Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - Consolidated Thread

[schwartzie]

Shocking Videos Allegedly Show Ukrainians Shooting And Torturing Russian POWs

By Cassandra Fairbanks

Published March 27, 2022 at 9:45am


Videos that surfaced late last night purportedly show members of the Ukrainian military shooting Russian POWs in the knees and beating them senseless.

Several correspondents from around the world have called on the International Criminal Court, which Ukraine has invited into their country, to investigate and verify these potential war crimes.



Videos allegedly showing Ukrainian soldiers shooting Russian prisoners of war in the knees have hit the internet alongside a series of clips from the Ukrainian army calling the families and loved ones of deceased Russian soldiers in order to mock their deaths. The footage embedded below is graphic and viewer discretion is advised.



While The Gateway Pundit is unable to independently verify the content of these videos, a foreign correspondent from the BBC has indicated that she reviewed the clips. “Seeing (not sharing) graphic videos from Ukraine. In accepting ICC jurisdiction, Ukraine has enabled ICC prosecutors to investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity on both sides,” she tweeted. “Rhetoric from some politicians suggests focus on Russians alone.” Reporters from Sweden’s SVT and Bellingcat’s Elliot Higgins have also acknowledged the release of the videos.

Continued at link

[schwartzie]

Zelenskyy Taunts the West for Being ‘Afraid’ of Moscow in Latest Attempt to Get Fighter Jets

By Cassandra Fairbanks

Published March 27, 2022 at 9:20am


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy taunted the West and NATO on Saturday evening in his latest attempt to get fighter jets.

The US has already pledged over $13 billion in aid for Ukraine and is helping them acquire longer range anti-aircraft systems.



For scale, the entire border wall proposed by then-President Donald Trump was estimated to cost $11 billion to complete, which liberal media raged was too much.



Speaking after Biden’s speech in Poland, Zelenskyy “lashed out,” according to the Associated Press, about the West’s “ping-pong about who and how should hand over jets.”


“I’ve talked to the defenders of Mariupol today. I’m in constant contact with them. Their determination, heroism and firmness are astonishing,” Zelenskyy said in a video early Sunday. “If only those who have been thinking for 31 days on how to hand over dozens of jets and tanks had 1% of their courage.”

Continued at link

[Shoshanna]

Zelensky Ready to Make Concessions with Russia — Will Discuss Adopting a Neutral Status for Ukraine and Will Agree to Promises on Crimea (VIDEO)

By Jim Hoft

Published March 27, 2022 at 9:20pm


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held an interview Sunday with several Russian journalists. Zelensky admitted during the interview that Ukraine is ready to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of its peace deal with Russia. Ukraine is also willing to guarantee a non-nuclear status.



Zelensky spoke in Russian during the interview like he has done in the past with Russian-speaking news outlets.



Via Reuters:



Ukraine is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia but such a pact would have to be guaranteed by third parties and put to a referendum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in remarks aired on Sunday.


Zelenskiy was speaking to Russian journalists in a 90-minute video call, an interview that Moscow authorities had pre-emptively warned Russian media to refrain from reporting. Zelenskiy spoke in Russian throughout, as he has done in previous speeches when targeting a Russian audience.



Zelenskiy said Russia’s invasion had caused the destruction of Russian-speaking cities in Ukraine, with damage worse than the Russian wars in Chechnya.



“Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state. We are ready to go for it. This is the most important point,” Zelenskiy said.



Zelensky also said there would be no retaking of Crimea by force.

Here is Ukrainian President Zelensky being interviewed by several Russian journalists on Sunday.



With English subtitles.



link

[schwartzie]

Mariupol Mayor Orders "Complete Evacuation" Of City Now In Russian Hands; Ukraine Says It's Retaken Major Kiev Suburb

BY TYLER DURDEN

MONDAY, MAR 28, 2022 - 11:47 AM

The important southeast city of Mariupol has now been completely taken over by Russian forces, according to its mayor, after weeks of siege and intense bombardment and fighting. Mayor Vadym Boichenko announced Monday that his city is "in the hands of the occupiers".



"Not everything is in our power," he said in a live television interview. "Unfortunately, we are in the hands of hands of the occupiers today." He then called for a total evacuation of all remaining Ukrainians from the city, which before the invasion was at 400,000 - but which some estimates now put at possibly just over 150,000 remaining.





Prior drone footage over Mariupol, via Reuters

"According to our estimates, about 160,000 people are in the besieged city of Mariupol today, where it is impossible to live because there is no water, no electricity, no heat, no connection," Boichenko said. "And it's really scary."



