Russia launches ‘full-scale invasion’ on Ukraine

By artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 11:23am |

@ Twitter Events, with many choices of coverage, Feb. 24, 11:20 am

Explosions have been reported on Thursday in multiple cities in Ukraine and at least 40 people have been killed, according to an adviser of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a televised speech early Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Zelenskyy has since cut diplomatic ties with Russia and has declared martial law.

NATO PRESS BRIEFING LIVE FROM NATO HEADQUARTERS @ 12:00 CET, available to watch here

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1BRJjnArkbNJw

URL:

https://twitter.com/i/events/1483255084750282753

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Russian troops have taken Antonov airport, situated just 25km outside Kyiv.

Airborne troops were filmed on the ground patrolling the perimeter of the airport after having seized the airporthttps://t.co/0do2it0N2V pic.twitter.com/VH6nWvrxMf
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 24, 2022

Confirmed by Ukrainian authorities. A large air assault operation with Mi-8 helicopters on Antonov International Airport in Hostomel. Interior Ministry says Russia has seized control. Very dangerous; it’s just 15 minutes west of the capital ring road. pic.twitter.com/JhlyVktVRC
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 11:34am

We also have to understand that ethno-nationalist authoritarianism is not just a foreign policy issue. It's a force inside our own democracies in the U.S. and Europe - a force that Putin has tried to fuel in every way we can.
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 11:39am

"I think they need an external enemy to keep themselves in check." - Vladimir Putin on the West

by Orion on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:00pm

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:10pm

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:09pm

Financial Times editorial, a paper more closely read by mover and shaker types across the pond than any of our rags, which are much more given to navel-gazing

Our editorial -- which suggests Putin's invasion may endanger his domestic rule -- puts me in mind of the Delphic oracle's response to Croesus: "If Croesus goes to war he will destroy a great empire" -- meaning, his own https://t.co/003TDSuDod
— Josh Spero (@joshspero) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:00pm

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Twitter that Russian forces were trying to seize Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear accident in history. “This is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe,” he said. https://t.co/2xkdcKe1ne
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 24, 2022

confirming what i put on the other thread, including his tweet. BTW, "Chernobyl" is now trending on U.S. twitter.

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:05pm

North Korea looking at South Korea after Putin invaded ukraine. pic.twitter.com/3UTeghjl3i
— Àyømīde (@FabusoroAyomi) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:14pm

“On the country’s internet, still mostly uncensored, Russians saw their vaunted military sow carnage in a country in which millions of them had relatives and friends.” https://t.co/f80MIKw76S
— M.E. Brown (@Botanicalsrock) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:23pm

looking like things are going to get real interesting inside Russia:

St. #Petersburg now pic.twitter.com/ppYjyPWVhe
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 24, 2022

edit to add:

In #Novosibirsk, #Russia, local residents are marching in #protest against the Russian invasion of #Ukraine:pic.twitter.com/LjgAosDJXg
— Alex Kokcharov (@AlexKokcharov) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 12:32pm

2.6mill Russians w Covid (2%), still ~150K/day new infections, 750-800/day deaths.
I'm sure the people in Siberia appreciate going to war in Ukraine while a pandemic is still raging.

by PeraclesPlease on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 1:31pm

People marching through central Moscow this evening chanting “No to War!” pic.twitter.com/BTQ3ZOGTan
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) February 24, 2022

Matthew Luxmoore: @mjluxmoore, Reporter@WSJ in Moscow. Alum @DCRES_Harvard Messages/tips/stories to: [email protected]

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 3:54pm

Just like "Baghdad Bob" this morning:

Kremlin spokesman says goal of “special operation” in Ukraine: “it is necessary to liberate Ukraine, to clear it of the Nazis.” But Ukraine is not run by Nazis and Ukrainians say they don’t want Russia to “liberate” them.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 3:36pm

from the "very powerful ANTIFA woman who is followed by Barack Obama on Twitter" on the whole strange bedfellows thing that allows someone like Putin to complain about "Nazis" there -

Like, yes, Ukrainian nationalists have a white supremacy problem, duh.

But it is beyond disgusting watching these dirtbag/gray zone types support "denazification" Putin propaganda when they've spent years flirting with and even outright supporting the alt-right here in the US.
— Gwen Snyder is uncivil (@gwensnyderPHL) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 5:04pm

There are people like Azov but I don't believe they rule the country. Some of them also appear to be happy about all of this.

by Orion on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:27am

Azov of course is a movement, but aside from someone at Haaretz saying they might be happy about developments, i don't see any real proof of this. Do they use ultraright symbols remeniscent of the 30s/40s? Sadly yes. Did they commit Nazi-like atrocities the last 8 years of conflict? Decidedly not. Prolly confusing them with what's still in place in Chechnya. So we're going to sit around holding useless philosophic discussions about symbolism while a superpower actually bombs and sends in troops into it's former colony? Thanks, hard pass. Give them weapons and ignore the patches. And yes, Haaretz could have pushed harder to give Ukraine their Iron Dome defense to protect an actual Jewish-friendly country and culture in the midst of hostile Slavic lands, including a supposed memory of Russian anti-Jewish atrocities there in the 30's. I guess "never forget" is selective memory after all.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:00am

They're fond of the MP-40, the Nazi weapon, but you can also buy a BB gun replica on Amazon.com.

by Orion on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:13am

Well gee, that's almost as bad as taking over the Azov Sea and bombing civilians.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:20am

Azov didn't cause this to happen as far as I know:

The director of the main synagogue in Odessa tearfully bids goodbye to the synagogue, asks people to pray for them as they evacuate during the Jewish Sabbath: pic.twitter.com/KQOm0DgAif
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:15am

Modern neo-Nazis don't really even seem to be about anti-Semitism. Azov has weapons from Israel, and their symbolism is ancient stuff that the Nazis themselves actually borrowed. I'm JS.

And even "white pride" isn't really that offensive if the group isn't centered around hurting people for not being white.

I'm on your side, guys. I just mentioned Azov to clarify that's what Putin is trying to refer to when he says "denazify" and they were largely quoted as saying "We don't like that Russia is invading but it will push people to sympathize with us."

by Orion on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:28am

Fact-checkers warn of old footage being falsely associated with Ukraine invasion

Compilation of news stories at Twiitter Events, 3 hrs. ago

Multiple videos and images circulating on social media were taken in previous years and are not linked with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, various fact-checkers and journalists report. Fact-checking organisations shared tips and toolkits to help with the verification of content online.

