Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[August]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Over 100,000 Ukrainian defenders and 20,000 civilians died in war with Russia, - von der Leyen. VIDEO

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine has already lost more than 100,000 defenders.

As reported by Censor.NET, she stated this during a speech in Brussels.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought death, devastation, and untold suffering. We all remember the horrors of Buchi. It is estimated that more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died to date. Russia must pay for its terrible crimes, in particular for the crime of aggression against a sovereign state," said the President of the European Commission.

It will be recalled that earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia will suffer huge losses in the war against Ukraine. They are 10 times higher than the losses of the Ukrainian army. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383923

A Million russian casualties?

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by August

A Million russian casualties?

I seem to recall someone who wrote for each defender who get killed or wounded, 2 or was it 3 attacker would get killed or wounded.

Markus

[Jimbuna]

Russia will pay for everything. We propose to create special court, - Von der Leyen

The European Commission proposes to create a special court to prosecute Russian crimes in Ukraine.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made such a statement on Wednesday in Brussels, Censor.NET informs with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

"Russia must pay for these terrible crimes, including the crime of aggression against a sovereign state. While we will continue to support the International Criminal Court, we propose to create a special court supported by the UN to investigate and prosecute the crime of Russian aggression," she said.

According to the president of the EC, Brussels is ready to start working with the international community to gain the widest possible international support for this court.

As Censor.NET reported, von der Leyen also expressed confidence that Russia should pay financially for the destruction caused. "Damage caused to Ukraine is estimated at EUR600 billion. Russia and its oligarchs must compensate Ukraine for the destruction and cover the costs of rebuilding the country. And we have the means to make Russia pay," she stated. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383937

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by August

A Million russian casualties?

Yeah, well over-exaggerated imho.

[Jimbuna]

Putin intensifies repression against Russians against background of lack of victories at front, - British intelligence

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is strengthening the repressive powers of the state to further suppress dissent.

This is stated in the intelligence report of Great Britain, Censor.NET reports.

They recalled that in July, Putin approved amendments to the "law on foreign agents" of 2012, which is widely used to repress opponents of the regime - the new measures should come into force on December 1.

The 2012 law defined "foreign agents" as individuals or organizations that received financial support from abroad. The amendments would expand the definition of those who are simply under unspecified "influence or pressure from foreign players".

The Russian Ministry of Justice will now have the right to publish the personal details and addresses of "foreign agents", almost certainly putting them at risk of prosecution.

The new amendments to the law will further expand the repressive powers of the Kremlin. A similar trend has persisted since Putin's return to office in 2012, but it accelerated sharply after February 24.

The Kremlin is likely trying to prevent domestic dissent from escalating as the conflict remains unresolved and increasingly affects the daily lives of Russians, the report concluded. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383942

PO commented on von der Leyen’s statement about Ukraine’s losses in war: This is sensitive information, official data will be made public "when the right moment comes"

The President’s Office commented on the statement of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who previously stated that Ukraine lost about 100,000 soldiers and 20,000 civilians in the war with Russia.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Suspilne.

Presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov noted that only the Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defense, or the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine should provide reliable information about losses.

He added that President Zelenskyi will make public the official data "when the right moment comes" because this is sensitive information.

A video fragment of the speech was published on the official page of the EC chapter on Twitter. However, this fragment was later deleted, and a new video was uploaded to the page without data on the number of military and civilian casualties.

The public asked the European Commission to comment on the announced data.

Also remind, that earlier the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Ukraine has already lost more than 100,000 defenders. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383947

[Jimbuna]

Russia will capitally develop nuclear forces, - Shoigu

Russian Defense Minister Serhiy Shoigu said that his department will capitally build up the nuclear forces of the Russian Federation in 2023.

Shoigu's words are quoted by the Russian mass media, Censor.NET reports.

"Next year, we will pay special attention to capital development in the interests of nuclear forces," he said.

