Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 2

a reply to: Xcathdra

I thought this piece by Jim Rickards was interesting:

Rickards: I’ve Never Heard So Many Lies

Excerpts:

Western/US Narrative summarized:

Here’s the official U.S. narrative as echoed by the mainstream media: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg of Kyiv has failed, Russian forces are bogged down and valiant Ukrainian troops are putting up a powerful defense and regaining lost ground with the help of weapons from NATO.

In this version, President Zelenskyy is the new Churchill rallying patriots against an evil dictator. All of that is either entirely or mostly false.

Rickards' take on what's really going on:

Here’s the real story: Russia’s invasion is the end result of 14 years of provocation by the West, including repeated declarations that Ukraine will join NATO and a U.S.-backed coup d’état in 2014 that displaced a pro-Russian president.

Russia never planned a blitzkrieg on Kyiv. That’s a Western invention intended to make Putin look like a failure. In fact, Russia is slowly and methodically taking territory in the south and east of Ukraine in order to control the seacoasts, eliminate pro-fascist elements in Mariupol and establish pro-Russian autonomous zones in Donbas.

originally posted by: Xcathdra

Just so people know and understand. Information from war zones can become confusing as there will no doubt be info released from the players (on both sides) involved that might not necessarily be true.

As such take everything as a possibility and NOT as absolute truth.

The very first casualty in a war is the truth and all warfare is based on deception

but if it's your side, it's totally true.

LOL,
The truth hasn't even made it into the correct hemisphere yet. We seem to be getting propaganda from all sides.

Thanks for your work on the threads. Regardless of where the truth may be hiding, it's good to at least see all the info we have.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Xcathdra

I thought this piece by Jim Rickards was interesting:

Rickards: I’ve Never Heard So Many Lies

Excerpts:

Western/US Narrative summarized:

Here’s the official U.S. narrative as echoed by the mainstream media: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg of Kyiv has failed, Russian forces are bogged down and valiant Ukrainian troops are putting up a powerful defense and regaining lost ground with the help of weapons from NATO.

In this version, President Zelenskyy is the new Churchill rallying patriots against an evil dictator. All of that is either entirely or mostly false.

Rickards' take on what's really going on:

Here’s the real story: Russia’s invasion is the end result of 14 years of provocation by the West, including repeated declarations that Ukraine will join NATO and a U.S.-backed coup d’état in 2014 that displaced a pro-Russian president.

Russia never planned a blitzkrieg on Kyiv. That’s a Western invention intended to make Putin look like a failure. In fact, Russia is slowly and methodically taking territory in the south and east of Ukraine in order to control the seacoasts, eliminate pro-fascist elements in Mariupol and establish pro-Russian autonomous zones in Donbas.

Let's start with this lie from The Kremlin.

" We have no plans to invade Ukraine "

originally posted by: alldaylong

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Xcathdra

I thought this piece by Jim Rickards was interesting:

Rickards: I’ve Never Heard So Many Lies

Excerpts:

Western/US Narrative summarized:

Here’s the official U.S. narrative as echoed by the mainstream media: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg of Kyiv has failed, Russian forces are bogged down and valiant Ukrainian troops are putting up a powerful defense and regaining lost ground with the help of weapons from NATO.

In this version, President Zelenskyy is the new Churchill rallying patriots against an evil dictator. All of that is either entirely or mostly false.

Rickards' take on what's really going on:

Here’s the real story: Russia’s invasion is the end result of 14 years of provocation by the West, including repeated declarations that Ukraine will join NATO and a U.S.-backed coup d’état in 2014 that displaced a pro-Russian president.

Russia never planned a blitzkrieg on Kyiv. That’s a Western invention intended to make Putin look like a failure. In fact, Russia is slowly and methodically taking territory in the south and east of Ukraine in order to control the seacoasts, eliminate pro-fascist elements in Mariupol and establish pro-Russian autonomous zones in Donbas.

Let's start with this lie from The Kremlin.

" We have no plans to invade Ukraine "

Exactly this.

In the medical biohazard community there's patient zero, I think we can henceforth refer to "We have no plans to invade Ukraine" as Lie Zero.

a reply to: alldaylong

helpful addition to the discussion and textbook example of "the first casualty of war is truth"

AS usual,not sure if this has been covered in the last thread,but new rumors are hitting the UK press about Putins health,supposedly coming from a Russian Investigative news outfit(which now operates outside of Russia due to being banned)-

Vladimir Putin took a cancer specialist with him on regular trips away from Moscow, according to a new investigation that raises further questions about his health.
The Russian president, the report says, is frequently visited by doctors in the resort city of Sochi and keeps a thyroid specialist at his side.
The specialist, Yevgeny Selivanov, of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, has allegedly flown to Sochi with the president 35 times, according to documents purporting to show hotel bills.
The claims have been published by Proekt, an investigative journalism outlet that was founded in Russia but which is now blocked by the Russian government.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

This supposedly goes back to at least 2014-the first photo in this article shows the thyroid specialist at an event with Putin in 2014(sorry its daily mail)

www.dailymail.co.uk...

I am going to take a wild guess and speculate that it was likley not Yevgeny Selivanov who advised Putin to start bathing in blood from deer antlers as a form of treatment...Maybe it was Sergei Shoigu who seems to be interested in the more "traditional" remedies who advised this?
Or maybe its just more BS?

Its still speculation at this point-but this investigation seems to show a whole lot of times where travel documents suggest this thyroid specialist travelled with Putin over the last 8 years or so.

Big IF...IF this turns out to be true,I would say it makes Putin more dangerous and more likely to escalate if he is of the "F##K it all I am dying" mentality.