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 3:41pm

Daniel Dale, always good at this:

Here’s a partial list of reporters on the ground and others who know what they’re talking about. https://t.co/jcixvK2O13
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) February 24, 2022

edit to add:

I'm curating a list on the #Ukraine - #Russian conflict:
Over 200 Ukraine and International Journalists in the region, News Orgs, #OSINT resources.
Real-time updates here:https://t.co/RzosqSrzeX
— Daniele Palumbo (@Danict89) February 24, 2022

Palumbo is @BBCnews Data Journalist

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 4:33pm

Oh boy! OR ooooh nooooo?

Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion, Vice Studios confirmed. The filmmaker appeared at a press briefing Thursday in Kyiv listening to government officials speak about the crisis. https://t.co/k88WDgbtGw pic.twitter.com/mSJas55W2v
— Variety (@Variety) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 4:01pm

This is something that apparently was also an issue when Israel came through the Gaza Strip a few years ago.

by Orion on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:30pm

Stalin Style

“Every one of you knows… I did not discuss any of this with you before. I did not ask your opinion before. And this is happening spontaneously, because I wanted to hear your opinions without any preliminary preparation,” he said. https://t.co/ruf6Dd1mnC
— Ben Lewis (@theuniversalben) February 22, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 4:51pm

This Wikipedia article documents the current crisis happening in Ukraine. It is being updated constantly by Wikipedia editors around the world.https://t.co/FlKG8ErBAB
— Wikipedia (@Wikipedia) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 6:24pm

Entries I found exceptionally interesting on ABC News' Russia-Ukraine live updates:

Feb 24, 10:04 am

Russia claims it's destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities

Russian airstrikes have destroyed 74 ground targets belonging to the Ukrainian military thus far, including 11 airfields, three command centers and a naval base, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said Thursday.

Some 18 radio-locating stations for anti-aircraft missile systems were also destroyed, according to Konashenkov.

However, Konashenkov noted that the strikes are not being carried out against social facilities at Ukrainian military garrisons, such as homes, residential buildings and barracks, in order to avoid casualties among servicemen and their families.

Meanwhile, he said a Russian assault aircraft crashed due to a "pilot error" in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

"The pilot safely ejected and is at his military garrison now," Konashenkov added. [.....]

---------------------------

Feb 24, 2:08 pm

US official says this is 'initial phases of a large-scale invasion'

There are movements of Russian military and special forces coming into Ukraine from many directions, according to the officials: from the northeast via Russia; from the south via Moscow-annexed Crimea; and from the north via both Belarus and Russia.

U.S. intelligence believe these three axes were "designed to take key population centers" and that the early moves from the north toward Kyiv indicate an intention to remove the Ukrainian government, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters at the Pentagon.

"What we're seeing are initial phases of a large-scale invasion," the official said.

The initial attack included an estimate of more than 100 Russian-launched missiles -- mostly short-range ballistic missiles but also some medium-range ones -- and about 75 fixed-wing heavy and medium bombers. So far, the targets are mostly Ukrainian military infrastructure and air defense systems, the official said, adding that U.S. intelligence does not yet have a good sense of total damages or casualties.

The official could not give an exact estimate of how many Russian troops have crossed into Ukraine thus far but said that, at this early stage, it is certainly a minority of the 150,000 troops that were massed near the borders.

U.S. intelligence have seen indications that Ukrainian troops "are resisting and fighting back," the official said. Some fighting has been seen around the airport in Kyiv. But the heaviest fighting is currently occurring in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, some 300 miles east of Kyiv, according to the official.

"We have not seen the Russians thus far move into the western part of Ukraine," the official said. "We don't know exactly where things are going to unfold."

The U.S. official said Russia has conducted "ground incursion from Belarus to the northwest of Kyiv, and we have seen at least some indications of air assault incursions into Kharkiv."

The U.S. official said Russia has conducted "ground incursion from Belarus to the northwest of Kyiv, and we have seen at least some indications of air assault incursions into Kharkiv."

"So missile, long range fires, and then there has been some insertion of troops both from the air and on the ground in the north," the official summarized.

"We haven't seen a conventional move like this, nation state to nation state [in Europe], since World War II," the official said, "It has every potential to be very bloody, very costly and very impactful on European security writ large."

The official said he did not have a number on casualties.

-ABC News' Matt Seyler

Feb 24, 3:47 pm

Chernobyl taken by Russian forces, Ukraine says; facilities operating 'safely and securely'

Russian troops have reportedly taken full control of the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power station, including the plant itself, according to Ukraine’s prime minister.

“Unfortunately, we are obliged to inform that as things stand the Chernobyl Zone, the so-called ‘Exclusion Zone’ and all the Chernobyl nuclear power station have been taken under the control of the Russian armed groups,” prime minister Denis Schmygal told UNIAN, Ukraine’s main news wire.

A senior defense official said they couldn't confirm reports that Russian troops seized control. "We do believe with some confidence that some Russian soldiers have moved through that area and may still be in that area, but we can't confirm ... that they've taken control," the official said.[....]

---------------------------

Feb 24, 5:49 pm

Ukraine reclaims airport, orders general mobilization of reserve soldiers

Ukrainian officials said they have reclaimed a key military airport on the edge of Kyiv that had been seized by Russian special forces.

The Ukrainian Parliament’s official Telegram account said the Antonov Airport in Hostomel was now "fully under the control" of Ukrainian troops.

Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko also said Ukrainian troops had managed to retake the airport, calling it “the first big victory!”

The move comes as the county prepares to bolster its forces.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered a general mobilization that calls up men of fighting age and reservists.

The order also allows the government to commandeer transport.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 6:42pm

I imagine Keisha Lance-Bottoms saying "this is how you protest":

People attend an anti-war protest in Saint Petersburg, Russia, amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/rxHToef8pN pic.twitter.com/qetjJqGPOb
— ABC News (@ABC) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 6:48pm

Audio from Snake Island, Black Sea:

Russians: This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you’ll be bombed.

Ukrainians: Russian warship, go fuck yourself.

They were all killed https://t.co/uNqh5b9L8C
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022

edit to add:

President Zelensky confirmed the event and said the border guards died bravely defending the island and would be posthumously awarded the Hero of Ukraine medal, according to @ukrpravda_news. https://t.co/Jv0siyIz9x
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:14pm

Very good thread on the psychology of current protests in Russia, and behind that, the possible dynamics of mass opinion. Scroll up and down from here, but this is a key point I have kept coming back to in thinking about events: https://t.co/qZOCKAyxws
— Christopher Federico (@ChrisPolPsych) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:45pm

Garry Kasparov:

Ok, after years of warnings were ignored and hearing "Garry, you were right!" all damn day today, I'll repeat what I said in 2014: Stop telling me I was right and listen to what I'm saying now. My recommendations follow: 1/5
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

-Support Ukraine militarily, immediately, everything but boots on the ground. All weapons, intel, cyber.
-Bankrupt Putin's war machine. Freeze & seize Russia's finances & those of him and his gang.
-Kick Russia out of every intl & financial institution. PACE, Interpol, etc 2/5
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

-Recall all ambassadors from Russia. There is no point in talking. The new unified message is "stop or be isolated completely".
-Ban all elements of Putin's global propaganda machine. Turn them off, shut them down, send them home. Stop helping the dictator spread lies & hate.
3/5
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

-Expose and act against Putin's lackeys in the free world. If Schröder and his ilk continue to work for Putin, bring charges. Ask the owners & advertisers of networks platforming Putin propagandists like Carlson why they allow it. 4/5
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

-Replace Russian oil & gas. Pressure OPEC, increase production, reopen Keystone. You can't save the planet if you don't save the people on it.
-Acknowledge there will be costs, sacrifices. We waited to long, the price is high, but it will only get higher. It's time to fight. 5/5
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

Cannot ignore the political 5th column of Putinists, from the far right & left in EU to the tankies & Trump & his GOP followers in the US. They may have the right to support a brutal dictator's war in order to criticize Biden, but it's disgusting and anti-American. Do not forget.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 7:59pm

This is an elected United States Senator? https://t.co/TJ3uzhoyUX
— manu #BLM (@trekonomics) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 8:30pm

He's a redneck football coach seeking Forrest Gump/Chauncey Gardiner relevance.

by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 1:00am

rightly proud young Kenyan:

we're ready pic.twitter.com/Scbipkd1Mr
— ً (@nbajudas_) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 8:59pm

Edward Snowden's twitter account: crickets since Feb. 22, just sayin'

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:13pm

Bernie wants to make it absolutely clear which side his troops should be on:

Putin and his oligarch friends seek a divided world and the destruction of democracy. We must stand with the Ukrainian people against this war, and with the Russian people who are demonstrating against their corrupt, reckless president who started it. pic.twitter.com/xVCM8gwQ6Q
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 9:25pm

https://t.co/beOBu4Qepx pic.twitter.com/yIvwXkK6mZ
— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:17pm

UPDATED MAP: Where Russia has attacked Ukraine: https://t.co/A5tHqDaP5M pic.twitter.com/5UDYD0xjZP
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 24, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 6:33am

excellent, first tweet shows the front cover of a lot of news publications:

As Putin besieges Kyiv, it's worth looking at how journalists are documenting war. Today's thread includes context, useful resources and reporting on the ground

Here's how front pages in are documenting the invasion, from @novaya_gazeta to @lesoir and @libe pic.twitter.com/hwWtjnwPij
— Reuters Institute (@risj_oxford) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 6:46am

if true (Weiss does a caveat upthread) and it works,pretty horrible and will be a recipe for terrorists allover the world; everyone will have to continually super safeguard everything about their grids -

Simultaneously, sabotage groups already in Ukraine will seek to take out power grids and substations to disconnect much of Kyiv from electricity and communications, causing panic among the population.
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) February 25, 2022

This will coincide with a massive cyberattack on the authorities and other vital sites in Ukraine. Shortly preceding that, there will be an intensification at the fronts, with possible provocations along the entire border with Ukraine.
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) February 25, 2022

The task of the landing party is to block Kyiv, communications, military control channels, capture/blow up arsenals, and sow panic. The Russians want to create conditions for "uncontrolled columns of refugees" from Kyiv, which will block highways and roads.
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) February 25, 2022

A favorite meme of dystopian fiction would come true, which would also be Putin being a big hypocrite on terrorism. So many Lessons learned from Syria? (Not to mention 9/11/01 - what worked about the operation and what didn't and why)

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 7:18am

p.s. interesting that it is hypocrisy no matter what the military plan is -

read the standing orders mr putin, read them and understand them https://t.co/b54mRGWpoT
— joe (@mutablejoe) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 7:38am

He's been around the block some, has great contacts, and learned not to fall for hyperbole:

Putin’s assault on Ukraine will shape a new world order https://t.co/NsoqQrKXoa
— David Ignatius (@IgnatiusPost) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 8:10am

Zelenskyy tweet 50 minutes ago:

Sweden provides military, technical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Grateful to @SwedishPM for her effective support. Building an anti-Putin coalition together!
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 8:16am

Former Ukrainian president is on the streets with a rifle https://t.co/Rn33J2V5qZ
— Charlie_Luster (@CharlesLuster10) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 8:58am

Gone super-viral: respect for the "President of Ukraine" by twitter accounts from allover the world; most I looked at do not appear to be bots, have 500 or 1,000 or 2,000 followers. It's more like: I wish we had a leader like that in our country. Words like: humble and love of country.

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:13am

contrast:

I can't imagine sitting down to write 1,000 words and never stopping to think "maybe disagreement over mask mandates isn't a reason to throw my lot with a murderous dictator holding the democratic world hostage".
— Ryan Enos (@RyanDEnos) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:25am

Or another article where we could have stopped the war by giving Putin everything he wants and validating what he stole. And it's those 4th wave lezzies' and global warming scolds' fault.

by PeraclesPlease on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 12:38pm

decided to fill in my dupe mistake with this comment:

The sad thing is that if we hadn’t expanded NATO, Putin would have tirelessly devoted himself to world peace and the brotherhood of man.
— Phil Klay (@PhilKlay) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:41am

‘At a reception in 2015, I had a chance to ask Putin about his planning for the occupation of Crimea. "I was even surprised at how well it went!" he told me with a smile. The West must make sure he does not find it so easy this time.’ https://t.co/VD8WkOInUc
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) February 24, 2022

by Daniel Treisman, a professor of political science at UCLA, a fellow at the Center for Advanced Research in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, and the co-author of "Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century."

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:33am

delusional use of Tokyo Rose tactics that will backfire -

#BREAKING Putin has called on Ukraine's army to remove the country's political leaders in Kyiv, AFP reports.https://t.co/H5SS1kVEjR
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 9:49am

WHAT CHINA DID! In the NYTimes today, by Edward Wong:

The US asked China to help stop the invasion. The Chinese gave US intelligence to the Russians.

