Russia-Ukraine War - News and Developments

[ghazi52]

Countries tell nationals to leave over Russia threat​

BBC

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS
Foreign powers have ramped up their warnings over a Russian invasion

A host of countries have urged their nationals to leave Ukraine, amid growing warnings of a Russian invasion.

The British foreign office said all UK nationals "should leave now while commercial means are still available".

Nato leaders have held a meeting, after which Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc stood "united & prepared for any scenario".

Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the border.

But it has just begun massive military drills with neighbouring Belarus, and Ukraine has accused Russia of blocking its access to the sea.

The Kremlin says it wants to enforce "red lines" to make sure that its former Soviet neighbour does not join Nato.

Among those countries calling on its citizens to leave are the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea. In its warning Latvia cited "a serious threat to security posed by Russia".

The US has also told its citizens to leave, with President Biden saying that he would not send any troops to rescue any citizens left stranded in the event of Russian action.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said new Russian forces had arrived at the border.
"We're in a window when an invasion could begin at any time, and to be clear, that includes during the Olympics," he said. The Winter Olympics ends on 20 February.

Diplomatic efforts are under way to defuse the current crisis Ukraine.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned his counterpart in Moscow that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have "tragic consequences" for both countries. But Sergei Shogiu said growing military tensions in Europe were "not our fault".

The current tensions come eight years after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula. Since then, Ukraine's military has been locked in a war with Russian-backed rebels in eastern areas near Russia's borders.

Moscow says it cannot accept that Ukraine - a former Soviet republic with deep social and cultural ties with Russia - could one day join the Western defence alliance Nato and has demanded that this be ruled out.

Russia has been backing a bloody armed rebellion in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region since 2014. Some 14,000 people - including many civilians - have died in fighting since then.

There is some suggestion that a renewed focus on the so-called Minsk agreements - which sought to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine - could be used as a basis to defuse the current crisis.
Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany backed the accords in 2014-2015.

 

[WinterFangs]

Shares of US arms companies reached record prices in the stock market.

The value of gold against the US dollar increasing rapidly.

Oil is pushing $100 now

Markets began to price the Ukraine war.


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drumrolls

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492218839580352512

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492186793785053185

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492214338211528704

https://twitter.com/x/status/1492216144987660291

War is brewing, won’t be surprised if something major happens within the next few days.

 

[vizier]

The psychology is that war is about to happen but currently what is the casus belli for Russia to attack. What would Putin say as the ceasefire is still ongoing. Would Putin say we need some action and get some victories to distract the people from bad economy for example? Even Nazis invaded Poland with some fake excuse like some cross border violations. If the danger zone was Crimea he could claim some pretext but Donbass is not recognized by Russia as its own land.
The danger is as the situation gets tense Ukraine would be provoked to pull the guns first and starts attacking Donbass first. This will give Putin the casus belli. Ukraine will start wargames soon and there is this possibility. As the forces are stationed close to Donbass there can even be a false flag there to create the war excuse. So it would be better for Ukraine wargames to be somewhat distant from the Donbass area or carefully monitored.
Also a new peace and reconstruction-reintegration plan for Donbass offered by Ukraine would tremendously cool down the situation.

 

[ghazi52]

Biden urges American citizens to leave Ukraine now
​

Anadolu​

February 11, 2022

US President Joe Biden has warned American citizens in Ukraine to leave amid fears over potential aggression by Russia.

"American citizens should leave now," Biden told NBC News anchor Lester Holt in an interview partly aired on Thursday.

"It’s not like we’re dealing with a terrorist organization. We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly," he said.

Biden also said he would not send troops to get Americans out of Ukraine.

"That's a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another," he said.

Russia recently amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its former Soviet neighbor.

Moscow has denied that it is preparing to invade and said its troops are there for exercises.

The Kremlin also issued a list of security demands from the West, including a rolling back of troop deployments to some ex-Soviet states and guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia will not join NATO.

 

[dBSPL]

President of Ukraine Zelensky is holding an urgent meeting with the Security Council.

In Kiev, the plan for the evacuation of the civilian population was approved. A sweeping wave of invasions directly targeting the capital is expected.

There is a very tense wait on the hot front. But there is no conflict yet.

 

[ghazi52]

US and Polish officials scouting border control sites to assist Americans leaving Ukraine, officials say​

From CNN's Barbara Starr

US and Polish officials are scouting where to establish border control points to assist Americans coming out of Ukraine, according to two defense officials.

Multiple sites have been identified along the border with Ukraine. The officials would not yet say the exact locations.

One is expected to be an already existing Polish facility, while others are being built. The officials said the sites would offer temporary shelter and other amenities, as well as State Department services for Americans in transit.

Troops of the 82nd Airborne in eastern Poland are expected to be handling much of the effort.

A senior defense official told CNN Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered 3,000 more soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to deploy to Poland, joining the 1,700 already there. The soldiers are there to help Americans who may try to leave Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters earlier this month that 82nd Airborne troops were sent to Poland primarily because "they are multi-mission capable."

 

[BHAN85]

Explosion in eastern Ukraine – reports

Unverified reports on social media say a loud “explosion” was heard in eastern Ukraine on Saturday

www.rt.com

 

[dBSPL]

Anyone who has ever looked into the eyes of our soldiers knows for sure that the aggressor will not take Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv or any other city’ - a joint statement of Minister of Defence of Ukraine and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces​

“The army and volunteers managed to stand in 2014, when the ‘brother’ brazenly stabbed in the back. At that time, many people were not psychologically ready to resist those with whom they sat at the same table yesterday. Now the situation is completely different. The Kremlin is well aware of this, and it is an important deterrent. Today we have the most powerful army in Ukraine for the last 15 years and the most powerful army in Europe, our army is led by combat generals and officers. Ilovaisk, Debaltsevo left scars on its heart, but hardened its will. The heroic defence of Donetsk and Luhansk airports, the daily defence of dozens of settlements — from Stanytsia Luhanska to Shyrokyne — made the fighting spirit unbreakable. Anyone who has looked our soldiers in the eyes at least once is convinced that there will be no repeat of 2014, that the aggressor will not take Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, or any other city. Do not doubt, the Armed Forces are absolutely ready to fight back and will not give up the Ukrainian lands!” stressed Minister of Defence of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov.

