Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[zahir]

Pretty worrying that Russian troops have reportedly used transnistria as a base, I think people I know in Chisinau are also getting very nervous

Refugees already arriving in Moldova.

 

[Idris2002]

When was this? Putin 'clamped down on' the violence of the far right (and tbh coopted many of them) very early in his rule so the skinhead gangs etc stabbing random people were not a thing of the past but happened much less frequently

Early spring 2006. I was warned not to go out on the street on Hitler's birthday, because I'm apparently dark enough to be taken for a Chechen.

And I also heard that the Piter police was full of sympathizers with the wearers of coloured shirts.

That said, though, I caught a few minutes of a TV drama about squaddies in a barracks. One of the squaddies was central Asian and looked it, and the scene I saw had him cornered by a skinhead gang with bad intentions. . . all looks grim for him until the rest of his platoon come round the corner and pay the skins back in their own coin. I suppose having things like this on the televisor was all part of the manipulation strategy.

 

[andysays]

Fighting in Chernobyl exclusion zone. Can't make this stuff up.

Clearly, it is quite possible for people to make this sort of thing up (not suggesting that you are deliberately making it up, or that this particular thing has been made up), which is why I think it's important that posters at least attempt to provide some sort of source for claims like this, rather than just posting any old unverified and unsourced stuff.

This article posted at 14.20 on BBC website is worth reading and bearing in mind

Misleading posts spread on social media

Soon after President Putin declared the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, videos and images claiming to be from the conflict began trending on major social networks.

While there is lots of genuine footage, some viral clips racking up hundreds of thousands of views show events from past conflicts or old military exercises. Many of these seem to coming from users posting content without checking.

The BBC has seen videos of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine war, the 2011 Libyan war and the 2020 Beirut explosions going viral.

 

[frogwoman]

Early spring 2006. I was warned not to go out on the street on Hitler's birthday, because I'm apparently dark enough to be taken for a Chechen.

And I also heard that the Piter police was full of sympathizers with the wearers of coloured shirts.

That said, though, I caught a few minutes of a TV drama about squaddies in a barracks. One of the squaddies was central Asian and looked it, and the scene I saw had him cornered by a skinhead gang with bad intentions. . . all looks grim for him until the rest of his platoon come round the corner and pay the skins back in their own coin. I suppose having things like this on the televisor was all part of the manipulation strategy.

I think its complicated tbh - Russia when I was there was more like a fake democracy than a dictatorship. The elections in particularly were something they were really keen to foster the illusion of choice with. Definitely had one or two alarming moments towards the end of my stay tho

 

[2hats]

Also scary if the reactors are hit

Reactors 1, 2 and 3 are in various stages of decommissioning but the spent fuel is stored on site. I'd be at least as (perhaps more) concerned for the structural integrity of no. 4's sarcophagus (though winds are predominately NE/ENE right now).

 

[Barking_Mad]

Clearly, it is quite possible for people to make this sort of thing up (not suggesting that you are deliberately making it up, or that this particular thing has been made up), which is why I think it's important that posters at least attempt to provide some sort of source for claims like this, rather than just posting any old unverified and unsourced stuff.

This article posted at 14.20 on BBC website is worth reading and bearing in mind

 

[zahir]

 

[RileyOBlimey]

 

[andysays]

Yes, that's the sort of thing I mean.

At this stage, it appears to still be a claim from the Ukrainian President (which is not to say it won't turn out to be true).

 

[TopCat]

The Portuguese Communist Party statement doesn't give a fuck about about 'complex factors'

That’s a decent analysis and position.

 

[Idris2002]

I think its complicated tbh - Russia when I was there was more like a fake democracy than a dictatorship. The elections in particularly were something they were really keen to foster the illusion of choice with. Definitely had one or two alarming moments towards the end of my stay tho

Our funder - Dr. Soros, if you must know - pulled out of Russia that year, as it was clear he and his sort were personae non grata.