Last week Russian ground forces reached the center of the city, where street-to-street fighting continued for days - thought it's unclear Monday if this has continued.



While there have been previous short-lived intermittent humanitarian corridors set up for the evacuation of civilians, the Mariupol mayor urged a major new effort. "The situation in the city remains difficult. People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe," Boichenko said according to Reuters. "We need to completely evacuate Mariupol."

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[Pink Rose]

Putin's troops on the run: Ukraine retakes Irpin town near Kyiv in latest blow to Russian army 'which has now seen 17,000 soldiers killed'


Russia is still yet to seize any major city in Ukraine after a month of fighting as the death toll rises to 17,000

Irpin's mayor said Ukrainian forces have seized back full control of the town in the outskirts of Kyiv

UK ministry of defence said troops are suffering from logistical shortages and low morale

Fighting is concentrated around Mariupol but troops have been pushed back from Kyiv

The war has so far cost Ukraine £430billion so far, with 5,000 miles of road destroyed

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 06:18 EDT, 28 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:34 EDT, 28 March 2022




Vladimir Putin's faltering invasion has suffered another devastating blow after battling Ukrainian troops recaptured the war-ravaged town of Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv today.



The mayor said forces had seized back full control of the town which had become one of the main hotspots of fighting after Kremlin soldiers hoped to march on to the capital.



Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said: 'We have good news today - Irpin has been liberated. We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously.'





Markushyn vowed that the army will now liberate Bucha, Hostomel and Vorzel to further enrage Putin as his force's death toll rises to 17,000 without seizing any new territories.



The UK's Ministry of Defence said earlier today there had been 'no significant change to Russian forces' dispositions in the country' and Russia is still yet to capture any major city after a month of fighting.



They said 'ongoing logistical shortages have been compounded by a continued lack of momentum and morale against the Russian military, and aggressive fighting by the Ukrainians'.



Kyiv's ministry of defence said Russia has been forced to withdraw some units surrounding the capital after major losses.



The withdrawal has 'significantly decreased' the intensity of the advance on the city as Putin's troops regroup in Belarus.



Those still trying to advance on Kyiv are trying to seize the major roads and settlements in the northeast and northwest of the city but are being held back by the defiant Ukrainians.



Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said: 'As of today, the enemy is regrouping its forces, but they cannot advance anywhere in Ukraine.'

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Mariupol has been 'turned to dust' by Russian forces and is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe with 160,000 stranded without heating, mayor reveals as he demands 'complete evacuation' of the city


Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko said the situation is so dire in Mariupol that port city must be completely evacuated

Boichenko said 26 buses were waiting to evacuate civilians but Putin's men had not agreed to give them safe passage

The 160,000 people trapped in Mariupol are encircled by Russian forces

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE and REUTERS



PUBLISHED: 05:47 EDT, 28 March 2022 | UPDATED: 06:34 EDT, 28 March 2022


The besieged southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been 'turned to dust' by Russian forces and is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, its mayor said today.



Mayor Vadym Boichenko said the situation is so dire in Mariupol, where about 160,000 civilians are trapped without heat or power, that the port city must be completely evacuated.



Boichenko said 26 buses were waiting to evacuate civilians - who have faced constant bombardment from Russian forces for days - but Vladimir Putin's men had not agreed to give them safe passage.





The 160,000 civilians trapped in the city are encircled by Russian forces, with ever-dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine.



Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Russian troops are 'turning the city into dust', describing the situation in Mariupol as 'catastrophic' with people fighting to survive.

Continued at the link

[shalom]

Ukraine retakes control of two Russian-occupied towns

Russian strike hits oil depot in western Ukraine • Nearly 5,000 killed in Mariupol since Russian siege

By MICHAEL STARR, REUTERS Published: MARCH 28, 2022 10:16

Updated: MARCH 28, 2022 21:38


The governor of Ukraine's northwestern Rivne region said Russian forces had carried out a rocket strike on an oil depot in the region on Monday. In a short video address posted online, governor Vitaliy Koval said emergency services were at the scene, but did not give further details.



Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian forces had seized back full control of Irpin, a town near capital Kyiv, which has been one of the main hotspots of fighting with Russian troops, the mayor said on Monday.



The United States assessed that Ukrainian forces have also retaken the town of Trostyanets, south of Sumy, from Russian forces, a senior US defense official said on Monday. "The Ukrainians are continuing to try to take back ground," the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.



"We have good news today - Irpin has been liberated," Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said in a video post on Telegram. "We understand that there will be more attacks on our town and we will defend it courageously."



The outskirts of the Ukrainian coastal city Mariupol are under complete control of pro-Russian forces, a representative for the separatist People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic Eduard Basurin claimed on Monday, according to Russian state media outlet RIA.

Continued at link

[Midnight]

Russia reportedly using ISIS-style pickup trucks in Ukraine

by Victor I. Nava, Overnight News Editor | | March 29, 2022 01:31 AM


Some of Russia's armed forces have reportedly been reduced to using machine-gun mounted pickup trucks in Ukraine, an attack vehicle popular with Jihadi militants in the Middle East.



In a video shared on social media on Monday, a small caravan of six Mitsubishi and Toyota pickup trucks, outfitted with heavy machine guns and marked with the letter "Z," can be seen reportedly driving around in Mariupol.



The guns mounted in the truck beds could be .50 caliber heavy machine guns that are typically mounted on tanks.

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[Pink Rose]

Russia begins withdrawing forces and reducing bombardments around Kyiv after vowing to 'radically reduce' military activity during 'meaningful' peace talks with Ukraine attended by Roman Abramovich


US and UK intelligence have identified battalion movements and a reduction in bombardment in Kyiv

Deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said the move will 'increase mutual trust' in the negotiations

Ukraine's neutral status was discussed and both camps said =talks could happen between Putin and Zelensky

Roman Abramovich sat in on the meeting as an unofficial mediator a day after his poisoning was revealed

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 03:50 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 18:28 EDT, 29 March 2022


Russia is already starting to withdraw some of its forces from the Kyiv region after announcing it would 'radically reduce' military activity at peace talks in Turkey today.



US and UK intelligence has identified movements in Kremlin Battalion Tactical Groups around the capital after deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said their troops would start to scale back operations in Kyiv and Chernihiv.



Downing Street said: 'There has been some reduction in Russian bombardment around Kyiv, largely because Ukrainian forces have been successfully pushing back the Russian offensives in the northwest of the city.


'But fighting continues. There's heavy bombardment in Mariupol and other areas. So we don't want to see anything less than a complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory.'



Security officials believe the move is an acknowledgement of Russia's failure to encircle and capture Kyiv in a matter of days, as had been planned at the onset of the invasion.



Turkey hailed the move as the 'most significant progress' in negotiations so far and it will raise hopes that Putin will ease off his savage bombardment of Russia's neighbour.



Fomin said: 'The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has taken the decision to radically reduce combat operations in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas in order to boost mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations and for the signing of the aforementioned agreement.'



Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said there had been a 'meaningful discussion' at the talks which were also attended by Roman Abramovich, a day after it was revealed he had been poisoned at a previous meeting with Ukrainian diplomats.



Both Ukraine and Russia said today's talks have paved the way for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Russian artillery strike blows a hole straight through Ukrainian government building... but official whose office was obliterated survives because he overslept


Three bodies were pulled from the rubble after artillery rains down on port town

Regional government building targeted as workers streamed in this morning

Local governor Vitaly Kim only survived because he overslept, missing attack

Mykolaiv faces intense warfare as Russia tries to take key route along Black Sea

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

By ADAM SOLOMONS FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 06:20 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:56 EDT, 29 March 2022


At least three Ukrainians were killed and 22 were wounded after a Russian artillery strike hit a government building in southern port town Mykolaiv on Tuesday.



Regional governor Vitaly Kim, a steadfast Putin critic, only survived because he overslept and was running late for work.



Three bodies have been pulled out of the wreckage and 18 of the wounded were recovered by rescue workers.



Several members of the Ukrainian army remain unaccounted for, according to AFP.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Zelensky says Russian siege of Mariupol is a 'crime against humanity' as satellite images show makeshift camp where Russia has 'forcibly taken' 5,000 of the city's residents


Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of blowing up shelters housing civilians

A camp in Russian-controlled Bezimenne, to the east of Mariupol, is believed to be housing 5,000 civillians

International humanitarian law dictates that warring parties must not forcibly relocate civilians

Ukrainian officials fear the camps will see Ukrainians interrogated and disappear, similar to the Chechen war

By LAURENCE DOLLIMORE FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 06:24 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 11:23 EDT, 29 March 2022


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has branded the Russian siege of Mariupol a 'crime against humanity' only hours after satellite images emerged of a makeshift camp where thousands of civilians are feared to have been forcibly relocated.



The camp, in Russian-controlled Bezimenne, east of Mariupol, is believed to be housing an estimated 5,000 people.



Another satellite image shows dozens of buses - believed to be carrying Ukrainian civilians - travelling bumper to bumper on a road just outside the town.





