Ukraine Watch...

[Stumuz2]

Czech government weighing in on swift.

The West should cut Russia from the SWIFT system for international bank payments or Ukraine will fall in days, Czech President Milos Zeman has told heads of state from Nato's eastern flank countries at a summit.

"We have two options - either we will exclude Russia from SWIFT, or we will observe a complete occupation of Ukraine by Russia in several days," a text of his remarks released on the presidential website said.

"I am in favour of the first option."

[adam2]

https://twitter.com/MarQs__/status/1497 ... MeS6w&s=19

These kinds of videos are spooky, where is everyone, abandoned, no clean up... What happened just a few hours before this was filmed?

Years ago, was there a rather similar image on the front page of Powerswitch ? Featuring mainly civilian vehicles stopped at random on a highway.

[automaticearth2]

No apologies needed, very thoughtful post.

Thanks Stumuz - it was a bit of a ramble but thought I'd get it off of my chest.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ystem.html

'Apparently selling Gucci loafers to oligarchs is more of a priority than hitting back at Putin'

You really couldn't make this stuff up.......

[clv101]

Social media is making this a war like no other:

https://twitter.com/Balshone/status/149 ... 6xuUg&s=19

[UndercoverElephant]

Czech government weighing in on swift.

The West should cut Russia from the SWIFT system for international bank payments or Ukraine will fall in days, Czech President Milos Zeman has told heads of state from Nato's eastern flank countries at a summit.

"We have two options - either we will exclude Russia from SWIFT, or we will observe a complete occupation of Ukraine by Russia in several days," a text of his remarks released on the presidential website said.

"I am in favour of the first option."

It is a pretty straight choice really. How serious is the west about standing up to Putin? If the answer is we care more about SWIFT so we can keep buying Russian oil and gas then we aren't serious at all. I think this would be the wrong choice. Putin will interpret this choice as an open invitation to do whatever he likes in Ukraine.

[adam2]

As reported upthread, Russian forces have seized Chernobyl. What I find particularly concerning is the substantial increase in radiation levels nearby.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60528828

Not certain what the Russians are up to, but presume something bad.

[clv101]

As the article explains, it's just dust from heavy vehicles. The large rise is still extremely low.

[PS_RalphW]

Social media is making this a war like no other:

https://twitter.com/Balshone/status/149 ... 6xuUg&s=19

Apparently the driver survived

[PS_RalphW]

There are reports of Russians targeting conventional power stations as well. Standard tactic in an invasion is to take down the electricity grid.

This is becoming a slow motion tragedy as there is clearly strong resistance to the invasion. So far the Russians have not shelled cities to any great extent, presumably to avoid losing hearts and minds, but I think they were lost 8 years ago.

If Putin keeps going, it is going to get bloody. I wonder what morale is like among the Russian troops, as many do not view Ukrainians as obvious enemies

[adam2]

As the article explains, it's just dust from heavy vehicles. The large rise is still extremely low.

Hopefully, but anything involving Russia and anything radioactive makes me nervous.

[UndercoverElephant]

There are reports of Russians targeting conventional power stations as well. Standard tactic in an invasion is to take down the electricity grid.

This is becoming a slow motion tragedy as there is clearly strong resistance to the invasion. So far the Russians have not shelled cities to any great extent, presumably to avoid losing hearts and minds, but I think they were lost 8 years ago.

If Putin keeps going, it is going to get bloody. I wonder what morale is like among the Russian troops, as many do not view Ukrainians as obvious enemies

Yes. It looks like a massive miscalculation to me. He thought that either the Russian military would easily crush Ukraine, or that the Ukrainians would just give up, or both. He will inevitably send more troops and equipment in, but Ukraine is a big country and its people have every reason to fight. It is not clear how far Putin can take the Russian people with him, or, as you say, his conscripts.

[adam2]

The only local Polish people whom I know have stated that many people in Poland are sending guns and other weapons to Ukraine. Mainly shotguns rather than military weapons, but still useful.
Also crossbows, a much underrated weapon due to being almost silent.
And limited amounts of military weapons.

[clv101]

It's clear they *haven't* thrown everything at it in the first 48hr, even the power and net are still mostly up. I suspect Russia is hoping to achieve regime change without destroying much infrastructure or killing many people, both things that makes managing the aftermath much harder.

The big question is what happens if the Ukrainian government is still there in another 48hrs. Do they give up on Kyiv, and settle for just an 'independent' Donbas, or to they up the intensity?

[automaticearth2]

Oh dear, Russia now using cluster munitions, banned under UN arms treaties. Also, Russia looking to use thermobaric weapons. That will ensure massive civilian casualties. Terrible...

[UndercoverElephant]

The big question is what happens if the Ukrainian government is still there in another 48hrs. Do they give up on Kyiv, and settle for just an 'independent' Donbas, or to they up the intensity?

I don't see how Putin can back out at this point. He is past the point of no return.