Here we go again-Ukraine once again

[Jimbuna]

Vladimir Putin reportedly has a back-up plan to escape to Africa: Here's what we know about the claims

Vladimir Putin was supposed to take part in the G20 Summit in Indonesia but had announced that he will not attend after all.

He used the time instead to meet on Friday with an ally from Africa, namely the leader of the Central African Republic, Faustin Arcange Touadéra, the Mirror reports.

According to a statement by the Russian government, the two presidents met to strengthen the bond between the two countries.

'The presidents expressed the shared intention to intensify bilateral political, trade and economic cooperation, including in the fuel and energy sector.’

'The presidents expressed the shared intention to intensify bilateral political, trade and economic cooperation, including in the fuel and energy sector.’

According to the same report, Touadéra’s grip on power has been secured by Vladimir Putin’s so-called ‘private army’ the ‘Wagner mercenary group’.

However, on the Telegram app, the ‘General SVR’ channel has fueled speculation about the real intentions of Putin’s meeting with Touadéra.

The channel is known for unverified claims about Vladimir Putin, but also predicted well in advance the announcement by the Russian President about the ‘disastrous’ mobilisation campaign of reservists.

This time, the ‘General SVR’ channel is claiming that Putin arranged a meeting with his Central African Republic counterpart to verify that he is still loyal to him.

Allegedly, Vladimir Putin has stashed away a big fortune nearly $15 billion in cash and gold in underground warehouses, which are protected by the ‘Wagner’ group, Express reports.

Additionally, the 'General SVR' channel claims that the likelihood of Putin's ousting has increased dramatically and that the Russian President is now considering his options.

‘Now Putin considers the possibility of evacuation as realistic, so it is important for him to understand that there are options and they are quite feasible.’

‘Now Putin considers the possibility of evacuation as realistic, so it is important for him to understand that there are options and they are quite feasible.’

Sources used:

-Mirror: ‘Vladimir Putin 'stashes £12.3billion in African state' in case he needs to flee Moscow’

-Express: ‘Vladimir Putin stashes £12.3bn fund in Africa as he plans grand escape from Russia’
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...5ae1bff4bf41a0

[Jimbuna]

NATO row breaks out as Zelensky savaged for 'destructive lies' over Poland missile

NATO and Ukraine found themselves at odds at an urgent meeting on Wednesday, it has been revealed, as Volodymyr Zelensky said he had "no doubt" a missile that killed two people after landing in Poland near the Ukrainian border was not of Ukrainian origin. NATO, Warsaw and the US all said they believed the missile was "likely" fired by Ukraine in order to defend themselves against Russian missiles, with the alliance's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg making clear that it was "not Ukraine's fault", as the firing of the missile was "the direct result" of Putin's invasion of the country.

But Mr Zelensky would not budge on the issue, insisting that a report he received from the incident left him certain that it was "not our missile or our missile strike".

His statements have reportedly irked at least one Kyiv-based diplomat from a NATO country, who told the Financial Times: "This is getting ridiculous. The Ukrainians are destroying [our] confidence in them. Nobody is blaming Ukraine and they are openly lying. This is more destructive than the missile."

NATO countries were called to an emergency meeting last night after a missile landed in the Polish village of Przewodów, near the Ukrainian border, during a mass air strike by Russia in which they unleashed over 100 missiles into Ukrainian cities, targeting civilian infrastructure.

The Kremlin denied responsibility for the missile, claiming that not only was the missile that struck Poland not theirs, their weapons had not targeted anywhere near the Polish border - despite multiple recorded instances of Russian rockets hitting Lviv, a Ukrainian city about 62 miles south of the village of Przewodów and only 50 miles from the Ukrainian border.

NATO, the US and Warsaw all declared that while initial reports suggested the missile was fired from Russia, they now believed the missile's origin was likely from Ukraine as a defensive measure against the Russian air strikes.

The Polish nationals who were killed by a stray missile during a Russian attack on Ukraine have been identified. The men were farm workers Bogdan Ciupek, age 60, and Bogusaw Wos, age 62.

Mr Stoltenberg said: "Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by Ukrainian air defence missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks."

The NATO leader stated that the responsibility still lies with Russia for the missile hit. He said: "This is not Ukraine's fault. Russia bears responsibility for what happened in Poland yesterday because this is a direct result of the ongoing war, and the wave of attacks from Russia against Ukraine yesterday.

