Since today is International Women’s Day, I’ll repost this:
Here is the full video of Ukraine's women-warriors' address to Russians. I am so proud. pic.twitter.com/EOzS9YlU9W
— Nika Melkozerova (@NikaMelkozerova) March 7, 2022
It’s also taco Tuesday, but I don’t think that’s really relevant to this post…
And here’s President Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament in case you wanted to watch it and haven’t had a chance:
Lot’s of big news today. So if I miss something smaller, but relevant, try to flag it in the comments or tomorrow. Also, for those of you who are read more tag enthusiasts (fetishists?), I simply forgot to toggle it on last night, that’s why it wasn’t there. No need to freak out, I just plain forgot to embed it. Remember, there’s a war on where one side’s rules of engagement appear to be disregard all laws of war, Geneva conventions, and professional military ethics in order to commit as many war crimes as possible. So maybe if the read more tag isn’t used you don’t have anything real to actually bitch about provided no one is dropping 1,000 pound bombs on your home or shooting at you from a tank while you’re in your car in front of a hospital or invading your city and forcing you to hide with no food, water, electricity, or medical supplies/medicine or you’re walking however far you have to go to get to safety.
Excruciating pic.twitter.com/PIutGEIN0F
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) March 7, 2022
You can let us know there’s an issue without the drama. If there’s a legitimate problem with the site, let someone know, otherwise, perspective people, get some!
One last house keeping item: everyone please dial it back a bit in the comments. I get it, everyone is pissed off at Russia. Unfortunately, because of the nature of Putin’s Russia, we do not have any really good way of knowing how much popular support he has for this war against Ukraine, nor how many people really actually know what is going on. Being pissed at Putin, the oligarchs, siloviki, strongmen, political, and military leaders, as well as the repugnant people licking his jackboots in Russian state controlled media is all well and good. But it is important to keep a bit of perspective here and separate all of those horrible people and the Russian state from the actual Russian people. Because when all of this is over, those people who have been propagandized to believe we’ve been waging war on them for 30 plus years, are going to need a lot of our help, compassion, and charity. And that doesn’t mean that the Ukrainians are more deserving of any and all of that right now and won’t need it too.
Let’s start with everyone’s favorite: MiG 29s, MiG 29s, who has the MiG 29s? Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out the following statement this morning:
Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in connection with the statement by the US Secretary of State on providing airplanes to Ukraine
08.03.2022
The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Government, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein.
And everyone started celebrating. Unfortunately no one seemed to have told either the State Department or the Department of Defense!
Undersecretary of State Toria Nuland, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just said this statement was not pre-consulted with the U.S. Seems to have come as a bit of a surprise. https://t.co/GpjvK7MMwB
— Amy Mackinnon (@ak_mack) March 8, 2022
⚡️ Pentagon questions Poland's proposal to transfer MIG-29 jets to US.
“It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 8, 2022
I’m not sure if anyone has any idea what is actually going on with the Polish MiGs right now. This may have just been Poland’s way of dumping the logistics problem back on the US. So until we can fix it, nothing is actually happening, but Poland looks like it did something so everyone stops pestering them.
I also want to highlight this statement from Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov from earlier today before we get to the read more jump. Especially because the PRC’s Foreign Ministry seems to be backing it up.
#BREAKING: #Russia's FM Lavrov:
"We have information the #US built two biological warfare labs in #Kiev & #Odessa. They have developed pathogens in those labs in #Ukraine."
Things are going from bad to worse……….pic.twitter.com/Tp2TJkX7ID
— Indo-Pacific News – Watching the CCP-China Threat (@IndoPac_Info) March 8, 2022
#BREAKING: #China — “The #US has 336 bio labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in #Ukraine alone.
It should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification.“pic.twitter.com/Xk2onke51V
— Indo-Pacific News – Watching the CCP-China Threat (@IndoPac_Info) March 8, 2022
Russian military doctrine for setting a theater of operations is to achieve informational dominance prior to conducting actual lethal or kinetic operations. My worry is that’s what they’re doing here with these clearly bullshit accusations. Specifically that the agitprop that Lavrov is spewing and the PRC’s Foreign Ministry is amplifying is not just misinformation, but intended to establish an informational narrative and context in which Russia undertakes a biological attack against either Russian speakers in Donestk or Luhansk or Russians within Russia proper. This would reinforce their false causus belli, but also serve as a provocation to rally Russians to support Putin and his war against Ukraine. Also, because it is an accusation the US has biological warfare labs, this is intended to be easily digested, repeated and retransmitted, and amplified by the QAnon and anti-Fauci crowd here in the US.
Much, much, much more after the jump!
Biden announced that the US will stop purchasing Russian petroleum:
⚡️Biden announces US ban on Russian oil, gas imports.
U.S. President Joe Biden said that some European countries may not be able to join the ban due to shortages of energy supplies.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 8, 2022
Britain is doing the same thing on an extended timeline:
⚡️UK to phase out Russian oil imports by end of 2022.