I also don't believe Putin/Russia intend on destroying Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hence a more painstaking, drawn-out ground attack (there have clearly been some major snafus & unplanned-for/unforeseen roadblocks the Russian troops have encountered there though)

without knowing what the truth is, does it at all seem funny that "it's being reported" that:

A Russian official is accusing Ukraine of launching airstrikes on an oil depot in the border city of Belgorod Friday despite reports that the attack may have been a false-flag operation to further justify Moscow’s brutal assault on Ukraine.

www.foxnews.com...

One thing we do know, regardless of why, is that Russia did in fact invade Ukraine. Russia has been bombing cities and buildings for over a month now. Why would it leave anyone with a shocked face if Ukraine fired back on Russia and took more of an agressor approach, since they have been largely responding to attacks thus far? If you bitch slap me several times, I'm pretty sure I have the moral right to slap you back.

It's thing like this that cloud reality. There is no logical reason for anyone to be surprised Ukraine hit back. (If they actually did)

a reply to: alphabetaone

Kinda looks like they didn't have a plan tho.

If I was Ukraine I'd be firing missiles into Moscow .

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
Did Russia win yet? It appears the only goals they achieved so far was looking like a third rate military.

Maybe to the untrained misinformed eye.

Did you know America dropped more bombs the first day of the Iraq war than Russia has dropped so far on Ukraine?

Before you say it.

It's not because they don't have the ordinance. It's because unlike America in Iraq the Russian army appears to be trying to avoid civilian casualties. Unlike the Ukrainian military who is actively using civilians as shields.

Here is a well done article that depicts the reality of what's going on on the ground.

originally posted by: Ravenwatcher
If I was Ukraine I'd be firing missiles into Moscow .

Even if it was into civilian areas?

originally posted by: JAY1980
Maybe to the untrained misinformed eye.

You don't need a trained eye to see they never made it into Kyiv or Kharkiv despite dumping a good amount of materiale and personnel into the effort. Telling me about ordnance tonnage is not relevant, they didn't take the capital which is a failure.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

SOP in times of war.

Not the first time the enemy leader is reported as sick, crazy, or dead.

Maybe it’s true maybe it isn’t.

www.irishtimes.com...

“Iraq dismisses reports about Saddam illness“

a reply to: JAY1980

Right at the Red square that might get Putins attention.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
Did Russia win yet? It appears the only goals they achieved so far was looking like a third rate military.

somebody said this was all part of Putin's plan to enrich Ukraine scrap dealers

follow the money, they say

originally posted by: Xcathdra
* - Russian troops captured Izyum town in Kharkiv region - General Staff of Ukraine

* - Russian troops planted explosives at Cookies plant in Bucha, also poisoned all products at warehouses

* - Leading internet provider Kyivstar in Ukraine has cut off many of its subscribers with unpaid bills outside active combat areas as of 1 April. The company cites the need for payment to repair war-ravaged infrastructure and pay tax

* - A photo report from Yasnohorodka, a village 40 km west of Kyiv, Ukraine, which was under Russian occupation for several weeks. It has now been liberated but the damage caused by the fighting is horrible

* - Vinnytska Oblast, Cherkaska Oblast, Bakhmut, Kirovohradska Oblast, Zaporizka Oblast, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovska Oblast(15:28). Red Alert: aerial threat. Sirens sounding. Take cover now!

* - VATICAN/ Poland's president @andrzejduda says he „as always" invited Pope Francis to visit Poland but gave no further details. He also said that in Poland the Holy Father could meet the two nations - Poles and Ukrainians

* - Poland's president @andrzejduda in Vatican asked about the possibility of „the honorable exit for Putin": there is no honor for peopole without honor

* - Ukrainian forces liberated Borodyanka in Kyiv region

* - Ukrainian military entered Bucha, cleansing operation ongoing

* - IAEA chief Rafael Grossi: We discussed with Russia and Ukraine securing nuclear facilities during the war

* - Kozarovychi (evacuated by Russian forces alongside nearby Demydiv) - back under Ukrainian control

* - Ukrainian flag raised over Vorzel, Kyiv region

* - Missile hit road near Nikolske village in Belgorod region this morning

* - Russian troops targeted evacuation bus near Lysychansk. No casualties. About 1300 civilians to be evacuated today from Lysychansk

* - Reuters: The European Union has agreed to supply equipment and medicines to deal with any chemical or nuclear accidents in Ukraine

As a reminder -

Just so people know and understand. Information from war zones can become confusing as there will no doubt be info released from the players (on both sides) involved that might not necessarily be true.

As such take everything as a possibility and NOT as absolute truth.

The very first casualty in a war is the truth and all warfare is based on deception

It seems to me the only way a little country like Ukraine could be having so much success is if there were some outside help from highly trained military personnel and access to the latest, most advance equipment.
Russia isn't fighting a war with Ukraine; they're fighting the US by proxy, IMHO.

Didn't I just hear the other day that Russia was pulling back from Kyiv? Looks like that was just more BS.

"Huge" Battles Erupt Near Ukraine's Capital

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

originally posted by: Snarl
Didn't I just hear the other day that Russia was pulling back from Kyiv? Looks like that was just more BS.

"Huge" Battles Erupt Near Ukraine's Capital

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa

I wouldn't be sure the two narratives are mutually exclusive.

The Russians want space to reorganize their units and there is pursuit occurring. How much is impossible to say at the moment. But the reports of towns trashed by combat go along with the reports of battles, and battles are taking place in towns that were formerly firmly under Russian occupation.

Cheers

And look at this ... just look at the EU still importing Russian Gas like there's no tomorrow.

EU Imports Of Russian Gas Soar As Deadline For Ruble Payments Arrives

HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa