Russia's Invasion of Ukraine - Consolidated Thread

[Pink Rose]

Case in point - real, or green screen? I tend to believe those who say Zelensky has fled Ukraine and is in hiding elsewhere.  If BoJo really is in Kiev, maybe he can find a hair stylist there who can give him a decent haircut, seeing as apparently there aren't any in the UK! 🤣


Boris Johnson tours the streets of Kyiv on surprise visit to Ukraine: PM pledges 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missiles as he praises 'lion' Zelensky and blasts Russia's 'monstrous war crimes' in Bucha at joint press conference


A picture shared by Ukrainian officials showed Johnson and Zelensky sitting across a table from one-another

Details of their meeting had not been made public prior to the image's release on Saturday afternoon

The Embassy of Ukraine to the UK shared the picture, simply writing: 'Surprise' with a winking face emoji

A No 10 spokesman later said the PM was using the visit to set out a new package of financial and military aid

Last month, it was reported that the Prime Minister had asked officials to examine the practicality and value of the trip to the Ukrainian to meet Zelensky. Security officials were said to be 'having kittens' at the prospect

But in recent days, Moscow has pulled its forces back from Kyiv to redeploy them elsewhere in Ukraine

Johnson's visit makes him the first G7 leader to travel to Kyiv since Putin launched his invasion on February 24

By CHRIS JEWERS and CHRIS MATTHEWS FOR MAILONLINE and MICHAEL POWELL and GEORGIA EDKINS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY and AFP



PUBLISHED: 10:02 EDT, 9 April 2022 | UPDATED: 18:16 EDT, 9 April 2022



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Boris Johnson today told Ukraine's President Zelensky 'the Ukrainian people are a lion, and you are its roar' as he vowed to send Ukraine 120 armoured vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems to expel Vladimir Putin's occupiers during a surprise visit to Kyiv.



Footage showed the pair meeting and sitting across a table from each other, their respective flags on the far side. Johnson was wearing a dark suit and Zelensky a khaki overall, his signature attire in public appearances since February 24.



The Mail on Sunday understands that the visit was intended to be kept secret until the Prime Minister had flown out of the war zone.





His arrival was, however, mistakenly announced in a mid-afternoon tweet by Ukraine’s embassy to the UK, which posted a picture of him chatting with Zelensky, with the caption: Surprise.



Downing Street aides scrambled to confirm that the Prime Minister – who has been pushing for weeks to fly to Ukraine – was in Kyiv to ‘discuss the UK’s long-term support to Ukraine’. Security officials gave the green light to the visit after the exhausted and battered Russian forces which have tried to encircle Kyiv were withdrawn by Putin.



Johnson praised the Ukrainian troops' staunch resistance that has 'defied odds' in rebuffing Russia's advance towards the capital of Kyiv.



'I think that the Ukrainians have shown the courage of a lion, and you Volodymyr have given the roar of that lion,' he said. 'The Russians believed Ukraine could be engulfed in a matter of days and that Kyiv would falls in hours to their armies. How wrong they were'.



Ukraine last night heaped praise on Johnson, with its Parliament declaring: ‘We are strengthening our union of democracies. Be brave, like Boris. Be brave, like Ukraine.’



A No10 spokesman said the Prime Minister was using the visit to set out a new package of financial and military aid, and comes the day after he announced a further £100million worth of UK military assistance for Kyiv's forces, including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons and so-called 'suicide drones'.



Appearing alongside Zelensky in a recorded broadcast clip, Johnson said the West would continue to 'ratchet up' sanctions on Moscow as he praised the courage of the Ukrainian resistance.



'The Prime Minister has travelled to Ukraine to meet President Zelensky in person, in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people,' a Downing Street spokesman said. 'They will discuss the UK's long term support to Ukraine and the PM will set out a new package of financial and military aid.'



Discussing the discovery of civilian bodies in Ukrainian towns, Johnson said the atrocities committed by Moscow's forces had 'permanently polluted' Putin's reputation.



'What Putin has done in places like Bucha and Irpin is war crimes that have permanently polluted his reputation and the reputation of his government,' the Prime Minister added.


Continued at the link

[ExquisiteGerbil]

[ExquisiteGerbil]

[Pink Rose]

The 'last battle' of Mariupol: Ukraine marines say 'it's death for some of us, captivity for the rest' as they are 'surrounded' by Russian forces… with anyone 'whose limbs are not torn off' ordered to fight


The 36th marine brigade said ammunition is running out for forces in Mariupol

They said they face either death or captivity after being surrounded by Russia

Ukraine has been defending the crucial port city and its civilians for 47 days

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 08:16 EDT, 11 April 2022 | UPDATED: 12:04 EDT, 11 April 2022


Ukrainian marines are preparing for a 'last battle' to control the southern port of Mariupol after being surrounded by invading Russian forces.



