Ukraine war/President/news

[dirtybiker]

And now for a bit of a plot twist.

Japan has upped their efforts to gain back the Kuril Islands that
Russia has laid claim to since 1945.

Near 80 year old dispute being acted upon more aggressively.
Perfect timing, Russia at it's weakest is a time to kick.

No I'm not providing a link, yer smart enough to find it in 10 seconds or less anyways.

eta; fine, a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebrw17bobts

[Queen K]

Just looked it up in the news ... Ruble is currently a hot item on the market. It’s going up almost like Bitcoin. The best investment you can make nowadays. So much for sanctions ...

Got links to post from where you "just looked it up'?

[Drip_Torch]

Brutal visuals coming out of Bucha, Gostomel and Irpin, now that it's being reoccupied by Ukraine defense forces. Perhaps, in general terms, the worst large scale atrocities I've seen so far from Putin's invasion.

Mass graves found, bodies littering the streets and the word genocide is being used quite frequently today.

[Drip_Torch]

[dirtybiker]

Brutal visuals coming out of Bucha, Gostomel and Irpin, now that it's being reoccupied by Ukraine defense forces. Perhaps, in general terms, the worst large scale atrocities I've seen so far from Putin's invasion.

Mass graves found, bodies littering the streets and the word genocide is being used quite frequently today.

Couple that with Russia enacting the draft of civilians just to push them in to
being cannon fodder.

[seewood]

Well, better than nothing I suppose. : https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/us/p ... raine.html

Snip: WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to bolster Ukrainian defenses in the country’s eastern Donbas region, a U.S. official said on Friday.

Brutal visuals coming out of Bucha, Gostomel and Irpin, now that it's being reoccupied by Ukraine defense forces. Perhaps, in general terms, the worst large scale atrocities I've seen so far from Putin's invasion.

Russia, make a note to yourselves; this is not WW2 and these Ukrainians are not the Nazi's that invaded YOUR country all those years ago..
The war crime charges are mounting
News today saying the bodies are booby trapped and mines litter the landscape. Time to use captured Russian troops to de-mine and de-booby trap the bodies.
I believed the Americans did something similar near the end of WW2 with German POWS.
To those that believe Russia will not suffer economically from their war crimes in Ukraine, I wouldn't make that bet...
I just hope they do sooner than later and the Russians start making a fuss, but with pootins disinformation campaign, might take a while.

[PoplarSoul]

A suburban avenue in Bucha became one of the first graveyards for Russia's hopes of encircling and entering Kyiv and then deposing the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A few civilians who stayed said they had tried to avoid the Russians. They set up wood fires outside their Khrushchev-era flats, cooking on them outdoors because their gas, power and water were cut.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60970818

[Drip_Torch]

Wish I could believe this was all good news, except there's too many photos coming out of Belarus that suggest this is nothing more than a regroup. Lots of equipment getting loaded on trains for redeployment... just as much getting sent back for scrap, so there is that.

[Drip_Torch]

[gertlush]

An interesting disconnect on our side between words/outrage and action. It just makes it more and more hypocritical when you compare the war crime/genocide rhetoric vs. Meagre results What are we gonna do.. sanction Putins dog next? Our leaders are getting us into a dangerous spot. Putin keeps calling our bluffs!

[Drip_Torch]

"Ukraine Russia war NEWS"

NEWS: - newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent or important events.
- a broadcast or published report of news.
- information not previously known to someone.

For example, this is an article in Ukrainian, but it's worth the effort to translate it. The Red Cross has many issues facing its organization in Ukraine. In an effort to avoid politics it has been accused of misinformation, disinformation and a general failure to address the needs of Ukrainian people.

This article can give you some insight into what the Red Cross is attempting to deal with.

https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2022/04/4/248097/

[alanjh595]

Here is the above link translated into English in it's entirety.

The activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine have been criticized since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of the country.

Ukrainians even called for a boycott of his activities and not to send donations to the organization. In particular, due to the helplessness of the ICRC in organizing humanitarian corridors.

The organization also officially calls the war in Ukraine a conflict.

The statement of the ICRC's intention to open an office in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, caused a wave of outrage.

The current list of claims can be found in the Public Appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

"Ukrainian Truth. Life" spoke with the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kiev Gerard Pontrandolfi .

He said:

about the role of the organization during the war,
about the office in Rostov,
what the ICRC saw in Bucha and Irpen,
whether the organization took part in the deportation of Ukrainians to Russia,
whether the Red Cross has access to prisoners,
or organizes the export of the bodies of Russian soldiers to Russia,
and will testify to the ICRC against Russia in a court in The Hague.

Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kyiv Gerardo Pontrandolfi
- Recently you tried to get to Mariupol. What gave you confidence that the corridors would be safe? What prevented you from getting there?

- We have received positive signals and approvals from both sides that it is safe to move. Unfortunately, they tried to get to Mariupol all day, but it didn't work out.

I can't reveal more details, because our main goal is to enter the city without causing political problems. But the reality is that we failed. But we will not give up until we have secure access. We will try tomorrow (April 4 - ed.) .

- You were in Irpen. What did they see there?

- I saw terrible pictures. When you are there, you understand the degree of damage. Infrastructure is destroyed, there is no electricity, no water, almost no surviving buildings.

I have goosebumps on my back, because when you go through this city, it seems like a desert. People come out of the rubble and ask for help.

An example that will remain in my memory forever. A woman called us to one of the houses. Her father has diabetes, lying down, blind. He begged us not to take him out because he wanted to die in his hometown. We gave him painkillers and spent half the time providing medical care and another half just to make sure he understood that we were here to help. That we will not evacuate by force.

And if it is his desire to stay in his hometown, where he spent all his life, it is his right to stay there and die. I'm sorry.

Irpen is one of the worst I've ever seen. This is unacceptable by law, but the law is on paper. And it will remain on paper until everyone agrees that the focus should be on the protection of civilians. They are completely defenseless.

There are reasons why the international community has decided to establish rules of war.

"Did people tell you anything about the horror they saw?"

- So. And they are incredibly brave people, because they do not talk about suffering. They just look you in the eye, and suddenly you realize that all politics is disappearing. They are grateful for everything that is brought to them. And I am ashamed when I enter this city that I do not have everything they need.

I want to assure everyone that we are trying, we are really trying, it's just very difficult to enter these cities with a lot of transport. There are trees, mines and shootings on the road. Now I give you the example of Irpen.

Mariupol is also very important. But there are many Mariupols in the country. Small and large.

- You could see photos of dead Ukrainians in Bucha, in other villages near Kyiv. Isn't this the genocide of the Ukrainian people? How can you help in this situation?

- We are going to go back to Irpin by SUV again and we want to see if the road is clear so that we can enter by truck. The day before yesterday it was impossible.

We plan to go to church, where people gather to get the information they need. And then we'll see what can be brought to Bucha, as well as to Gostomel in the coming days.

First we need to see if we can clear the roads to bring in more staff. Cities are completely destroyed. And on the streets of the corpse.

I saw the body of a killed civilian, wounded in the chest, he was lying on a stretcher in the building. And two men guarded him. He was dead for 3 to 5 days. There was nothing that we could do about it. What I will try to do tomorrow is see if this person is there. Can it be identified. We need to make sure the dead body is returned or buried properly to inform the family.

I do not want to talk about such large-scale terms (genocide - ed.) Precisely because we need to turn large numbers into something visible to people.

- There are many claims to the activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine. Do you understand what they are?

- I understand Ukrainians who suffer, in particular the civilian population. And I understand a little less people who manipulate information, because we want to help people here in Ukraine.

I try to focus on the answers, not the claims. So, our answer: we have already delivered 560 tons of medical goods to Ukraine and 400 tons are still on the way.

- Have you seen the letter of the Ukrainian society with demands and requests to the Red Cross?

- I have seen several requests and demands, yes.

- There are several points in the letter. Ukrainian society, for example, calls for full support for green corridors from areas of occupation and hostilities, areas with humanitarian catastrophes. Can you work better in this direction?

- We are trying to do everything possible to provide humanitarian aid to these cities, and we are also trying to bring out people who want to leave them voluntarily safely.

We must do this to protect and not put people at risk. We cannot give people the impression that they rely on us to be safe when they are not.

They can be safe only if the parties to the conflict - Ukraine and Russia - agree to release them from the cities. We are ready to support, but we do not have weapons, and we need the support of both sides to be able to provide humanitarian assistance.

- But we see a situation where Russia often violates agreements, and Ukraine can do nothing about it. What then?

- The Red Cross makes very clear proposals to both sides, Ukraine and Russia, on how to conduct a structured dialogue to ensure the safety of the people. And if the parties do not agree to these conditions, we will have problems. And it's not about the Red Cross, it's about the problem that civilians face. We need to move away from politics, we need to make sure that those who need help receive it.

People need to talk to each other, not about each other.

