"If NATO is off the table, what on earth is this war about?"
Monday, March 14
India's Maj Gen G.D. Bakshi and Amb V.B. Soni decode Russia-Ukraine war
Published March 13 on YouTube by Republic TV, India's #1 English-language news channel.
So now all we have to do is decode Gen. Bakshi.
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Breaking News: Russia destroys Ukraine blockade of Mariupol
Forces of the DPR, with the support of the Russian military, destroyed almost all firing points of Ukrainian nationalists in the suburbs of Mariupol. Special forces eliminated the main nationalist forces in residential areas in villages around the city, the Russian Defense Ministry said in an emergency statement.
The successful operations made it possible to secure humanitarian corridors for civilians from 3 p.m. Moscow time on March 14. Mass evacuation of civilians who had been held hostage by Ukrainian nationalists began.
[END REPORT]
Also (not sure of the source):
"To evacuate Mariupol residents, 4 convoys were formed with a total of 200 buses, 50 of which have already arrived in Mariupol. All Mariupol residents wishing to be evacuated will be taken to temporary accommodation centers."
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Fourth round of Russia-Ukraine Negotiations
The Duran is live now with a discussion of the negotiations and much else, including financial fallout.
Russia & Ukraine: Fourth round of negotiations (Live) - YouTube
From Sputnik's live updates:
"The Russian special military operation in Ukraine has entered its 19th day, with the delegations from Moscow and Kiev expected to hold their fourth round of talks via video conference later in the day."
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How in the hell do you pronounce Rubezhnoye?
The Russians better finish up quickly; I've had enough of trying to read, let alone pronounce, Ukranian place names. This is just why American reporters in Ukraine are focusing on Kiev; it's one of the few places in the country they can pronounce. Take a look at the place names in this report:
War In Ukraine Day 18: Russia And Allies Consolidate Forces In Donbass And Succeed South Front March 14
[Lots of videos with text headers throughout the report]
On March 13, there were several important military events on the Ukrainian front lines which marked important successes of Russian forces.
There was a pinpoint strike with precision weapons on the training centers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Starichi and at the Yavorovsky military training ground in the Lviv region. 180 servicemen, including foreign ‘volunteers’ were reportedly killed. The reports are yet to be confirmed. Anyway, the strike was a clear signal to the foreign mercenaries in Ukraine.
On March 13, the LPR forces have finally claimed control over the town of Popasnaya after several days of fierce clashes in the area. They achieved to secure the outskirts from the southern and northern directions. Clashes continue on the western outskirts. This is an important step towards the town of Soledar which is located on the road leading to the city of Severodonetsk.
Fighting continues in the area of the Severodonetsk agglomeration. The main battlefield now is the village of Rubezhnoye located on the north-western outskirts of the city. The UAF deployed in Severodonetsk and Lisichansk risk to be cut off in the coming days and the cities may be blockaded in less then a week.
Attempts of DPR forces to offense in the areas of Marinka, Pisky and Avdiivka were reported. However, no advance has been confirmed so far.
Advance of Russian forces and their allies was reported in the on the southern Donbass front lines. DPR forces are coming closer to Donetsk from the southern direction, expending their zone of control along the Velika Novosilka – Novotroitske road.
These advances also destroy hopes of fighters of the Ukrainian nationalist battalions blockaded in Mariupol, who asked the UAF to counter Russian grouping from the north of the city.
Meanwhile, Russian and DPR units do not stop the mop up operations in Mariupol, where they are coming closer to the city center. Ukrainian nationalists in the city are already suffering from the lack of sources, thus, according to some estimations, the city may be moped up in about a week.
On March 13, the joint forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and the LPR have almost blockaded the entire Ordzhonikidze district in the city.
In the northeastern part of the Donbass front, Russian forces are yet to pass through the town of Izyum. Clashes continue in the southern districts od the town for several days in a row. The Russian Army is forcing the Seversky Donets river west of Izyum and fighting continues in the Barvenkovo area.
In the Donbass region, explosions were reported in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Ugledar, Avdiivka. In response, the UAF continue shelling the residential areas in the city of Donetsk and nearby areas.
In the Zaporozhye region, Russian troops reportedly entered the town of Gulyai-Pole, and clashes continue on the outskirts. The town of Ugledar was reportedly shelled. Russian troops did not enter the town and are bypassing it from the flanks.