"Ukraine has the right to shoot down those missiles that are targeting Ukrainian cities and critical Ukrainian infrastructure."

Poland's president Andrzej Duda told a press conference today that they believed the missile was "most likely" a Russian-made S300 from the 1970s - but they had "no evidence it was launched by Russia".

This was backed by the White House, with US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson saying: "We have seen nothing that contradicts President Duda's preliminary assessment that this explosion was most likely the result of a Ukrainian air defence missile that unfortunately landed in Poland".

However, Mr Zelensky continues to insist that the missile was Russia's, pointing to an "evening report to me personally, from the commander of the air force to commander-in-chief [of Ukraine's military] Zaluzhny", which he said confirms "that it was not our missile or our missile strike".

The president added: "It makes no sense for me not to trust them, I've gone through the war with them."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...916b9aea096f14

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Puh... Watched ten minutes into it.



He is right in indicating that the recent military success of Ukraine do not nec nessarily indicate "victory", and I said that early in the war, too: what use is it if Ukraine throws Russians out, all of them - at the cost of a totally destroyed infrastructure, economy, supply grid, short: at the cost of beign destroyed in the process of the war? Russia now has turned towards systematically annihilating warmth- and energy- and water-supplying infrastructure. Something to be expected in every war, its a strategic objective that is hoped to improve own options on the tactical combat and strategic political level. And on this side, the ukraine currently indeed is loosing the war. Only thing that could save them form this special aspect is that the Russians run low on ammo.



But then Ritter voices some I would say controverisal views. That the reionfocrment of the Russians run according to plan. That they have the initiative. That they are concerned about saving civilian's lives. He perfectly parrots the Russian narrative, and leaves me wondering whether he knows or knows not that he does it.



Fact is that the Ukraine has high losses, too, but the US says for example (maybe two weeks ago) that it also has lost so far no HIMARS systems, different than what Russia claims.


Mind you, Ritter has a controversial, scandal-enriched and controversy-heavy biography. I share the egnerla atoittude he presnets at the ver ybeginning, that a Ukrianian victory in his words is a fanatsy oinly, in my tzinkling: very difficult to acchieve and if realised: coming at a maybe even suicidally high economic cost. But that is where my willingness to more agree than disagree with his views, ends.



But then, I spared the remaining 30 minutes of the video.

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

NATO row breaks out as Zelensky savaged for 'destructive lies' over Poland missile

If i may quote myself:

Originally Posted by Catfish

[...]
4. those were indeed russian missiles and intentionally targeted at Poland.
To sow dissent in NATO, and trying to make NATO do something stupid.
[...]
The Russians will never admit to it, of course, as well as NATO's also not interested in admitting to the truth, so they rather ask Ukraine for taking the blame for it, which they'll do. But they still got the message."[/I]

Maybe i was wrong and Zelensky will not accept this lie just to let Russia weasel out, and give Nato the chance of downplaying and ignoring the russian missiles.

Again: The missiles' trajectories have been followed, so the west is aware of where they started from. If Nato does not want to give the evidence i can understand Zelensky quite well.

[Jimbuna]

Peskov: Public negotiations, as Zelensky wants, do not happen

Russia rejected the format of public negotiations proposed by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The position of the Kremlin was voiced by its spokesman Dmytro Peskov, Censor.NET reports with reference to the Russian mass media.

He stated that public negotiations are impossible.

"It's hard to imagine public negotiations at all - there are no public negotiations," said Peskov.

He once again accused Ukraine of unwillingness to sit down at the negotiating table.

"One thing is clear - the Ukrainian side does not want any negotiations. The special military operation continues, and its goals must be achieved," Putin's spokesman added.

To a clarifying question, whether winter will affect the plans of the occupiers, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation answered: "The special military operation continues, and its continuation does not depend on climatic and weather conditions."

It will be recalled that on November 16, Zelensky told journalists that he had received signals about Putin's desire to hold negotiations.

"I received signals that Putin wants direct negotiations. I received such signals. I proposed a public form, because Russia is waging a public war," the president said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381295

After retreat of troops from right bank of Kherson region, Russian Federation may transfer them to Donbas - General Staff

The Russian invaders can increase their efforts in the Donbas, as well as in the Zaporizhzhia region.