We are trying to get closer to those who need help, and I must admit that we are not very successful. We do not enter these cities just because there are no security agreements between the parties.

- What does "Red Cross did not confirm evacuation corridors" mean?

- What does it mean? There are mostly attempts on both sides to shift responsibility for human security to the ICRC and the Ukrainian Red Cross. In fact, those who have weapons, and there are many people who carry weapons, must make sure that they stop firing while we go to these cities.

Mariupol was a terrible example of an agreement that we thought was. We twice tried to leave the city with civilians, we were attacked.

I am ready to put my life on the line, but I am not ready to risk the lives of innocent Ukrainians. We need the consent of both parties. We do not carry weapons, we are a humanitarian organization. Those who actually hold weapons must stop firing at each other when we want to enter these cities. It's simple.

- Do you have a decision on what to do when one party, in our case Russia, violates the agreement?

- I would like to have a solution. But I don't have it. Politicians must find a political solution, the military must stop fighting when we want to provide humanitarian aid.

The order of things cannot be changed. First politicians, then the military, then humanitarian organizations. We will not be able to help if people shoot at us.

- So what is your role in organizing humanitarian corridors?

- Our role is mainly to provide assistance in these cities in a safe way. People need to agree on a corridor, and as soon as we have agreements on both sides, we provide support.

Humanitarian vehicles are ready to move to cities, but I cannot risk the lives of civilians if the roads are littered with mines.

- So people, for example, in Mariupol, have no chance to get help when Russia violates the agreement?

- Our colleagues in Mariupol left the city not because they wanted to get out of there, but because of running out of supplies.

There was no water left, the food we shared with the people in the shelter. We want to go to the city again. With food, medicine. But until the bombing stops, we will not be able to get there.

- So you can work only when both sides comply with humanitarian law?

- So.


Gerardo Pontrandolfi: "We do not enter these cities only because there are no agreements between the parties on security guarantees"
- Do you know the condition of the Ukrainian military captured by the occupiers? Have you communicated with the Russians on this issue?

- We have received lists that are mandatory under international humanitarian law. We want to have access to these people. And we have progress. But if you ask me if we have access to both sides - no.

Sending us lists of names is a beginning, but it is not the end. I don't need name papers. I need access to prisoners of war, whether they are Ukrainians or Russians.

They are people, and we must be able to visit them. Sending me name papers is a good start, but it's not enough.

- What did Ukraine and Russia tell you about the prospects? Will you be able to see them?

- Both sides said that we have the opportunity to see them. But I do not believe the words. I believe in the facts. They need to be given access to these people.

- The question of the dead Russian soldiers. Will you ensure the export of bodies from Ukraine to Russia?

- The responsibility for the return lies with the authorities of both parties. And I know that the authorities are very cunningly trying to hold the ICRC accountable.

We are not a funeral home. But we can provide everything they need.

We also need information about the dead, because we need to inform their families. And, to be honest, I don't care what kind of family it is - from Ukraine or Russia.

I want to make sure that every father, every mother has the opportunity to know where his dead child is. And we are ready to support the government in this.

But the duty to return the body lies with the authorities.

- How do you feel about the situation when Russia forcibly deported Ukrainians to its territory?

- I did not witness these events. I cannot say that this information is true or not. I do not know. And if so, it's illegal.

- Do you agree that deportation is a terrible violation of human rights?

- This is a violation. You are right.

- One of the first cases of forced evacuation was in February from Donbass. Who then helped the Russians evacuate the people? International Red Cross or Russian?

- The International Committee of the Red Cross did not carry out any of these operations. I can assure you that we have not done this and will never do it.

- Are you talking about the ICRC, not the Russian Red Cross?

- I'm talking about the ICRC because I work there.

- So you can not assure us that there was no Russian Red Cross?

"I don't know if they were there, but I assure you we weren't there." I have no idea.

- Does the Russian Red Cross somehow coordinate its actions with you?

- What exactly?

- For example, the forced evacuation of the Ukrainian people.

- I do not know any details. What I know for sure is that the Ukrainian Red Cross is working with the Ukrainian government and the Russian Red Cross is working with Russia. This is normal for both parties, but we are an independent organization.


Gerardo Pontrandolfi: "The responsibility for the return lies with the authorities of both sides." Photo: Victoria Ivleva
- Why do you want to open an office in Rostov? How will you control the observance of citizens' rights there? Situations are already known when people are deprived of their passports and sent to filtration camps.

- I heard it, I follow the media. There is so much nonsense published there that we are allegedly opening a huge office because we want to facilitate forced deportation.

