ONGOING ARMED CONFLICT Russia Declares Open War on Ukraine And Launches Missles on Major Cities

[Meatpie]

Another Ukranian elf gone, RIP pilot Andriy “Juice” Pilschikov of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

Ukraine war: Fighter ace and two other pilots killed in mid-air crash

Andrii Pilshchykov won fame taking part in dogfights over Kyiv during the early phase of Russia's invasion.

www.bbc.com

 

[Meatpie]

US will ‘lose face before world’ if it abandons Kyiv, says Former Ukraine president​

Ukraine’s former president Leonid Kuchma has warned that the US “will lose face before the entire world” if it abandons Kyiv, and said mistakes by the west contributed to Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion last year.

In his first interview with a western publication since 2015, Kuchma described Putin as a career KGB operative. “It’s his profession, with everything that implies,” he said, adding: “People say his obsession with Ukraine is a kind of mania or mental disorder. Maybe it’s true.

US will ‘lose face before world’ if it abandons Kyiv, says ex-Ukraine president

Exclusive: Leonid Kuchma describes history behind Putin’s attack as new edition of his 2003 book Ukraine Is Not Russia is published

www.theguardian.com

 

[Meatpie]

Six people were killed and dozens wounded in Russian missile attacks targeting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and second biggest city Kharkiv today, January 23, 2024.

Ukraine war: Civilians killed in missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv

Early morning missile attacks target blocks of flats in Ukraine's capital and second biggest city.

www.bbc.com

 

[Meatpie]

Russia preparing for military confrontation with West, says Estonia​

Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West within the next decade and could be deterred by a counter build-up of armed forces, Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said on Tuesday.

A growing number of Western officials have warned of a military threat from Russia to countries along the eastern flank of NATO, calling for Europe to get prepared by rearming.

The chief of the intelligence service said the assessment was based on Russian plans to double the number of forces stationed along its border with NATO members Finland and the Baltic States of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-preparing-military-confrontation-with-west-says-estonia-2024-02-13/

 

[Meatpie]

Ukraine’s troops face hellish conditions as Russia throws all it has at town of Avdiivka​

Destroyed buildings in Avdiivka, Ukraine, on February 15, 2024.

The US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine's key eastern town of Avdiivka - the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months.
"Avdiivka is at risk of falling into Russian control," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, citing Ukraine's ammunition shortages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything to "save as many Ukrainian lives as possible".
Russian troops have made gains in Avdiivka, threatening to encircle it.

The town - which has been almost completely destroyed - is seen as a gateway to nearby Donetsk, the regional Ukrainian capital seized by Russian-backed fighters in 2014 and later illegitimately annexed by Moscow.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/16/europe/ukraine-russia-avdiivka-battle-intl/index.html

Ukraine Russia war: US warns Avdiivka could fall

The US and Ukraine admit Ukrainian troops are running out of ammunition in the eastern town of Avdiivka.

www.bbc.com

 

[Meatpie]

​

Amid the abrupt and chaotic withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the city of Avdiivka, one horrifying story has emerged of several injured soldiers who did not escape — and were later killed as Russian troops reached their position.

Ivan Zhytnyk, 30, whose call sign is “Django,” had been fighting in Avdiivka for nearly two years, as had the 110th Brigade.

The junior sergeant and combat medic was badly injured and could not move. But on Thursday, he reached his sister Kateryna and other family members in an emotional video call, which has since received widespread coverage on Ukrainian and social media.

Kateryna asks her brother: “So, what, they... no one is coming? Your guys are there too [with you], or are you alone?”
Django replied: “Everyone left, everyone retreated. They told us that a car would pick us up. I have two broken legs, shrapnel in my back. I can't do anything...
He said there were six soldiers at the position, called Zenit. “Four people who are like me can't walk either,” he told his sister.
Kateryna responds: “I don't know how to... who to call (crying)... I can't figure it out. Who will pick you up?”

No-one did.

On Friday, a video was posted by a Russian military blogger that showed the bodies of several of the soldiers. The video carried the emblem of the Russian Army’s 1st Slavic Brigade, which had entered the area south of Avdiivka two days earlier, according to multiple accounts.

The text on the video says: “February 16, 2024. Military Unit facility, Avdeevka. Ukrnazi, only death is waiting for you at our land.”

Kateryna said she recognized Ivan's body by his clothes and the water bottle he held.