In the Kiev region, fighting continues in the Irpen area in the northwest. Russian forces are reportedly advanced in the town. In the eastern direction, it was previously reported that the Kiev – Kharkiv highway was under control of Russian forces. Clashes continue near Brovary. No advances by any side were reported.
In the Zaporozhye region, Russian troops reportedly entered the town of Gulyai-Pole, and clashes continue on the outskirts. The town of Ugledar was reportedly shelled. Russian troops did not enter the town and are bypassing it from the flanks.
In the Kiev region, fighting continues in the Irpen area in the northwest. Russian forces are reportedly advanced in the town. In the eastern direction, it was previously reported that the Kiev – Kharkiv highway was under control of Russian forces. Clashes continue near Brovary. No advances by any side were reported.
[END REPORT THANK GOD]
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Sunday, March 13
Russia targets foreign mercenaries and supplies in Ukraine
March 13 became the day of the intensification of Russian strikes on the military infrastructure of Ukraine and places of concentrations of foreign mercenaries and supplies that arrive to the country from its ‘foreign partners’.
[...]
On March 13, Russian missiles pounded the Yavorovo military range in Lviv Region. The range is a part of the military facility used in the area by NATO to train Kyiv’s forces in the previous years. After the start of the Russian military operation, the area became a hub and training center for foreign mercenaries that came to Ukraine.
Lviv authorities claimed that at least 8 missiles hit the facility calling this the ‘act of Russian aggression’.Impact of the strikes on the camp:
[PHOTOS, VIDEO]
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the destruction of a command post of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kyiv Region. The “Krasnopol” guided artillery shell hit the command post and completely destroyed the target, according to the Russian side.Destruction of the command center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kyiv Region:
[VIDEO]
In the region of Donbass, the Russian Armed Forces and unist of the people’s militia of Donetsk and Lugansk continued their offensive operation to get rid of Kyiv’s forces in the area.
Especially intense clashes were recently reported in the area of the Severodonetsk-Lysichansk agglomeration. A series of intense artillery and air strikes also hit high points and military infrastructure objects around Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Units of Kyiv’s forces deployed on Karachun Mount, near Slovyansk, appeared to be among the targets of these strikes and suffered casualties.According to the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian-led forces have already blocked Severodonetsk from the eastern and southern directions. This indicates that the settlement of Borovske, south of Severodonetsk is also fully blocked. The northern vicinity of the town of Popasnaya is in the hands of units of Russia and the Lugansk People’s Republic. They have been developing the offensive in the area.
Strikes on positions of Kyiv’s forces in the area of Karachun Mount:
[VIDEO, PHOTO]
At the same time, units of the Russian Armed Forces established control over the southern areas of the settlements of Blagodatne, Vladimirovka, Pavlovka and Nikolskoe located near Volnovakha.
In the area of Nikolskoe Russian forces freed about 300 civilians that were held hostage by fighters of the Aidar battalion of Kyiv’s forces in the area of the Uspensky Nikolo-Vasilyevsky Monastery. Aidar units established firing positions just in the area of the monastery. Units of these criminals were eliminated or dispersed. Hostages and the monastery area were liberated.
The Russian military also reported that recently aviation and air defense of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian air force in the Lyubimovka region and two unmanned aerial vehicles.
According to a representative of the authorities of the Crimean Republic of Russia a Tu-141 Strizh reconnaissance drone (developed in the Soviet era) was also shot down near Crimea in the recent days. The drone was launched from the direction of Odessa.
The Russian side reports that since the start of the operation a total of 3,687 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities have been put out of action. In the same period Russian forces destroyed: 99 aircraft, 128 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,194 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 121 multiple rocket launchers, 443 field artillery pieces and mortars, 991 units of special military vehicles.
The prospects of any really effective diplomatic agreement between Moscow and Kyiv in the current conditions are shady. However, the further elimination of Kyiv’s forces and Ukrainian military infrastructure will likely make the diplomatic settlement of the conflict much closer than it is now.
[END REPORT]
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Mop-up in Mariupol
[...]
The mopping up of Mariupol continues. Units of the Russian Federation and the DPR move towards the center of the city.
Also on March 13, in the early morning, with the massive support of artillery and aviation, the DNR forces began their assault on Avdeevka.:
More news, maps, in the report.