The 36th marine brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Facebook that anyone whose limbs have not been torn off will be ordered to fight, and battles are currently being carried out by cooks, drivers and musicians.



They said today: 'Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out.





'It's death for some of us, and captivity for the rest,' it added, saying it had been 'pushed back' and 'surrounded' by the Russian army.



It said it had been defending the port for 47 days and 'did everything possible and impossible' to retain control of the city.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Russian death toll 'hits 19,500' as Zelensky says he has had enough of UN diplomacy with Putin amid warnings Moscow's troops could use white phosphorous in Mariupol and reports of new mass graves discovered


Ukraine today estimated 19,500 Russian troops have died since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded the country

Zelensky said there are 'no results' from UN diplomacy with Putin as he defended criticism of UN and NATO

British intelligence chiefs warned Putin's troops could use white phosphorous munitions in Mariupol as fighting intensifies in city

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE and DAILY MAIL REPORTER



PUBLISHED: 07:02 EDT, 11 April 2022 | UPDATED: 08:10 EDT, 11 April 2022


Vladimir Putin's barbaric invasion of Ukraine has suffered another devastating blow after his force's death toll rose to 19,500 according to Kyiv estimates.



Russia has only admitted 1,351 of its troops have died fighting in Ukraine since Putin invaded on February 24, a fraction of the figure estimated by Ukraine's armed forces.



The catastrophic death toll comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended his criticism of NATO and the UN, saying he has had enough of diplomacy with Vladimir Putin.





Zelensky told CBS 60 minutes on Sunday: 'When you are [working] at diplomacy, there are no results. All this is very bureaucratic. That's why the way I'm talking to them is absolutely justifiable. I don't have any more lives [to give]. I don't have any more emotions.



'I'm no longer interested in their diplomacy that leads to the destruction of my country. A lot of countries have changed their mind about Ukraine and about our people. But I think we've paid too high price for that.'



It comes amid warnings from British intelligence chiefs that Putin's troops could use white phosphorous munitions in Mariupol as fighting there intensifies, with Ukrainian forces saying they are preparing for the 'last battle' in the city.



While strictly not considered a chemical weapon, the substance burns fiercely and can cause horrendous injuries, and its use on civilians constitutes a war crime.



Britain's Ministry of Defence today said Russian forces prior use of phosphorous munitions in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine 'raises the possibility of their future employment in Mariupol as fighting for the city continues'.



As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters its 47th day, evidence of Russian troops committing war crimes continues to mount.



In Buzova, a village in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said the bodies of 50 people, all of whom were shot at close range, were discovered on a road. Another mass grave with dozens of bodies were also found in the village.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says Russia WILL still try to take Kyiv, despite Putin moving his troops away from Ukraine's capital


Ramzan Kadyrov said Russian troops will launch further attacks against Kyiv, the besieged port of Mariupol and 'all other' Ukrainian cities

He said offensive would be launched after Russian troops take control of Donbas

Kadyrov's comments come despite Russian troops retreating from Kyiv to focus on their assault in eastern Ukraine

By RACHAEL BUNYAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 10:34 EDT, 11 April 2022 | UPDATED: 12:03 EDT, 11 April 2022


Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov today said Russian forces will launch a renewed offensive on Kyiv, despite Vladimir Putin moving his troops away from the Ukrainian capital.



Kadyrov said Russian troops will launch further attacks against Kyiv, the besieged port of Mariupol and 'all other' Ukrainian cities aflinkter Putin's men have taken control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine.



It comes amid warnings from British intelligence chiefs that Putin's troops could use white phosphorous munitions in Mariupol as fighting there intensifies, with Ukrainian forces saying they are preparing for the 'last battle' in the city.


The Chechen leader vowed to launch their offensive on Kyiv and other cities, despite Russian troops retreating from the area to focus their assault on eastern Ukraine.



'There will be an offensive... not only on Mariupol, but also on other places, cities and villages,' Kadyrov said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.



'Luhansk and Donetsk - we will fully liberate in the first place ... and then take Kyiv and all other cities.'