Shoigu also added that the armed forces of the Russian Federation are testing new methods of using missile forces and artillery on the territory of Ukraine.

According to him, this primarily concerns the use of "reconnaissance and strike fire systems, which include unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as modern and promising weapons."

The Russian Minister of Defense noted that taking into account the experience of the war in Ukraine, "counter-battery combat is being improved as one of the main tasks of destroying the enemy by fire."

According to Shoigu, the Tornado-S long-range jet artillery systems and the high-power Malka artillery systems are involved in its implementation - they allegedly effectively hit "foreign jet and artillery systems."

The head of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation also proposed to use "promising weapons" in the war in Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383963

General Staff on losses of AFU: Figures are closed

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot announce the losses of the Ukrainian army in a full-scale war against Russia. At the same time, he emphasizes the irreversibility of punishment for the aggressor country for the death and injury of Ukrainian citizens.

Bohdan Senyk, head of the Public Relations Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated this in a comment to the UP, Censor.NET reports.

When asked to comment on the assessment of Ukraine's losses in the war against the Russian Federation (100,000 soldiers), voiced by the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the General Staff reminded that military losses are classified information.

"We cannot confirm this figure, we emphasize that the losses of the Ukrainian army are official information and are subject to restrictions on publication. At the same time, if what the head of the European Commission announced will allow us to bring the aggressor country to justice, we can only support actions that will contribute to legal punishment for those who organized the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

It is necessary to do everything so that all those responsible for the loss of civilian and military citizens of Ukraine end up on the dock," he said.

Also remind, earlier on November 30, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that more than 100,000 Ukrainian servicemen and 20,000 civilians died in the war with the Russian Federation.

The President's Office commented that this information is sensitive, and official data will be released when the right moment comes.

After that, the European Commission clarified that von der Leyen's statement referred to both the dead and wounded defenders of Ukraine and civilians. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383965

[Jimbuna]

Preliminary condition for consideration of Ukraine’s membership in NATO is its victory over Russia, - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes it is crucial to ensure Ukraine’s victory.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

"Whatever you think about when Ukraine can become a member of (NATO. - Ed.), the precondition for this issue to be on the table at all is for Ukraine to win. And we are helping to make it happen at this moment . The allies made it clear during the meeting that they are ready to maintain support with advanced military equipment, ammunition, fuel, everything that Ukrainians need for self-defense. This is the immediate most important task for the allies," Stoltenberg said.

The Secretary General of the Alliance emphasized that for the victory of Ukraine, allies should mobilize as much as possible regarding military, economic, financial, and humanitarian support for Ukraine.

"This is exactly what we are doing. If Ukraine does not win as an independent, sovereign state, then, of course, the membership issue will not be on the table at all, because we will no longer have a candidate for membership in the person of Ukraine," he added.

Stoltenberg noted that now it is important to move step by step, and the most important and urgent action is to ensure Ukraine's victory.

"We need to develop a closer political and practical partnership with Ukraine. This will strengthen their institutions, help them move from Soviet equipment standards to NATO's modern equipment doctrines. This is good for Ukraine to strengthen mutual interoperability. And it will also help Ukraine get closer to membership", concluded the NATO Secretary General. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3383993

[Catfish]

[Jimbuna]

Over trillion dollars needed to restore Ukraine, - Zelenskyi

More than a trillion dollars are needed to restore Ukraine. Dozens of partner countries will be involved in the work.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said this during the presentation of Odesa's application to host Expo 2030, Censor.NET reports.

According to him, a particular patronage system will be created that will enable advanced countries and companies to help restore Ukrainian regions, cities, industries, and enterprises.

"To not just restore them, but to show that the free world and honest states are always stronger than any tyranny and aggression," Zelensky emphasized.

France, Great Britain, Germany, the United States, Japan, Canada, and 16 other countries have already expressed their interest in sponsorship. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384020

Ukraine needs multipurpose fighters, - Ignat

Ukraine needs, first of all, multipurpose fighters. Even if the partners hand over the MiG-29, it will not solve the problems that Ukrainian aviation is facing today.