It is not true. We are not going to do any filtering or deportation.

We do not have an office in Rostov. And the reason we want to open it is the desire to hear people. I'm tired of listening to politicians. I want to talk to people who are suffering.

- Will you provide an opportunity for those people who were forcibly in Russia to return to Ukraine?

- Yes, if we could go there and find out that people want to return to Ukraine, we would do everything possible to allow them to do so. On our side of the law, we have the opportunity to negotiate with the parties.

But we are as strong as the parties to the conflict make us. If they want to make us weak, we will be weak. If they want to make us strong, we will be strong. We can't impose anything on anyone because we don't carry weapons.

- That is, the opportunity to organize the return of Ukrainians to Ukraine can be only when setting up an office in Rostov?

- We will do everything possible for civilians to return to where they want.

- Do you understand that the office in Rostov can help Russia do what it continues to do? In particular, forcible removal of people?

- We don't have an office there. I want to have an office there, as I said before, to be able to communicate with the people who are there. To know how they are doing, to know if they need medical care, to know if they are there of their own free will.

- Do you have an approximate date when the office will be established in Rostov?

- I do not have to give, unfortunately. And I'm not sure that will ever happen. I do not know.

"Why?"

- Because we didn't receive the answer.

- Does Russia not want your office to be there?

"Honestly, I don't know." We are waiting for an answer. We sent a request a few weeks ago.

- There is a risk that in Russia Ukrainians will be intimidated in various ways to force them to stay in Russia. Can you prevent this or change the situation?

"I don't know if that's really the case." This is another reason why we should be in Rostov. I hear the same thing you do, but I can't verify this information. Sorry, I don't know.

- Can you influence the deportation of Ukrainians to Russia?

- Do I have the right to influence the situation? Only through words, through diplomatic dialogue.

- One of the principles of your organization is neutrality. Does it matter to you who is the victim in this war and who is the aggressor? And does it affect your actions and decisions?

- Yes, it affects. But for me, the victim is everyone, any civilian, regardless of nationality, gender and so on.

Every civilian needs protection, every wounded needs protection. Unfortunately, those who died in the conflict no longer need our help. But I would like to have the names of these people to inform their families.

And I don't care if they are Ukrainians or Russians. We are not talking about numbers, we are not talking about citizens, we are talking about people. Parties to the conflict, soldiers, abide by humanitarian law. We need to have access to civilians, we need to be able to help them.

- What about the political side? Does this understanding of who is the victim and who is the aggressor affect your actions and decisions?

- I do not close my eyes to it. I'm in Kyiv, I hear shelling. I am here with colleagues, here with the people of Ukraine. Just like our colleagues in Russia on the other side, we are doing everything possible to protect civilians.

- Do you understand that Russia can use your neutrality for its own purposes? And then neutrality, in fact, disappears.

- Neutrality always disappears when people abuse our role and report incorrect information.


The International Committee of the Red Cross provides assistance in Luhansk region
- How can you describe your impact on the situation in Ukraine?

- We do what we can. This is a drop in the ocean. And not because of lack of will, but because of lack of access. Ukraine is a big country. You have 30-40 million people here.

I know about the disappointment of the Ukrainian people. But we are doing what we can and will continue to do. I will not promise success, but I can promise that we will do everything for this.

The priority in the war is first and foremost to provide assistance to the victims of the conflict. This is the focus for now. What happens next is none of our business. But we record violations of international humanitarian law.

To do this, we need to be closer to the people. We need to talk to people, we need to know what the situation is, to be able to ask the parties to stop it.

- Do you plan to expand your activities in Ukraine? How?

- So. We already have a staff increase of 600 people, another 140 employees. There are donors who are ready to support us, but we will succeed if we can access areas that are currently under serious attack.

- In many cases, your work schedule does not work - you can not provide help where people need it. Doesn't that mean your organization just can't help us the way we need to?

- What we need to do during the war is to provide as much assistance as possible. In the conditions that exist. We cannot impose help, but we can keep trying.

- Do you think it's time to change something in the principles of your work?

- No, in fact, the principles are fine. This is a good question in general, but it should be addressed to those who can influence change. I have been working in conflicts around the world for 20 years. If everyone respected the law, I would be out of work, but this is not the case.

- What are the prospects for Ukraine to achieve a humanitarian truce?

- We presented both sides with a two-page document in which we explained to both what exactly needs to happen so that we can work safely. And we mentioned the humanitarian truce in the document.

We have not received any response from either side. Neither from Ukraine nor from Russia. That is a fact. It is a fact that no one wants to hear. Both sides received the document. And I'm waiting for their answer.