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British government Defence Intelligence 3/12 map of Russian troop locations and strikes in Ukraine
Map below published in this report: Private security CEO describes Ukraine evacuations, worsening conditions [Video] (aol.com)
See also:
9 killed, 57 injured in Russian attack targeting military range near Lviv: Live updates (aol.com)
Partial Map
Complete Map: (scroll right for symbol explanations)
Saturday, March 12
Presearch: a search engine that doesn't try to tell you what to think? Worth a try.
Duck Duck Go has capitulated to censorship. That was the final straw for Tom Woods. From his newsletter, posted at Lew Rockwell (H/T Moon of Alabama comment section): Guess Who's Protecting Us From 'Disinformation' Now - LewRockwell LewRockwell.com
From the TTom Woods Letter:
Some people prefer to avoid Google for privacy reasons, and because Google skews results in favor of establishment-approved content.
Those people often use a search engine called Duck Duck Go.
Well, the CEO of Duck Duck Go just made this announcement: [see website for DDG announcement at Twitter]
I can’t speak for you, dear reader, but I think I’ve had just about enough of being told what I can and cannot read, what is and what isn’t “disinformation,” and naive people who think these designations are for our own good and being put to benign purposes.
We want to let a search engine decide what information is legitimate?
You think that might be selectively applied? (It already is, of course.)
You think perfectly legitimate views won’t get caught in this dragnet? Half of Twitter already thinks you’re a Russian agent if you deviate from the State Department line even a little.
Nope, especially after two years of sinister weirdos shutting down discussion, I won’t be tricked into this.
If you’d like a search engine that doesn’t try to tell you what to think, consider Presearch.com.
See also: "Is DuckDuckGo turning on its users, or did they misunderstand the search engine to begin with?"
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Al Jazeera's clear map of war sitrep in Ukraine
Map published in AJ's Russia-Ukraine live news: Alarm grows over Mariupol ‘catastrophe’ | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera - March 12 Updated 6:30 PM Eastern Time
India Today reporter rubbishes claims of Russian damage to civilian property in Kiev, Mariupol
So where do the reporter's on-the-ground observations leave claims about hundreds of Russian-inflicted civilian deaths in nonmilitary areas in Ukraine? I'd say, "Needing unbiased investigation." On to the report:
[...]
India Today journalist Rajesh Pawar, part of a team of 100 journalists from 70 countries who visited Kiev, has categorically rubbished claims made by the Ukrainian authorities about the destruction as a result of shelling by the Russian Armed Forces.
India Today journalist Rajesh Pawar, part of a team of 100 journalists from 70 countries who visited Kiev, has categorically rubbished claims made by the Ukrainian authorities about the destruction as a result of shelling by the Russian Armed Forces.
"The amount of propaganda that has been used in this conflict has never happened after the Second World War. A few days back, reports were claiming Russia had used a vacuum bomb in Ukraine, which was proven to be false", Pawar stated, while reporting live for the India Today news channel.
Pawar further explained that the Ukranian authorities had organized a tour of Kiev in which 100 foreign journalists were included.
"Besides damage to two structures, they [were] not able to show us collateral damage in civilian properties across Kiev. It was a pure propaganda trip to show Russia in a poor light", Pawar said, reporting from the Ukrainian capital.
He also did not find any evidence of civilian property damage during his visit to Mariupol, contradicting Western media reports about shelling in civilian areas.
For days, Ukrainian authorities have been claiming that Russian forces are not allowing civilians to flee to safer places.
Russia insists that it is not targeting civilians in the military operations that were initiated at the request of the people of Donbass.
[END REPORT]
Russia insists that it is not targeting civilians in the military operations that were initiated at the request of the people of Donbass.
[END REPORT]
See also:
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Friday, March 11
Russian troops prepare for second phase in Ukraine
War In Ukraine Day 15: Preparing For Second Phase Of Russian Operation - South Front - March 11
Lots of video clips
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Russian troops evacuating civilians when Kiev doesn't cooperate
The Russian military has said it will not wait for Kiev to get on board with its proposal for evacuation routes, and will ensure safe passage of civilians from Kiev, Kharkiv, Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities to Russia.
"We officially declare that humanitarian corridors toward the Russian Federation will be opened unilaterally, without any approvals, now daily from 10am [07:00 GMT], as well as in other directions upon coordination with the Ukrainian side,” Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the National Defense Management Center, told a briefing on Thursday.
He added that the Russian military would “guarantee complete security” for those choosing to leave Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov, and Mariupol through exits controlled by the Russian forces.
