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Russian soldiers sent Olga Novikova, founder/director of Mariupol film festival video with her captured son demanding to pay 5000 Euro ransom for his life. If not they promised to send video of his execution. links in comments. pic.twitter.com/VBtauH45IZ
Two charming little actresses, Elizabeth and Sonya, of the city theatre of Mariupol. They both performed the role of Lucy in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 12:01 - Aug 11 by Kievthegreat
Bet Airbus, Boeing, RR, GE, etc... are getting nervous that one of these planes falls out the sky because they weren't maintained properly. Tonnes of reputational damage if theylir plane falls out of the sky still, even if it's dodgy maintenance.
The only way I can see that happening is if the investigators aren’t allowed the access they need to prove dodgy maintenance.
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 15:16 - Aug 12 with 6235 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:36 - Aug 12 by Trequartista
Putin considers Crimea as part of Russia now so I think this is going to make Russia escalate. I fear they may now blow up that nuclear power plant.
[Post edited 12 Aug 2022 11:37]
A bit like when the Russians had to give up Snake island, they bombed Odesa, so there will be some attempt at reprisals but not a lot more they can do now. The increased shelling around the Zaporizhzhia plant is the current reprisal.
New blasts at a Russian-occupied nuclear plant prompt calls for an end to attacks there.
Rafael M. Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, on Thursday addressed a meeting of the U.N. Security Council focused on the attacks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex in Ukraine. Credit...Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of responsibility for shelling on Thursday at an enormous Russian-occupied nuclear power complex on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, as global leaders expressed growing concern for the complex’s security and repeated calls for international experts to visit the facility.
The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, said on Thursday that he was “gravely concerned” about increasing hostilities in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex, Europe’s largest, which Russian forces seized in March, soon after launching their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February.
“Over the past several days, there have been reports of further deeply worrying incidents that could, if they continue, lead to disaster,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement. “I am calling on the military forces of the Russian Federation and Ukraine to immediately cease all military activities in the immediate vicinity of the plant and not to target its facilities or surroundings.”
A single errant shell could be disastrous, but amid the combat and conflicting claims, it has been hard for independent monitors to judge what is happening.
On Thursday afternoon, at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council devoted to the crisis at the complex, Rafael M. Grossi, the secretary general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, referred to the situation as “a grave hour.”
“Military actions that have even the smallest potential to jeopardize nuclear safety or nuclear security at such a nuclear installation must stop immediately,” Mr. Grossi said. “These actions could lead us to serious consequences.”
Russia and Ukraine have point fingers at one another repeatedly over attacks at the nuclear complex in recent days, each seeking to portray the other as guilty of nuclear terrorism. They did so again on Thursday, issuing contradictory claims that could not be immediately verified, even as smoke rose from the vicinity of the complex.
Both sides, however, stressed that the plant was in operation and secure. The plant is in territory held by Russian forces but is still being operated by Ukrainian civilians.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian state nuclear company, blamed Russian forces for bombardments that it said had targeted a welding area and storage area for “radiation sources.” The company said that an area around a fire department near the power plant was also shelled, causing a grass fire but no injuries.
“The situation at the station is currently under control,” the statement from Energoatom said.
The Russian state news agency Tass portrayed the blasts on Thursday as one in a series of recent attacks launched by Ukraine. It quoted a local official in the occupation’s administration, Yevgeny Balitsky, accusing Ukraine of trying to hit a waste storage facility to “create a kind of ‘dirty bomb’ in our territory.” The agency reported that Russian air defense systems had repelled Ukrainian attacks on the plant and the nearby city of Enerhodar “with drone strikes and heavy artillery.” Another official in the regional administration, Vladimir Rogov, told the agency the plant was operating and there was “no radiation danger.” Ukrainian officials say that Russian forces have launched missiles from inside the grounds of the vast plant and targeted the city of Nikopol on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, knowing that Ukrainian forces cannot return fire without risking hitting a reactor. At least 13 people were killed in shelling on Wednesday in the Nikopol district, local officials said.
Days earlier, shellfire damaged a dry fuel storage area at the nuclear complex, an attack that Ukraine and Russia blamed each other for.
That episode prompted the United Nations’ atomic energy agency to redouble its appeals for an expert mission to be allowed to inspect the site. Russia has expressed support for such a visit, but Ukraine’s government has not officially endorsed it, possibly out of concern that it could somehow legitimize Russia’s occupation of the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest.
On Wednesday, foreign ministers from the Group of 7 major industrialized nations issued a statement from their meeting in Germany to demand that Russia withdraw its forces from Ukraine and immediately return control of the nuclear complex to Ukraine.
The statement blamed Russia’s military actions around the plant for “significantly raising the risk of a nuclear accident or incident,” endangering the entire region.