The European University in St. Petersburg had their licence pulled around that time (got it back, finally, last year). They were housed in a really nice Tsarist-era palace, where a Romanov princess had once swanned up and down the marble staircases. What I heard is that someone in the city administration had their eye on that building, and that's how they came a cropper.

 

[zahir]

 

[IC3D]

Again, how?

How what?

 

[cupid_stunt]

That’s a decent analysis and position.

No it's fucking not, you daft twat.

 

[frogwoman]

That description of Putin as someone who would blow up your house then issue himself a permit to do so is a perfect way to put it.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

Say what you like about Putin but does he “eat dogs”?

 

[elbows]

This from earlier today does not imply much confidence:

More now on the black smoke seen rising over the Ukrainian defence ministry intelligence headquarters in central Kyiv which we told you about a short while ago.

We understand the building appears to be intact, and the smoke actually appears to come from a large fire next to the building. Witnesses have seen uniformed people throwing bags on to the fire.

From the 11:59 entry on the BBC live updates page https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-60454795/page/2

 

[editor]

The thing that's hard for me to fathom is that one day they'd be just like me and you: sat at home watching TV, messing about on the internet, perhaps going to a bar or a restaurant with friends in a bustling city, and the next day they've had to flee from bombs and an invading force.

 

[Sprocket.]

I see that shit pump Russia Today is still churning it out!

 

[zahir]

 

[bimble]

Starmer's done his own little speech, which unlike BJ's one did include a bit about how people in UK will be impacted.

"In a televised address – responding to the one delivered by Boris Johnson earlier, in which he said Putin’s venture “must end in failure”, including “eventually, militarily” – Starmer said: “We must prepare ourselves for difficulties here"..“We will see economic pain as we free Europe from dependence on Russian gas and clean our institutions from money stolen from the Russian people. But the British public have always been willing to make sacrifice to defend democracy on our continent and we will again.” etc

 

[Bingoman]

Sky News have footage of Russian Helicopters near the Ukrainian capital of Kiev

 

[frogwoman]

Our funder - Dr. Soros, if you must know - pulled out of Russia that year, as it was clear he and his sort were personae non grata.

The European University in St. Petersburg had their licence pulled around that time (got it back, finally, last year). They were housed in a really nice Tsarist-era palace, where a Romanov princess had once swanned up and down the marble staircases. What I heard is that someone in the city administration had their eye on that building, and that's how they came a cropper.

Lots of russian friends changing profile pics to Ukrainian flags and saying how shocked they are, not the usual liberal suspects either

 

[SpookyFrank]

How what?

How could the Ukrainian state have prevented the Russians from taking control of the airport, short of razing it to the ground themselves?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Makes a nice change from bringing the army in and threatening to shoot refugees I suppose.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I see that shit pump Russia Today is still churning it out!

I've never understood how the hell they have held on to their OFCOM licence for so long, then GB News launched, and the penny dropped that OFCOM has basically given up on the impartiality rules.

 

[Wilf]

Might not be the most pressing issue today, but Ukraine look to have been going through a Covid spike/wave (presumably Omicron?). Evacuations and hiding from the shelling are not exactly ideal for disease control. Ditto, the impact on health services.

 

[zahir]

 

[dilute micro]

Clearly, it is quite possible for people to make this sort of thing up (not suggesting that you are deliberately making it up, or that this particular thing has been made up), which is why I think it's important that posters at least attempt to provide some sort of source for claims like this, rather than just posting any old unverified and unsourced stuff.

This article posted at 14.20 on BBC website is worth reading and bearing in mind

Figure of speech. But on that subject, whenever there is a military conflict it should be understood that there will be information that might not be accurate. At this point even the internet sources can't really be verified.

 

[hitmouse]

As ever, dunno what it's likely to achieve but if anyone in London is free this weekend and fancies it:

EMERGENCY DEONSTRATON

Visit the post for more.

ukrainesolidaritycampaign.org

Fair play to McDonnell for speaking, what do we reckon the odds are of Stop the War endorsing this particular anti-war demo?