This was stated by the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksiy Hromov, Censor.NET informs.

"After retreating from the right-bank part of the Kherson region, the enemy restores its troops and combat capability and transfers combat-capable units to other directions. For the enemy, first of all, it is extremely important to establish control over the Donetsk region. He is trying to realize his dreams even now.

First of all, this is the Donetsk region, we do not rule out that the enemy can increase its efforts in the Zaporizhzhia direction, in the Luhansk direction. If we continue with his ambitious plans, then he may also try to carry out offensive actions from the territory of Belarus, through the territory of Chernihiv and Sumy regions.

But it was already in our history, we fought back with dignity. Currently, the enemy is really shifting its troops in some directions, but we are also taking the necessary measures," he emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381284

Israel bought "strategic equipment" worth millions of dollars for Ukraine, - Haaret

Israel, under US pressure, agreed to finance the purchase of "strategic equipment" for Ukraine for millions of dollars.

This is written by the local publication Haaret, Censor.NET reports with reference to RBC-Ukraine.

Citing Western diplomatic sources, the publication reported that high-ranking Israeli politicians and security forces agreed to expand aid to Ukraine, rather than limit it to humanitarian aid, following a request from the administration of US President Joe Biden.

It is noted that the equipment will be transferred through a NATO country that supplies weapons to Ukraine. It is reported that the financing of "strategic equipment" was one-time. It will be up to the next government to decide whether to continue it, as the States are demanding.

In addition, Haaretz writes that in recent months Jerusalem has agreed to allow NATO countries, such as Britain, to transfer weapons systems to Ukraine that include opto-electronic equipment and fire control systems produced by Israeli companies.

In addition, according to American sources, Israel secretly helps Ukraine in the field of intelligence.

Israel's funding of this "strategic equipment" was one-time, and the decision on whether to continue it, as demanded by the US, will be left to the discretion of the next government, writes Haaretz. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381303

[Jimbuna]

Court in Netherlands confirmed that Boeing MH17 was shot down from territory controlled by Russian Federation

The District Court in The Hague established that the passenger plane MH17 was shot down from the territory of the "LDPR", which was subordinate to Russia.

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

Thus, the court accepted the prosecution's version that it was the Russian Federation that controlled the so-called "DNR". In addition, the judges determined on the basis of confirmed evidence that the plane MH17 was shot down by the Buk air defense system from the temporarily occupied Pervomaisk.

As reported, the passenger Boeing-777 of "Malaysia Airlines", which was performing flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board the liner, all of them died.

The international investigative team concluded that the plane was shot down from the Buk anti-aircraft missile complex, which belongs to the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, stationed in Kursk.

On June 19, 2019, the investigative team named four suspects believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk air defense system. This is a former FSB officer, former "Minister of Defense" of the so-called "DPR" Igor Girkin (Strelkov), General, and at the time of the downing of the plane, a colonel of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the "GRU" of the DPR Serhiy Dubinsky, lieutenant colonel Oleg Pulatov (all citizens Russian Federation), citizen of Ukraine Leonid Kharchenko, who fought on the side of the so-called "DPR". Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381311

Armed Forces control territory near temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula, - General Staff of Armed Forces

Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have reached the coast of the Dnipro River and have the opportunity to control the territory close to the peninsula.

As Censor.NET reports, this was stated by the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov, during a briefing of representatives of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine at the Military Media Center on November 17, 2022.

"Our servicemen really went to the coast of the Dnipro River, which allows us to control the territory close to the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula. Artillery soldiers and general servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing everything possible to hit the enemy at the maximum range of our weapons," he noted. .

According to Gromov, the enemy, after retreating from the right-bank part of the Kherson region, is rebuilding its troops and transferring combat-ready units to other directions. It is extremely important for the enemy to establish control over the Donetsk region.

"We do not rule out that the enemy can increase his efforts in the Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk directions as well. If we take his ambitious plans further, he may try to carry out offensive actions from the territory of Belarus through the Chernihiv and Sumy regions. But this is all in his plans, and already was in our history. We fought back with dignity. At the moment, the enemy is really shifting its troops in some directions, but we are also taking appropriate measures," Hromov emphasized. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381312

[Jimbuna]

Kharchenko, Dubinsky and Girkin are guilty of shooting down MH17 plane, Pulatov - acquitted - decision of court in Hague

In the Netherlands, the court in the case of the downing of flight MH17 announced that ex-FSB officer, former "Minister of Defense of the DPR" Igor Girkin (Strelkov), General, and at the time of the downing of the plane, Colonel of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the "GRU of the DPR" Serhiy Dubinsky and a citizen Leonid Kharchenko of Ukraine, who fought on the side of the "DPR", is guilty of shooting down the plane and killing 298 people.