The military official estimated that Russian forces have so far evacuated some 187,000 people since Moscow launched its military offensive in Ukraine on February 24. Nearly 47,000 of those evacuated were children, Mizintsev claimed. He accused Kiev of stalling the evacuation effort, claiming that the Ukrainian government refused to facilitate the escape of some 7,000 foreigners from the conflict zone, who he said were being “held hostage” by Ukrainian militants.
"The Ukrainian side practically reacts neither to official nor to unofficial appeals, including those from international partners," Mizintsev said.
The official rejected Kiev’s accusations that Moscow had broken the previously announced temporary ceasefire and was blocking humanitarian aid. He insisted that the Russian forces were the ones being shelled by the Ukrainian side near the humanitarian corridors.
Kiev had previously greenlighted only three of the 10 evacuation routes proposed by Moscow, suggesting three alternatives, which were all approved by Russia. The Russian military claimed that Ukraine came up with “absurd” and “unrealistic” demands for the establishment of other routes. One of the demands, according to Mizintsev, was for the Russian military to demine explosives planted by Ukrainian units, and fix a bridge allegedly destroyed by the Ukrainian military themselves.
[...]
See also:
Russia Says It Will Open Evacuation Corridors From Five Ukrainian Cities -Agencies | World News | US News (Reuters) - March 10
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Russia deploys laser weapons for precision targeting in Ukraine's urban areas
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Russia strikes military targets in western Ukraine
Moscow confirms airstrikes in western Ukraine — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union - March 11
On Friday morning, Russia carried out strikes on military infrastructure sites in western Ukraine using long-range precision weapons, the Defense Ministry said in a briefing. The strikes destroyed airfields near the cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, the military claimed.
The attacks were confirmed by regional authorities in both cities, which are located in the southwest and northwest of Ukraine, respectively.
Over the course of 24 hours, Russian warplanes destroyed 107 military sites of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said. This increased the total number of military infrastructure targets reported by Russia as destroyed during the campaign to 3,213.
Turkish-made Baykar Bayraktar TB2 attack drones were the primary target for Russian air defense forces on Thursday, according to the briefing. A total of eight such aircraft were taken down by Russian troops, in addition to three Ukrainian Mil Mi-24 helicopters, Konashenkov said.
The Russian forces and their allies from the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk republics have made further advances on the ground in eastern Ukraine, the official said. The city of Volnovakha, one of the strongholds of the Ukrainian troops, has been captured by Donetsk rebels, he said.
[...]
See also:
Russia confirms striking ‘Ukrainian Air Force airfield’ in country’s west — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union March 6 'Money quote':
“Almost all Kiev’s combat-ready aircraft are destroyed,” Konashenkov said, adding that Moscow has “reliable data” suggesting Ukraine has moved some of its military aircraft to other countries, including Romania.
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How to fight a war in plain sight of the press
AFU Key Point Volnovakha Fallen. Russians Develop Offensive - South Front March 11:
The Russian Defense Ministry has officially announced that the city of Volnovakha (between Donetsk and Mariupol), one of the key defense points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east of the country, is now completely under the control of Russian and DPR [Donetsk People's Republics army] units.
This key event of the last days of the war means a collapse of the Ukrainian forces in the region and seizure of Mariupol in the coming days.
One of the key defense points? Key event? Now they tell us. For days, focus has been on the gigantic convoy parked outside Kiev, which, by the way, broke up yesterday or today, I guess now that it's no longer needed to entertain the press.
So it's this city, Volnovakha, that was actually the most important to the Russians; the SouthFront report goes on to explain why:
Four days ago, Ukrainian President Zelensky awarded the town the title of a Hero-City of Ukraine for “worthy resistance to armed aggression. The city was used to house the Kiev regime’s most odious nationalist units, which were repeatedly accused of mass torture and murder of the [Donbass] region’s Russian-speaking residents.Here's the rest of the report:
The DPR also took control of Olginka, Velyka-Anadol and Zelenyi Gai settlements. Advancement in depth in this section of the front was up to 6 kilometers.
[...]
On the morning of March 11, Russian long-range precision-guided weapons struck Ukrainian military infrastructure, including military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west of the country.
Russian Armed Forces units continued their offensive, advancing 17 kilometers.
[END]There is a map accompanying the report. SouthFront must have heard me complaining again about their maps because this is a beautiful map, very clear. It's even clearer enlarged; here's the link to the enlargement: oho00890.jpg (934×583) (southfront.org) Volnovakha is in the bull's eye -- the center of the concentric rings.
