Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...&id=1378095215

Just posted my thoughts on that Quincy article about some "source close to Putin" calling for Western intervention regarding peace talks between the warring sides.

Everything is playing out exactly how I thought it would. This whole narrative was clearly leaked on purpose by order of Putin—he’s looking for any way to kickstart negotiations because things on the battlefield aren't looking great for him right now.

Oleksiy Arestovych, who advises the Office of the President of Ukraine, was actually talking about this tonight during a show with Marko Feygin.

"Putin has sent 'messengers' to the West to beg for a truce with Ukraine." According to him, we're talking about "very serious people straight from Vladimir Vladimirovich himself."

"They have another wave of envoys arriving in the West now. And these are very serious people, coming directly from Vladimir Vladimirovich. They're basically saying, 'Look, let's just find a way to reach an agreement, because what's happening is just unacceptable.' Losing isn't even an option for them. If Putin is removed—that's a disaster. Just look at who might take power next. It's anyone's guess... the extremists could be even worse. So, we need to move back and forth. Let's negotiate on the spot." It seems they're starting to draw their "red lines." Take Zaporizhzhia NPP, for example. Why did the UN Secretary-General hold a talk with Sergei Shoigu today? Shoigu had been dodging this kind of conversation for ages, and then suddenly it happens. They were even discussing other uncomfortable topics over in Jelenovka," said Arestovych. The wording is a bit messy since it's a transcript from a video.

He mentioned that back during the Istanbul talks in March, the Russians were actually willing to pull troops back to the February 23rd borders. Back then, the Russian Federation was the one pushing for talks. Now, they're becoming even more persistent about negotiating.

A DJ in Crimea just got hauled off by the cops because he played the wrong track.

So, get this—over in #Crimea, some DJ ended up getting busted just for spinning the #Ukrainian patriotic anthem "Wild Field" by that rapper Yarmak, all because someone in the crowd asked for it. If you watch the music video, the animated clip of The song depicts soldiers of The Armed Forces of #Ukraine. Pretty wild how things work out sometimes, right? https://t.co/Gv8TRSAuRt

An explosion occurred at a substation near Ruzim, close to Dzhankoy in Crimea—though looking at the footage, it seems more like some kind of military base or perhaps a fuel/ammo depot located about 124 miles deep. Elon Musk says: "Hi Mars"

link

Joshua Myers432 said:You can find outbursts like that all day long coming from people in Southern Europe; they’re all dreaming about our coastline, so don't sweat it. That's exactly why I think NATO is usually just a smoke screen used to dodge real issues. It’s more likely that Canada or Italy will try to grab a slice of the American coast than they will actually defend us against some imaginary, totally far-fetched Russian invasion.

We'd be better off actually getting to work instead of begging for scraps and handouts across Europe.

That’s just nonsense and shows a total lack of understanding. 🤦 The vast majority of Italians aren't even thinking about that—they just come here as tourists to enjoy themselves. Sure, there might be a few extremist parties or politicians who blather on about ancient empires and lost kingdoms, but... those people exist everywhere. You find similar characters in the US too. They mostly get media attention because they're great for clickbait, which makes them look like significant players when they really aren't.

Vladimir Putin's Russia is an entirely different story. There, people like that are actually in power and shaping entire policies, and right now, they are engaged in a conquest war—a real, actual war where they invade and kill. (I still find it hard to believe this is actually happening).

That's why I think NATO is usually just a smoke screen to dodge real issues. Canada and Italy would rather grab a piece of the American coast than defend the US against some imaginary and totally unbelievable Russian attack.

Eeeee, exactly, that's how it is. 🤦 🤦 We definitely need to stay on high alert for a military strike from Italy or Canada.

Instead of worrying about some completely imaginary and impossible Russian or, say, Mexican attack—which has never happened and those nations have never done anything like that, especially not lately. It's honestly silly to even consider such a thing.

And no, I don't believe they will attack the US (because it's far too complicated); I just think a Russian or Mexican attack is a million percent more likely than one from Italy or Canada.

We'd be better off getting to work instead of begging for scraps and aid across Europe.

We aren't begging for help; we are utilizing opportunities that foster development in America (as we do in any other EU country), which in turn contributes to the growth of the EU globally. However, certain insecure mindsets can't imagine America as anything other than a beggar.