Colonel Yuriy Ignat, the spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told about this on the air of the telethon, Censor.NET informs with reference to Armyinform.

"We understand that the enemy is numerically and technologically superior to us. He has multi-purpose aircraft that are ready to perform many tasks on the battlefield, are capable of hitting air and ground targets, and have a wide range of weapons. Unfortunately, we have outdated weapons and airplanes. It was possible to adapt something to American weapons, such as HARM missiles. But this is not enough," Ignat said.

Multi-role aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 are needed to respond to the current threats to Ukraine. The enemy does not hide further plans to destroy civilian and critical infrastructure. To repel this threat, long-range weapons, both missiles and those that can operate from multi-purpose aircraft, are needed.

"Therefore, it is necessary to seek the adoption of a political decision on transferring these aircraft to Ukraine. After all, they are capable of shooting down cruise missiles in flight, as well as striking ground targets, thus reaching the enemy far in the rear," said the spokesman of the Air Force.

Ignat said that the pilots who are ready to go for training to fly foreign planes have already been identified. However, to send them, it is necessary to decide on the type of aircraft that will be used by the PS.

"When it is clear where and to what type of aircraft our pilots need to be redirected, they will go to training. In addition, it is necessary to train military engineers who will maintain the equipment and the airfield infrastructure, that is, adapt it to Western models of equipment," the spokesman said of the Air Force.

Ignat also noted that according to the perspective model of the Air Force, by 2035, Ukraine plans to have at least five brigades of fighter aircraft, several units of unmanned aircraft armed with modern UAVs, particularly those that can be built in Ukraine. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384009

[August]

I really like this guys videos.


Well presented and informative.

[Reece]

Great video Dave, makes you think!!
To summarize my thoughts/feelings: Three cheers for Poland!

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Is attacking Ukraine's power grid a war crime?

By Ben Tobias
BBC News

Russia's frequent and widespread attacks on Ukraine's power infrastructure have plunged millions of people into darkness, depriving them of heat, power and water just as winter arrives and temperatures drop below zero.

Many Ukrainian and Western leaders quickly condemned the strikes as war crimes because of the harm done to the civilian population. But attacks on energy grids have long been part of warfare - so is Russia's strategy a violation of international law?

With certain limitations, parts of a country's electrical grid can be considered legitimate targets if they are used to power military facilities.

This is true even if the targets have a civilian as well as a military purpose, so long as destroying the object would "offer a definite military advantage".

Iraq's energy infrastructure was attacked by US forces in 1991 - a strategy that has been heavily criticised. Nato forces also targeted the power grid in Serbia in 1999. In both cases, the civilian population was affected by the resulting power outages.

In fact, there may be times when neutralising a military facility by taking out its power supply is preferable to hitting the facility directly with missiles or artillery.

"Would I rather deprive part of the civilian population of electricity for a limited period, rather than risk killing civilians because of the collateral effects of using kinetic weapons? Yeah, I would think so," Michael Schmitt - professor emeritus at the US Naval War College - told the BBC.

Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians, and has sought to justify its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure as strikes against the "military command system of Ukraine and related energy facilities", according to a defence ministry statement on 18 November.

However, even when an object is a legitimate military target, there are still limits on when and how it can be attacked.

"The state has an obligation under international humanitarian law (IHL) to choose a target or a tactic that will cause less damage to civilians. Less death and less injury, but still fulfilling the military advantage," Dr Maria Varaki from King's College War Studies department told the BBC.

Civilian deaths and injury caused by attacks on military targets are not necessarily violations of international law. But the principle of proportionality must be applied, which says that the harm to civilians should not be excessive in relation to the military advantage gained. Parties must also take "constant care" to spare the civilian population and civilian property.

