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steve2470

steve2470's Journal
steve2470's Journal
March 23, 2022

Yet another example of Russian nuclear saber-rattling...

Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov on state TV threatens nuclear strike on Warsaw, Poland and NATO forces or any peacekeeping contingent that might try to enter Ukraine.



https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1506699248758362118
March 23, 2022

US State Department Official Statement: War Crimes by Russia's Forces in Ukraine

https://www.state.gov/war-crimes-by-russias-forces-in-ukraine/

PRESS STATEMENT

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

MARCH 23, 2022

Since launching his unprovoked and unjust war of choice, Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed unrelenting violence that has caused death and destruction across Ukraine. We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities. Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded. Many of the sites Russia’s forces have hit have been clearly identifiable as in-use by civilians. This includes the Mariupol maternity hospital, as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressly noted in a March 11 report. It also includes a strike that hit a Mariupol theater, clearly marked with the word “дети” — Russian for “children” — in huge letters visible from the sky. Putin’s forces used these same tactics in Grozny, Chechnya, and Aleppo, Syria, where they intensified their bombardment of cities to break the will of the people. Their attempt to do so in Ukraine has again shocked the world and, as President Zelenskyy has soberly attested, “bathed the people of Ukraine in blood and tears.”

Every day that Russia’s forces continue their brutal attacks, the number of innocent civilians killed and wounded, including women and children, climbs. As of March 22, officials in besieged Mariupol said that more than 2,400 civilians had been killed in that city alone. Not including the Mariupol devastation, the United Nations has officially confirmed more than 2,500 civilian casualties, including dead and wounded, and emphasizes the actual toll is likely higher.

Last week, I echoed President Biden’s statement, based on the countless accounts and images of destruction and suffering we have all seen, that war crimes had been committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine. I noted then that the deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime. I emphasized that Department of State and other U.S. government experts were documenting and assessing potential war crimes in Ukraine.

Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. (bolding mine)

Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources. As with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining criminal guilt in specific cases. The U.S. government will continue to track reports of war crimes and will share information we gather with allies, partners, and international institutions and organizations, as appropriate. We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions.


Since this is an official USG release, no copyright restrictions needed.
March 23, 2022

Ukrainian President Asked Biden Not to Sanction Abramovich, to Facilitate Peace Talks

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukrainian-president-asked-biden-not-to-sanction-abramovich-to-facilitate-peace-talks-11648053860

Note: As far as I can tell, the entire article is free to read.

Early this month, officials inside the U.S. Treasury Department drafted a set of sanctions to punish Roman Abramovich, a prominent Russian oligarch, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, say people familiar with the plans.

When it came time to announce those sanctions, which had been designed to go out in tandem with sanctions from the U.K. and European Union, the White House’s National Security Council told the Treasury to hold off. The reason: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky advised President Biden in a recent phone call to wait on sanctioning the oligarch, who might prove important as a go-between with Russia in helping to negotiate peace, according to people with knowledge of the call.

President Biden consulted Ukraine’s president on a range of sanctions, including the planned penalties targeting Mr. Abramovich.

“We are not going to read out private conversations between President Biden and President Zelensky,” said Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the White House’s National Security Council. The Treasury Department didn’t respond to a request for comment.
March 23, 2022

In Chernihiv oblast, Russians are spreading leaflets calling on locals to collaborate

https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1506657535096500232

In Chernihiv oblast, Russians are spreading leaflets calling on locals to collaborate. “Russia doesn’t fight against civilians…freedom of speech, opinion, and choice are Russia’s guaranteed priorities for Ukrainians”. Very basic propaganda that will never work


https://twitter.com/lapatina_/status/1506657914802647044

https://twitter.com/lapatina_

Journalist from Ukraine @KyivIndependent | Bylines: NYT, The Guardian, Kyiv Post
March 23, 2022

(Russian) Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's disappearance is reported In Russia

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/03/23/7333825/

Note: I know it says Pravda in the address but it's a Ukrainian news site. If this report is true, this is very interesting.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has not appeared in public since 11 March, so he has not been seen for 12 of the 28 days of war in Ukraine, Russian media reported.

Source: Russian investigative journalists from Mediazona and Agentstvo

Details: Journalists note that Shoigu has not appeared in public since 11 March.

snip

Within Shoigu's entourage there is talk of him not being in good health - he has heart problems, an acquaintance of the minister told the newspaper.


March 23, 2022

Paul Manafort Denied Flight To Dubai Over Revoked Passport

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/knewz-exclusive-paul-manafort-denied-flight-to-dubai-over-revoked-passport/ar-AAVnzeR?ocid=msedgntp

Former Donald Trump presidential campaign chair and once-convicted felon Paul Manafort was removed from a Miami flight bound for Dubai on March 20, officials confirmed.

Manafort was convicted in federal court of tax and bank fraud and ordered to serve a term in prison. He was released in May 2020 and pardoned by Trump before he left office in December 2020.

Officials with Miami-Dade police confirmed to Knewz.com that Manafort was denied travel by the Customs and Bureau Protection at Miami International Airport. Police said he could not take the flight and his U.S. Passport was revoked.

Miami-Dade police stressed they were not involved in the situation and there was no further incident from his removal.
March 22, 2022

Nuclear war being mentioned/discussed by Russian TV guests and hosts

https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/1506315902169534464

This is truly insane stuff. I really hope Putin and his closest advisors/cronies don't buy into this kind of rhetoric.
March 20, 2022

Ted Cruz loses control at Bozeman Montana airport, cops have to be called

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bozeman/comments/tirgtl/ted_cruz_accosting_airline_employees_today_at_bzn

video here


from:

https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/1505664843721887744

eta: It sucks the video starts with him talking to the cop, not with the events preceding that. Maybe someone can fill in details.
March 20, 2022

Guy who reports directly from Moscow Russia the truth, not propaganda

https://www.youtube.com/c/LETTERSTOKING

latest video:



eta: When I say "the truth", I mean his version of what information he is aware of. He voluntarily moved back to Russia from the USA and seems ok, in the past, with Putin's government. After all, he moved back to Russia knowing how Putin is. Hopefully I don't regret posting his YouTube site. There is a lot of freezing on his channel that he cannot fix right now.
March 20, 2022

Unexploded missle in Kharkiv, Ukraine kitchen....

https://twitter.com/tikhondzyadko/status/1505500994171506691

Google translation: The military infrastructure object "shell" was denazized by a precision strike in the Kharkiv region
If you can translate Ukrainian better, please contribute. Maybe "denazized" should be "denazified" ?

https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1505642995286167557

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