Continued at the link

[OmegaMan]

First NATO country provides tanks, artillery to Ukraine as U.S. Senate votes to resurrect World War II-era assistance program

Tuesday, April 12, 2022 by: JD Heyes

Tags: air defense, anti-air, anti-tank, artillery, BMP fighting vehicles, Czech Republic, escalation, heavy weapons, invasion, Lend Lease Program, military tech, Russia, tanks, U.S. Senate, Ukraine, weapons delivery, world war

\
(Natural News) The Czech Republic has become the first NATO country to provide heavy weaponry to besieged Ukraine after the eastern European nation was invaded by Russian troops on February 24.



The Czechs have provided Ukraine’s military with Soviet-era T-72 tanks after the U.S. and other NATO countries had only given light weapons, anti-tank and anti-air weapons to Ukrainian troops.



Also, according to The Daily Mail, “several BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, howitzer artillery pieces and more than a dozen T-72 tanks were yesterday loaded on a train bound for Slovakia where they are expected to head on to Ukraine, footage run by public broadcaster Czech Television showed.”



The transfer was reportedly approved by NATO high command, though it does raise fears among some member nations that the security bloc could eventually be dragged into direct conflict with Russian forces.



The outlet noted further:



NATO leaders have so far given Ukraine anti-tank and anti-craft missiles as well as small arms and protective equipment, but have not offered any heavy armour or fighter jets. Prague’s decision to supply tanks to Kyiv will pile pressure on NATO allies to follow suit.



It comes as Russian artillery continued to pound the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Kharkiv today as the West prepared more sanctions against Moscow in response to civilian killings that Kyiv and its allies have called war crimes.



The delivery of heavy weapons comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to beg the West for weapons and munitions — but not troops — in his fight to repel the Russian invaders.

Continued at link

[ExquisiteGerbil]

[ShofarSoGood]

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Russia says ammo aboard famed warship detonated



Ammunition stockpiles aboard a Russian ship that was famously defied by Ukrainian troops early in the war have detonated, according to a statement from the Russian defence ministry.



A fire caused the explosion on the Moskva, the statement in Russian media said, adding that all sailors had evacuated beforehand.



The statement said: "The cruiser Moskva's ammunition has detonated as a result of a fire on the warship.



"The vessel is seriously damaged. The entire crew have been evacuated. The cause of the blaze is being investigated."



It did not specify the cause of the fire.



But earlier on Wednesday, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet was hit by Ukrainian rockets, according to the governor of Odesa.



Ukrainian officials said Russia was struggling to rescue the estimated 510 crew members on board.



The Moskva warship rose to fame early in the war when Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island refused calls to surrender and told the Russian ship to "go to hell", before they were ultimately taken prisoner.

link

[Pink Rose]

Putin's war crimes exposed as Biden accuses him of trying to 'wipe out' Ukrainians in 'genocide' : Damning international report released as 'beautiful' girl, 16, is identified as Bucha victim 'raped and shot in the head' by Russian troops


Ukrainian teenager Karina Yershova was found raped and shot in the back of her head in a backyard in Bucha

Moscow has been accused of Bucha war crimes after hundreds were found dead in the suburb of capital Kyiv

OSCE report today accused Russia of 'clear patterns of international humanitarian law violations' in Ukraine

US's Joe Biden has branded Russia's atrocities in Ukraine a 'genocide' but said he would let his lawyers decide

Under international conventions, a formal declaration of genocide normally requires countries to intervene

By LAUREN LEWIS and ED WIGHT FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 09:04 EDT, 13 April 2022 | UPDATED: 20:33 EDT, 13 April 2022


Vladimir Putin's war crimes have been exposed in a damning international report a day after US President Joe Biden accused the Russian strongman of trying to 'wipe out' Ukrainians in a 'genocide'.



An Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report has accused Russia of 'clear patterns of international humanitarian law violations' in Ukraine and said if Moscow had respected its international obligations after invading Ukraine on February 24, 'the number of civilians killed or injured would have remained much lower'.



It comes after the body of 'beautiful' Ukrainian teenager Karina Yershova was identified after she was allegedly raped, shot in the back of the head and dumped by Russian troops in a backyard in Bucha, where more than 400 bodies were found after Moscow's men withdrew earlier this month.

Key findings of the OSCE report:

Targeted killings, forced disappearances and abductions of civilians, journalists and officials have been carried out routinely.

Mariupol maternity hospital was 'deliberately' destroyed in a Russian attack despite being clearly marked as an operational hospital. 'This attack therefore constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and those responsible for it have committed a war crime.'

Much of the conduct by Russian forces and their proxies 'violate international humanitarian law of occupation'.

The report was concluded before the Bucha massacre was uncovered, but it says 'evidence points to a major war crime and a crime against humanity committed by the Russian forces'.