The transition period will give the market enough time to find alternatives for Russian imports, the U.K. government announced, according to BBC.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 8, 2022
The rest of the EU member states so far are not on board. We’ll see if this becomes a major issue between the US, the UK, and the EU.
For those of you that have to have a Coke or a Pepsi, you’ll be happy to know that both companies are suspending sales and operations in Russia for the time being. McDonald’s is also closing operations at their stores in Russia too.
A lot of people are making maps of the Russian invasion forces, where they are, what they’ve occupied, etc. All of them have flaws and if you all want I can do a technical post on the specifics later, but the bottom line is they’re both showing that Russia is controlling too much of Ukraine and not enough of Ukraine at the same time. Basically, showing the roads that Russia has convoys of troops and/or supplies on is indicating more control than Russia has in those areas of Ukraine. Not being able to drill into the actual cities or towns or villages may either under or over represent the Russian control in some places. And since everyone is trying to be careful and not give away Ukrainian military positions, the Ukrainian military information is usually completely missing from these maps. Why is this important?
There’s been a lot talk, reporting, and analysis that Russia will have Kyiv encircled soon, but provided this Ukrainian MOD map is correct, unless something changes, that doesn’t seem likely:
Battle of Kyiv as of March 8.
Painted red are the Kyiv Region districts controlled by Russians. Pretty much no drastic changes since yesterday. pic.twitter.com/dNPJANxEsI— Illia Ponomarenko ?? (@IAPonomarenko) March 8, 2022
Pretty much unchanged from yesterday:
The Battle of Kyiv as of March 7.
As a witness, I can confirm the map’s accuracy.
As you can see, Russians are not even close to encircling Kyiv. And I don’t understand what are they counting on, given their severe casualties and extremely slow movement. pic.twitter.com/KOBW4owBAN— Illia Ponomarenko ?? (@IAPonomarenko) March 7, 2022
As long as the Ukrainians can hold their lines in the suburbs, bedroom communities, and towns outside of Kyiv, then they can hold Kyiv. Putin needs to take that capitol as quickly as possible. He needs to be able to get his quislings in place ASAP so they can claim to be the new, real de-NAZIfied Ukrainian government and sign the bogus documents on official letterhead capitulating to Putin’s demands. Every day the defenses in Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Gostomel hold is a day that Putin is definitely not winning!
Which is why this reporting is good news!
Kharkiv is under full control of UA Armed Forces. No RU sabotage groups in the city. Today RU landed an air assault group of 120 people on 3 helicopters in Volchansk district. The offensive attempt was unsuccessful – most of the landing force was eliminated right on the spot. pic.twitter.com/alsl9un2T6
— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) March 8, 2022
Mykolaiv is also holding:
The dude was not kidding, by the way.
— Illia Ponomarenko ?? (@IAPonomarenko) March 8, 2022
Here’s coverage of the efforts to get the most vulnerable out of Irpin:
This is Nina Mikhailovna, an 85 year-old evacuated from Irpin on the edge of Kyiv where there’s been heavy fighting.
A rescue worker is writing Nina’s name and phone number on her arm in case she gets lost during the evacuation. pic.twitter.com/qV8P0zrDpN— Patrick Reevell (@Reevellp) March 8, 2022
Excerpted from a thread reporting on what is going on in Irpin:
And several photos I snapped in Irpin as people desperately tried to seek safety beyond the Russian bombs. pic.twitter.com/ZMNUji99AK
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) March 8, 2022
Other good news:
⚡️5,000 people successfully evacuated from Sumy to Poltava Oblast on March 8, according to Dmytro Lunin, who heads the Poltava Oblast Military Administration.
Those evacuated were mostly women and children, as well as citizens of Turkey.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 9, 2022
The Mayor of Przemys, Poland decided to give Matteo Salvini, former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Federal Secretary of the Lega Nord Party, member of the Italian Senate, and one of Putin’s catspaws in Italy, both barrels!
Bad adventure for Matteo Salvini at the Ukrainian-Polish border:
the mayor of Przemys refused to go with him and showed the shirt worn by the leader of the League in the European Parliament a few years ago: "No respect for you"
(? @SimoneAlliva)
— Marco Bresolin (@marcobreso) March 8, 2022
That is going to leave a mark!
I’m sure that by now everyone has seen references to twenty-seven senior, experienced foreign policy professionals signing an open letter calling on the Biden administration to establish an aerial exclusion zone over Ukraine. Every signatory knows exactly what that entails including the risks.
Open Letter Calling for Limited No-Fly Zone
We, the undersigned, urge the Biden administration, together with NATO allies, to
impose a limited No-Fly Zone over Ukraine starting with protection for humanitarian
corridors that were agreed upon in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials on
Thursday. NATO leaders should convey to Russian officials that they do not seek direct
confrontation with Russian forces, but they must also make clear that they will not
countenance Russian attacks on civilian areas.Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has caused massive devastation and loss of
life for Ukrainians. His premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression has
created the greatest crisis on the European continent since the end of World War II.