As Censor.NET reports with reference to Ukrinform, another Russian, lieutenant colonel of the GRU Oleg Pulatov, has been acquitted. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381337

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Vladimir Putin reportedly has a back-up plan to escape to Africa: Here's what we know about the claims


Now Putin considers the possibility of evacuation as realistic, so it is important for him to understand that there are options and they are quite feasible.’

Much better than going all Steven King "Dead Zone".

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

For Peskov, Prigozhin and others, surrender is only chance to spend rest of their lives in safety, - Danilov

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security Council, "the only chance to spend the rest of his life in safety" for Kremlin officials is a Ukrainian prison.

He announced this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.

"Russia should not try to destroy the Ukrainian energy system. I will explain why. For Peskov, Prigozhin and other Kyrienikos - figures of the Kremlin regime - the only chance to spend the rest of their lives in safety is to take advantage of the opportunities of the Ukrainian penitentiary system, which will gladly accept them and has been eagerly waiting for a long time. In this regard, they should take care in advance that there is warmth and light in their cells. Therefore, I recommend that you carefully study the instructions and recommendations of the "I want to live" project, - stressed the secretary of the NSDC. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381356

Convicted Russian terrorists in MH17 case must pay €16 million in compensation, - Hague court rules

Ex-FSB officer, former "Minister of Defense of the DPR" Ihor Girkin (Strelkov), General of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the "GRU of the DPR" Serhii Dubinsky and citizen of Ukraine Leonid Kharchenko found guilty in the case of the shooting down of flight MH17 must pay 16 million euros in compensation.

As Censor.NET informs, such a decision was made by a court in the Netherlands, Ukrinform reports.

"In general, we are talking about more than 16 million euros, which should be paid by Dubinsky, Girkin and Kharchenko," - said the presiding judge Hendrik Steinhaus.

As previously reported by Censor.NET, Girkin, Dubinsky and Kharchenko were found guilty of shooting down flight MH17 and killing 298 people, they were sentenced to life imprisonment. GRU lieutenant colonel Oleg Pulatov was acquitted.

Passenger Boeing-777 of "Malaysia Airlines", flying flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board the liner, all of them died. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381352

OP: Court decision in MH17 case is important for trial of all Russian war criminals

The decision of the District Court of The Hague in the case of the downing of flight MH17 is an important legal precedent for further proceedings against all Russian war criminals, including President Putin.

According to Censor.NЕТ, Advisor to the Head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podolyak wrote about this in Twіtter.

"Today's verdict of the Hague court in the MH17 case is important not only for the families of the victims of Russian terror. It is also an important legal precedent for the further trial of all Russian war criminals, including the current president of the Russian Federation," Podoliak wrote.

He stressed that evil must be punished with concrete sentences.

As reported, the passenger Boeing-777 of Malaysia Airlines, flying flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region on July 17, 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, all of them perished.

The International Investigation Team concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile system belonging to the 53rd Air Defense Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

On June 19, 2019, the investigation team named four suspects who are believed to be involved in the transportation and combat use of the Buk missile system. These are former FSB officer, former "minister of defence" of the so-called "DNR" Ihor Hirkin (Strelkov), general, and at the time of the downing of the plane, colonel of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, head of the GRU of the DNR Serhii Dubynskyi, lieutenant colonel of the GRU Oleh Pulatov (all - citizens of the Russian Federation), citizen of Ukraine Leonid Kharchenko, who fought on the side of the so-called "DNR". Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381394

[Jimbuna]

Swedish prosecutor confirms remains of explosives found at site of Nord Stream sabotage

The Swedish prosecutor who is leading the investigation into the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines has confirmed that the incident was sabotage, and said that traces of explosives have been found.

In a statement, prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said:

During the crime scene investigations that were carried out on site in the Baltic Sea, extensive seizures were made, and the area has been carefully documented. Analysis that has now been carried out shows traces of explosives on several of the foreign objects that were found. Advanced analysis work continues in order to be able to draw firmer conclusions about the incident.

