War Invasion of Ukraine News Megathread - Thread is only for articles and discussion of articles, general discussion thread is still in Happenings.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that the United States will impose sanctions “far beyond” the ones that the United States imposed in 2014 following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Biden said in a White House speech, signaling a shift in his administration’s position. “We will continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates,” he added.

Russian elites and their family members will also soon face sanctions, Biden said, adding that “Russia will pay an even steeper price” if Moscow decides to push forward into Ukraine. Two Russian banks and Russian sovereign debt will also be sanctioned, he said.

Also in his speech, Biden said he would send more U.S. troops to the Baltic states as a defensive measure to strengthen NATO’s position in the area.

Russia shares a border with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to go into the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine after a lengthy speech in which he recognized the two regions’ independence.

Western powers decried the move and began to slap sanctions on certain Russian individuals, while Germany announced it would halt plans to go ahead with the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

At home, Biden is facing bipartisan pressure to take more extensive actions against Russia following Putin’s decision. However, a recent poll showed that a majority of Americans believe that sending troops to Ukraine is a “bad idea,” and a slim minority believes it’s a good one.

All 27 European Union countries unanimously agreed on an initial list of sanctions targeting Russian authorities, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and EU foreign affairs head Josep Borell claimed the package “will hurt Russia … a lot.”

Earlier Tuesday, Borell asserted that Russian troops have already entered the Donbas region, which comprises Donetsk and Lugansk, which are under the control of pro-Russia groups since 2014.

And on Tuesday, the Russian Parliament approved a Putin-back plan to use military force outside of Russia’s borders as Putin further said that Russia confirmed it would recognize the expanded borders of Lugansk and Donetsk.

“We recognized the states,” the Russian president said. “That means we recognized all of their fundamental documents, including the constitution, where it is written that their [borders] are the territories at the time the two regions were part of Ukraine.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Putin said that Ukraine is “not interested in peaceful solutions” and that “every day, they are amassing troops in the Donbas.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday morning again downplayed the prospect of a Russian invasion and proclaimed: “There will be no war.”

“There will not be an all-out war against Ukraine, and there will not be a broad escalation from Russia. If there is, then we will put Ukraine on a war footing,” he said in a televised address.

The White House began to signal that they would shift their own position on whether it’s the start of an invasion.

“We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,” said Jon Finer, the White House deputy national security adviser in public remarks. “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is underway.”

For weeks, Western governments have been claiming Moscow would invade its neighbor after Russia gathered some 150,000 troops along the countries’ borders. They alleged that the Kremlin would attempt to come up with a pretext to attack, while some officials on Monday said Putin’s speech recognizing the two regions was just that.

But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Tuesday that Russia’s “latest invasion” of Ukraine is threatening stability in the region, but he asserted that Putin can “still avoid a full blown, tragic war of choice.”

Article

 

[Dyn]

I dont have parents so cant really relate.

@Dyn is that true?

Leave me out of this seething garbage thread for retards.

 

[Potatoherder]

This dog has in final stage of rabies. NATO in few weeks will have no other option than use force, if the dog will not go away and die in silence.

Any American deaths with light the powder keg that is the US on fire. Without the US NATO is a wet bag. Maybe they should have actually been paying their bills like Trump wanted.

 

[Elämällä on väliä]

https://t.me/u_now/23733 not sure whati it is. It is desrcibed as a detonation near Kurs, Russia in temporary ammo depot.

Any American deaths with light the powder keg that is the US on fire.

Ya, sure. In worst case it will be jut a new 1969 in USA.

Without the US NATO is a wet bag.

The enemy is Russia. In land operations probably european members of NATO will be enough.

 

[Potatoherder]

Ya, sure. In worst case it will be jut a new 1969 in USA.

I don't want another 1969 especially for a backwards country whose only use is to allow politicians to use their children to funnel bribes. The US has no reason to be involved with european wars.

 

[Oats12345]

Good God why is that one user suggesting world War 3 should indeed happen?

 

[Useful_Mistake]

It's a war crime to attack a nuclear power plant, says US Embassy in Ukraine​

The United States Embassy in Ukraine has said that attacking a nuclear power plant constitutes a war crime.

As Russian forces continue their onslaught on key Ukrainian cities, the country's biggest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, came under attack Friday. A blaze there initially sparked fears of a potential accident, but the fire has since extinguished. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said the reactors at the plant are safe and no radioactive material was released.

Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine

archived 4 Mar 2022 12:13:59 UTC

archive.ph

The Ukrainian nuclear operator says management at the seized plant is "working at gunpoint"​

Management at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar is now working at gunpoint, the company that runs the station said.
Petro Kotin, the head of the state-owned nuclear power generator Energoatom, said on Telegram that Russian forces "entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant."
The station management works at invaders' gunpoint," he said.
Kotin said staff were "were admitted in the morning to perform their duties." He said the company does not have "a direct connection to the station" and is getting information from sources there.
Status of the reactors: Kotin said the six reactors at the plant have fuel in each of them, while pre-reactor pools are storing spent nuclear fuel, the irradiated byproduct of the reactors.
Kotin said that if the nuclear facilities were hit by shelling, it "will lead to nuclear disaster."

(4) The Ukrainian nuclear operator says management at the seized plan…

archived 4 Mar 2022 12:16:22 UTC

archive.ph

 

[Elämällä on väliä]

Good God why is that one user suggesting world War 3 should indeed happen?

Because with every day we are more and more on that way. In few weeks, if Russia will not retreat only two accesible timelines will be:

1/ economic fall of Russia and its own implosion
2/ war NATO-Russia. Maybye proxy war on Ukraine with "strange" terrorists attacks in Russia, maybye WW3.

No other options. European powers will not belive Putin in anything, so acceptance of war in Ukraina adn returning to trade as usual aren't on table.

The US has no reason to be involved with european wars.

I they don't want to face China+ resources of Russia with Europe bussy with "something" but they wish only to trade fight with China their have any options that follow EU.

 

[What the shit]

Leave me out of this seething garbage thread for retards.

You're confusing this thread with the other insufferable spergs of the Ukraine thread.

 

[Mr E. Grifter]

The enemy is Russia. In land operations probably european members of NATO will be enough.

Let's be real here, Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the UK in total have about 400k regular soldiers alone.

You start adding in smaller nations, maybe bump that by another 300k.

Also, Turkey is a NATO member, their regular army is 350k alone.

So straight away the European NATO members would outnumber the Russians on the ground, and most NATO countries have far better troop quality than Russia.

That's just on land, in the air and at sea Russia would be completely overmatched. Maybe their subs could do some damage, but not for very long as they're systematically hunted out of existence and denied their ability to dock.

Adding the US into the conflict just makes the thing even more lopsided. Realistically though, NATO would seek to push the invader out then try and settle a peace rather than escalate and risk nuclear interventions.

 

[Product Placement]

Because with every day we are more and more on that way. In few weeks, if Russia will not retreat only two accesible timelines will be:

1/ economic fall of Russia and its own implosion
2/ war NATO-Russia. Maybye proxy war on Ukraine with "strange" terrorists attacks in Russia, maybye WW3.

No other options. European powers will not belive Putin in anything, so acceptance of war in Ukraina adn returning to trade as usual aren't on table.


I they don't want to face China+ resources of Russia with Europe bussy with "something" but they wish only to trade fight with China their have any options that follow EU.

bbc had a good article on on this, they gave 5 ways it could end.

Short war​

Under this scenario, Russia escalates its military operations. There are more indiscriminate artillery and rocket strikes across Ukraine. The Russian air force - which has played a low-key role so far - launches devastating airstrikes. Massive cyber-attacks sweep across Ukraine, targeting key national infrastructure. Energy supplies and communications networks are cut off. Thousands of civilians die. Despite brave resistance, Kyiv falls within days. The government is replaced with a pro-Moscow puppet regime. President Zelensky is either assassinated or flees, to western Ukraine or even overseas, to set up a government in exile. President Putin declares victory and withdraws some forces, leaving enough behind to maintain some control. Thousands of refugees continue to flee west. Ukraine joins Belarus as a client state of Moscow.

This outcome is by no means impossible but would depend on several factors changing: Russian forces performing better, more of those forces being deployed, and Ukraine's extraordinary fighting spirit fading. Mr Putin might achieve regime change in Kyiv and the end of Ukraine's western integration. But any pro-Russian government would be illegitimate and vulnerable to insurgency. Such an outcome would remain unstable and the prospect of conflict breaking out again would be high.

Long war​

Perhaps more likely is that this develops into a protracted war. Maybe Russian forces get bogged down, hampered by low morale, poor logistics and inept leadership. Maybe it takes longer for Russian forces to secure cities like Kyiv whose defenders fight from street to street. A long siege ensues. The fighting has echoes of Russia's long and brutal struggle in the 1990s to seize and largely destroy Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

And even once Russian forces have achieved some presence in Ukraine's cities, perhaps they struggle to maintain control. Maybe Russia cannot provide enough troops to cover such a vast country. Ukraine's defensive forces transform into an effective insurgency, well-motivated and supported by local populations. The West continues to provide weapons and ammunition. And then, perhaps after many years, with maybe new leadership in Moscow, Russian forces eventually leave Ukraine, bowed and bloodied, just as their predecessors left Afghanistan in 1989 after a decade fighting Islamist insurgents.