The US "argued that because China was widely seen as a partner of Russia, its global image could suffer." Amazing the emphasis we put on PR over everything. https://t.co/6Fp8xBuQTS pic.twitter.com/Un9qoMh4aS
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 10:12am

black humor break:

Harsh but true #UkraineInvasion #Putin pic.twitter.com/X6xe9klayI
— laney mac (@dailylaney) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 11:13am

another one:

We’re living in a strange world pic.twitter.com/w0xT0oIAgx
— Luke Rudkowski (@Lukewearechange) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 3:00pm

Another clueless U.S. Senator:

?? https://t.co/zI2ymR6vnl
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 3:05pm

Zelenskyy tweet this afternoon:

Strengthening sanctions, concrete defense assistance and an anti-war coalition have just been discussed with @POTUS. Grateful to for the strong support to !
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 4:02pm

and

“Glory to the defenders of Ukraine!”
President Zelensky posts a surprise video showing him standing with other officials.
He said the country’s leaders had not fled Kyiv as Russian forces entered the city.https://t.co/HwFvSbPkGT pic.twitter.com/D4AXfeEPIs
— Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 4:23pm

The body of a Russian soldier lies next to a Russian vehicle, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Friday.
Photo by Tyler Hicks/New York Times, on the frontlines.https://t.co/HwFvSbPkGT pic.twitter.com/LADRWmkMDa
— Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) February 25, 2022

pic.twitter.com/bujnt02tKc
— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) February 25, 2022

A Ukrainian Solider tonight.
Share pic.twitter.com/2wjl8gUHnz
— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 5:59pm

BREAKING: “We are deploying elements of the NATO Response Force. On land, at sea, and in the air.”

“We will do what it takes to protect and defend every Ally, and every inch of NATO territory.”

—@NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pic.twitter.com/KasZn3ru7k
— Dylan P. White (@dylanpwhite) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 6:10pm

Media: @RepKinzinger (D-IL16): "Tonight, I would love to see us declare, at #Ukraine's invitation, that Ukraine is a no-fly zone. NATO and the United States would crush Russia in the air in a second. That would give the Ukrainians the ability to prevent the occupation of #Kyiv." pic.twitter.com/tnoRtaHG52
— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 6:30pm

#UPDATE Eleven of the UN Security Council's 15 members voted for the motion to condemn Russia's 'aggression' against Ukraine, but Russia's veto blocks the measure

China, India and the UAE abstained pic.twitter.com/rcgXDT0tgX
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 7:09pm

by Orion on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 8:22pm

Glenn Beck and his researcher open by admitting they largely don't know what they are talking about:

I realize Beck is not exactly a top commentator anymore but he has ties with top commentators like Dave Rubin, whose show is just as stupid, still. It's stuff like this that makes me doubt a GOP resurgence. They sound like amateur hour, like people who have no idea what they are talking about and just go for theatrics.

Like artappraiser, people with a genuine conservative disposition will find much more to their liking in the quiet guy. Maybe they'll vote Republican state Secretary of State but not for national leadership.

One angle that Republicans could go is that Mitt Romney, who used to be their guy, warned about Russian aggression once upon a time and Democrats just said "whatever."

"The 1980s called, they want their foreign policy, back," I believe Obama said.

Instead they are cheerleading Russia, either because they are getting money from the Russian government on some level or they're not very bright. I think it's a combination of both.

Meanwhile Vladimir Putin is threatening the Nordic states:

Putin turns his attention to Finland and Sweden as Kremlin official warns both nations which share border with Russia that they will face 'military and political consequences' if they join NATO https://t.co/hDxFfbo6II
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 26, 2022

by Orion on Fri, 02/25/2022 - 10:02pm

Keep in mind a big picture perspective: this military invasion is just not sane, especially if Ukrainians keep fighting one. It's not like cyberwar, for example; one can see it and wants nothing to do with it.

The Polish football team has refused to play Russia in the play-offs for the World Cup. Of course they have. Why would anyone wish to play Russia now?! Dziękuję chłopcy. https://t.co/eeIODWxyNF
— WALDEMAR JANUSZCZAK (@JANUSZCZAK) February 26, 2022

Even some Russian mothers of soldiers are soon going to start complaining. Like Vietnam. (In that case, the Soviets were the smart ones, they didn't put their own boots on the ground.)

I'm thinking he deluded himself, despite advice to the contrary from his own intel, that they were going to fold and this was going to be easy peasy and everyone in the neighborhood would shrug and forget.

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 9:39am

Poland right now has a pretty right-wing government, despite that, I've seen plenty of evidence now that this is the case all along the border:

My mom (who lives in Wrocław, western Poland) just wrote to me:

"There is a fantastic welcome point at the main train station. Self-organized volunteers await every train from Lviv, offer accommodation with volunteers, transport, food, medical help..."
— Tomasz Oryński (@TOrynski) February 25, 2022

My parents live in a big villa with my auntie living upstairs. They offered accommodation to two women with 4 kids between them through some common friends, but they were trying to get here through Slovakia and they lost contact with them. We don't know what's going on...
— Tomasz Oryński (@TOrynski) February 25, 2022

Update: not two women, but a family. The father was not allowed to leave Ukraine. His wife does not drive, so she will arrive by train in a few days, if everything goes well...
— Tomasz Oryński (@TOrynski) February 25, 2022

It's only sane self-preservation to want to offer help and want the Ukrainian men to fight back the Russian invasion - the crazy man might come to your country too or cause a much bigger war.

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 9:50am

But amazing it's all about Putin, not Russians. The Slavs are all pan-brethren, shared culture, good vibes. The Soviet legacy throwbacks like Putin are so out of touch - he thinks he's hip & sexy, but he's a decrepit ogre like Brezhnev, a bit of Photoshop makeover, every year needs more. Supposedly Putin still holds 70% support, but i think that's largely untested fiction. A little bit of knowledge in Russia can be a dangerous thing (for Pootie).

And then that Chechen war criminal Kadyrov has his trooos in Ukraine raising theat brutal Chechen flag - Putin always revealing the worst of who he is, but this time people paying attention. Even Erdogan closed off the Bosporus Straits to his ships.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:04am

Oh and Poland send a CONVOY! Trucks with ammunition, as requested _

Polish convoy with ammunition arrived in Ukraine.#Poland's Defense Minister @mblaszczak
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:27am

Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Poland Mariusz Błaszczak: «The convoy with the ammunition that we are handing over to Ukraine has already reached our neighbors. We support Ukrainians, we stand in solidarity and we firmly oppose Russian aggression » pic.twitter.com/2yfLPvsPsS
— SEICO-OSINT (@SeicoIntel) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:37am

Apparently, thousands of Romanians have been waiting in their personal vehicles to pick up #refugees at one of the NE borders with #Ukraine.
I'm not often elated at news from back home, but this makes my heart swell. #StandWithUkriane #standwithrefugees pic.twitter.com/pvc4vNvNu7
— Alexandra Friedman (@AM_Friedman) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:30am

Main Ukrainian TV channel: Take off the street signs around Kyiv if you can. Russian occupants are disoriented and don’t know their way around Kyiv, they’re driving around in circles
— Valeriia Voshchevska (@Val_Voshchevska) February 26, 2022

There's no Garmin lady to go with the satellite of Kyiv?