In Rostov, the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic—including Denis Pushilin—are set to meet folks from Mariupol to see them off as they head back home. The big question is whether any actual aid will follow them, though I wouldn't hold my breath. Workers in Mariupol who traveled in from various parts of the Russian Federation to help "build a better, more beautiful, more historic" Mariupol are already complaining about missing paychecks 😁.

Justice certainly isn't in short supply in the Donetsk People's Republic—new courts have been established to handle foreign mercenaries, and prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty
.
New footage coming out of Mariupol shows residents claiming the Russian army wasn't even there—they say it was just Azov fighters responsible for the killing, burning, and total destruction of the city. This lines up with recent statements from captured soldiers, who claim they received direct orders from the Kyiv regime to kill civilians, block people from leaving the city, and destroy everything in their path
.

More "fireworks" over in Crimea again

The long-term endgame here looks like total devastation for Crimea once everyone has cleared out.
They’re probably going to test every single missile they’ve got on that empty peninsula, blow up the bridge—kind of like what happened at Sutjeska—and then call it a day with some peace treaty. It’ll all be wrapped up with a catchy anthem about new brotherhood and unity among people across the globe.

Evil has to be vented somehow, so maybe Putin will just hand the Donbas back to Ukraine (which is basically a tiny fraction of the Russian Federation's territory anyway).

Thomas Nelson25 said:More "fireworks" over in Crimea again

Strategically speaking, it’s secondary, especially when you look at what’s actually happening across the entire front line.

In case anyone missed it, I'm not entirely sure if this went down on the same day as the strike on Crimea or a day after. Winter is creeping up on us, and there's really no need to dwell on the details if they can't get that power plant back online. Given everything unfolding around Kharkiv, this likely won't be the last time that power plant gets hit.☕

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...69432122392576

Andrew Miller102 said:Strategically speaking, it’s secondary, especially when you look at what’s actually happening across the entire front line.

In case anyone missed it, I'm not entirely sure if this went down on the same day as the strike on Crimea or a day after. Winter is creeping up on us, and there's really no need to dwell on the details if they can't get that power plant back online. Given everything unfolding around Kharkiv, this likely won't be the last time that power plant gets hit.☕

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...69432122392576

🤔

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FaJziXeX...jpg&name=large

...what exactly is going on across the whole front line?

Targeting a power plant is just a classic terrorist move by the Russians—not exactly a surprise given how they fight.

Andrew Miller102 said:Strategically speaking, it’s secondary, especially when you look at what’s actually happening across the entire front line.

In case anyone missed it, I'm not entirely sure if this went down on the same day as the strike on Crimea or a day after. Winter is creeping up on us, and there's really no need to dwell on the details if they can't get that power plant back online. Given everything unfolding around Kharkiv, this likely won't be the last time that power plant gets hit.☕

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...69432122392576

We're all just sitting here on pins and needles waiting for a full strategic briefing.

Mariupol

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaPMr4urwDE&t=64s

They're reporting about a thousand dead at the Broadway theater here😢.

"And then the brothers arrived." They're saying over 20,000 people were killed😢.

In the video, Ksenija Kajan says the building caught fire and people burned inside.
There was no water available—they couldn't even get the fires under control.

Andrew Miller102 said:Strategically speaking, it’s secondary, especially when you look at what’s actually happening across the entire front line.

In case anyone missed it, I'm not entirely sure if this went down on the same day as the strike on Crimea or a day after. Winter is creeping up on us, and there's really no need to dwell on the details if they can't get that power plant back online. Given everything unfolding around Kharkiv, this likely won't be the last time that power plant gets hit.☕

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...69432122392576

They need to go clear out Crimea.
I should probably write something deep and strategic here, but honestly? Nah.

Russ is absolutely reeling. They’ve got this massive fleet, yet they can't seem to get anything done. At this rate, they won't even be able to hold onto Crimea, and they'll be begging for negotiations just to keep what little they have left.

Thomas Nelson25 said:They need to go clear out Crimea.
I should probably write something deep and strategic here, but honestly? Nah.

If the Russians decided to invade us in some alternate universe, we wouldn't stand a chance.
But seriously, I just don't get how you can't spend eight whole years getting ready...