- Can you be a guarantor of a humanitarian truce in Ukraine? But how is this possible if Russia constantly violates agreements?

- I will say this: dance requires two people, and they must dance at the same pace.

Now I am standing in the middle of the dance floor, waiting for the two main actors of this dance to come out and dance.

- Will you testify against Russia in court in The Hague?

- This is a legal question that I can answer for you in very legal terms: the ICRC is exempt from testifying in The Hague precisely because of our existence, because during the war we work on the basis of the Geneva Convention on both sides.

And in order to be able to work on both sides, we need dialogue. And we need this dialogue to be confidential. There are other organizations that care about the international tribunal. This is not the ICRC.

- If I'm not mistaken, you do not have to testify, but you can, if you want.

- I don't want to sit in The Hague, I'm bored sitting in The Hague, I'm sitting in Kyiv and I'm trying to help people here. This is my goal and priority.

Not that other things are unimportant, but now people are dying. People are unable to eat. People have nothing to drink. This should be the focus of everyone's attention now.

- In general, you want to say that people in Ukraine put more responsibility on your organization than you really have?

- So. Without fulfilling their responsibility, they are trying to transfer it to a humanitarian organization. We are not here to stop hostilities. We are here to help people who need it.

I respect politicians and soldiers, but this is not my job, this is their job. The game that takes place in the media, politicians and the military, who do not do their job and do not allow us, the humanitarian organizations, to do their part, has dire consequences.

I can't stop the war. But I want to provide humanitarian aid to people in need. And I do not want to be politicized by any of the parties. So do me a favor, let's work.

- How should Russia be responsible for this in accordance with humanitarian law?

- Today we need to take care of people who are there in a helpless situation. Everything I say can be misinterpreted and lead to negative statements. And negative statements lead to additional difficulties in accessing those who need help.

It's not that I don't want to answer that question, it's that my main goal is to avoid anything that could take us away from people. Because our priority now is to focus on those who need help.

- Will you officially condemn Russia's actions in Bucha?

- Do not judge me. My goal is to help people. We have politicians who must condemn, people in diplomatic circles who do this work. This is not my job.

My job is to focus on people's needs. And I do this 24 hours a day and I'm tired of politics. And people also tell me that they are tired of politics, of war, of what they see. These are just people who need help.

- But, perhaps, your statement could influence politicians to do something more to end the war.

- By the way, what I want to say to politicians around the world, not only here.

There is international humanitarian law. There are more than 150 states on earth. Almost all countries on the planet after the Second World War signed the Geneva Conventions. It is very important.

I am German. What we did in World War II is atrocities. Generations of my grandparents. They committed atrocities. Both in Ukraine and in Russia. I'm here as a German, and I can't believe what's happening here.

I still feel guilty about what happened in the past. We have to study history. I learned history lessons and learned that we Germans made a lot of mistakes. And here I am. Not only because I believe in the Red Cross, but especially because I know what absurd things we did in the last generation.

These were not my parents. But it doesn't matter. As a German, I am responsible for ensuring that this does not happen again in the future. And I can't change the world, but I can tell you that because of what we Germans did in World War II, the international community has led us to set a set of rules that must be followed in war precisely in order not to see that we see you today.

Civil infrastructure has been destroyed, people are dying on the streets, this is unacceptable. And I am devastated to see that in the 21st century, the basic principles of this law are not being followed. That must change. And my appeal is addressed to the whole world.

Because there is one article of one of the Geneva Conventions signed by the states. The article states that they must also ensure respect for the law. And to ensure respect is to put pressure on the parties to the conflict to stop these atrocities. And that's why the whole world has to do something about it. And this is not the Red Cross. We do not have the power of politicians and the strength of armies.

They need to stop this war.

Katerina Khoroshchak , UE. Life

[Queen K]

Who is going to stop the madman in the Kremlin?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/4 ... s-liveblog

[normaM]

BC Landlord wrote: ↑Apr 2nd, 2022, 4:13 pm
Just looked it up in the news ... Ruble is currently a hot item on the market. It’s going up almost like Bitcoin. The best investment you can make nowadays. So much for sanctions ...

Got links to post from where you "just looked it up'?

I am waiting for the link too

[Bigbacardi]

I'm guessing you don't have the ability to search fumble value yourself?
I just did, it stated the value has greatly fluctuated since the start of war. It also stated that last week it was at a 1 month hi.
Which I turn means ....if you buy low, and sell hi....there is profit to be made...