Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[Gurgeh]

6 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

I remember that theory from "Conspiracy Theory" with Mel Gibson, as the USA, or somebody else, were creating earthquakes to kill someone. A completly weird theory that ended up right at the end of the movie.

 

Some weird stuff was tried with weather

 

"Operation Sober Popeye ... was a military cloud-seeding project carried out by the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War in 1967–1972. The highly classified program attempted to extend the monsoon season over specific areas of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, in order to disrupt North Vietnamese military supplies by softening road surfaces and causing landslides."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Popeye

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Gurgeh

[SkinsFTW]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:11 AM, 88Comrade2000 said:

If it was pancreatic cancer; wouldn’t he be dead already?  
 

 I knew someone’s husband die from that and he didn’t last long once he was diagnosed.

 

Depends on the type of pancreatic cancer.

 

I've had pancreatic cancer for many years. Didn't even know that I had it until July of last year. Mine was supposedly a type that grows really slow but it was a huge almost football sized tumor. They removed it a few months later and between June and September I lost over 60 pounds from 190 to 130 or lower. Now I'm stuck at around 125 pounds but that's after having 1 leg amputated so I probably actually gained a little weight. Mine came back on my liver though but chemo seems to be helping.

 

I've never asked a doctor, because I don't really want to hear the bad news, but I just looked it up and yeah it's bad. Apparently only 6-10% live 5 years with the type that I have and they told me I've probably had it 5-10 years when they found it. Now it's been another year and a half. 

Edited December 8, 2022 by SkinsFTW

[JCB]

I’m so sorry dude. Wishing you strength and health.

[Riggo-toni]

At least watch the last minute of this about the Ukrainians targeting Samara.

 

 

[China]

Fire breaks out at military tyre factory in Russia

 

A fire broke out at the Altai Tyre Factory, which manufactures tyres for aircraft and military equipment, in the Russian city of Barnaul.

 

Source: Russian newspaper Kommersant; Altai Krai Prosecutor’s Office

 

Details: The fire started around 05:00. At 10:00, local firefighters reported that they had localised it to an area of 1,000 sq. m. The operation was complicated by the low temperature and heavy smoke.

 

110 people and 33 pieces of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Backfired: Putin’s Prison Recruits Spiral Out of Russia’s Control

 

Russia’s most deranged gambit in its war against Ukraine is rapidly turning into a crisis as military leaders lose control over the prison inmates freed in exchange for a stint on the battlefield.

 

About 20 armed inmates fled from the frontline in occupied Donetsk in recent days and the Russian military was forced to launch a manhunt for members of its own team, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Thursday. Three of the “fugitives” were killed in the ensuing search, Ukrainian authorities said, wryly noting: “Beat your own, so that others are afraid, as they say.”

 

The hunt was reportedly still on for the other fleeing inmates. The news comes just two days after a suspected Russian deserter fleeing the battlefield in Ukraine’s occupied Donbas crossed the border into Russia before opening fire and injuring two police officers. Independent media outlets identified the gunman as a prison inmate recruited to fight in the war.

 

While many experts saw the prison-recruitment scheme for what it was from the get-go—a convenient way to bolster Russia’s fledgling troops using men deemed easily disposable—it seems many of the inmates are themselves finally coming around to that realization.

 

The public sledgehammer-execution of Wagner defector Yevgeny Nuzhin last month certainly didn’t help matters, no matter how much Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mastermind behind the prison recruitment scheme, told inmates they’d go down in history as “heroes.”

 

Now, Russian inmates say there have been other executions carried out against those perceived to have “betrayed” the mercenary group—and wannabe recruits are shown videos of it.

One inmate at a penal colony in the Far East told the BBC’s Russian service that Wagner recruiters showed execution videos to inmates in the facility’s recreation room.

 

In one video played for a group of inmates who expressed an interest in joining Wagner, he said, a man told the camera, “‘I, such and such, am a traitor and a ****, I abandoned my own on the frontline,’ and then they shoot him in the back of the head.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

 

[Larry]

Who would have thought that taking people out of Russian prisons, handing them military weapons, and placing them in with your existing troops, while engaged in combat, would backfire?  (Emphases on that last word.)

[skinzplay]

I wouldn't believe even half a word uttered by any Ukrainian officials relative to what's going down. They've proven unreliable and untrustworthy time and time again. And certainly not taking the word of Moscow.

 

[China]

In acceptance speech, Russian Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate condemns Ukraine war

 

A Russian Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate denounced President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war with Ukraine in an acceptance speech on Saturday.

 

Yan Rachinsky, who accepted the prize on behalf of his organization, Memorial, one of Russia's oldest civil rights groups, lamented actions that continued to "sow death and destruction on Ukrainian soil," adding that the war was an "insane and criminal war of aggression against Ukraine."

 

With millions displaced and tens of thousands killed since February, there is no indication that the war will end anytime soon. Rachinsky's speech occurred just days after Putin publicly vowed he would "consistently fight for our interests" in continuing the conflict.

 

The Russian authorities, which shut down Rachinsky's organization last year, reportedly warned him not to accept the award, as he confirmed to the BBC. In the interview, Rachinsky said he decided to ignore the advice, despite threats to his safety.

 

"In today's Russia, no one's personal safety can be guaranteed," Rachinsky told the BBC. "Yes, many have been killed. But we know what impunity of the state leads to. ... We need to get out of this pit somehow."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Russia Inflicts Heavy Losses on Ukraine as Battle of Bakhmut Rages—Report

 

Moscow's forces have inflicted heavy losses on Ukrainian troops in the battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, according to an assessment that comes as NATO warned the war could escalate into "full-fledged" conflict between Russia and the alliance.

 

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Friday that Russian forces had conducted assault operations in Bakhmut itself and to the north and south of the city in the Donetsk oblast, which is the center of fierce fighting.

 

The ISW cited reports from Russian Telegram accounts that Ukraine's forces had "suffered heavy losses" and that Moscow's troops had struck forward Ukrainian positions northeast of the city.

 

The ISW added that that Russian forces "continue to push through Ukrainian defenses near Spirne," a village that is around 20 miles northeast of Bakhmut.

 

Donetsk's regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, has said that Russian forces were pressing on Bakhmut with daily attacks, despite taking heavy casualties. "You can best describe those attacks as cannon fodder," he added in televised comments. "They are mostly relying on infantry and less on armor, and they can't advance."

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Friday that the "occupiers actually destroyed Bakhmut, another Donbas city that the Russian army turned into burnt ruins."

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

[LD0506]

This is another good reminder that it is a war- not a Netflix series, not war pornography, not the latest Game of Thrones fad, but a bloody, horrible war. The Ukrainians are standing and dying for the rest of us while a lot of people want to pat themselves on the back for the hardware we've supplied. 

 

This passage in history, this dreck trek with Russians and Republicans and bible thumping loonies and gun nutty tards and all the rest is as clear a battle between good and evil as we will see in our lifetimes. The children around the world growing up now are being changed by this. 

[China]

Motives for Russia’s ‘fixation’ with Bakhmut unclear: AJ correspondent

 

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Rory Challands has said there is speculation in Ukraine as to why Russia is doubling down on its efforts to take the city of Bakhmut, in the Donbas region.

 

“It’s a relatively strategically unimportant town and yet for months the Russians have sent wave after wave of Russian fighters, soldiers, mercenaries in full frontal assault to try and take this city from the Ukrainians,” Challands said.

 

“The Ukrainians can’t quite work out why Russians are so fixated on it. It might just come down to pure attrition, [meaning] both sides are set on inflicting as much damage on each other as possible,” he added.

 

Challands spoke to Ukrainian troops who recounted being outnumbered by the Russian military in fierce hand-to-hand battles.

 

 

[China]

 

[China]

Putin Skips Annual News Conference as His War in Ukraine Falters

 

President Vladimir Putin is dropping his annual marathon press conference for the first time in a decade, as his forces continue to stumble in their war in Ukraine.

 

“There won’t be one before New Year,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call Monday, without explanation, in response to a question about the event. The president would try to “find an opportunity” instead to talk to journalists, Peskov said.

 

Putin has held the end-of-year news conference each December since he returned to the presidency in 2012, drawing hundreds of journalists from across Russia and representatives of foreign media to Moscow for the televised live event that usually ran for well in excess of three hours. 

 

He’s avoiding it this year amid repeated retreats by Russian forces in his nearly 10-month-long war in Ukraine and tensions over the September call-up of 300,000 conscripts in Russia’s first military mobilization since World War II. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Kremlin slaps down Zelenskyy's call for a troop withdrawal, saying Ukraine must face 'realities' as Russia claims lands its forces don't even control

 

The Kremlin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for Russian troops to be pulled from Ukraine, urging Kyiv to accept Moscow's claims over Ukrainian lands that Russia's forces don't fully occupy before peace can be considered.

 

"The Ukrainian side needs to take into account the realities that have developed during this time," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, per Reuters.

 

"And these realities indicate that new subjects have appeared in the Russian Federation. They appeared as a result of referendums that took place in these territories. Without taking these new realities into account, no kind of progress is possible," Peskov added, referencing votes that have been decried around the world as a sham.

 

The referendums occurred in Ukrainian territories that Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed in September. Russian forces did not fully control these regions when Putin announced the illegal annexations, and they have continued to lose ground to Ukraine's military ever since. In November, Russian troops retreated from Kherson, the first major city Russia's military seized after the invasion.

 

In short, Russia is calling on Ukraine to accept "realities" even as Moscow's rhetoric on the war is consistently at odds with the situation on the ground.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

U.S. is poised to send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, officials say.

 

The United States is poised to approve sending its most advanced ground-based air defense system to Ukraine, responding to the country’s urgent request to help defend against an onslaught of Russian missile and drone attacks, two U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

 

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III could approve a directive as early as this week to transfer Patriot battery already overseas to Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Final approval would then rest with President Biden.

 

White House, Pentagon and State Department officials declined to comment on details of the transfer of a Patriot battery, which, if approved, would amount to one of the most sophisticated weapons the U.S. has provided Ukraine.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Fire engulfs another Moscow mall, 2nd such fire in 4 days

 

A massive fire gutted a shopping mall on Moscow’s eastern outskirts on Monday, the second such blaze in four days.

 

The blaze at the mall in Balashikha that trades in construction items and home decoration materials first erupted at a storage area and later spread to part of the building. A guard was hospitalized after inhaling toxic fumes from the fire.

 

Fire-fighting teams managed to localize it to an area of about 9,000 square meters (97,000 square feet) and prevent it from engulfing the entire mall.

 

Officials said the fire was caused by a short circuit that came amid heavy rain in Moscow.

 

The blaze follows Friday's fire that destroyed the huge OBI construction materials store, part of the MEGA shopping mall in Khimki on the Russian capital's northwestern outskirts.

 

Officials said that the fire that killed one security guard was sparked by welding that apparently violated safety regulations.

 

 

[FootballZombie]

You don't send a Patriot Battery unless your sure Ukraine won't lose it. That is a massive vote of confidence.

[China]

7 charged, including 2 US residents, in scheme to smuggle sniper ammo to Russia

 

Five Russian nationals and two U.S. residents were charged in a scheme to obtain military-grade technology from American companies and with smuggling sniper rifle ammunition to support Moscow's war effort in violation of U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

 

The Russian defendants include a suspected intelligence officer who is accused of shipping and physically smuggling U.S. material, including electronics and tactical ammunition from Estonia to Russia.

 

Federal prosecutors said that Vadim Konoshchenok, 48, of St. Petersburg, Russia, was stopped at the Estonian border in late October carrying dozens of semi-conductors and "thousands" of American-made bullets used in military sniper rifles.

 

The group included alleged co-conspirators in New Hampshire and New Jersey accused of fabricating shipping invoices and repackaging items for shipment to Konoshchenok in Estonia and other staging areas around the globe.

 

Prosecutors said the accused traffickers unlawfully purchased and exported "highly sensitive and heavily regulated electronic components, some of which can be used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons, quantum computing and other military applications."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Vladimir Putin 'moved to bunker' as flu outbreak strikes Kremlin: Report

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been moved to 'bunker-type premises' due to an outbreak of flu in the Kremlin, UK daily Express reported on Wednesday.

 

A major flu outbreak has reportedly hit officials in Kremlin. The outbreak has excited Putin's hypochondriac tendencies once again, the report said.

 

News outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that many presidential officials in the Kremlin were down with flu. The report comes just two days after Putin cancelled his annual year-end press conference for the first time in a decade.