'What the Russian troops are doing to Mariupol is a crime against humanity, which is happening in front of the eyes of the whole planet in real time,' Zelensky told the Danish parliament in a video address.



Zelensky also accused Vladimir Putin's forces of blowing up shelters despite knowing they were housing civilians.



The accusations come as Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk claimed 40,000 people have been moved to Russian-held territory.



One Mariupol refugee, who is now in Russia, told the BBC: 'All of us were taken forcibly.'



Some Ukrainian officials fear the camps will replicate those from the Chechen war, which saw thousands brutally interrogated by Russians, with many ultimately disappearing.



Ukraine on Tuesday announced another humanitarian corridor today to evacuate the 160,000 civilians still trapped in Mariupol.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

'Shut up or I'll show your child his mother's brains spread around the house': Ukrainian woman gang-raped by drunk Russian soldiers as her four-year-old son wept reveals horrific details of the attack


Natalya, 33, told how two Russian soldiers came to the family home near Kyiv and shot dead her husband in the front yard

Soldiers then came into the house and raped her repeatedly for several hours

Natalya said she could hear her four-year-old crying whilst hiding in boiler room

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 04:31 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 04:46 EDT, 29 March 2022


A Ukrainian woman who was gang-raped repeatedly for hours by drunk Russian soldiers whilst her four-year-old son hid crying in a boiler room, just moments after they shot dead her husband, has spoken for the first time of the horror she endured.



Natalya, 33, whose name has been changed, told how a Russian commander and another soldier came to the family's home in a small village near Kyiv after dark on March 9 and shot dead her husband Andrey, 33, in the front yard.



Moments later, Natalya heard footsteps in the house, which Andrey had built years earlier, and saw the Russian commander - who told her his name was Mikhail Romanov - and a younger soldier dressed in black.





Natalya shouted to her four-year-old son Oleksii, whose name has also been changed, to stay hidden in the boiler room, where the family had been sheltering from the shelling in their home in Shevchenkove, a village just outside Kyiv.



The mother told The Times the younger soldier pointed a gun to her head and spat: 'You'd better shut up or I'll get your child and show him his mother's brains spread around the house.'



Natalya was then raped over several hours by the two soldiers whilst a gun was pointed to her head, and she could hear her son sobbing in the boiler room.



'[The younger soldier] told me to take my clothes off. Then they both raped me, one after the other,' Natalya told the newspaper. 'They didn't care that my son was in the boiler room crying.



'They told me to go shut him up and come back. All the time they held the gun to my head and taunted me, saying: "How do you think she sucks it? Shall we kill her or keep her alive?"'

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Putin and his high command 'are already hunkering in secret bunkers' - after Kremlin spokesman said Russia would use nukes in face of 'existential threat'


Flight tracking info suggests Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut, in Siberia

Defence minister Sergei Shoigu is believed to be in a bunker in Ufa, in the Urals

Use of bunkers would be alarming as they suggest nuclear option is on the table

By WILL STEWART FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 08:02 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:42 EDT, 29 March 2022


New evidence has emerged Vladimir Putin and his highest ranking commanders are running the war in Ukraine from top secret nuclear bunkers.



Movements of planes used by top Kremlin officials show Putin may be in a hideaway near Surgut, in western Siberia, it has been claimed.



His defence minister Sergei Shoigu - who has been mysteriously absent for several weeks, sparking rumours about his health - is believed to be in a bunker near Ufa in the Urals, 725 miles east of Moscow, according to investigative journalist Christo Grozev.


This theory is backed up by his daughter Ksenia Shoigu, 31, visiting Ufa for an estimated three days from March 22, with mounting speculation the defence minister is suffering from heart problems.



She also abruptly barred public access to her Instagram where she had posed with her baby in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine.



The suspected use of the high security nuclear bunkers is concerning as it leads to suggestions Putin may be prepared to deploy nuclear weapons, a move that would lead to inevitable reprisals.

Continued at the link

[schwartzie]

Reports: Ukraine/Russia Peace Negotiators, Including Roman Abramovich, Were POISONED

Someone really wants World War Three to happen



Published 14 hours ago on 29 March, 2022Steve WatsonCem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images16 Comments

Reports are circulating that peace negotiators attempting to diffuse the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine were fed poison earlier this month as a way of getting them to stop their efforts to bring about peace.



The Wall Street Journal picked up on a report from Dutch based Bellingcat which details how Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, thought to be a close confidant of Vladimir Putin, as well as at least two Ukrainian negotiators fell ill with symptoms of poisoning on the night of March 3, directly after holding peace negotiations.