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 9:58am

Ha, there was something like that in the Warsaw Pact invasion 1968. Even with Google Maps, if there are no street signs to confirm, it can be confusing, more Charmin than Garmin.

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:06am

Signs signs everywhere a sign /

Blocking up the scenery Blowing my mind

Do this don't do that Can't you read the signs?

Just for avoidance of doubt: the state road agency is dismantling the road signs (here's message below); the "go fuck yourself" sign is clearly their illustrative joke, not real street signs. (for now at least). pic.twitter.com/vkIrr7yIh8
— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) February 26, 2022

by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:08pm

Foreign Policy's national security reporter:

JUST IN – Biden admin is sending $350 million in military aid to Ukraine, including anti-armor, small arms, various munitions, and body armor: Pentagon spokesman.

The U.S. has now given over a billion dollars to Ukraine in security assistance over the past year.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) February 26, 2022

U.S. has "continued to flow" military aid to Ukraine despite Russian air and missile strikes: senior defense official.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) February 26, 2022

The assistance will be moving "as soon as possible": senior U.S. defense official.
— Jack Detsch (@JackDetsch) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:22am

Hope he's right, hoping his iron grip on his own country doesn't put them through hell, too, before they get to that point:

When you’ve lost Orban and Erdogan, you’re losing the PR battle. Just a matter of time until Putin loses his own people.
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) February 26, 2022

I did not have Erdogan helping Ukraine on my 2022 dystopian bingo card. https://t.co/PheqGMDAPz
— Barbara Malmet (@B52Malmet) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:49am

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is apparently launching a hotline for the mothers of Russian soldiers captured or killed in #Ukraine.

Smart move to reach out to families in #Russia and break through some of the Kremlin-enforced silence. https://t.co/q0pCqLmu0U
— Matthew Kupfer (@Matthew_Kupfer) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:55am

reporting from Moscow for the NYTimes, Anton Troianovski and Ivan Nechepurenko, Feb. 26, 2022, 10:43 a.m. ET

“Those who shout Putin is great and bravo to him are no longer shouting as loud” said Lalya Sadykova, owner of a chain of beauty salons. “They’re in shock from what is happening, from how quickly prices are changing & how suppliers are stopping deliveries” https://t.co/Nx1aCm6rK2
— Omar Wasow (@owasow) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:01am

Holy smokes!

Courage. https://t.co/eiXRPQoqq2
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) February 25, 2022

Or naive young guy?

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:34am

why brave:

1/ About Putin’s claim of Ukraine’s genocide against Donbas people.
Here is Styopa Chubenko (16). A young goalie from Donbas. Half Russian, half Ukrainian. In 2014, Putin’s goons arrested him, tortured for days - and executed with 5 shots in the head. Just for being pro-Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/tlSTxbydzm
— olexander scherba (@olex_scherba) February 15, 2022

do note the posting date of Feb. 15

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 12:38pm

This in @antontroian and @INechepurenko 's story:
“I fear meeting Ukrainians and looking them in the eye,” said a designer, Aleksei, 28, said. “That is the scariest thing of all.”https://t.co/50lbmZh64O
— Nataliya Vasilyeva (@Nat_Vasilyeva) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:25pm

big picture

Ostpolitik? https://t.co/vvzciEfHZM
— Nils Gilman (@nils_gilman) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:13am

As @terrelljstarr and I said in our panel: no matter what the intelligence says, no matter if Russia gains territory—Russia (Putin) will never control Ukraine, and Ukrainians will never stop fighting. If you have ever been to Eastern Europe, you know this truth. https://t.co/VkmxuLla7i
— Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (@ksvarnon) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:19am

Julia, a teacher and Ukrainian volunteer, weeps as she waits to be deployed to fight Russian troops around Kyiv on Saturday. Ukrainian civilians have taken up arms and joined the battle to keep control of the capital. https://t.co/dstRTHIW8F pic.twitter.com/Icvw3wb43m
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:20am

Bette Midler break:

pic.twitter.com/sk3Fx8h53U
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) February 25, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:28am

Russia blocked Twitter. 9 million Russians won't be able to acces Twitter after Russian advertisers were banned from Twitter. They also cannot make new accounts! #Russia #Twitter #Ukraine #Zelensky #PutinIsaWarCriminal #Putin https://t.co/YtiPZDr6oX
— Kanto Interwegen (@interwegen) February 26, 2022

Reports that Russia is blocking Facebook, Twitter in various ways: slowdowns, Whatsapp message interference.

Ukraine asks Apple to block Russian access to Appstore

From Silicon Valley, Kremlin propaganda bans, restrictions on Russian accounts ads and monetization.#digitalwar
— Annalisa Fernandez (@BecauseCulture) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:52am

Football, Eurovision and business rush to ditch links to Moscow over Ukraine invasion https://t.co/jZ7y0SDayp
— Guardian culture (@guardianculture) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 12:20pm

Wow, he's giving explicit instructions, very serious warnings about how to avoid war crimes enabled by crazy men

Urge ❗️❗️❗️the Belarusian militaries not to carry out criminal orders, to lay down their weapons, to leave their units and not to take part in the war against the Ukrainian people
https://t.co/iYWlnngiU4 pic.twitter.com/LnqUliPe6V
— Pavel Latushka (@PavelLatushka) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 12:32pm

Important: Belarus’s dictator Lukashenko is sitting in a seat that is not his. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s speech to Belarusians is brave. https://t.co/f87h1ZKFdl
— Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (@ksvarnon) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:31pm

Huge shift from Germany:

“The Russian attack marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin. That's why we're supplying 1000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine.” https://t.co/Ynfmf4IIqh
— max seddon (@maxseddon) February 26, 2022

edit to add:

FM @ABaerbock & @BMWK Habeck: "After #Russia's shameless attack, #Ukraine must be able to defend itself. It has an inalienable right to self-defense. The German government is therefore supporting Ukraine in equipping it with urgently needed material.” 1/2
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) February 26, 2022

“At the same time, we are working flat out on how to limit the collateral damage of a #SWIFT decoupling so that it hits the intended target. What we need is a targeted and functional retrenchment of SWIFT vis-à-vis Russia." AMin @ABaerbock & @BMWK Habeck 2/2
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:21pm

⚡️Lviv-based Pravda brewery switches to making Molotov cocktails.

The brewery announced the plans after Ukraine’s Defense Ministry instructed civilians to make Molotov cocktails to resist invading Russian forces.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:34pm

MIT Cuts Ties With Russia Tech Center in Protest of Invasion https://t.co/cd0HZcznTA
— J. W. (@wolfjon4) February 26, 2022

Manchester City and Everton players stand with Ukraine.

