel that Ukraine has struck and another embarrassing loss for Putin

Russian state media revealed the ship's location just days earlier, showing it unloading armoured vehicles

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 03:58 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 10:57 EDT, 24 March 2022


Ukraine has destroyed a huge Russian ship just days after state media filmed it unloading reinforcements at a captured port, as Putin's army continues to suffer punishing losses at the hands of Kyiv's men.



The Ukrainian navy said early Thursday that it had scored a direct hit on the Orsk, a 370ft Russian Alligator-class tank carrier, as it was sitting at anchor in the captured port of Berdyansk, in the south of Ukraine.



Multiple photos and videos showed thick black smoke rising from the port as one ship sat at the harbour in flames, while another two sailed away - one of which also appeared to be damaged.


Just three days before the strike, Russian state media had filmed the Orsk at the port unloading armoured vehicles which it said would reinforce troops in nearby Mariupol - prompting speculation that Ukraine could use the video to target the vessel.



H I Sutton, a respected naval analyst, later said it is 'beyond reasonable doubt' that an Alligator-class ship had exploded at the port. It marks the largest ship that Ukrainian forces have managed to strike so-far and represents another embarrassing loss for Vladimir Putin's beleaguered army.



It comes after NATO said Russia has lost up to 40,000 men either killed, wounded or captured in just over a month of fighting - or a quarter of the150,000 troops assembled ahead of the invasion. It means the force that remains is at risk of becoming combat ineffective, making it vulnerable to Ukrainian counter-attacks.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

'The butcher of Mariupol': Russian general overseeing siege in which a maternity unit and theatre sheltering children were bombed is thought to have masterminded similar atrocities in Syria

Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev revealed as man besieging Mariupol after issuing demand for surrender

It means Mizintsev is likely behind orders to bomb maternity hospital and theatre, potentially killing hundreds

As head of Russia's National Centre for Defence, Mizintsev is likely to have helped devise battle plans in Syria

In 2016, Aleppo was subjected to many of the same horrors as Mariupol - with hospitals targeted, cluster munitions and incendiary bombs rained down on civilians, and chemical weapons used

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 12:40 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 13:48 EDT, 24 March 2022


This is the face of the 'butcher of Mariupol' - the Russian general overseeing a siege which has deprived the city of food, water and power for a month during merciless bombardments that have killed thousands of civilians.



Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, who has served as the Director of the Russian National Centre for Defence since 2014, was identified as the commander overseeing the operation earlier this week when he personally issued a demand for Ukrainian troops defending the port to surrender - which they rejected.



It means Mizintsev likely gave the order to bomb a maternity hospital in the city that killed a heavily pregnant woman and her unborn child; to bomb a theatre sheltering hundreds of children who were likely buried alive in the rubble; and to indiscriminately shell neighbourhoods in attacks that have left corpses rotting in the streets.





Olexander Scherba, Ukraine's ex-Austrian ambassador, this week branded Mizintsev the 'Butcher of Mariupol' while Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of Ukraine's Centre for Civil Liberties, called on him to face war crime charges.



And it would not be the first time he has given such grim commands. In his role as defence chief, Mizintsev was also likely to have helped devise Russia's military strategy in Syria - including the bloody siege of Aleppo, which has chilling parallels with the horror being inflicted in Mariupol.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Now the RUSSIANS face being surrounded as Ukraine continues successful counter-attacks, analysts say – with footage showing a tank being obliterated and missiles raining down on Putin's troops


Ukrainian troops counter-attacking Russian forces to the west and east of the capital Kyiv after assault stalled

Russian forces at Bucha and Irpin are in danger of being surrounded, British Ministry of Defence has warned

Meanwhile Ukrainians have pushed Putin's men between 15 and 20 miles out of the east of the capital

Videos reveal tank getting blown sky-high and rocket artillery raining down as Russia suffers heavy losses

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 06:49 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:55 EDT, 24 March 2022




Russian troops trying to surround the city of Kyiv are now at risk of getting surrounded themselves after Ukrainian forces went on the counter-attack, with footage showing a tank getting blown to smithereens and rocket artillery raining down on Putin's troops.



Heavy fighting is going on to both the west and east of Kyiv as Ukrainian troops - who have suffered through a month of dogged defending under heavy bombardment - are attempting to retake the initiative from Russian invaders by launching attacks of their own.



Makariv and Moschun, two cities to the west of the capital, have 'probably' been re-taken by Kyiv's troops - the British Ministry of Defence said overnight - meaning there is now a 'realistic possibility that Ukrainian forces are able to encircle Russian units at Bucha and Irpin'.





If those units - which include part of a 40-mile convoy spied near the Ukrainian capital in the early days of the war - do get surrounded, then they will be unable to reinforce or resupply themselves and may end up surrendering, inflicting one of the largest defeats on the Russian military of the entire war.



Ukraine has also forced back Russian troops to the east of the city, according to the Pentagon, driving them between 15 and 20 miles down the main highway in the direction of Chernihiv. Counter-attacks are also known to be underway at Mykolaiv and Kherson, in the south, and Izyum, in the north-east.