In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said after strikes on cities in November that 10 million people had been left without electricity and that half of the country's power capacity had been knocked out. Six million were still without power by Thursday night, he added.

At a certain point, says Prof Schmitt, "the civilian harm is so severe that you just can't pull the trigger".

The sort of advantage gained by an attack is also a factor when considering whether it is a violation of IHL.

"Demoralising people, terrorising people, is not considered to be an acceptable military advantage," Dr Varaki explains. In fact, she says, the opposite is true: "Terrorising the civilian population is considered to be a war crime."

As well as Russia's insistence that it is targeting only military objects, the Kremlin has hinted that there is another reason for the strikes - persuading Kyiv to talk.

"The unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to settle the problem, to start negotiations, its refusal to seek common ground - this is their consequence," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

An attacking force may hope that destroying the civilian power grid will lower the morale of the enemy, but that is not enough to justify the attack under international law. There must also be a concrete military advantage before the attack is deemed legal.

The sheer scope and scale of Russia's attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure make it unlikely that they can all be justified in that way, says Prof Schmitt.

"We're at a point now where they're hitting so many targets that I can't imagine they're picking power infrastructure that qualifies as a military objective in every case."

As a former US Air Force targeting officer, Prof Schmitt also doubts that Russia is fully validating every object it attacks - another requirement of IHL.

"You just can't conduct operations of that intensity and that frequency across an entire nation and have done your required verification of targets," he explains.

With that in mind, Prof Schmitt believes it is now "pretty clear" that Russia's main motivation, at least in some attacks, is to "terrorise the civilian population".

Whatever Russia's exact reason for targeting the power grid, Dr Varaki says it has not previously shown a commitment to minimising civilian harm.

"You can identify a general pattern that the Russian army has not been fully concerned by civilian deaths," she argues.

By 28 November, Russia had hit more than 200 separate targets relating to Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to the defence minister. Millions were without power, and electricity usage was restricted in over a dozen regions.

But despite that, Prof Schmitt says that if Russia hopes to demoralise the population, the tactic is unlikely to work.

"Historically there is no reason to believe the Ukrainian morale will break... [Putin] is hardening the resolve against Russia to stay the fight. This is a strategic miscalculation."

So has Russia violated international law? Any future legal process would have to first consider if the huge number of targets could all be considered legitimate military objects.

Even if they are, the harm done to the civilian population in attacking them should not be excessive in relation to the concrete advantage gained. And that advantage must be military in nature - terrorising the population is not a legitimate reason to launch an attack.

Russia and Ukraine are both parties to Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, where many of these rules are defined. It remains to be seen whether Russia will ever have to explain how its actions comply with those rules.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63754808

[Jimbuna]

Russian Federation has never asked for negotiations with Ukraine, - Lavrov

Russia has never asked for negotiations on the situation in Ukraine, but has declared its readiness to listen to those who show interest in a negotiated solution.

This was said by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Serhii Lavrov, Censor.NET reports with reference to Interfax.

"When we are accused of constantly asking for some kind of negotiations to buy time to, so to speak, gather additional forces for a special military operation, well, it's both funny and unpleasant, because people are lying, lying outright ", said the Russian minister.

Lavrov said that "we never asked for any negotiations, but we always said that if someone is interested in a negotiated solution, we are ready to listen."

"And this is confirmed by the example I gave now when in March the Ukrainians asked to listen to them. We not only listened to them, but we were also ready to agree with them on the principles that they put forward themselves," said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384199

Russian Federation plans to hold positions in east and land corridor to occupied Crimea, - General Staff

For the Russian Federation, maintaining its positions in the east of Ukraine and the land corridor to the temporarily occupied Crimea remains a priority.

This was reported by the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"The priority of the Russian Federation remains maintaining positions in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as the land corridor to the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea," he said.

According to Hromov, Russia is concentrating its efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas, and in the Kupiansk, Lyman, Novopavlivka, and Orihiv areas, it is conducting active defense on captured lines.