It is suggested that poison was placed into chocolate and left the victims temporarily blind and shedding skin, but the dosage was so low that it wasn’t intended to kill them.



It is not known what substance was used as a poison, but the intimation is that Russian hardliners intent on continuing the conflict are to blame.

Continued at link

[schwartzie]

Report: Russian Special Forces Capture Ukrainians Who Tortured Prisoners of War

“They are begging for mercy.”


Published 1 min ago on 30 March, 2022Paul Joseph Watson


Russian Special Forces have captured some of the individuals who tortured captured Russian prisoners of war by shooting them in knees and watching them die in agony while filming it all on video, it has been claimed.



Over the weekend, horrific footage emerged showing members of the Ukrainian military beating and shooting the POWs, in what appeared to be a war crime.



The video was then posted online by numerous pro-Ukraine social media users who gloated about the treatment of the soldiers.

President Zelensky was subsequently forced to release a video reminding the military to adhere to the Geneva Convention.

Continued at link

[shalom]

Ukraine to hold referendum on peace deal after Russian troops withdraw - Podolyak

Possible peace deal to be put to national referendum • Russia moving forces around Kyiv

By REUTERS, MICHAEL STARR, AARON REICH Published: MARCH 30, 2022 11:15

Updated: MARCH 30, 2022 22:24
A possible peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will be put to a national referendum in Ukraine, as soon as Russian troops withdraw to their positions from before the invasion, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said Wednesday.



His remarks come following negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.



Podolyak said he was optimistic after the talks in Istanbul, as did presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, who claimed Ukraine had improved its negotiating position since before the start of the invasion on February 24.



According to Arestovych, Ukraine is pushing to secure neutral status but with external security guarantees.



According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, three humanitarian corridors from the Zaporizhia region were negotiated.


"Three humanitarian corridors have been agreed: for evacuation of Mariupol residents and delivery of humanitarian aid to Berdyansk, delivery of humanitarian aid and evacuation of people from Melitopol, as well as for a convoy of people on their own transport from Energodar to Zaporizhzhia," she said. "Yesterday, during the talks, the Russian delegation received proposals on the organization of humanitarian corridors to the 97 most-affected settlements in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Mykolaiv regions. Today we will continue to work to get answers to these proposals."

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Russia bombs Red Cross building in Mariupol as new drone footage shows apocalyptic scenes across the city and 70 women and medics are abducted from maternity hospital and taken to Russia


Mariupol has been all-but razed by air strikes launched by Moscow's forces

What was once a bustling port city of 400,000 people now lies in total ruin

The aerial video shows destroyed buildings stretching as far as the eye can see

President Vladimir Putin said the city must surrender before the shelling ends

Kyiv has accused Moscow of forcibly evacuating 20,000 people to Russia

It said 70 medics and women were taken today from a Mariupol maternity ward

Another maternity hospital in Mariupol was hit by bombardment on March 9

By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE and AFP



PUBLISHED: 07:34 EDT, 30 March 2022 | UPDATED: 12:37 EDT, 30 March 2022


Russian forces struck a Red Cross facility in the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine said today, where officials have warned of an unfolding humanitarian disaster.



But despite the dire situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned shelling of the city would only end when Ukrainian troops in the city surrender.



'In Mariupol, the occupiers aimed at the building of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),' Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova said in a statement, adding the building 'marked with a red cross on a white background' was targeted by aircraft and artillery.





An ICRC spokeswoman confirmed that images circulating across social media of a destroyed building were warehouses belonging to the organisation in Mariupol. They showed a building with huge holes in the roof - and a red cross.



'We do not have a team on the ground so we have no other information, including on potential casualties or damage,' the spokeswoman said, adding that all aid stored there had been distributed.



The attack came a day after the ICRC urged Ukraine and Russia to agree on the delivery of aid and safe evacuation of civilians from the city where vitals are quickly running out. It is feared 160,000 people are still trapped inside the city.



Earlier, apocalyptic drone footage showed the level of destruction in Mariupol, where they mayor's office today claimed Putin's troops have abducted 70 women and medics from a maternity hospital and taken them to Russia.



Mariupol has been all-but razed by Moscow's forces, and the shocking aerial video shows the sheer scale of the destruction of what was a picturesque port city home to 400,000 people before Putin's invasion on February 24.