There is 'credible evidence' of violations of fundamental human rights, such as the prohibition of torture and other degrading treatment, committed in areas under Russian control.

The 'unlawful attack' by Russia has caused destruction of vital healthcare and education services that has made it 'very difficult' for Ukrainian authorities to fulfil its residents human rights.

The report was 'not able to conclude' whether the Russian invasion constitute 'a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population'.

Violations have been committed by both sides, but those by Russian forces 'are by far larger in nature and scale'.

A friend of Yershova's mother, Olesya Vasylets wrote on Facebook: 'Friends, terrible news. Racists killed my friend's daughter Karina Yershova. The pain is terrible. She was mocked, raped, and then shot in the trash. Today my mother found out that she was killed and created a help group. Please help me bury her, I knew this kid for years, taught her English, she was a very bright and talented girl.'

Yershova disappeared early last month and on March 10 her mother on social media appealed for information to 'help me find my daughter' who was last seen on 'energy workers street' in Bucha. 'I really hope for help, thank you,' she said. It is not clear if Yershova was targeted on purpose by Russian forces.



The chief prosecutor from the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, visited Bucha today, describing the Kyiv suburb as a 'crime scene' and confirming investigators 'have reasonable grounds to believe the crimes within the jurisdiction of the court are being committed. We have to pierce the fog of war to get to the truth.'



Biden yesterday warned Putin was trying to 'wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian' as he emphasised his use of the word 'genocide' to reporters in Iowa while boarding Air Force One to return to Washington, but said he would 'let the lawyers decide'.



French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on France 2 television as he ramps up his re-election campaign against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, declined today to repeat Biden's genocide accusation as he warned that verbal escalations would not help end the war.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Putin's warning for the West: Vladimir vows 'consequences' for those who interfere in Ukraine as he threatens to create 'waves of migrants' in Europe - after 'missile system is moved towards Finland' amid NATO row


Vladimir Putin today insisted that his faltering invasion of Ukraine would prevail as he threatened world starvation as a result of Western sanctions against Moscow

Video appears to show two Russian coastal defence missile systems driving past a sign to Helsinki

Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin has said her country may apply to join NATO by summer

By RACHAEL BUNYAN and WALTER FINCH FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:04 EDT, 12 April 2022 | UPDATED: 20:19 EDT, 12 April 2022


Vladimir Putin today warned his enemies in the West they will face 'consequences' if they 'worsen the situation' in Ukraine, as the Russian strongman threatened to create 'waves of migrants' in Europe.



Putin, speaking in front of dozens of rockets at the Vostochny space launch facility in Russia's Far East, insisted that his faltering invasion of Ukraine would prevail as he warned of world starvation as a result of Western sanctions against Moscow.



The Russian President claimed Russia's economy and financial system withstood the blow from what he called the Western sanctions 'blitz' and insisted the move would backfire by driving up prices for essentials such as fertiliser, leading to food shortages and increased migration to the West.





Despite Putin's faltering invasion, which saw Russian troops retreat from Ukrainian cities and instead focus on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, the leader said his war effort is going to plan as he vowed Russia would triumph in all of its 'noble' war aims.



Putin said that 'common sense should prevail' and added that the West should 'come back to reason and make well-balanced decisions without losing its face.'



He argued that new Western restrictions on high-tech exports will encourage Russia to move faster to develop new technologies, opening a 'new window of opportunities.'



Putin also claimed on Tuesday that the images and footage of dead bodies strewn across the Ukrainian town of Bucha were fake, parroting the same lines his spokesman gave earlier this week. He compared the accusations to those concerning the use of chemical weapons by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 'It's the same kind of fake in Bucha,' Putin said.



Lukashenko wildly accused Britain of staging the atrocities at Bucha by bringing in dead bodies from across Ukraine - not Russian soldiers who wreaked havoc on Ukrainian towns and cities as they retreated.



The Belarusian dictator claimed that a show of Russian cruelty was needed to maintain the West's justification for sanctions against Moscow.



'We've discussed the psychological special operation which was conducted by the English,' said Lukashenko of his talks with Putin. 'If any of you need addresses, details, car plate numbers, brands of cars with which [they] arrived in Bucha and how they did it, the FSB [secret service] of Russia can provide these materials.'



Putin meanwhile claimed Ukraine had deviated from the agreements made at a peace conference in Istanbul, and that talks are in a 'dead end'.