"Ukrainians have dealt with countless Russian deceptions in the past, and Zelenskyy was clearly worried about an economic meltdown if his nation spiraled into a panic, Blinken stated."
*
“Guys, start digging trenches!” the official began.
“When we tried to play it off with a smile,” Kuleba recalled, "the official just said: 'I'm serious. Start digging trenches. ... You’re going to be attacked. A massive offensive is being prepared and you need to get ready for it.' We asked for specifics; he didn't have any."

How much differently would everything have played out if they had actually started "digging trenches"?
🤷

Megan Thomas5 said:Russ is absolutely reeling. They’ve got this massive fleet, yet they can't seem to get anything done. At this rate, they won't even be able to hold onto Crimea, and they'll be begging for negotiations just to keep what little they have left.

☕Crimea belongs to Ukraine. Russ has zero business there, just like everywhere else they've occupied. 🙂Once those missiles start hitting Sevastopol and the Kerch Bridge, then they'll finally get how serious this actually is...

Thomas Nelson25 said:They need to go clear out Crimea.
I should probably write something deep and strategic here, but honestly? Nah.

Nah, first they need to let all those Putin-lovers leave, then hold a referendum to return to Ukraine☕
With 100% turnout and 99% of voters checking "YES."
Sound familiar?

darkhawk30 said:"Ukrainians have dealt with countless Russian deceptions in the past, and Zelenskyy was clearly worried about an economic meltdown if his nation spiraled into a panic, Blinken stated."
*
“Guys, start digging trenches!” the official began.
“When we tried to play it off with a smile,” Kuleba recalled, "the official just said: 'I'm serious. Start digging trenches. ... You’re going to be attacked. A massive offensive is being prepared and you need to get ready for it.' We asked for specifics; he didn't have any."

How much differently would everything have played out if they had actually started "digging trenches"?
🤷

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ew-transcript/

Throughout December, January and February, Ukrainians were pulling funds out of our economy. We could have tightened things up, but we didn't want to stop the Federal Reserve or anyone else from limiting the people's ability to access their own cash. Even though we knew full well it would hit the national economy. The Freedom People have in a democratic country is The Freedom Our People Had. They had access to every bit of info available. Unfortunately, I wasn't briefing them on the Russ plot against me or everything the intelligence agencies were feeding me: “You need to get your family out of here.” I thought, how is that even possible? If I'm moving my family, I'm taking action—people aren't just going to sit around waiting. I couldn't do that. This land is all we've got; we're sticking it out together. And then, well, things happened.

Tomorrow, Zelenskyy, Erdogan, and Guterres are meeting in Lviv.

People are out there protesting about how those stubborn Ukrainians just won't stop fighting—and apparently, they think the "evil" West is just fueling the fire by backing them up.
🙂

I mean, seriously, why won't they just surrender to such a massive military force?

https://twitter.com/AnonOpsSE/status...htmode%3Dfalse

It feels like our neighbors haven't had much to say lately, hasn't it?

Does anyone have any intel on when things might finally wind down—any idea what's actually happening behind the scenes? 🍿

Nancy Lopez7 said:People are out there protesting about how those stubborn Ukrainians just won't stop fighting—and apparently, they think the "evil" West is just fueling the fire by backing them up.
🙂

I mean, seriously, why won't they just surrender to such a massive military force?

https://twitter.com/AnonOpsSE/status...htmode%3Dfalse

It feels like our neighbors haven't had much to say lately, hasn't it?

Does anyone have any intel on when things might finally wind down—any idea what's actually happening behind the scenes? 🍿

What a disgrace, having the nerve to talk about 'Ukrainian Nazis.'

Fortunately, time and circumstances are on the side of the Ukrainians, and this will eventually result in a massive rout of the Russian forces.

☕

Nancy Lopez7 said:People are out there protesting about how those stubborn Ukrainians just won't stop fighting—and apparently, they think the "evil" West is just fueling the fire by backing them up.
🙂

I mean, seriously, why won't they just surrender to such a massive military force?

https://twitter.com/AnonOpsSE/status...htmode%3Dfalse

It feels like our neighbors haven't had much to say lately, hasn't it?

Does anyone have any intel on when things might finally wind down—any idea what's actually happening behind the scenes? 🍿

Where exactly is this protest happening?