“420,000 Ukrainian soldiers and every without exception commander have already looked in the eyes of death. Commanders of the Forces, commanders of brigades, battalions and companies are specialists in their field and patriots of their state. We will not give away a single piece of Ukrainian land!” added Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

The Minister of Defence, in turn, added that this is not the first time in the last six months that “announcements” of a large-scale Russian invasion were made, and they should be seen as an additional way to break the enemy’s plans.

Oleksii Reznikov also noted that today Ukraine has unprecedented support from international partners — the largest one since Independence. In particular, this is manifested in the supply of defence weapons, which has increased the capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to repel the aggressor. During the month, almost 2,000 tons of modern weapons, ammunition and body armour were received from various countries. Our soldiers have already been trained and are ready to use the whole arsenal of tools.

The Minister of Defence stressed that the situation is controlled by Ukrainian intelligence, the army and diplomats.

Ukraine coordinates its actions with the world’s leading states 24/7. Such a union of leading democracies has not existed for decades.

Many countries are now truly comprehending the threat by the Russia’s actions and are emotionally go through it. Ukraine went through this 8 years ago.

“No one can look into the heads of Kremlin leaders and say for sure what exactly the actions could be taken. But we calculate absolutely all development scenarios and are ready for them. Today, many statements are being made, and Moscow is even saying that Ukraine is planning to attack Russia. This is absurd. We are not going to attack anyone, but we are doing everything to strengthen the defence and eliminate the possibility of escalation. We plan to follow the political-diplomatic path. I will tell you more, it is through diplomacy and peace that both Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea and Sevastopol will return home! It is through this path that we now have incredible political and military technical aid from our partners, and it is through this path that the Kremlin has lifted its brazen blockade of Azov. Based on this path, we will seek to unblock the waters of the Black Sea. The powerful army that we are building up every day, the Territorial Defence Forces, are our important diplomatic arguments,” the Minister of Defenсe of Ukraine added.

“I assure that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready to fight back. We conduct and will conduct training. Already the active phase of the command-staff exercises ‘Snowstorm-2022’ is being carried out throughout our country. We are constantly improving our defence capabilities, coherence of units and military skills. We have created combat formations and managed to deploy the Territorial Defence Forces in a short time and arm them with ATGMs and MANPADS. We have strengthened the defence of Kyiv. We went through the war and received proper training. Therefore, they are ready to meet enemies not with flowers, but with Stingers, Javelins and NLAW. Welcome to hell!” said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

“What to do now? Keep calm, support the Armed Forces and diplomats. Calmness is now the main weapon that can provide us with a solid foundation for defence. To continue a normal life, to work is to ensure normal economic activity, and hence the ability of the Armed Forces to defend the country as much as necessary. Keep calm and do whatever you have to do, so that we all become stronger together”, Oleksii Reznikov summed up.

https://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2022/02/12/%E2%80%98anyone-who-has-ever-looked-into-the-eyes-of-our-soldiers-knows-for-sure-that-the-aggressor-will-not-take-kyiv-odesa-kharkiv-or-any-other-city-a-joint-statement-of-minister-of-defence-of-ukraine-and-commander-in-chief-of-the-armed-forces/

 

[Iñigo]

Ukraine is a conglomerate, a sum of pieces, its borders having been drawn by Lenin in 1922, Stalin in 1939 and 1945, and Khrushchev in 1954. One part is Poland, another part is Russia and another part is Ukraine, "the border", proper.

There are millions of Russian-Ukrainians in Ukraine.

If Ukrainian fanatics attack Russian-Ukrainians again, what should the Russian army do in your opinion ?

 

[ghazi52]

Ukraine has called for a meeting with Russia and other members of a key European security group over the escalating tensions on its border.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia had ignored formal requests to explain the build-up of troops.

He said the "next step" was requesting a meeting within the next 48 hours for "transparency" about Russia's plans.

Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite the build-up of some 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine's borders.

Mr Kuleba said Ukraine had, on Friday, demanded answers from Russia under the rules of the Vienna Document, an agreement about security issues adopted by the members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes Russia.

"If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfil its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all," he said.

 

[FuturePAF]

Russian airborne troops in helicopters on their way to the front? (escorted by Ka-52?)

And then there’s this:

 

[vizier]

Ukraine can consider joining an emerging European security pact Eu army instead of Nato for its security needs. I doubt Putin would say anything about it. Russia's problem is with Nato and its nuclear umbrella encircling Russia. But status of Crimea should be negotiated and come to terms for both sides for evading a possible future conflict to join a security pact.

 

[Iñigo]

...

Crimea is Russia before California was USA

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Status of California, Texas, Nevada should be negotiated with México

Mexican–American War - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[SuvarnaTeja]

The war that US , UK and NATO have been predicting is about to start in the next few hours on 21st Feb, 2022.

You may ask why this date?

No this is not when Beijing Olympics are closing as leaders of the Ukraine and NATO wants you to believe.

This is the date when Munich Security Conference 2022 ends where Ukraine and NATO has formally agreed to the plan of invading Russia.

 

[SIPRA]

Title of the thread implies, as if war has started.