See also:
Russian MoD: DPR Forces Take Control of City of Volnovakha (sputniknews.com) - March 11
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Thursday, March 10
Latest Ukraine war news
The Duran, posted 3 hours ago
Lavrov in Turkey, no ceasefire. West runs out of options as desperation sets in [PART 1] - YouTube
Ukraine, Russia, Sanctions Q & A - YouTube (Part II) - The Duran
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Mariupol: "The front lines are now on the city streets."
Azov Battalion has been mining roads and doing everything else possible to prevent evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.
SouthFront is back online, below I'm posting just the parts of their report that discuss the status of civilian evacuations and Day 13 of the war situation in Mariupol.
War In Ukraine Day 13: Mariupol Trap Closing. Eastern Front Next To ComeSouth Front March 9. Includes photos and videos
Russia and Ukraine persist in their attempts to secure evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian cities which were completely or partially blockaded by the joint Russian and LDPR forces.
On March 8, despite the fact that the attempts to secure the humanitarian corridors from the most affected cities like Mariupol failed once again, there were the first successes in other regions. A humanitarian corridor in the city of Sumy allowed for the evacuation of 723 foreigners from India, China, Jordan and Tunisia have been evacuated along the Sumy-Poltava route, said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation.
The success was likely due to the mass protests carried out by the foreigners, mainly students, when they blamed the Ukrainian authorities of inability to secure their evacuation from the war-torn cities, what caused discontent in foreign states.
Meanwhile, the general number of those who left Ukraine by their own means has exceeded 2 million people.
On March 9, the Russian side will declare another ceasefire regime to ensure the operation of humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol to Russia, Belarus as well to other Ukrainian cities, the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine claimed in a statement.
“From 10:00 Moscow time on March 9, 2022, the Russian Federation declares a “regime of silence” and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors,” says the statement signed by the chief of staff, head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mizintsev.
The Russian side offered to evacuate civilians from Sumy to Poltava, from Kharkiv by agreement to Lviv, Uzhgorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, from Mariupol to Zaporozhye, from Chernihiv to the south by agreement with the Ukrainian side.
March 9 should mark the 5th day of attempts to secure the evacuation of civilians, while the situation in the blockaded cities like Mariupol is worsening.
The head of the European Bureau of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, claimed that Ukraine has faced a humanitarian catastrophe, and the local health system is under stiff pressure.
Ukrainian soldiers firing from the roof of a civilian house. Location unknown: [VIDEO]
he most difficult situation is currently in the city of Mariupol which has been blockaded for a week.
On March 8, the Mariupol City Council confirmed that a civilian car exploded on a mine while trying to reach a humanitarian corridor and leave the city.
The locals who managed to escape from the city confirmed that members of the Azov nationalist battalion mined the roads leading to the humanitarian corridors. Almost all roads were blockaded, and civilians could not even reach the highways that were secured by the joint Russian and DPR forces.
The most difficult situation is currently in the city of Mariupol which has been blockaded for a week.
On March 8, the Mariupol City Council confirmed that a civilian car exploded on a mine while trying to reach a humanitarian corridor and leave the city.
The locals who managed to escape from the city confirmed that members of the Azov nationalist battalion mined the roads leading to the humanitarian corridors. Almost all roads were blockaded, and civilians could not even reach the highways that were secured by the joint Russian and DPR forces.
The official representative of the DPR People’s Militia Eduard Basurin claimed that today “the servicemen of the Donetsk People’s Republic, risking their own lives, penetrated into the suburbs of the city and evacuated citizens.”
After the end of the ceasefire regime in Mariupol, the units of the DPR advanced about 800-900 meters in the city. Clashes took place in the Left Bank region, which is the main stronghold of the Ukrainian nationalist forces in Mariupol.
At the same time Russian forces began the mopping-up from the eastern and north-eastern directions. They reportedly managed to liberate all suburbs in the west of the city.
The front lines are now on the city streets. [emphasis mine] Operations of the joint forces in Mariupol and Volnovakha are carried out with close air support of the Russian Aero Space Forces (VKS).
[...] [MUCH MORE IN THE REPORT]
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Wednesday, March 9
SouthFront site has been down for hours
Same for their channel at Telegram. No surprise, given the importance of their reports on Russian operations in Ukraine. I don't know whether there is a workaround to access their reports.
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