On Thursday, a State Department spokesman said the United States supported a demilitarized zone around the nuclear plant and called on Russia to cease military operations on its grounds or nearby.
– Shashank Bengali
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 16:16 - Aug 12 with 6220 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:36 - Aug 12 by Trequartista
Putin considers Crimea as part of Russia now so I think this is going to make Russia escalate. I fear they may now blow up that nuclear power plant.
[Post edited 12 Aug 2022 11:37]
If the Russians are desperate/stupid enough to do this it is only more evidence that they need dealing with as soon as possible. To deliberately blow up a nuclear power station is little different from choosing to fire a nuclear missile really, is it?
The West needs to think quickly about how it would respond to this.
However, I don't think Putin/Russia are desperate enough to do this yet. If they are, it must mean they are virtually out of other options.
I suspect the 50% of Germans that favour territory concessions to end the war (surrender in other words) is reflected in most western countries and will only rise.
Poor Ukrainian people. They didn’t ask for this. All they wanted was the right to exist. Clearly that’s a step or demand too far for many.
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 12:49 - Aug 16 with 5987 views
I suspect the 50% of Germans that favour territory concessions to end the war (surrender in other words) is reflected in most western countries and will only rise.
Poor Ukrainian people. They didn’t ask for this. All they wanted was the right to exist. Clearly that’s a step or demand too far for many.
As the topic of Ukranian Nazi's came up in the Mick Lynch thread I thought it fair to point out the fondness for all things Nazi in Russia. This also ties in with the plethora of private or volunteer armies in the conflict.
When the war begun in 2014 a lot of militias were formed in the so called "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk. Here are some of them. (2/24) pic.twitter.com/SSiSDP3SoA
Rusich (РуÑич) Battalion which uses the imperial flag along with the Kolovrat, was founded by Alexey Milchakov, (second photo). They are associated with Wagner mercenaries. (4/24) pic.twitter.com/efWRCY4GQj
Russian National Unity (РуÑÑкое Ðациональное ЕдинÑтво). The organization was founded by Alexander Barshakov. (10/24) pic.twitter.com/RjxKr6kFbd
Other Russia (Ð”Ñ€ÑƒÐ³Ð°Ñ Ð Ð¾ÑÑиÑ), National Bolshevik Party until 2010. They have been since 2014 in Donetsk. (14/24) pic.twitter.com/ZixXaeYpcX
Russian Imperial Movement (РуÑÑкое имперÑкое движение). We can see a lot of imperial flags, even in the regular Russian army. (18/24) pic.twitter.com/i27mgHtlyR
The organization formed a paramilitary branch, Imperial Legion (ИмперÑкий Легіон). The organisation has also been linked to Atomwaffen Division, an international Neo-Nazi network. (21/24) pic.twitter.com/8m54DOIQbX
We can also see Communist Party of the Russian Federation (КПРФ by its acronym in russian) flags in imperialist marches (Russian March), 1st pic. Also the usage of Soviet iconography, 2nd pic. (23/24) pic.twitter.com/Ng7SRhR8VD
There is a lot more, but it's important to understand that the retoric of denazification is a pure stupidity and Putin doesn't have the legitimacy to talk about it. Last photo —for now—, the idea of Ukraine by Imperial Legion. (24/24) pic.twitter.com/H9FqeRTTxD
The moment you realize an openly Nazi political party merged into one of Russia's biggest political parties.. if you're friends with Nazis... you're a Nazi pic.twitter.com/jBYmalxkhF
— LowerCascadianbridgetroll (@541LCBT) June 13, 2022
To clarify, for Ukrainians abducted into Russian army, it's essentially a death sentence. Structure of these Russian military units is such that Ukrainians are front line. Wagner and Chechens at the rear assure there are no deserters, shooting anyone trying to flee.
The Ukrainians abducted into Russian army are lightly armed and serve the purpose of absorbing the ammo of Ukrainian Armed Forces, then Wagner, Chechens and Russian Army move in.
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 18:02 - Aug 17 by Eireannach_gorm
Piper must be paid it seems.
To clarify, for Ukrainians abducted into Russian army, it's essentially a death sentence. Structure of these Russian military units is such that Ukrainians are front line. Wagner and Chechens at the rear assure there are no deserters, shooting anyone trying to flee.
The Ukrainians abducted into Russian army are lightly armed and serve the purpose of absorbing the ammo of Ukrainian Armed Forces, then Wagner, Chechens and Russian Army move in.
Meanwhile the Russians in Crimea decide to go on holidays.
If these were Ukrainian refugees instead of Russians, the Russian Forces would hit them with a ballistic missile. Because that's exactly what happend at Kramatorsk railway station on 8 April 2022: 60 Ukrainian refugees were murdered and over 100 maimed by Russian missile strike. https://t.co/RZiWdgWcBZ
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 18:02 - Aug 17 by Eireannach_gorm
Piper must be paid it seems.