The representative of the General Staff noted that during the week the invaders carried out offensive actions in the Kharkiv and Kupyan directions, but they did not succeed. The enemy also carried out several pretended missile and air strikes on the objects of the civil infrastructure of Ukraine.

Gromov emphasized the artillery and missile attacks on the populated areas of Ukraine from the territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, according to him, armed provocations regarding violation of the state border are not excluded.

"We expect that the enemy will continue to maintain a military presence in the border areas to prevent the transfer of our troops to dangerous areas in the areas of active hostilities," said the representative of the General Staff. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384218

[Jimbuna]

Supporting Ukraine has high price for West, but we pay with money, and Ukrainians pay with blood, - Stoltenberg

The best way to ensure long-term peace and security in Europe and the world in general is to strengthen the collective efforts of the West to support Ukraine in its resistance to Russian aggression.

This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform.

"President Putin's war of aggression has shattered the peace in Europe and caused lasting shock waves for global security.
I arrived after the meeting of our foreign ministers (NATO member countries. - Ed.) in Bucharest, where we pledged to continue strong support for Ukraine. There was a clear and strong signal from all allies that we will continue to help Ukraine and strengthen our defenses in this more dangerous and competitive world," he said.

At the same time, according to Stoltenberg, supporting Ukraine has a high price for the West. Many countries, including Germany, are going through tough times, with the cost of daily living rising, and food and energy prices rising.

"But the price we pay is only money. The price Ukrainians pay is blood. If authoritarian regimes see that the use of force is getting the results they want, we will all be forced to pay a much higher price, and the world will become a more dangerous place for everyone. If the aggressor wins, if persecution and autocracy prevail over freedom and democracy, any lasting peace will be impossible. Therefore, the best way to ensure lasting peace is to support Ukraine," the NATO Secretary General added. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384212

British investor trying to sue Kyiv for $100 million is actually a Russian citizen

Tamaz Somkhishvili, a British investor in Ukraine and the beneficial owner of the Ukrainian company Kyiv-Terminal LLC, which is trying to sue Kyiv for $100 million, is in fact a Russian citizen.

The Kyiv City State Administration received the corresponding letter from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

The document with reference to the data of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs that Tamaz Somkhishvili is a citizen of the Russian Federation. Ruslan Pavlov, the chief specialist of the department of legal support of the Department of Economics and Investment of the Kyiv City State Administration at a meeting of the Northern Economic Court of Appeal revealed this fact.

"The executive body has received a letter from the Department of Justice, which cites the following data from the Defense Intelligence Directorate General. According to the results of the inspection of Kyiv Terminal, it is found that the ultimate beneficiary of the company is a citizen of Russia. Relevant materials were sent to the court via the electronic system in order to attach them to the case, "Ukrainian News" quoted him as saying.

Due to this new data, the trial was postponed to December 20, 2022.

In 2007, the little-known company of Kyiv Terminal, whose beneficiary is Russian-Georgian businessman Tamaz Somkhishvili, won the tender for reconstruction of Kyiv's Kharkiv Square. Officials and human rights activists are convinced that the company originally did not plan to carry out construction work. According to the former Deputy Chief Architect of Kyiv, Victor Gleba, even the construction project of a transport interchange was not developed and approved, and the investment agreement was terminated due to violation of the law, forged signatures and false information. In 2013, the investment agreement was terminated with the consent of both parties.

However, at the end of 2018, when the limitation period for appealing this decision had long expired, Kyiv Terminal went to court with a claim against Kyiv authorities in the amount of $100 million. The judge of the first instance partially satisfied the claim. Meanwhile, the case is on appeal.

Tamaz Somkhishvili himself threatened to initiate arbitration proceedings against Ukraine if ‘it is not possible to reach an amicable settlement of the dispute,’ referring to the government agreement between Ukraine and Great Britain on promotion and mutual protection of investments. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3384231