And on Thursday morning, Ukraine destroyed a Russian tank-carrier ship docked in the captured port city of Berdyansk - scoring a direct hit on the vessel which subsequently exploded. It marks the largest Russian ship lost so-far, and an embarrassing error for Putin because it was Russian state media that revealed its location.

link

[Pink Rose]

Russia 'is planning false flag attacks on its own cities - blamed on Ukraine - which could kill thousands of civilians in bid to justify general mobilisation of troops', exiled politician warns


Russian politician Ilya Ponomarev claimed the attacks on Russian cities will be blamed on Ukrainian saboteurs

He warned of terrorist-style attacks being orchestrated by FSB security service

Ponomarev said plot to blame Kiev for attacks was leaked by security source

By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 06:03 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 06:09 EDT, 24 March 2022


Russia is believed to be plotting a wave of attacks on its own cities in a false flag operation led by the FSB that it will blame on Ukraine to justify a general mobilisation of troops, an exiled Russian politician has warned.



Ilya Ponomarev, 46, claimed the Russian security service is preparing to target chemical plants in Russia in attacks that will see thousands of civilians die.



The terrorist-style operations will be blamed on Ukrainian saboteurs, claimed Ponomarev, who eight years go was the only Russian politician to vote against Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea.





Ponomarev said the plot, which had been leaked by a security source, will be used to justify a general mobilisation in order to compensate for crippling losses for the Russian troops during their barbaric invasion of Ukraine.



A senior NATO military officer yesterday said the alliance estimates that Russia has suffered between 30,000 and 40,000 battlefield casualties in Ukraine through the first month of the war, including between 7,000 and 15,000 killed.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Escape from Mariupol: Startling footage shows civilians weaving their car between dead bodies and abandoned cars in apocalyptic scenes as they flee under-siege city


Harrowing footage taken by fleeing civilians shows dead bodies littering the streets amid piles of debris

The video was shot by motorists weaving their van through the destruction along an avenue in west Mariupol

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials claimed that thousands are being forcibly deported from the city by Russia

15,000 people, most from Left Bank area of the city, have been deported via 'filtration camps', officials said

Security services claimed to have uncovered one camp in the Donetsk region, and said FSB officers are working to single out members of the military or emergency services to deport them to far eastern Russia

It comes as new images revealed the devastation that Russian bombing raids have wrought on the port city

Fighting is continuing to rage in Mariupol, as videos purporting to show Chechen fighters there were released

By CHRIS PLEASANCE and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 09:09 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:49 EDT, 24 March 2022


Footage has emerged of civilians weaving their way through streets littered with dead bodies and piles of debris as they desperately attempt to escape from the decimated city of Mariupol.



The video, shot by a fleeing passenger in what appeared to be a small van, showed apocalyptic scenes from the port city, which has ultimately been reduced to rubble after weeks of brutal Russian bombing.



Several corpses were seen sprawled in the middle of the road as the van swerved around chunks of rock, twisted pieces of metal and abandoned cars along what is believed to be Budivelnykiv Avenue in western Mariupol.





The chilling video was taken in a part of the city which just one month ago was a flourishing cultural and educational centre.



Budivelnykiv Avenue runs alongside a swathe of lush green parkland home to Mariupol's State University, which prior to the war offered a variety of humanitarian and cultural programmes focused on training students for careers in international relations, as well as the Meotida Greek cultural centre and a host of burgeoning bars, restaurants and Freedom Square.



Now, all that remains are mounds of smouldering debris, destroyed businesses and dead civilians.



The chilling video comes as Ukrainian officials claimed that Russian troops are forcibly deporting Ukrainians en-masse from the city's ruins to 'filtration camps' and then into Russia, as they begged for humanitarian teams to be given access to the besieged city.



Up to 15,000 civilians have been forcibly deported from the Left Bank area of Mariupol since it was captured by Russian troops, local authorities said on Thursday, as they warned an estimated 100,000 people who remain face a desperate plight without food, water or electricity.



Ukraine's security services claimed to have identified one 'filtration camp' that had been established in the city of Dokuchaevsk, in the Donetsk region, and alleged Russian FSB officers were working to sort through the deported civilians to identify anyone with links to the Ukrainian emergency services or military.



Those picked out by the FSB are being send to remote regions in Russia - particularly Sakhalin, an island off the north coast of Japan - where they are forced to sign papers confining them to the region for at least the next two years, security services say.



Video released by Chechen special forces soldiers meanwhile claimed to show fierce fighting in the streets of Mariupol, where Ukrainian troops under siege for almost a month are desperately trying to hold the city.



Fresh images from on the ground have further revealed the scale of the devastation wrought on the city by Putin's indiscriminate bombardments.


Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Cornered Putin 'will abandon plans to seize vast swathes of Ukraine and will concentrate his firepower on securing eastern Donbass region' Western officials say as Russia's forces continue to show signs of crumbling


Western officials have said that Moscow made a 'catastrophic miscalculation'

Russian advance into Ukraine has been stalled by fierce Ukrainian resistance

Therefore, it is expected that Russia will change tactics in its assault on Ukraine

Officials said they expect Russia to consolidate its forces in eastern Donbas

By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 22:19 EDT, 23 March 2022 | UPDATED: 05:11 EDT, 24 March 2022




Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to change tactics and focus his firepower on the east of Ukraine, according to Western officials, abandoning plans to seize vase swathes of his neighbouring country.



When Russia unleashed its multi-pronged invasion on February 24, a swift toppling of Ukraine and it democratically elected government seemed likely.



But with Wednesday marking four full weeks of fighting, Russia is bogged down in a grinding military campaign, and is being pushed back in some regions.





The slow Russian progression has seemingly taken the Kremlin by surprise, and Western officials have said that Moscow made a 'catastrophic miscalculation'.



As such, it is expected that Russia will change its military tactics in Ukraine and instead consolidate its supplies and logistical efforts in the eastern Donbas region.



Speaking to The Times, one western official said Ukraine's intelligent resistance had 'derailed' Russia's flawed plans, which had at the heart of them the assumption that Ukrainians would allow Russia to roll into their country without much of a fight.



Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

More than half of Ukraine's children have been displaced by war, with 4.3MILLION forced to flee their homes


More than half of Ukraine's 7.5 million children have become refugees say UN

Some 1.8 million Ukrainian children have fled the country - another 2.5 million internally displaced

War causes 'one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children' since WWII

UN confirms deaths of 81 children since invasion - full figure likely much higher

By JAMES BICKERTON FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 07:32 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 07:47 EDT, 24 March 2022


More than half of all children in Ukraine have been displaced since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according to the United Nations.



'One month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children - more than half of the country's estimated 7.5 million child population,' the UN children's agency Unicef said.



Displaced children make up nearly half of the over 10 million people who have been forced to flee their homes since the invasion began one month ago today.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Ukraine destroys Russian landing ship after state media revealed its location with propaganda footage: Huge fireball rises over port that had been taken by Putin's forces


Ball of flames and smoke seen rising from Berdyansk, a Ukrainian port under the control of Russian forces

Kyiv's navy claimed to have hit and destroyed the Orsk, a 370ft Alligator-class Russian landing ship

If confirmed, it would be the largest vessel that Ukraine has struck and another embarrassing loss for Putin

Russian state media revealed the ship's location just days earlier, showing it unloading armoured vehicles

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 03:58 EDT, 24 March 2022 | UPDATED: 10:57 EDT, 24 March 2022


Ukraine has destroyed a huge Russian ship just days after state media filmed it unloading reinforcements at a captured port, as Putin's army continues to suffer punishing losses at the hands of Kyiv's men.



The Ukrainian navy said early Thursday that it had scored a direct hit on the Orsk, a 370ft Russian Alligator-class tank carrier, as it was sitting at anchor in the captured port of Berdyansk, in the south of Ukraine.



Multiple photos and videos showed thick black smoke rising from the port as one ship sat at the harbour in flames, while another two sailed away - one of which also appeared to be damaged.





Just three days before the strike, Russian state media had filmed the Orsk at the port unloading armoured vehicles which it said would reinforce troops in nearby Mariupol - prompting speculation that Ukraine could use the video to target the vessel.



H I Sutton, a respected naval analyst, later said it is 'beyond reasonable doubt' that an Alligator-class ship had exploded at the port. It marks the largest ship that Ukrainian forces have managed to strike so-far and represents another embarrassing loss for Vladimir Putin's beleaguered army.



It comes after NATO said Russia has lost up to 40,000 men either killed, wounded or captured in just over a month of fighting - or a quarter of the150,000 troops assembled ahead of the invasion. It means the force that remains is at risk of becoming combat ineffective, making it vulnerable to Ukrainian counter-attacks.

Continued at the link

[shalom]

Russian troops in Ukraine suffer frostbite in historic irony - intelligence

Russia has traditionally touted "General Winter" as one of its strongest allies, with the bitter cold having helped protect the country from invasions from Napoleon Bonaparte and the Nazis alike.

By AARON REICH Published: MARCH 25, 2022 12:41


Russian troops invading Ukraine may be struggling to deal with frostbite induced by the cold temperatures, according to wiretapped Russian military talks leaked by Ukraine's Security Service and analyzed by reputable open-source investigators Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT).



In audio clips shared on Telegram by CIT and reported on by Pravda, soldiers near Mykolaiv near the Black Sea were stated to be suffering from frostbite.

The reason for this seems to be lack of supplies. Russian soldiers were allegedly not provided with adequately warm clothes or stoves, and have been forced to sleep in trenches due to lacking tents.



CIT corroborated this with sources, including the Pentagon, which had already noted about the lack of winter uniforms and the potential it could have to cause frostbite. Indeed, a US defense official had discussed the matter during a briefing earlier this week.



The fact that Russian troops are suffering frostbite is something that, according to the defense official, is a "symbol of a breakdown in unit morale and unit cohesion."

Continued at link