Despite the truly heroic efforts by Ukrainian soldiers and average citizens to resist the
marauding Russian forces, Putin’s military is poised for further attacks on major cities,
including the capital Kyiv. Targeting residential buildings, hospitals and government
complexes, as well as nuclear power plants, Russian forces will be responsible for an
even higher death toll.The international community has responded swiftly through an unprecedented array of
sanctions and a significant increase in lethal military assistance to help Ukraine defend
itself. But more must be done to prevent more widescale casualties and a potential
bloodbath.President Biden and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg have stated that neither the
United States nor NATO will engage Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine. What we
seek is the deployment of American and NATO aircraft not in search of confrontation
with Russia but to avert and deter Russian bombardment that would result in massive
loss of Ukrainian lives. This is in addition to the request from Ukrainian leaders for A-10
and MIG-29 aircraft to help Ukrainians defend themselves, which we also strongly
support.Already more than a million Ukrainians have fled their country to escape the brutality
Putin has unleashed. Estimates suggest that that number could reach 5 million, more
than 10 percent of the population. Several thousand Ukrainians have already died from
Putin’s latest aggression, on top of the more than 14,000 killed following Putin’s first
invasion of Ukraine starting in 2014. Ukraine is facing a severe humanitarian disaster,
and the effects are being felt across the European continent and beyond.The refrain “never again” emerged in the wake of the Holocaust, and Ukrainians are
wondering whether that pledge applies to them. It is time for the United States and
NATO to step up their help for Ukrainians before more innocent civilians fall victim to
Putin’s murderous madness. Ukrainians are courageously defending their country and
their freedom, but they need more help from the international community. A U.S.-
NATO enforced No-Fly Zone to protect humanitarian corridors and additional military
means for Ukrainian self-defense are desperately needed, and needed now.
The twenty-seven signatories and their affiliations are at the link. I know two of them, but not well. On a personal note, no one ever asks me to sign their open letters to presidential administrations…
We spend a lot of time highlighting what is going on in Ukraine, but not a lot about what is going on in Russian occupied Dohetsk and Luhansk. Largely because there’s not a lot of coverage of what is going on there. Russian forces have occupied 100 towns, villages, etc. This site has updates:
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February was accompanied by military advances from its proxies in eastern Ukraine.
Follow events in "DNR" and "LNR": 20 Dec. 2021 – 08 March 2022 via civicmonitoring (Newsletter 98) / by @niktwick https://t.co/0r5s2z9ID3
— civicmonitoring (@civicmonitor) March 8, 2022
Not good news!
⚡️International Atomic Energy Agency loses contact with safeguards monitoring systems at Chornobyl.
Systems that monitor nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chornobyl, taken over by Russian forces, have stopped transmitting data, the IAEA said on March 8.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 9, 2022
Looks like they’ve started the shelling and bombardment a bit early tonight:
⚡️Air raid sirens in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and in Vasylkiv.
Residents are asked to go to the nearest shelter.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 9, 2022
Mariupol is still occupied and is in desperate need of humanitarian relief!
AP photographer Mstyslav Chernov shared these images from Mariupol, the city under Russian blockade and shelling, said there's no electricity, water, drugs, mobile connection. Bodies lie on the streets and nobody collects them, people trapped in basements, shops are looted pic.twitter.com/5kAgcmiuX3
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) March 8, 2022
⚡️FM Kuleba: War crimes are part of Russia’s deliberate strategy.
Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that Russia holds 300,000 civilians hostage in Mariupol, a city in Donetsk Oblast, and prevents humanitarian evacuation despite agreements with the Red Cross mediation.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 8, 2022
Telegram Statement under the name of Vadim Boichenko, mayor of Mariupol. Says 6yr old girl trapped under a destroyed house died of dehydration before rescuers found her. No water, electricity, heating, mobile connection. Accuses RF of blocking evac & humanitarian deliveries
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) March 8, 2022
Since we’re not using our Air Force or Naval aviators to deny flight over Ukraine right now, I have two good targets for them:
Ghosted: Persian Gulf monarchies have signaled they won’t help ease surging oil prices unless Washington supports them in Yemen, elsewhere https://t.co/tL1uAsK3t1
— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) March 9, 2022
These folks don’t deserve a presidential visit, they deserve a stern talking to about just who guarantees their safety and security.
Finally, Russian warship: go fuck yourself!!!! Right to the bottom of the Black Sea!
The Vasily Bykov, a large patrol corvette that was commissioned in December 2018, appears to have been hit during a firefight.
Video shared by the Ukrainian navy showed rocket exchange, followed by the sound of two men trying to work out whether they hit the ship
— The Times (@thetimes) March 8, 2022
A video that is claimed to show Ukrainian Forces using Multiple Launch Rocket Systems to Sink a Russian Project 22160 Patrol Ship specifically the "Vasily Bykov" off the Coast of Odessa earlier tonight. pic.twitter.com/lYInLiKMiM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 7, 2022
Video allegedly showing the Russian Navy patrol ship Vasily Bykov burning after being targeted by Ukrainian forces last night.#Ukraine #Russia https://t.co/7d2FbQYppc pic.twitter.com/FK13sjlmLX
— BlueSauron?️ (@Blue_Sauron) March 7, 2022
Open thread!