The statement goes on to say that “the preliminary investigation is very complex and comprehensive” and that the work continues. The statement does not name any suspects. It also praises the cooperation of authorities in Sweden with those in other countries. It ends by saying that the prosecutor cannot provide further information at this time, and will not be providing any further access to the media.

[Jimbuna]

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said 10 million Ukrainians are without power after a fresh wave of missile strikes by Russia.

At least seven people were killed in the strikes, with the number expected to rise.

"We are doing everything to normalise the supply," Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

Ukraine's air defence managed to shoot down six cruise missiles and five drones, he added.

On Thursday, Russia pounded Ukraine with a fresh missile barrage, hitting more energy installations and civilian buildings less than two days after one of its heaviest bombardments yet.

This has been a recent Russian tactic following setbacks on the battlefield, and its impact is starting to be felt more acutely.

People in Kyiv woke to a blanket of snow on Thursday morning, and the emergency power shutdowns have meant many do not have heating in their homes.

Those suffering power outages are mainly in the capital, Kyiv, the western city of Vinnytsia, the port city of Odesa in the south-west and Sumy in the north-east.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63659370

[Jimbuna]

Peace is impossible until Russian troops withdraw from Ukraine - Borrell

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that peace in Ukraine is impossible until Russia withdraws its troops from the country.

He stated this in an іnterview with Reuters, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to LigaBusinessInform.

Borrell noted that the possibility of peace depends on Russia, because "it is the aggressor who must leave if it wants to achieve peace".

"I fear that Russia is not yet ready to withdraw its troops (from Ukraine), but until it withdraws, peace remains impossible," the EU High Representative said. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3381423

[Skybird]

Der Spiegel:
------------------------

14 German self-propelled howitzers were delivered to Ukraine, and now unexpected problems are surfacing: According to SPIEGEL information, there is a glaring shortage of spare parts. How it could come to this.

According to SPIEGEL information, planning errors in the ordering of spare parts are increasingly jeopardizing the operational readiness of German self-propelled howitzers in Ukraine. After the delivery of a total of 14 self-propelled howitzers 2000, the German Ministry of Defense had failed to order extensive spare parts packages in time to regularly maintain the weapon systems and thus keep them operational.

In the meantime, a large part of the artillery systems supplied by Germany is in need of repair due to intensive deployment on the front lines in eastern Ukraine. According to Bundeswehr sources, the Ukrainians are currently firing around 300 shells a day, which is causing the weapon systems to wear down considerably.

Six German howitzers were recently brought to Lithuania for technical overhaul. However, since the necessary spare parts for the howitzers were not available either from the industry or from the Bundeswehr, the technicians had to cannibalize one of the howitzers and leave it in Lithuania for the time being.

The lack of spare parts does not come as a surprise. In late summer, the Bundeswehr's procurement office had already unsuccessfully urged the ministry to order extensive spare parts packages for the howitzers and the Mars II multiple rocket launchers, since the special material had long delivery times. So far, however, no corresponding instruction has come from the so-called Special Staff Ukraine.

The lack of spare parts is now also paralyzing the so-called repair hub that Germany plans to set up in Slovakia by mid-December to repair weapons delivered there.
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Well. In Germany, carnival lasts 365 days a year now.

[Skybird]

It has begun. As I predicted it would, sooner or later. I am only surprised that it is the US side starting it. I would have expected Europeans, and here namely Western Europeans, to start it.

Maybe becaue in the end the US may fiogure iots better to have Russian and Putin still in place - as a counterbalancing weight against China. If so, I would see that reasoning as quite deranged and not reflecting realities realistically.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/r...ions-rcna57827

Eastern Europeans balk as some U.S. officials nudge Ukraine towards talks with Russia.

Unfortunately, Europeans, no matter whcih ones, cna do little against the US policy on Ukraine, because European nations and their deliveries to Ukraine in total all are dwarved by US contributions. If Washington one day stops it, then its game over for the Ukraine. Though that will cost them in prestige in European nations especially Poland and the Baltic. In the end, we in Europe depend on military assistance by the US. Even here, over the Ukraine issue. Who is depending on the other, is not really an equal to the other. Saying differently is just kind words and good manners, but has no substance.