@footballdaily pic.twitter.com/I3ZAZaiWuK
— The Athletic Soccer (@TheAthleticSCCR) February 26, 2022

We’re moving very quickly here at Dartmouth with emergency graduate admissions for the displaced Ukrainian scholars. This is often the most flexible, the least bureaucratic line of admissions with precedents. I encourage you to do this. We’re also working on undergrad & faculty.
— Yuliya Komska stand with Ukraine (@ykomska) February 26, 2022

https://t.co/dkBw7iaFYN
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 1:44pm

Diplomatic editor of BBC Newsnight:

I've just watched several videos of captured Russian soldiers. I don't re-tweet material of that kind, but they are bewildered in the face of their angry Ukrainian captors. Losses of dead and prisoners are mounting, all of this will become known at home in Russia
— Mark Urban (@MarkUrban01) February 26, 2022

If we had any doubt about the possible effects of this message of death and capture when it gets through to those at home, my colleague @BBCSteveR reports ‘access to Twitter has been severely restricted’ in Russia today
— Mark Urban (@MarkUrban01) February 26, 2022

Ukrainian defence ministry is circulating phone numbers on social media 'for all those who lost a Russian soldier on Ukrainian soil' -to inform relatives back home of those killed or captured. A service for the desperate but also a potent infowar move https://t.co/lIBe0AtkoF
— Mark Urban (@MarkUrban01) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:07pm

This is way too interesting to wait for independent confirmation! Even if this is propaganda, it's still fucking interesting:

Magomed Tushayev, one of Ramzan Kadyrov’s top warlords, has been killed in action in Hostomel.
Ukraine’s elite Alpha Group is reportedly fighting Chechens in the airfield. pic.twitter.com/bPHgBPK8sL
— Illia Ponomarenko (@IAPonomarenko) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:40pm

Governor of Kharkiv says whole city under Ukrainian control, announced curfew from 6pm - non-military vehicles on the street will be “liquidated”

I interviewed him on Monday, he was in a sharp suit and wanted to talk about the city’s economic agenda.

What a fucking week. pic.twitter.com/VGVfXMYPo5
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 2:43pm

from Riho Terras @RihoTerras Member of European Parliament @EPPGroup . @EP_Industry, @EP_Agriculture. Deputy coordinator for @EP_ArtifIntel. Former Chief of Defence of Estonia.

THREAD 1/7 Intel from a Ukrainian officer about a meeting in Putin’s lair in Urals. Oligarchs convened there so no one would flee. Putin is furious, he thought that the whole war would be easy and everything would be done in 1-4 days. @EPPGroup @general_ben @edwardlucas @politico pic.twitter.com/8AoelUDWM9
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

2/7 Russians didn’t have a tactical plan. The war costs about $20 bln/day. There are rockets for 3-4 days at most, they use them sparingly. They lack weapons, the Tula and 2 Rotenberg plants can’t physically fulfil the orders for weapons. Rifles and ammo are the most they can do.
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

3/7 The next Russian weapons can be produced in 3-4 months – if even that. They have no raw materials. What was previously supplied mainly from Slovenia, Finland and Germany is now cut off.
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

4/7 If Ukraine manages to hold the Russians off for 10 days, then the Russians will have to enter negotiations. Because they have no money, weapons, or resources. Nevertheless, they are indifferent about the sanctions.
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

5/7 Alpha Spec Ops have been near Kyiv since the 18th February. The goal was to take Kyiv and instal a puppet regime. They are preparing provocations against innocent civilians – women and children – to sow panic. This is their trump card.
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

6/7 Russia’s whole plan relies on panic – that the civilians and armed forces surrender and Zelensky flees. They expect Kharkiv to surrender first so the other cities would follow suit to avoid bloodshed. The Russians are in shock of the fierce resistance they have encountered.
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

7/7 The Ukrainians must avoid panic! The missile strikes are for intimidation, the Russians fire them at random to “accidentally” hit residential buildings to make the attack look larger than it really is. Ukraine must stay strong and we must provide assistance! #StandWithUkraine
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

8/7 Spread this information so the world would realise how important it is to assist Ukraine right now and without hesitation! It is difficult for Russia, but it is difficult for Ukraine as well if the West does not provide meaningul support! @EPPGroup @MFAestonia @MoD_Estonia
— Riho Terras (@RihoTerras) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 4:03pm

President of the E.U. Commission this afternoon:

In coordination with I will now propose new measures to EU leaders to strengthen our response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cripple Putin’s ability to finance his war machine. https://t.co/iU2waDzo9s
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 26, 2022

First, we commit to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT.
It will stop them from operating worldwide and effectively block Russian exports and imports.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 26, 2022

Second, we will paralyse the assets of Russia’s central bank.

This will freeze its transactions.

And it will make it impossible for the Central Bank to liquidate its assets. pic.twitter.com/8H9eWkNCW9
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 5:44pm

Financial Times European Diplomatic Correspondent. Former Moscow Bureau Chief, before that in Warsaw, London and Mumbai:

Russia has $630bn in international reserves.

A big chunk of that is held overseas.

Western sanctions agreed tonight are designed to stop Putin being able to spend even a single rouble worth.
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

That cash was Putin’s insurance policy.

He didn’t touch it during the Covid-19 economic crisis, and has forced Russia through years of effective austerity to save it up, as a protection against western sanctions.
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

This cash pile was the reason the Kremlin - and some western analysts - were confident Russia could survive sanctions on its banks, exports or big businesses, and weather the economic pain of the invasion of Ukraine.

This changes that calculation, significantly
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

Tonight we have the political declaration from G7 and EU. The details will follow, and need studying.

But tonight it is clear that while Putin could still “win” his war in Ukraine, the costs to him, and to Russia, will be far, far higher than he could have imagined.
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

Read our full @FinancialTimes story on the sanctions here and follow all our coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at https://t.co/mpIBm11Y5P https://t.co/sKfABV8Qof
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

$130 bln is gold, kept in Russia. $60 bln is renminbi, kept in China. All the rest - in G-7 countries
— Sergey Aleksashenko (@Saleksashenko) February 26, 2022

You have to sell the gold to someone, too.
— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 6:37pm

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings a host of serious threats to public health beyond the military violence itself, experts warn. https://t.co/pQziNvXlwn
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 26, 2022

this would be as of yesterday

LATEST: Almost 200 Ukrainians have died since Russia launched it's attack earlier this week, Ukraine's health minister says. https://t.co/Zp1YZLXGKI
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 5:53pm

Russia’s operations in Syria emboldened Putin to challenge the U.S.-led, rules-based international system that many countries, including in the Gulf, have benefited from. Brilliant arguments from Amb. William Roebuck Exective VP of ⁦@GulfStatesInst⁩. https://t.co/nSiPq37sSu
— Hussein Ibish (@Ibishblog) February 26, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:03pm

^ Goes with the NYTimes' annotated version of Putin's speech to the Russian people which I posted in full here on this other thread.

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:13pm

CNN is supporting the story of a civilian stopping a tank by kneeling in front of it:

(CNN PHOTO) A Ukrainian civilian kneels in front of a Russian tank to stop its progress. #StandwithUkraine pic.twitter.com/lcVhzSVdhC
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sat, 02/26/2022 - 7:21pm

BREAKING: Russia's military says it has detained 471 Ukrainian servicemen
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:02am

Chills -

VDV BMD-2 and BTR-D vehicles in Bucha to the northwest of Kyiv. https://t.co/C7rsxcoSD7 pic.twitter.com/p4bYrYcABW
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:25am

The Bucha-Irpin bridge has been blown up to stop the Russian advancement toward Kyiv in this direction.
Fuck you scumbags. pic.twitter.com/9iLLXXSGE1
— Illia Ponomarenko (@IAPonomarenko) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:39am

hmmm....

The Kremlin said early Sunday that a Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus, saying it is ready for talks with Ukraine in the city of Gomel 25 kilometers north of Ukraine https://t.co/UALoFIveeZ
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:34am

BREAKING: Ukraine's president says his country cannot negotiate with Russia in Belarus, considering the country is being used to attack Ukraine.
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) February 27, 2022

well I guess that's that

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:41am

wait, there's more:

President @ZelenskyyUa knows that Belarus isn't Lukashenka or Putin. He addressed our people: "Be Belarus, not Russia. You're making this choice today. You're making it right now". Come out today at 14:00 & make the "referendum" a protest against the regime, violence, & the war. pic.twitter.com/ddlgtxoITt
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 4:30am

Some won't like me bringing this up, but Hillary is much like a Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya or Yulia Timoshenko. Yes, and Navalny, not to be sexist. Manafort even ran the same playbook on Hillary as he did Yulia (Yulia actually ended up in jail, but she's now back in government working her ass off).

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 8:19am

and that's why she made a excellent unelected Secretary of State, while as an elected President she would have had half the population allout looking to crucify her, maybe more than half, depending on how well she controlled her natural personality. you think we have divisiveness now?

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 9:06am

If Trump could rule with 40% popularity, Hillary could rule with 40% popularity. Let them suck it - i don't give a fuck. "She's so divisive because we make up shit about her". I'm totally convinced (still).

In any case she won the election and had it stolen from her - i think it's okay to connect th dots 5 years later, and like the Belarus & Ukrainian electees, they (and their respective countries) were screwed, to Russia's benefit. And yet people still point at Hillary instead of Putin who had his fingers and money and intel workers all over it.

by PeraclesPlease on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 1:27pm

Interesting from former Russia PM Mikhail Kasyanov on the World Service just now: “Absolutely the hardest sanctions… devastating sanctions. Will definitely hit Russian economy… will have to stop invasion. [failure to capture Kiev] beginning of the end…”
— Dr. Bendor Grosvenor (@arthistorynews) February 27, 2022

Putin’s first PM, 2000-4. Now a Putin critic, yes, but we might have expected war to create some sort of patriotic unity in Russia. That isn’t obviously the case.
— Dr. Bendor Grosvenor (@arthistorynews) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 2:56am

The Ukrainian Parliament ask the allies:
- Exclusion from SWIFT
- Weapons, ammunition and fuel for
- Oil and gas embargo for
- Sanctions of all major banks
- Closing the EU airspace for Russian airplanes
- Establish a no-fly zone above https://t.co/oKBfoD3HC4
— Anders Östlund (@andersostlund) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 3:10am

Yup Putin has gone isolated, delusional and paranoid, surrounded by a very few yes men, not the shrewd operator he once was.

"He spends a lot of time alone stewing in his own fears and thoughts,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, of the political analysis firm R.Politik. https://t.co/hBteL5xnHk
— Marc Bennetts (@marcbennetts1) February 27, 2022

Some of the crazier stuff clearly comes from these few "Putin whisperers"

These were the men who were with Putin in 2014 when he made the decision to annex Crimea. They also, analysts say, reinforce Putin’s distorted views of Ukraine as a country ruled by “drug addicts and neo-Nazis”.

One trusted lieutenant is Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Russian security council, who has known Putin since the 1970s, when they were both KGB officers. Patrushev views the West as a crucible of decadence and has claimed that some European countries are “legalising marriage with animals”. Sergei Naryshkin, the head of the SVR foreign intelligence service, is another former KGB officer and a Soviet history expert. He often accuses opposition activists of working with western intelligence services.

It is Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, who appears to have the closest relationship with Putin, though. The two go hiking together, and in 2019 they holidayed in Siberia for Putin’s birthday. A collector of ornamental swords, Shoigu, 66, oversees the work of the GRU military intelligence service, accused of trying to assassinate Sergei Skripal, the former Russian spy, with novichok in Salisbury in March 2018.

“Putin’s only contact with the world is through his inner circle. He can’t stand it if any of them have their own stance. For him, this would be a catastrophe,” Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin spin doctor, said.

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 7:24am

AND YES

Putin’s policy is generating the policy outcomes that Russia fears — enhanced Finnish/Swedish cooperation with NATO + Germany rearming with zero pushback from any of its neighbors. pic.twitter.com/zfhgjn60qV
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 7:45am

AND more on Germany's decision - translation: he's become a loon one can't negotiate with and then the word "insanity" and then the prescription is Pavlovian sticks, like an animal trainer -

Baerbock now speaking: "A few weeks ago I said on arms exports that an "about turn" would change when the moment comes - and it has now come. We carried out diplomacy as long as we could, the Kremlin lied to us and made ridiculous everything that we pushed for."
— Tom Nuttall (@tom_nuttall) February 27, 2022

Baerbock sums it up neatly: "If our world is different, then our politics must be different too."
— Tom Nuttall (@tom_nuttall) February 27, 2022

Baerbock: "No sanction can stop this insanity right now, But what sanctions can do is to show Putin that in the medium and long term, this war will ruin your country."
— Tom Nuttall (@tom_nuttall) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 7:56am

Putin really no likey sanctions plan, pulling out the nukes:threat

Putin orders Shoigu and Gerasimov in brief televised remarks to put the nuclear forces on high alert. As many expected, he's wielding the nuclear threat to push back against sanctions and continuing Western support for Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/hLcm9JneGv
— Anton Troianovski (@antontroian) February 27, 2022

(tweeter is the NYTimes' Moscow Bureau chief)

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 8:37am

this other breaking news suggests probably just the usual bullying to advantage + a sop to the homeland patriots who are going to be suffering for this

BREAKING: Ukraine-Russia talks will take place at the border between Ukraine and Belarus
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) February 27, 2022

by artappraiser on Sun, 02/27/2022 - 8:51am

In the News

Russia plays weak hand in Palestine
Russia plays weak hand in Palestine

submitted by PeraclesPlease 9 months ago

The intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow has precedent

Russia's hosted such meetings in the past, most recently Feb 2019

Russia has long lamented the US' "monopolization" of the peace process & tried to carve out a niche for itself: mediating among the disunited Palestinians/2
— Hanna Notte (@HannaNotte) February 29, 2024

Read the article at https://twitter.com/HannaNotte/status/1763116222256701787

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Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters
Mother Jones is Reaching out to Alternative Party Voters

submitted by HSG 10 months ago

Here's what I told them: https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

Read the article at https://halginsberg.com/vote-for-jill-stein-again/

2 comments

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Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes...
Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes into force

submitted by artappraiser 12 months ago

Controversial Brazil law curbing Indigenous rights comes into force https://t.co/pCoDg05irX
— Gareth Harris (@garethharr) December 28, 2023

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/28/brazil-law-indigenous-land-rights-claim-time-marker?CMP=share_btn_tw

1 comment

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Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti (...
Security Alert: U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, Haiti (December 25, 2023)

submitted by artappraiser 12 months ago

Location: U.S. Embassy and residential compounds

Events: Heavy gunfire is occuring around the area of the U.S. Embassy and residential compounds adjacent to the Trutier area of Tabarre. All Embassy personnel have been instructed to remain indoors and shelter-in-place until further notice. All others should avoid the area.

Actions to take:

Avoid the area;

Avoid demonstrations and any large gatherings of people;

Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks; and

If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and get to a safe area.

Read the article at https://ht.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-port-au-prince-haiti-december-25-2023/

3 comments

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Pakistan Is Creating the World’s Next Refugee Crisis
Pakistan Is Creating the World’s Next Refugee Crisis

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

By The Editorial Board @ Bloomberg.com, December 8, 2023

A mass expulsion of Afghan migrants could destabilize the region and fuel radicalization. The West should pressure Islamabad to change course.

Read the article at https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-12-08/pakistan-s-expulsion-of-afghan-refugees-risks-another-crisis

6 comments

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Internet shut down in Chad
Internet shut down in Chad

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

All eyes on #Chad right now
Chad has two internet trunks coming into the country: One from the Red Sea via Sudan; the other from Cameroon. Not possible for the totality of the country's internet network to be shut unless done centrally. A lot of rumors swirling; few facts. https://t.co/N6bDJZ2ixO

Read the article at https://x.com/_hudsonc/status/1732891968709992511?s=20

2 comments

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[Economy] where Joe's success falls short
[Economy] where Joe's success falls short

submitted by PeraclesPlease 1 year ago

Read the article at

3 comments

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[CRIME News] 3 loss-prevention employees in Macy’s across...
[CRIME News] 3 loss-prevention employees in Macy’s across the street from Philadelphia City Hall stabbed

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

BREAKING: Three loss prevention employees in Macy’s across the street from Philadelphia City Hall stabbed, one of them has died from stab wounds, @PhillyPolice sources tell me. Police converged on the store as the three workers were rushed to Jefferson Hospital. pic.twitter.com/4U1eKycL4W

Read the article at https://x.com/KeeleyFox29/status/1731713272942940365?s=20

38 comments

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Former U.S. Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As...
Former U.S. Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As Secret Agent For Cuba

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Former US Ambassador Arrested, Charged With Working As Secret Agent For Cuba https://t.co/LDwo4ZJI1K
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) December 4, 2023

Read the article at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/manuel-rocha-ambassador-arrested-cuba_n_656d1e2ae4b028b0f3d07478

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[War in Israel, Chapter II] UNRWA under scrutiny
[War in Israel, Chapter II] UNRWA under scrutiny

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

[Chapter I news is HERE, Oct. 7 til today]

You don’t get it.
It’s not about an UNRWA teacher who held an Israeli kid hostage in his house.
It’s all about how for 75 years you have destroyed the future of generations of Palestinians, including my family.
My cousins in Arab countries are still not citizens - not even the… https://t.co/nv6anubGhc
— George Deek (@GeorgeDeek) December 2, 2023

Note 'Community Notes' attached to UNWRA's statement.

Read the article at https://x.com/GeorgeDeek/status/1731020551328579863?s=20

58 comments

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Maduro, Under Pressure, Holds Vote to Annex Territory From...
Maduro, Under Pressure, Holds Vote to Annex Territory From a Neighbor

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

Imperialism for me but not for thee?

It's wild that Venezuela is now holding a vote on whether 2/3 of Guyana actually belongs to them! Analysts suggest that Modoru may want military action to pump up his sinking popularity.

Could we have a war in South America?!?

"The people who live in Essequibo are largely… pic.twitter.com/QvMEjkkgwy

Read the article at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/03/world/americas/maduro-vote-essequibo-guyana.html

6 comments

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[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House...
[Where is the GOP headed?] Divisions leave Florida’s House Republicans powerless

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

The lack of a cohesive delegation has allowed attention-seeking lawmakers to act on their own.

McCarthy: “You have [Rep. Matt] Gaetz, who belongs in jail…”

Gaetz: “Tough words from a guy who sucker punches people in the back. The only assault I committed was against Kevin’s fragile ego.”https://t.co/LctPuz6Pcf

Read the article at https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/29/divisions-leave-floridas-house-republicans-powerless-00129200

10 comments

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‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-...
‘She got so mad at me’: book on the ‘Squad’ details AOC-Pelosi clashes

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

By Martinn Pengelly in Washington DC for TheGuardian.com, Nov. 30

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ryan Grim life in Congress ‘completely transformed’ after Democratic leader stepped down

Read the article at https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/30/squad-book-aoc-nancy-pelosi?CMP=share_btn_tw

15 comments

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US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source
US health insurers Humana, Cigna in talks to merge -source

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

@ Reuters, Nov. 29

Read the article at https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/us-health-insurers-humana-cigna-talks-merge-wsj-2023-11-29/

3 comments

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Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-...
Central Africa’s dinosaur regimes and the art of coup-proofing

submitted by artappraiser 1 year ago

"Both the AU and the intl community place more weight on whether elections are held than whether they are free and fair. Sanctions/expulsions occur when there is a coup but not necessarily when elections are rigged or if an “institutional coup” occurs." https://t.co/m9dNimJP0D
— Cameron Hudson (@_hudsonc) November 28, 2023

Read the article at https://africanarguments.org/2023/11/central-africas-dinosaur-regimes-and-the-art-of-coup-proofing/

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