 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said that the Russian President will not hold the annual news conference. He, however, did not give reasons behind the move. Many believe that it was due to recent setbacks in Ukraine besides the flu that has broken in the city.

 

UK Defence Ministry said that it will be the first time in 10 years that Putin has not held the annual event, while the usual public phone-in also did not take place this year.

 

It said the press conference has become a significant fixture in Putin’s calendar of public engagement and has frequently been used as an opportunity to demonstrate the supposed integrity of the Russian President.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Ukraine updates: Roughly €1 billion raised at French event

 

A donor conference in Paris to alleviate civilian suffering in Ukraine raised about 1 billion euros, officials said. Meanwhile, Russia's ally Belarus carried out a snap troop inspection. Follow DW for the latest.

 

The aim is to alleviate civilian suffering in a country devastated by incessant bombing from Russia. Specifically, the event is to focus on helping Ukraine meet its needs for water, power, food, health and transport during the winter months.

 

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that the initiative had raised around €1 billion ($1 billion) in aid aftering seeking a target of some $800 million. She also clarified that the money was "not loans," but gifts to Ukraine.

 

UK slaps new sanctions on Russia
The UK has announced new sanctions against 12 senior Russian military commanders, including asset freezes and travel bans.

 

Among those sanctioned is Major General Robert Baranov, who is believed to be in charge of a unit operating cruise missiles.

 

Intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Those responsible must be held to account," the UK Foreign Office said.

 

The sanctions also target four Iranians, including the managing director of a company that manufactures engines for Iranian drones allegedly used by Russia to attack Ukraine.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[LD0506]

OIL INFERNO 

Another Putin oil refinery hit by huge explosion ‘like earthquake or plane crash’ amid wave of suspected sabotage blasts

 

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20761230/another-putin-oil-refinery-huge-explosion/amp/

[skinsmarydu]

On 12/7/2022 at 9:28 PM, SkinsFTW said:

 

Depends on the type of pancreatic cancer.

 

I've had pancreatic cancer for many years. Didn't even know that I had it until July of last year. Mine was supposedly a type that grows really slow but it was a huge almost football sized tumor. They removed it a few months later and between June and September I lost over 60 pounds from 190 to 130 or lower. Now I'm stuck at around 125 pounds but that's after having 1 leg amputated so I probably actually gained a little weight. Mine came back on my liver though but chemo seems to be helping.

 

I've never asked a doctor, because I don't really want to hear the bad news, but I just looked it up and yeah it's bad. Apparently only 6-10% live 5 years with the type that I have and they told me I've probably had it 5-10 years when they found it. Now it's been another year and a half. 

I have great admiration for your resilience.  I guess being a fan of this team teaches us that, but you've taken it to another level.  My best to you, and don't forget...there are miracles.  I've actually witnessed one.

[China]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:50 PM, China said:

U.S. is poised to send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, officials say.

 

The United States is poised to approve sending its most advanced ground-based air defense system to Ukraine, responding to the country’s urgent request to help defend against an onslaught of Russian missile and drone attacks, two U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

 

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III could approve a directive as early as this week to transfer Patriot battery already overseas to Ukraine, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Final approval would then rest with President Biden.

 

White House, Pentagon and State Department officials declined to comment on details of the transfer of a Patriot battery, which, if approved, would amount to one of the most sophisticated weapons the U.S. has provided Ukraine.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Russian Embassy warns of "unpredictable consequences" if US sends Patriot missiles to Ukraine

 

Any shipment of US Patriot missiles to Ukraine could "lead to unpredictable consequences" and threaten global security, the Russian Embassy in Washington said in a statement Wednesday. 

 

The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the advanced long-range air defense system to Ukraine to help counter Moscow's attacks, according to US officials cited in a CNN report Tuesday.

 

"If this is confirmed, we will witness yet another provocative step by the [Biden] administration, which can lead to unpredictable consequences," the Russian Embassy statement said.
 

It added that continued arms deliveries to Ukraine "will only strengthen the Zelensky regime’s sense of impunity and push it to new crimes against civilians" in four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed.

 

The statement also criticized US support for Ukraine, saying: "Washington’s strategy causes enormous damage not only to the Russian-American relations, but also creates additional risks for global security."

 

Speaking earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any Patriot missiles sent to Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russian forces, but added that the US plan had not been confirmed.

 

Click on the link for the full article