Now, more than 20,000 of the city's residents have been taken 'against their will' to Russia, where their identity documents were confiscated and before they were moved 'to Russian cities far away,' the mayor's office said on its Telegram channel.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Is Kyiv taking the fight to Putin as his invasion stalls? Suspected arms depot in western Russia is destroyed 'by Ukrainian missile' sparking a blast seen from across the border


Footage emerged of a huge explosion in Russia, a mere 12 miles from Ukraine

The blast is thought to have destroyed an arms depot in a village near Belgorod

There are reports the suspected arms depot was hit by a Ukrainian missile

Ukrainian officials have not yet confirmed the strike - but this would represent just the second Ukrainian attack on Russian territory since the war began

By DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 15:37 EDT, 29 March 2022 | UPDATED: 03:46 EDT, 30 March 2022


Footage has emerged of a huge explosion in Belgorod, western Russia, at the site of a suspected arms depot which is believed to have been hit by a Ukrainian missile.



The blast, which took place a mere 12 miles from the Russian-Ukrainian border near the village of Krasniy Oktyabr just outside the city of Belgorod, triggered a series of firework-like explosions which could be seen from Ukraine tonight.



Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed that the depot was destroyed by an OTR-21 Tochka-U ballistic missile fired by the Ukrainian 19th missile brigade, though this has not yet been confirmed by Ukrainian officials.


If the missile strike is confirmed by Ukraine's armed forces, it will be just the second Ukrainian strike on Russian territory since the start of the war after the Millerovo airbase was attacked in late February.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Russian units have suffered such heavy losses they have had to flee Ukraine, British MoD reveals as Zelensky reacts with scepticism to Putin's offer to withdraw troops from Kyiv


Some Russian units are retreating to the border after suffering huge losses, British MoD has revealed

Kremlin said yesterday it would 'radically reduce' attacks in Kyiv and Chernihiv after peace talks in Turkey

Experts say Russia was already losing ground there and the move is to safe face after failing to seize Kyiv

Chernihiv continued to be battered by Russian strikes throughout the night despite the promise

By JACK NEWMAN and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:11 EDT, 30 March 2022 | UPDATED: 09:53 EDT, 30 March 2022


Russian units are suffering such heavy losses in Ukraine that they have been forced to flee home and to neighbouring Belarus.



The Kremlin has yet to capture any major city in its month-long invasion of its neighbour, and yesterday promised to 'radically' reduce military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv.



But experts said the pledge mostly covered areas where Putin has been losing ground or had been stalled for weeks, and the vow did not even last long with Chernihiv shelled 'all night long', its governor said.


Britain's defence ministry said today: 'Such activity is placing further pressure on Russia's already strained logistics and demonstrates the difficulties Russia is having re-organising its units in forward areas within Ukraine.'



But Russia is likely to continue to compensate for its reduced ground manoeuvre capability through mass artillery and missile strikes, the ministry added.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also scoffed at the idea Russia would be scaling back its barbaric assaults after peace talks were hailed by some yesterday as 'major progress', despite the lack of any concrete steps towards a ceasefire.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Young Russian conscripts complain they have been given 1940s guns and are suffering heavy losses against Ukraine


Student conscripts seen wearing oversized helmets and wielding 1940s guns

'We've been given automatic rifles to take on Grads, artillery, mortars', one says

One quarter of Russia's army are conscripts aged 18-27 - often from poor homes

Putin had promised not to send untrained recruits onto front lines in Ukraine

Follows reports of Russian 'execution squads' used to kill desperate deserters

By ADAM SOLOMONS FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:34 EDT, 30 March 2022 | UPDATED: 06:01 EDT, 30 March 2022


This is the moment a group of young Russian soldiers conscripted to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine finally lose it.



In a clip shared on Twitter and in pro-Ukraine Telegram channels, a group of ten student soldiers in oversized helmets wielding AK-47s from the 1940s complain they've been 'thrown into the s**t'.



One complains: 'Know the truth! The Russian Ministry of Defence has no idea about us, or what we’re doing here.

Continued at the link

[OmegaMan]

RUSSIA on the march: Mayor of major Ukrainian city ordered residents to evacuate as Moscow’s forces take it over completely

Thursday, March 31, 2022 by: JD Heyes

Tags: conflict, evacuation, fake news, invasion, Mariupol, port city, Russia, Russian forces, Russian troops, Ukraine, Ukrainian army, Ukrainian troops, world war




(Natural News) Several media reports over the past week have claimed that Russian forces are losing the war in Ukraine, but according to an announcement by the mayor of a major port city, that doesn’t appear to be the case.



“The important southeast city of Mariupol has now been completely taken over by Russian forces, according to its mayor, after weeks of siege and intense bombardment and fighting,” Zero Hedge reported earlier this week in an update on the situation in a region deemed highly important to the Russian high command.