European war​

Might it be possible this war could spill outside Ukraine's borders? President Putin could seek to regain more parts of Russia's former empire by sending troops into ex-Soviet republics like Moldova and Georgia, that are not part of Nato. Or there could just be miscalculation and escalation. Mr Putin could declare Western arms supplies to Ukrainian forces are an act of aggression that warrant retaliation. He could threaten to send troops into the Baltic states - which are members of Nato - such as Lithuania, to establish a land corridor with the Russian coastal exclave of Kaliningrad.


This would be hugely dangerous and risk war with Nato. Under Article 5 of the military alliance's charter, an attack on one member is an attack on all. But Mr Putin might take the risk if he felt it was the only way of saving his leadership. If he was, perhaps, facing defeat in Ukraine, he might be tempted to escalate further. We now know the Russian leader is willing to break long-standing international norms. This same logic can be applied to the use of nuclear weapons. This week, Mr Putin put his nuclear forces on a higher level of alert. Most analysts doubt this means their use is likely or imminent. But it was a reminder that Russian doctrine allows for the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield.

Diplomatic solution​

Might there, despite everything, still be a possible diplomatic solution?

"The guns are talking now, but the path of dialogue must always remain open," said UN Secretary General António Guterres. Certainly dialogue continues. President Macron of France has spoken to President Putin on the phone. Diplomats say feelers are being stretched out to Moscow. And, surprisingly, Russian and Ukrainian officials have met for talks on the border with Belarus. They might not have made much progress. But, by agreeing to the talks, Putin seems to at least have accepted the possibility of a negotiated ceasefire.

The key question is whether the West can offer what diplomats refer to as an "off ramp", an American term for an exit off a major highway. Diplomats say it is important the Russian leader knows what it would take for Western sanctions to lift so a face-saving deal is at least possible.

Consider this scenario. The war goes badly for Russia. Sanctions begin to unsettle Moscow. Opposition grows as body bags return home. Mr Putin wonders if he has bitten off more than he can chew. He judges that continuing the war may be a greater threat to his leadership than the humiliation of ending it. China intervenes, putting pressure on Moscow to compromise, warning that it will not buy Russian oil and gas unless it de-escalates. So Mr Putin starts to look for a way out. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities see the continuing destruction of their country and conclude that political compromise might be better than such devastating loss of life. So diplomats engage and a deal is done. Ukraine, say, accepts Russian sovereignty over Crimea and parts of the Donbas. In turn, Putin accepts Ukrainian independence and its right to deepen ties with Europe. This may not seem likely. But it is not beyond the realms of plausibility that such a scenario could emerge from the wreckage of a bloody conflict.

Putin ousted​

And what of Vladimir Putin himself? When he launched his invasion, he declared: "We are ready for any outcome."

But what if that outcome was him losing power? It might seem unthinkable. Yet the world has changed in recent days and such things are now thought about. Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at Kings College, London, wrote this week: "It is now as likely that there will be regime change in Moscow as in Kyiv."

Why might he say this? Well, perhaps Mr Putin pursues a disastrous war. Thousands of Russian soldiers die. The economic sanctions bite. Mr Putin loses popular support. Perhaps there is the threat of popular revolution. He uses Russia's internal security forces to suppress that opposition. But this turns sour and enough members of Russia's military, political and economic elite turn against him. The West makes clear that if Putin goes and is replaced by a more moderate leader, then Russia will see the lifting of some sanctions and a restoration of normal diplomatic relations. There is a bloody palace coup and Putin is out. Again, this may not seem likely right now. But it may not be implausible if the people who have benefited from Mr Putin no longer believe he can defend their interests.

Conclusion​

These scenarios are not mutually exclusive - some of each could combine to produce different outcomes. But however this conflict plays out, the world has changed. It will not return to the status quo ante. Russia's relationship with the outside world will be different. European attitudes to security will be transformed. And the liberal, international rules-based order might just have rediscovered what it was for in the first place.

Ukraine: How might the war end? Five scenarios

What are some of the possible scenarios that politicians and military planners are examining?

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Ukrainians got themselves a Pantsir

And so, the myth of the invincible Russian army takes another blow to the chin. Really, it's funny to see people like Mr. Obvious state that Russia will inevitably win, and that this convoy is a massive threat, when it seems that this war is shaping up to be more like WW1, and the convoy is just giving Russian toys to the Ukrainians.

Feels a bit natural to be concerned if a nuclear power plant is attacked. Acting like it's some horrible act of dishonesty to panic in such a situation is strange, though I've been seeing that a lot with the Populist Inc people the last few days, I've also seen a number of them taking up this idea that it is essentially "emotional blackmail" to suggest they have sympathy for what Ukraine is dealing with.

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View attachment 3041543
There's also the general idea that it is virtue signaling to be against a European country being invaded.
View attachment 3041553
These kinds of reactions are all a bit strange when we're talking about a country in Europe being invaded. I don't know about Box, but there do seem to be a lot of people acting as though it's some evil attack upon them, maybe depriving them the chance to denounce drag queen story hour, to suggest they give a shit that a country was invaded.

Jeez, this is why I've lost faith in libertarianism. People like these make the whole movement look like assholes, and they can't even be bothered to show sympathy for the Ukrainian people who are literally getting shelled by a foreign power. I thought libertarians were always about supporting the little guy against the big, bad, corrupt government? Ukraine vs. Putin's Russia is the clearest example of that now! You have patriots defending their land against a corrupt mafia state that's sending soldiers to their deaths! These libertarians should be praising and supporting Ukraine and its patriotic people, but instead these idiots pour on the hate. Damn, these people are morons.

Holy fuck, this one is tough. Russian soldier captured by Ukrainians breaks down talking to his parents on the phone.
He tells them he was captured by enemy combatants, and they're absolutely unphased. He says they've spent four days running through swamp, freezing. That their troops are being wiped out. That's it's absolute madness down there. And they don't seem to care whatsoever. He's treated better by enemy forces than his own family.
Well, Ukrainians promised to give them HELL, they're delivering. But it's also a boy who didn't choose military service, it chose him. Like so many others.

With parents like that he's better off staying in Ukraine at this point. Parents would probably prefer monetary compensation Putin promised for their dead son rather than have him back. Fucking orcs.

The $40k+amnesty the ukraines are offering for surrender is such a humanitarian deal and after Russia collapses might save some peoples ass

don't think anyone else has offered a deal like that

It's not that surprising, given that the Russians have been treating their soldiers as expendable cannon fodder for over a century. And I'm sure NATO is willing to spend the money for these defectors to get their bonuses. Another way to make Putin look like an asshat; when his state runs out of viable money, the west can compensate, which in turn makes them more acceptable than Putin in the eyes of the Russian commonfolk who are already protesting against this war.

 

[babadook]

Hello, is this the thread where I can follow the adventures of Zelensky Hero Of The People?

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Hello, is this the thread where I can follow the adventures of Zelensky Hero Of The People?

Nah, we're more focused on how idiotic Putin and his army generals are.

 

[Standardized Profile]

Hello, is this the thread where I can follow the adventures of Zelensky Hero Of The People?

Still no.

 

[babadook]

Oh boy, here come 'Murica
View attachment 3040660

Americans really can't help not acting like spoiled children who never suffered through a modern war or a coup on their soil

 

[Useful_Mistake]

UN Security Council will hold emergency meeting following attack on Ukrainian nuclear plant​

Following the attack on a nuclear plant in Ukraine by Russian troops, the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at 11:30 a.m. ET Friday in New York, according to three UN diplomats.

Russian troops have occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the largest in Europe — where a fire that had threatened potential disaster was extinguished in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Ukraine's nuclear regulator.

It will be an open meeting with speeches including from an International Atomic Energy Agency official and a UN official.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK foreign secretary had said they wanted to have an emergency meeting following the attack.

Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine

archived 4 Mar 2022 13:54:45 UTC

archive.ph

Google suspends all advertising in Russia​

Google has suspended all advertising in Russia, the company confirmed to CNN Friday.

"In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia," the company said in a statement. "The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate."

The decision covers all Google's ad surfaces in Russia, including Google display advertising, YouTube and search, the company said.

Google's decision was first reported late Thursday by Reuters.

The move follows a similar decision by Twitter last week to suspend advertising in both Russia and Ukraine.
It is unclear whether Meta, Facebook's parent, also intends to suspend advertising in Russia. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google and Meta had both already taken steps to prevent Russian state media from running ads on their respective platforms.

(2) Google suspends all advertising in Russia

archived 4 Mar 2022 13:57:32 UTC

archive.ph

No-fly zone over Ukraine not being considered by NATO, Stoltenberg says​

NATO’s chief said Friday that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is not an option being considered by the alliance.