To clarify, for Ukrainians abducted into Russian army, it's essentially a death sentence. Structure of these Russian military units is such that Ukrainians are front line. Wagner and Chechens at the rear assure there are no deserters, shooting anyone trying to flee.
The Ukrainians abducted into Russian army are lightly armed and serve the purpose of absorbing the ammo of Ukrainian Armed Forces, then Wagner, Chechens and Russian Army move in.
Presumably most Ukrainians armed in that situation would turn round and shoot as many Russians as possible wouldn't they? Or are they unarmed and simply used as a human shield?
I don’t happen to agree with it. All sins will be forgiven as fast as the gas taps can be switched on and the U.K. politicians can refill their rouble bags. However it’s thought provoking. One paragraph:
‘There is a long history of Russian leaders using rape, murder and looting as weapons of war to terrorize and subdue civilian populations. Anyone doubting the facts should read William Shirer’s chilling history ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich’, and Antony Beevor’s The Fall of Berlin 1945, both of which chronicle the savage depravity inflicted by Soviet troops on the German population and other nationalities as they swept towards Berlin and beyond.’
I’ve read Beevor’s and Shirer’s books and thoroughly recommend them. Beevor’s especially is particularly illuminating.
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 09:59 - Aug 18 with 5615 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:36 - Aug 12 by Trequartista
Putin considers Crimea as part of Russia now so I think this is going to make Russia escalate. I fear they may now blow up that nuclear power plant.
[Post edited 12 Aug 2022 11:37]
That's quite the hot take.
Nobody in history has deliberately blown up a nuclear power plant and nobody ever will (outside terrorist organisations perhaps). It would draw too much condemnation, so much that it would be impossible for the country to recover from.
SB
Avatar - IC410 - Tadpoles Nebula
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:22 - Aug 18 with 5601 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 09:59 - Aug 18 by StokieBlue
That's quite the hot take.
Nobody in history has deliberately blown up a nuclear power plant and nobody ever will (outside terrorist organisations perhaps). It would draw too much condemnation, so much that it would be impossible for the country to recover from.
SB
That said, Putin appears to be somewhat unhinged. I could see a situation where some lunatic did it with the intention to blame the other side. Hopefully never will happen and they should realise that, depending on wind direction, the impact could be far worse for Russia than anywhere else.
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:22 - Aug 18 by Nthsuffolkblue
That said, Putin appears to be somewhat unhinged. I could see a situation where some lunatic did it with the intention to blame the other side. Hopefully never will happen and they should realise that, depending on wind direction, the impact could be far worse for Russia than anywhere else.
He's hugely unhinged but I don't think any generals would follow the order to deliberately blow up a nuclear plant. There is just no upside to it whatsoever.
Article 56 of the Geneva Convention prohibits the deliberate attack of nuclear power stations. Whilst Russia might be not adhering to the convention with regards to prisoners it's much harder to hide and deny the blowing up of a nuclear power plant.
Just can't see it ever happening outside a terrorist attack.
SB
Avatar - IC410 - Tadpoles Nebula
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:50 - Aug 18 with 5559 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:29 - Aug 18 by StokieBlue
He's hugely unhinged but I don't think any generals would follow the order to deliberately blow up a nuclear plant. There is just no upside to it whatsoever.
Article 56 of the Geneva Convention prohibits the deliberate attack of nuclear power stations. Whilst Russia might be not adhering to the convention with regards to prisoners it's much harder to hide and deny the blowing up of a nuclear power plant.
Just can't see it ever happening outside a terrorist attack.
SB
Different to what you're discussing, but the biggest danger appears to be accidental or 'pushing it' damage related to the wider battles there. It can't be right that it appears to be serving as a military base Where do I buy iodine?!
Has anyone ever looked at their own postings for last day or so? Oh my... so sorry. Was Ullaa
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:50 - Aug 18 by giant_stow
Different to what you're discussing, but the biggest danger appears to be accidental or 'pushing it' damage related to the wider battles there. It can't be right that it appears to be serving as a military base Where do I buy iodine?!
It’s mad that it’s being used as a military base, but Putin is pushing and pushing hard. In Feb he threatened nuclear Armageddon and he saw the west shrink in horror and drop to its knees in fear. He won the day on that argument. He knows now that the west won’t under any circumstances use nuclear weapons while Biden is there. It’s why their state tv talks about things like wiping out the U.K. and why he is playing fast and loose with nuclear plants.
Had a no fly zone been imposed and Putin told to ‘try it if you think you’re hard enough’ (JFK approach) the day before invasion, he’d have backed off. Why? Because he’s a coward afraid for his own life. He wouldn’t have dared, even assuming his generals were up for it - which I doubt they are. They’re not that stupid.