Putin's comments come as a video emerged purporting to show Russian heavy weapons including missile systems being moved towards the border with Finland, hours after the Kremlin warned its northern neighbour against joining NATO.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

The moment a panicking Russian tank crew 'blew up their own comrades' by blasting friendly armoured vehicle from feet away during Ukrainian ambush


Russian tank appears to blow up another Russian tank in friendly fire incident

New footage shows that both tanks had the 'V' symbol of Putin's forces

Ukrainians ambushed panicking Russian column as it retreated from Kyiv

Drone footage was filmed in village of Dmytrivka on March 31, 2022

By WALTER FINCH FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:06 EDT, 13 April 2022 | UPDATED: 08:51 EDT, 13 April 2022e-mail


The moment a Russian tank appears to blast another Russian armoured vehicle from yards away in an apparent friendly fire incident has been caught on video.



The video by a Ukrainian drone seems to show Russian troops and armour around the village of Dmytrivka just to the west of Kyiv as they were preparing to pull out from their stalled assault on the Ukrainian capital.



The ambush is then sprung as a litany of blasts and explosions strike the bunched up Russian tanks from what are thought to be Ukrainian drones and artillery.


Previous versions of the video, which was filmed by a loitering drone on March 31, had been unclear, but a new, higher-quality version makes the Russian tanks clearly identifiable by their distinctive 'V' markings.



In the ensuing panic and chaos, a tank with the 'V' markings can be seen in a friendly fire incident blasting its main cannon at another tank with the same markings from nearly pointblank range.



It has been speculated that this might have been an intentional act if the tank had been disabled, to render it useless for Ukrainian forces that might capture it.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Please pray for these poor women! 


Girl, 16, describes how she was raped by drunk Russian soldier as it's revealed 25 Bucha women and girls were held in a basement and subjected to sex attacks with nine now pregnant


Dasha revealed how she was raped in a room next door to her family by a Russian

She was six months pregnant when the drunk soldier assaulted her at gunpoint

Her family were told they could not flee the village because they 'knew too much'

By JACK NEWMAN FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 06:17 EDT, 13 April 2022 | UPDATED: 10:18 EDT, 13 April 2022


A pregnant 16-year-old girl has recounted her horrific rape at gunpoint by a Russian soldier who ordered her to take her clothes off or he would shoot her dead.



Dasha, from the now liberated village of Krasniva in Kherson Oblast, said she had been sheltering with her family in a basement when she was singled out by a drunk soldier who savagely attacked her with her mother and siblings next door.



Her story is just the latest in a string of barbaric allegations of rape against women and children in Ukraine, with Putin's thugs accused of using rape as a weapon of war.





In Bucha, where Russia is accused of carrying out some of the worst of its atrocities, 25 girls and woman aged 14 to 25 were 'systematically' raped while being held captive in a basement. Nine of the women are now pregnant.



Dasha said her village of Krasniva was occupied by Kremlin forces on March 13 when she emerged from the basement with her family to get food.



She told Bild: 'At first they were completely normal. Then they started drinking. They found vodka among people in the village and drank. Then they started looking for young women. Some also grandmothers.'



Continued at the link

[Berean]

Russia Confirms Black Sea Flagship On Fire, "Seriously Damaged" Off Odessa After Reported Missile Strike

BY TYLER DURDEN

WEDNESDAY, APR 13, 2022 - 08:11 PM

Update(2011ET): Russia has belatedly confirmed that its Moskva warship has suffered significant damage after Ukrainian officials said its forces scored direct missile hits on the ship off Odessa's coast.



However, Russian state RIA is seeking to counter the Ukrainian narrative, saying that the Moskva has been "seriously damaged" due to a fire that broke out on board which detonated ammunition. But there weren't further details provided, resulting in an emerging consensus among Western observers that likely the ship was indeed struck. The Ukrainians said earlier they struck the vessel with two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles...

Thus like in many other cases in this grinding war, two contrary narratives have quickly emerged...

Continued at link

[ShofarSoGood]

[Midnight]

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Ukrainian National Guardsmen Refuse to Shoot Civilians, Escape & Surrender to Russian Forces

[shalom]

Ukraine says fighting rages around Mariupol steel plant, port

Ukraine says five killed in shelling in city of Mykolaiv • Russian shelling kills 7 in Ukraine's Kharkiv city - region's governor

By REUTERS Published: APRIL 15, 2022 08:33

Updated: APRIL 15, 2022 23:12


Five people were killed by shelling in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Friday and cluster munitions were used, Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv region, said on Telegram on Friday.



Reuters could not independently verify the statement. Russia denies targeting civilian areas in Ukraine.



KHARKIV

Russian shelling hit a residential area of Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv, killing seven people including a small child and wounding 34 others, the regional governor said on Friday.



Russia describes its invasion of Ukraine as a "special operation" and denies targeting civilian areas.



MARIUPOL

Ukraine said on Friday it was trying to break Russian forces' siege of Mariupol, with fighting raging around the city's Illich steelworks and port, as the capital Kyiv was rocked by some of the most powerful explosions in two weeks.



A view shows the Illich Steel and Iron Works during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 15, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/PAVEL KLIMOV)

A view shows the Illich Steel and Iron Works during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 15, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/PAVEL KLIMOV)

Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, has seen the worst fighting of the war. Home to 400,000 people before Russia's invasion, the city has been reduced to rubble in seven weeks of siege and bombardment. Thousands of civilians have died and tens of thousands are still trapped in the city.



"The situation in Mariupol is difficult and hard. Fighting is happening right now. The Russian army is constantly calling on additional units to storm the city," defense ministry spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said.



"But as of now the Russians haven't managed to completely capture it," he told a televised briefing.



Motuzyanyk said Russia had used long-range bombers to attack Mariupol for the first time since its Feb. 24 invasion, and that elsewhere Russian forces were concentrating efforts on seizing the cities of Rubizhne and Popasna in Ukraine's east.



Moscow has said its main war aim is to capture the Donbas, an eastern region of two provinces that are already partly held by the Russian-backed separatists, after its invasion force was driven from the outskirts of Kyiv earlier this month.



Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that 2,864 people had been evacuated from conflict areas on Friday, including 363 people from Mariupol who used their own transport.



A view shows a residential building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/PAVEL KLIMOV/FILE PHOTO)

A view shows a residential building destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 14, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/PAVEL KLIMOV/FILE PHOTO)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently made a direct appeal to US President Joe Biden for the United States to designate Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism," the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing people familiar with their conversation.



The list currently includes four countries: North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Syria.



A White House spokesperson declined to respond specifically to the report, adding, "We will continue to consider all options to increase the pressure on Putin."



RUSSIA'S MAIN TARGET

Mariupol is Russia's main target in the Donbas and Moscow has said it hopes to seize it soon, which would make it the only big city captured so far.



Russia's defense ministry said it had captured the Illich steel works. The report could not be confirmed. Ukrainian defenders are mainly believed to be holding out in Azovstal, another huge steel works.



Both plants are owned by Metinvest - the empire of Ukraine's richest businessman and backbone of Ukraine's industrial east - which told Reuters on Friday it would never let its enterprises operate under Russian occupation.



"We believe in the victory of Ukraine and plan to resume production after the end of hostilities," Metinvest told Reuters in a statement, adding its sites were damaged but that it was impossible to say by how much while fighting continued.


Continued at link

[Berean]

Russia Says It Shot Down Ukrainian Transport Plane Carrying Western Arms

BY TYLER DURDEN

SATURDAY, APR 16, 2022 - 04:32 PM


Update(1632ET): In what appears Moscow's "answer" to the US and NATO countries continuing to supply major weapons systems to Ukrainian forces, state agency TASS is claiming that Russian forces have brought down a Ukrainian military transport plane that was transporting Western arms. It would mark a massive battlefield development if confirmed, potentially escalating conflict more directly with the West, now that Russia is actively targeting Western arms shipments.



The alleged shoot down occurred outside Odessa via anti-air systems, says TASS, while citing Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov. Though remaining unconfirmed, China state media has also picked up the report, citing the defense ministry statement, which reads:



“Near Odesa Russian anti-aircraft defense forces have shot down a Ukrainian military transport plane, which was delivering a large shipment of arms supplied to Ukraine by Western counties,” Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said Saturday.



However, there's nothing in the way of independent or outside sources confirming it, and Ukraine's military has not issued any statements, nor are they likely to admit that their military aircraft were transporting Western weapons shipments, even if accurate.

Days ago, the Kremlin repeated its threat to attack any inbound shipments of weaponry or supplies coming from Ukraine's Western backers. The military also said it would hit "decision-making centers" - and on Saturday long-range missiles reportedly struck weapons depots in Kiev.



Meanwhile, the Pentagon and US State Department have continued positively boasting that more weapons are en route, in a continuing escalation...

Continued at link

[Shoshanna]

17 Apr, 2022 17:09

RT reporter discovers banned anti-personnel mines used by Ukraine (VIDEO)


The explosive devices were found during the offensive in Mariupol


Internationally banned MON-50 and MON-90 mines used by the Ukrainian forces were discovered in Mariupol, RT’s Murad Gazdiev reported on Sunday. In 1999, Kiev joined the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans use of such devices.