Mayor Vadym Boichenko announced Monday that his city is “in the hands of the occupiers.”



“Not everything is in our power,” he said in a live television interview. “Unfortunately, we are in the hands of the occupiers today.”



Boichenko then called for the city of what was around 400,000 to be completely evacuated, though less than half that number have remained, some estimates indicate.



“According to our estimates, about 160,000 people are in the besieged city of Mariupol today, where it is impossible to live because there is no water, no electricity, no heat, no connection,” Boichenko continued. “And it’s really scary.”



Russian forces have besieged the city for weeks now after invading on Feb. 24. It has been reported that the city is a vital objective in the Russian military’s overall plan since it is a major port.



Last week, Russian troops finally reached the center of the city, where street-to-street fighting had taken place for days. It wasn’t clear on Monday whether fighting was continuing.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Putin's failing war: GCHQ boss rips apart the 'incompetent' invasion of Ukraine in an unprecedented attack as he reveals new intelligence shows soldiers refusing orders, sabotaging their own equipment and accidentally shooting down their own aircraft


Sir Jeremy Fleming said command and control of Russia's campaign is in 'chaos'

The director of GCHQ launched a scathing attack on Putin's 'personal war'

The spy chief also said the Russian leader was being lied to by his closest aides

He said new intelligence showed ill-equipped Russian soldiers refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their own equipment to avoid going into combat

Sir Jeremy also warned China not to be 'too closely aligned' with Russia

By REBECCA CAMBER CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 17:30 EDT, 30 March 2022 | UPDATED: 02:53 EDT, 31 March 2022


The director of GCHQ has launched an unprecedented attack on Vladimir Putin, claiming his bungled 'personal war' in Ukraine has backfired badly.



In an excoriating verdict on the 'failing' invasion, Sir Jeremy Fleming said the command and control of Russia's campaign was in 'chaos' in his first public statements on the invasion.



Highlights of Sir Jeremy's speech

'We’re now seeing Putin trying to follow through on his plan. But it is failing. And his Plan B has been more barbarity against civilians and cities.'i



'It increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation. It’s clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people. He under-played the economic consequences of the sanctions regime.'



'He over-estimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory. We’ve seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale - refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.'



The spy chief revealed new intelligence showing that ill-prepared Russian soldiers are refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.



He also claimed Putin's own advisors are lying to him about Russia's startling losses, speaking to the despot's isolation and authoritarian approach.



Sir Jeremy said Putin's 'misjudgments,' had forced him to adopt plan B – 'barbarity against civilians and cities'.



The head of Britain's eavesdropping intelligence agency also warned China not to be 'too closely aligned' with a country that wilfully breaks all the rules and 'norms for a new global governance'.



His unprecedented public rebuke of a foreign leader came as US officials said Putin had 'lost faith' in his top brass, who are too afraid to tell him the truth about the war.



'We're now seeing Putin trying to follow through on his plan but it is failing. And his Plan B has been more barbarity against civilians and cities,' Sir Jeremy said during a speech in the Australian capital Canberra.





'It increasingly looks like Putin has massively misjudged the situation. It's clear he misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people.



'He underestimated the strength of the coalition his actions would galvanise. He under-played the economic consequences of the sanctions regime.



'He over-estimated the abilities of his military to secure a rapid victory.'



He added: 'We've seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft.


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[Pink Rose]

Thousands of people have now been killed in Mariupol, Zelensky says as 24-hour ceasefire begins and 45 evacuation buses are sent in – with new drone footage showing scale of destruction


Russia announced a 24-hour ceasefire from 7am GMT this morning to evacuate trapped civilians

Ukraine is sending 45 buses from Zaporizhzhia to the port city amid hopes ceasefire will be observed

Evacuation attempts have failed so far with an estimated 170,000 still trapped in the city reduced to rubble

Zelensky said is is a 'humanitarian catastrophe' and thousands have died amid lack of water, food and power

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:10 EDT, 31 March 2022 | UPDATED: 20:25 EDT, 31 March 2022


Thousands of people have died in Mariupol since the city was subjected to a campaign of horrific bombardment by Russia, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.



Evacuation attempts are underway today to rescue some of the remaining 170,000 people still trapped in the besieged port city which is a site of 'humanitarian catastrophe', Zelesnsky said as civilians face no supplies, power or water.



Ukraine is sending 45 buses during a 24-hour ceasefire period which began at 7am GMT this morning, but there are fears it will be broken again after a number of failed attempts.





So far, 17 buses have already left from Zaporizhzhia, around 130 miles northwest of Mariupol, while another 28 are waiting to pass Russian checkpoints in Vasylivka.



Meanwhile new drone footage taken over the city shows the devastating trail of destruction wrought by Putin.

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[Pink Rose]

Russian soldiers at Chernobyl 'are being treated for radiation poisoning in Belarus' after power plant workers said the troops' lack of anti-radiation gear was 'suicidal'


Russian troops are allegedly taken to Belarus for treatment for radiation sickness

Chernobyl workers said Russian troops' lack of radiation protection was 'suicidal'

Moscow's men drove in a highly toxic zone in Chernobyl known as the Red Forest

Norway has urged citizens to 'dust off' and empty their Cold War nuclear bunkers

Defence minister Odd Roger Enoksen urged people to stock radiation medicines

By LAUREN LEWIS FOR MAILONLINE and REUTERS



PUBLISHED: 04:16 EDT, 31 March 2022 | UPDATED: 08:01 EDT, 31 March 2022


Russian troops who were stationed at Chernobyl are being treated for radiation sickness in Belarus, an employee at the Ukrainian state agency overseeing the exclusion zone has claimed.



Yaroslav Yemelianenko said yesterday that 'another batch of Russians' had been taken to the 'Belarusian Radiation Medicine Center in Gomel' for treatment.



It comes after the nuclear power plant's workers said Russian soldiers' lack of anti-radiation gear when they seized the Chernobyl site last month was 'suicidal'.





At least seven busloads of Russian soldiers had arrived at the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology in Gomel this week, according to a Belarusian news Telegram channel.



Yemelianenko said the Kremlin's men had fallen ill because they failed to follow 'rules for dealing' with the Chernobyl nuclear plant and the surrounding highly toxic zone known as the Red Forest.



'With minimal intelligence in command or soldiers, these consequences could have been avoided,' he said, adding that radiation protection is 'mandatory because radiation is physics – it works without regard to status or shoulder straps.'



Workers at the site this week said Russian soldiers last month drove without protective equipment through the Red Forest, kicking up clouds of radioactive dust which was likely to cause internal radiation in their bodies.

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[Midnight]

Kremlin accuses Ukrainian helicopters of attacking oil facility INSIDE Russia: Video 'shows rockets blowing up storage depot' a week after the West warned Putin is planning false flag attack on his own cities to justify escalating war


Ukrainian forces have attacked an oil facility in Russia, Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claims

Gladkov said the site in Belgorod was attacked by Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunships, with two workers injured

Footage appears to show the attack at 5:43am local time and helicopters flying away from the burning site

Ukraine is yet to confirm the attack, and analysts have cautioned to be aware of a 'false flag' attack

Belgorod, home to 369,000 people, is just 25 miles from the Ukrainian border, and 50 miles from Kharkiv

It would be the second time that Ukraine has attacked inside Russia after the Millerovo airbase strike

By HARRIET ALEXANDER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM



PUBLISHED: 00:48 EDT, 1 April 2022 | UPDATED: 04:00 EDT, 1 April 2022


Russia has accused Ukrainian helicopters of attacking an oil facility inside Russia after flying 25 miles undetected past the border, amid claims the Kremlin could stage a 'false flag' attack to justify a further escalation of the war.



Vyacheslav Gladkov said two of Ukraine's military helicopters struck a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod on Friday with S-8 rockets after crossing the border at low altitude in what would be the first air strike on Russian soil since WWII.



The resulting blaze injured two workers while some areas in the city were being evacuated, said Gladkov, who was appointed by Vladimir Putin in 2020.





Video shared on social media appeared to show the attack happening at 5.43am local time, followed by helicopters flying away from the blaze, although analysts have noted Russia uses the same time of helicopters as Ukraine.



Ukraine's government is yet to confirm the incident but if true, it would be the second time Ukraine has ventured past the border since the invasion following the alleged long-range missile attack on Millerovo airbase last month, in the latest humiliation for Putin in his flailing campaign.



But last week, an exiled Russian politician claimed the Kremlin is 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.



Ilya Ponomarev, 46, said the Russian security service is preparing to target its own chemical and weapons factories in attacks that could see civilians die.



Earlier in this week, reports initially claimed that Ukraine had attacked Belgorod which has a population of 369,000.



It later appeared more likely that the explosion at a weapons storage depot near Belgorod was the result of a human error, and not a Ukrainian airstrike.



The attack could be the latest boost for Volodymyr Zelensky who is striking back against the invading forces, and today recaptured the two strategic villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka on a main supply route, British intelligence revealed.

Continued at link