“We’ve agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels.

He warned that the days to come in Ukraine “are likely to be worse” with “more deaths, more suffering and more destruction,” and appealed for dialogue.

NATO is not seeking a war with Russia, Stoltenberg emphasized.

“Ministers agreed that NATO's relationship with Russia has fundamentally changed for the long term. But we remain committed to keeping channels for diplomacy and deconfliction open to avoid any fundamental escalation, misunderstanding or miscalculation,” he said.

This week, NATO deployed the NATO Response Force for the first time and has “130 jets at high alert and over 200 ships from the high north to the Mediterranean” to reinforce NATO’s defensive posture in the eastern part of the alliance.

Stoltenberg pledged that the alliance will “continue to do what it takes to protect and defend every inch of NATO territory.”

“President Putin has failed to divide us. NATO's more united more determined and stronger than ever,” Stoltenberg said.
More background: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for NATO and Western allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion and aerial bombardment of its cities.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Thursday that enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine is a NATO decision, but that it would be “one step too far” with a “real risk of escalation and a real risk of a possible third international war.”

The United States has said that it will not put US troops in the air to create a no-fly zone in Ukraine, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations.

(1) No-fly zone over Ukraine not being considered by NATO, Stoltenber…

archived 4 Mar 2022 13:59:30 UTC

archive.ph

UN agency says it has received "credible reports" of discrimination at Ukrainian border​

The International Organization for Migration has received credible and verified reports of discrimination experienced at Ukraine’s borders by foreign nationals attempting to flee violence amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, IOM Director-General Antonio Vitorino told CNN Friday.

“We have reports – credible reports, verified reports – and we are acting with the authorities on both sides,” Vitorino said.

“We have already approached the authorities both in Ukraine and the neighboring countries to make sure everybody who is fleeing the country, irrespective of their nationality, of their territory of origin, of the color of their skin, is allowed to cross,” he added.

Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Isa Soares, Vitorino stressed that all those seeking to flee the conflict “need to be treated on equal footing.”

“In spite of the war, there is a responsibility of the authorities to guarantee the safety and security of all human beings. The missiles do not discriminate according to nationality, they hit everybody equally,” he said.

In a report published Friday, Human Rights Watch said dozens of foreign nationals interviewed by the organization — many of them students — had “revealed a pattern of blocking or delaying foreigners from boarding buses and trains.”

“Foreigners living in Ukraine have faced unequal treatment and delays as they attempt to flee the war alongside hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians,” Human Rights Watch said.

Foreign students attempting to leave the country have told CNN that they are experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces and border officials.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that the government has established an emergency hotline for foreign students wishing to leave Ukraine.

“We are working intensively to ensure their safety and speed up their passage,” Kuleba tweeted, adding that those attempting to cross the border “need to have equal opportunities to return to their home countries safely.”

(3) UN agency says it has received "credible reports" of discriminati…

archived 4 Mar 2022 14:01:22 UTC

archive.ph

 

[Mason Verger]

Americans really can't help not acting like spoiled children who never suffered through a modern war or a coup on their soil

That’s the beauty of the constitution and our electoral process, baby. Yeah it’s a clown show, but at any given time half the country can say “hey don’t look at me, I didn’t vote for this fool..”. Pendulum swings left, pendulum swings right. It’s literally a traceable pattern. Its checkers, not chess. And y’all still can’t figure it out.

 

[Mr E. Grifter]

He tells them he was captured by enemy combatants, and they're absolutely unphased. He says they've spent four days running through swamp, freezing. That their troops are being wiped out. That's it's absolute madness down there. And they don't seem to care whatsoever. He's treated better by enemy forces than his own family.

If what he is saying is true, and this is probably not as accurate for the South & Crimea, then I think that the Russia forces have lost cohesion completely.

More likely than not they will be sent packing by Ukraine, rather than occupy the country. If that's the case, Ukrainian forces from the North will probably be reallocated to the South and trap the Southern Russian incursion. Maybe attempt to retake Crimea. The black sea is cut off. While they have a "land bridge" through Donetsk, I highly doubt that single highway will be able to keep Crimea flush with supplies.

 

[Puerto Pollo]

View attachment 3023385

I want to live as long as possible just to be able to read a history book written in the year 2100 trying to make sense of the last 20 or 30 years

 

[Product Placement]

War in Ukraine: BBC suspends its journalists' work in Russia

The temporary suspension comes in response to a new Russian law which threatens reporters with prison.

www.bbc.co.uk