Threat, bluff, intimidation, murder, theft, rape, torture, misery are all currencies of high value for Putin. It’s cements his position as the worlds strong man. Suicide doesn’t fit with that.
The west has done this ‘keep the patient just alive’ policy with Ukraine in the hope it’ll weaken Russia. It’s done it through fear and self interest and it’s fundamentally flawed. Putin is playing for time, the long game, not least because he knows the important countries are fractured and can’t wait to get back to normal with Russia.
He won’t stop, but I doubt he will use nuclear by design and while an accident is possible where the Russians are using nuclear plants as bases, it’s unlikely that Ukraine will risk an attack on them. Putin has made only one misjudgement in my view. The strength of his own military and that’s redeemable over time.
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:33 - Aug 18 with 5534 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 10:50 - Aug 18 by giant_stow
Different to what you're discussing, but the biggest danger appears to be accidental or 'pushing it' damage related to the wider battles there. It can't be right that it appears to be serving as a military base Where do I buy iodine?!
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:21 - Aug 18 by Churchman
It’s mad that it’s being used as a military base, but Putin is pushing and pushing hard. In Feb he threatened nuclear Armageddon and he saw the west shrink in horror and drop to its knees in fear. He won the day on that argument. He knows now that the west won’t under any circumstances use nuclear weapons while Biden is there. It’s why their state tv talks about things like wiping out the U.K. and why he is playing fast and loose with nuclear plants.
Had a no fly zone been imposed and Putin told to ‘try it if you think you’re hard enough’ (JFK approach) the day before invasion, he’d have backed off. Why? Because he’s a coward afraid for his own life. He wouldn’t have dared, even assuming his generals were up for it - which I doubt they are. They’re not that stupid.
Threat, bluff, intimidation, murder, theft, rape, torture, misery are all currencies of high value for Putin. It’s cements his position as the worlds strong man. Suicide doesn’t fit with that.
The west has done this ‘keep the patient just alive’ policy with Ukraine in the hope it’ll weaken Russia. It’s done it through fear and self interest and it’s fundamentally flawed. Putin is playing for time, the long game, not least because he knows the important countries are fractured and can’t wait to get back to normal with Russia.
He won’t stop, but I doubt he will use nuclear by design and while an accident is possible where the Russians are using nuclear plants as bases, it’s unlikely that Ukraine will risk an attack on them. Putin has made only one misjudgement in my view. The strength of his own military and that’s redeemable over time.
Hitler committed suicide didn't he? And if Putin is terminally ill, I am not sure he is beyond doing ridiculously stupid things. We are relying on his generals not following the orders (which must be a distinct possibility at some stage).
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 15:30 - Aug 18 by Nthsuffolkblue
Hitler committed suicide didn't he? And if Putin is terminally ill, I am not sure he is beyond doing ridiculously stupid things. We are relying on his generals not following the orders (which must be a distinct possibility at some stage).
Hitler could hear the guns and shell bursts from his hole in the ground. There was no alternative other than kicking his life out at the end of a rope and he knew it once the final delusions were crushed.
Putin has lots of alternatives and faces no physical threat, no danger. He is the safest man on the planet with the security he employs and his systemic, efficient eradication of possible enemies. He is also a very fit 70 year old who enjoys ice hockey.
His behaviour screams paranoid coward to me. All bullies have fear in them. It’s what makes them what they are. Putin ticks that box. The only danger is the west’s weakness sending wrong messages.
[Post edited 18 Aug 2022 16:09]
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The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 20:38 - Aug 18 with 5348 views
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 09:59 - Aug 18 by StokieBlue
That's quite the hot take.
Nobody in history has deliberately blown up a nuclear power plant and nobody ever will (outside terrorist organisations perhaps). It would draw too much condemnation, so much that it would be impossible for the country to recover from.
The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 20:48 - Aug 18 by StokieBlue
"Minor provocation" is miles away from "blowing up a nuclear power plant". You've gone a bit CIL over the last year or so.
Let's see if it happens, I am suspecting it won't.
As I said, there is no upside at all for either party.
SB
I don’t think it’ll happen for the reasons you give. However, the fear the threat of this gives is meat and drink to Putin and may help force the west to abandon Ukraine sooner rather than later.
If Russia does blow up the plant, I gather the consequences are less than Chernobyl and Fukushima. 100s of 1000s irradiated to a greater or lesser extent in Ukraine and Europe or Russia if Putin gets the weather forecast wrong. Does Putin give a hoot about human cost? Nope. But what’s the purpose in reclaiming land you think is yours if you make is unusable for 1000s of years? It’s mad.
I notice that they are violating Finnish airspace with MIG31s wit( hypersonic missiles and upping the anti on its possible next meal, the Baltic states.
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