They were found inside the Ilyich steel mill. Russian troops and the Donbass forces expelled “Ukrainian nationalists” from the facility on Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.



“This was set up here with a tripwire,” Gazdiev said, standing next to one of the explosive devices that was lying on the floor. More mines were found in wooden crates nearby.



“Ukraine claimed to have destroyed these anti-personnel mines in accordance with the international treaties it had signed. As you can see – it hadn’t. This does seem to show that Ukraine, by all appearances, lied.”



Kiev has not commented on the matter.



In 2020, Igor Lossovky, Ukraine’s deputy envoy to the OSCE, said that Kiev was in the process of destroying the mine arsenal it inherited from Soviet times. He claimed that the remaining mines were being “stored under strict national and international control,” and not used by the Ukrainian Army.

Continued at link

[ExquisiteGerbil]

Russia Intensifies Operations In Donbas As Putin Said To Want 'Key Victory' By Early May

BY TYLER DURDEN

MONDAY, APR 18, 2022 - 02:07 PM


Following a reported weekend buildup of Russian troops in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, on Monday Russian forces have initiated a major Donbas offensive, resulting in President Zelensky charging that the Kremlin is seeking to destroy the whole eastern region.



At the same time, an estimated 100 missiles were fired on targets across the country, including cruise missiles launched on locations as far away as Lviv. According to The Moscow Times' account of the current battlefield set-up:



Having dispersed from both sides of the Dnieper river north of Kyiv earlier this month, Russian troops appear to be planning a “pincer movement” down from Izyum in the north, and up from Mariupol in the south, in an attempt to push Ukrainian forces out of the Donbas region and deliver a key victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of May 9 when Russia marks the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany.



Ukraine's military leaders have said it's their assessment that Russian troops will now attempt to assert full control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which have been center of the running conflict and standoff going back to 2014, after which they're expected to launch deeper into the Donbas region.



And Zelensky warned in a Monday video message that "Russian soldiers are preparing for an offensive in the east of our country in the near future. They literally want to finish off and destroy the Donbas."



"Just as the Russian military is destroying Mariupol, they want to destroy other cities and other communities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions", he continued. He said Ukraine's military will do everything to defend the area - this days after he told Western media that he's not willing to concede any Ukrainian territory, even in the far east.



At the same time, Ukraine's security council has stated that its forces in Donetsk and Luhansk are capable of withstanding the new Russian assault.

Continued at link

[OmegaMan]

Dutch journalist In Donbass: ‘Western media is lying about what is happening in Ukraine’

Sunday, April 17, 2022 by: News Editors

Tags: disinformation, fake news, Journalism, lies, mainstream media, propaganda, Social media, Ukraine war



This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author



Bypass censorship by sharing this link:

New

citizens.news/611159.html



(Natural News) A Dutch journalist on the ground in Ukraine has an urgent message for the Western world: Stop believing the fake news and endless lies served up by mainstream media.



(Article by Baxter Dmitry republished from NewsPunch.com)



According to Sonja van den Ende, an independent journalist from Rotterdam, Netherlands, the mainstream media “lie continuously about everything just to implement their own agenda.”



Unlike mainstream media hacks who are reporting on the war from their comfortable inner-city broadcast studios in Western capitals, Van den Ende is reporting from Ukraine and watching how the Russian military operation is unfolding on the ground and with her own two eyes.



Van den Ende says there are “only a handful” of Western journalists on the ground in the hotspot of Donbass, Ukraine, while the Western mainstream press is “rubber-stamping fake news” about the Ukrainian crisis using the same templates it previously used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.



Disillusioned with mainstream media lies, Van den Ende travelled to the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and became an embedded reporter with the Russian army to see what is really happening in Ukraine.



The sound of shelling and explosion no longer frightens her. Seven years ago, van den Ende worked in Syria, months before the Russians stepped in at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and destroyed ISIS, changing the tide of the civil war. She says the parallels between the Western mainstream media coverage of the Syrian and the Ukrainian conflicts are striking.



“They lie continuously about everything just to implement their own agenda,” said Van den Ende. “Like in Syria, President Assad was ‘the murderer’ and now President Putin is ‘the butcher.’ They had used this script for many years in Iraq, Venezuela and [other] countries which don’t comply with their agenda; they need a bad “guy”. But they (media) are not even there on the ground, they can’t judge. Only a handful of journalists from the West are here: Graham Philips, Patrick Lancaster, Anne-Laure Bonnel and me.”



This is not the only striking parallel, according to the Dutch journalist. She has drawn attention to Kiev’s fake reports and “false flag” operations including the infamous Snake Island hoax, hype over Russia’s alleged “attack” on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the now-debunked story of Russia’s “strike” on a Mariupol hospital, and the most recent Bucha provocation.



Van den Ende says that Ukrainian claims and Western media disinformation resemble false flags by jihadists in Syria and the White Helmet’s staged “gas attacks”.

Continued at link

[Pink Rose]

Russia 'bombards 1,200 targets' and street gunfights break out as Putin's troops begin Battle of Donbas with Mariupol's last defenders given 'surrender or die' ultimatum


Russia has claimed it has hit more than 1,200 Ukrainian targets with missiles, airstrikes and artillery

Russia gave Ukrainian troops a two-hour window to lay down arms in Mariupol or face being killed

Several cities and towns in eastern Ukraine were pounded by Russian shelling and artillery last night

The war in Ukraine has now entered a new phase as Russia doubles down on efforts to seize the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk

By RACHAEL BUNYAN and CHRIS PLEASANCE and DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:25 EDT, 19 April 2022 | UPDATED: 18:29 EDT, 19 April 2022


Russia has claimed it has hit more than 1,200 Ukrainian targets with missiles, airstrikes and artillery and street battles have broken out as Vladimir Putin's troops launched their new offensive in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.



Russian troops managed to take control of the eastern city of Kreminna after hours of relentless bombing, as gunfights between Putin's men and battling Ukrainian forces continue.



'Control over the city of Kreminna is lost, street fights are taking place,' Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai said, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had begun 'the battle for the Donbas'.





Downing Street has been warned that the battle could take 'months', with Boris Johnson telling a Cabinet meeting today that Ukraine's situation is 'perilous' with Putin intent on victory 'regardless of the human cost.'



Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday 'high-precision air-based missiles' had struck 13 Ukrainian positions in parts of the Donbas region, including the city of Slavyansk, whilst airstrikes had hit 60 military targets.



Overall, Russia claimed it had struck 1,260 Ukrainian military assets in the overnight bombardment and a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet had been shot down near Malinovka, Donetsk Region.



Russia on Tuesday issued a new ultimatum for Ukrainian troops and foreign fighters holed up in the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol to lay down their arms within two hours if they wanted to live.



The Russian defence ministry called on the troops to withdraw from the steel plant between 1400 and 1600 Moscow time (1100 and 1300 GMT) 'without exception, without any weapons and without ammunition'.



'All who lay down their arms are guaranteed to remain alive,' the defence ministry added.



Ukrainian troops who have defended the city for seven weeks have ignored such previous offers and Kyiv today said Russia's new offensive in eastern Ukraine will fail because Moscow's forces lack the strength to break through Ukrainian defences.



The Azovstal plant, which covers the territory of about 11 square kilometers (over 4 square miles) is the last major Ukrainian pocket of resistance in Mariupol, a strategic port city on the Sea of Azov.



Mariupol, which has been encircled by Russian troops for weeks, has seen the fiercest fighting and most comprehensive destruction since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24.

Continued at the link

[Pink Rose]

Pro-Russian former Ukrainian MP urges Putin to carry out 'pre-emptive strike' with 'weapons of mass destruction' against his home country after Zelensky warned Russia could resort to using nukes


Ilya Kiva, a pro-Russia Ukrainian MP, called on Putin to use WMDs on his country

Kiva said 'pre-emptive strike' is only way to end Ukraine was and Western threats

He spoke after Zelensky warned the world must be ready for Russia to use nukes

CIA has also issued warning that a 'desperate' Putin could decide to go nuclear

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE



PUBLISHED: 05:53 EDT, 19 April 2022 | UPDATED: 07:52 EDT, 19 April 2022


An ex-Ukrainian MP has urged Vladimir Putin to use weapons of mass destruction against his own country amid growing fears that Russia could resort to using nukes.



Ilya Kiva, an opposition politician banned from parliament for supporting Russia's invasion, posted the appeal to his Telegram channel on Sunday - just a day after Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Putin could go nuclear.



Underneath the image of a nuclear explosion, Kiva wrote: 'REMEMBER!!! - THEY ARE AFRAID AND RESPECT ONLY POWER!!!


'Zelensky, his entourage and Western curators, are most afraid of a [Russian] pre-emptive strike [with] weapons of mass destruction.

Continued at the link