 

[Meatpie]

Meanwhile photos and videos are spreading online showing stacks of wooden coffins lined up on a street in Rostov, Russia awaiting cremation of the corpses of Russian soldiers killed in the battle of Avdiivka.

 

[Meatpie]

Germany to investigate Russia’s apparent interception of military talks on Ukraine​

Russia-Ukraine war live: Two babies and toddler among 10 confirmed dead after drone strike in Odesa

Russian drone crashed into nine-storey residential building in Odesa on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

 

[Meatpie]

35-year-old Ukranian soldier survived horrific double amputation.

 

[Meatpie]

Pro-Ukraine exiled Russian fighters launch cross-border raid into southern Russia​

Scenes from Belgorod, Russia today

Three pro-Ukrainian battalions made up of recruits from Russia have launched a fresh incursion into southern Russia in a cross-border raid meant to sow chaos before Vladimir Putin’s widely expected re-election this weekend.

The three armed groups of Russian exiled fighters, who operate in close coordination with Ukraine’s military, said they had crossed the border into the southern Kursk and Belgorod regions. In a statement, the Russian National Guard acknowledged the raid, saying that together with the armed forces, they were repelling the Ukrainian-backed armed groups’ attack near the village of Tyotkino in Russia’s western Kursk region.

Russia’s defence ministry later in the day said it had foiled the raids and posted a video appearing to show destroyed tanks and armoured fighting vehicles belonging to the pro-Ukrainian fighters.

Members of the Siberia, Freedom of Russia Legion and RDK battalions – the three groups that claimed the cross-boarding raid – closely work together with the Ukrainian army.

Pro-Ukraine exiled Russian fighters launch cross-border raid into southern Russia

Members of the Siberia, Freedom of Russia Legion and RDK battalions work closely with the Ukrainian army

www.theguardian.com

 

[Meatpie]

Europe must get ready for looming war, Donald Tusk warns​

The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, says Europe is entering a “prewar” era, cautioning that the continent is not ready and urging European countries to step up defence investment.

In an interview with a group of European newspapers Tusk said: “I don’t want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past. It’s real and it started over two years ago.”

Tusk’s comments came days after a Russian missile briefly breached Polish airspace during a major attack on Ukraine, prompting Warsaw to put its forces on heightened readiness. Ukrainian officials have said large-scale Russian missile and drone attacks had targeted energy infrastructure.

Tusk has been using his platform to try to add a sense of urgency to Europe’s debates about defence and aid to Ukraine, amid fears about the future of American assistance and concerns about defence industrial capacity.

Europe must get ready for looming war, Donald Tusk warns

Polish prime minister urges countries to step up defence spending after Russian missile bound for Ukraine breaches airspace

www.theguardian.com

 

[needstobesnuffe]

i would love to be kidknapped by a russian soldier n executed

 

[Dupytrens]

This is a true horror story and I feel terrible about the deaths of the thousands of young men and civilians on both sides.

 

[Meatpie]

Good afternoon. Here is my war summary for May 1, 2024.

• The Russian military has attacked the command headquarters of the Ukrainian army’s southern grouping, using missiles and artillery, Russia’s defence ministry said. The claims are yet to be independently verified.

• Ukraine’s special services claimed responsibility for a drone attack that hit a Russian oil refinery in Ryazan, south of Moscow, early on Wednesday morning. It said the attack took place about 2:00am (2300 GMT). The governors of the Kursk and Voronezh regions in southwest Russia that border Ukraine also reported drone attacks on their territories, saying there was no damage or injuries.

• Russia attacked the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine with guided bombs on Wednesday, killing at least two people and injured two others, the regional governor said. The two people were killed when a car was struck in the village of Zolochiv, where a private home was also struck, governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram.

• Ukrainian forces defending the strategic eastern stronghold of Chasiv Yar say they are still waiting for fresh ammunition after the US approved a major military aid package. Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Battalion that is fighting near the town, said more artillery shells would help his unit hold their positions. “I hope we receive artillery shells soon,” he said. Chasiv Yar is emerging as a key battleground because of its position on elevated ground that could serve as a gateway to the cities of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

• The US Senate has unanimously approved legislation to ban imports of Russian uranium, after the House of Representatives passed the bill in December. The US president, Joe Biden, is expected now to sign the uranium imports bill into law.

Meanwhile much of Chasiv Yar has been reduced to rubble with just few residents left.



These apocalyptic scenes from Chasiv Yar are reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, which Russia now controls after months of intense fighting and huge human losses.