Russia pours in more troops; presses attack in Ukraine's east

But accurately determining Russia's fighting capacity at this stage is difficult.

Putzin controls all information and media, which makes it near impossible for those outside his inner circle and the Kremlin to find accurate information. Still somehow Putin's propagandists push information the Kremlin want spread, and claim any information from another source is biased and untrustworthy. Those same propaganda spreaders use western media to spread disinformation, while at the same time claiming western media outlets are biased. There's no question in my mind much of what can be found on western media is biased, after all most in the free-profit media cater their reporting to specific markets, but at least within western media ranges of opinions can be easily found, while in Russia it's the world as seen through Vlad's narrow blue eyes.

There's no question in my mind much of what can be found on western media is biased

There is only one country that has been invaded, one country whose innocent civilians are being murdered. So it's pretty easy to be biased.

I agree!

Well whichever media outlet you believe, one thing cannot be denied - Russia invaded Ukraine for no reason other than to satisfy Putin’s ego.

The Russian military are destroying peoples homes, & indiscriminately killing innocent people

The war is far from over. Ukraine has done an extraordinary job defending their homeland so far. Let's hope it continues.

A Russian victory in the Donbas would deprive Ukraine of the industrial assets concentrated there, including mines, metals pA Russian victory in the Donbas would deprive Ukraine of the industrial assets concentrated there, including mines, metals plants and heavy-equipment factories.lants and heavy-equipment factories.

Who do you think built all these factories in the first place ?

Full-scale war.

The Russian army shouldn’t even be there.

Vic M - why don't you tell us?

Who do you think built all these factories in the first place ?

Ukraine has done an extraordinary job defending their homeland so far. Let's hope it continues.

i agree, let's hope Putizin and his Kremlin have learned that those in sovereign nations that had at one time in history been behind the greasy Iron Curtains of the USSR or perhaps part one of the versions of a Russian Empire prefer being free from Moscow control and are willing to fight hard to keep Russia's armies of lower primates outside their country's boundaries.

Leave sovereign states alone, let the people living in those sovereign states decide for themselves whether they want to be fully independent or maybe affiliated with the 'west' or with Russia and whichever other states (perhaps China and Belarus) that might be part of a consortium of authoritarian extreme right states.

Ukraine... Don't let the Russians regroup and redeploy. Drop tens of thousands of bottles of vodka on the Russians, wait a few hours for them to get good and drunk, and move in for the kill. They'll never know what hit 'em.

It’s important that this Russian act of barbarism and naked aggression fails. Let’s all support Ukraine in this most difficult struggle against evil.

Invasion was wrong, but any cursory reading of the history of this region would tell you this war is far from just being Putin going crazy. Plenty of fault on both sides prior to the invasion. My guess is it ends with Russia taking some land in the east. And either peace or an ongoing low level border war.

Russian news channels have been banned by our "free democracies".

This is not factually correct. RT is available if you want it.

I think Putin has a death wish or, as the CIA said, he suffers from syphilis related dementia. The west isn’t going to let Russia take Ukraine. Personally I think the US should have sent troops to Ukraine as stand by to act as a deterrent. But I’m no military strategist.

The thing is that despite OUR insistence that Russia was trying to seize control of Kiev, it is pretty clear that Russia was trying to shake the Kiev regime out of its delusional belief that American backing would let it brutally oppress the populations of Donetsk and Luhansk and the western provinces of Ukraine, after America (and the EU) ignored all the attempts by Russia to get the US and EU to disabuse the Kiev regime of that belief.

Given that plan A (using every diplomatic channel to try and get the problem of the Kiev regime's ambitions dealt with peacefully) and plan B (escalating displays of the ability and willingness of Russia to protect the populations of Donetsk and Luhansk and Crimea from the violence of the Kiev regime to get them into peace talks to yet again remind the Kiev regime it didn't have the right OR the capability to force populations that rejected its legitimacy to submit to its rule) have failed to get a reasonable response, Russia is going to plan C, ejecting the Kiev regime from Donetsk and Luhansk and establishing a defacto border until such time as a reasonable government comes to power in Kiev.

until such time as a reasonable government comes to power in Kiev.

Do you think the next administration is going to be friendlier to the Russians than this one?

New surrender deadline in Mariupol as West promises Ukraine more arms

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/New-surrender-deadline-in-Mariupol-as-West-promises-Ukraine-more-arms--40081179/

@tooheysnew

It's not at all like that. Not only did Ukraine had stationed a huge army in Donbas, but was using rhetoric like re-taking the Donbas territories and Crimea by force this year. Also, in the past few years they have been receiving generous amounts of training and arms from NATO. All of these were the causes for the initial buildup of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border.

And right before the invasion, there were alleged increases in the attacks from Ukrainian side against the Donbas republics. Was this Ukraine starting to execute it's plan right in front of Russia's eyes, or was it really a false flag operation to create pretext for the invasion? We'll never know..

I bet, Ukraine planned to get NATO involved to fight for their cause.

Khaos - the Donbas is Ukraine. It is their prerogative to station an army there.

Every Russian who dies will be a nail in Putin's coffin while those war-scarred soldiers involved in the rape and murder of Ukrainian civilians who return home to Russia will infect society with their psychopathy as they can be expected to continue to vent their war-rage and self-hate with violent rampages on civil society.

Khaos - Ukraine wants to join the EU. How does that make you feel?

I bet, Ukraine planned to get NATO involved to fight for their cause.

Putin just proved Ukraine should have joined sooner.

Putin is giving all of us in 2022 a vivid example of what Hitler gave to the world in 1939...

An egomaniac, driven by hate, living in a fantasy world outside reality, and willing to commit mass murder of innocent civilian women and children...

He must be stopped...

At the moment there are four sections in the Donbas.

Two are self-proclaimed republics with large Russian-speaking populaces.

Two are the other halves of those Ukrainian provinces, which the Russian army is now in the serious process of attempted forced acquisition.

How do you think the Bulgarian government would react if the Turkish-speakers of Bulgaria decided (with obvious backing from Turkey) to declare themselves independent?

@UChosePoorly

I don't see why this matters, but yes. Russia was instrumental for my country and most of the Balkans, in the fight for our independence (which was obviously an illegal action in the eyes of the Ottomans).

Got it, and thank you for your thoughts. I do believe you are arguing in good faith (unlike a lot of folks I talk with here.

My own country, America, declared independence and fought a war for independence as well. It was a while ago, to be sure.

So, you can probably empathize with Ukraine being very wary of its much larger neighbor seemingly trying to pick them apart, piece by piece. I would imagine Bulgaria would be a bit upset if Turkey decided to covet some of your beautiful coastline for itself (I mean, for the "newly established People's Republics of Burgas and Varna"), right?

@UChosePoorly

It's a hypothetical situation.

Varna and Burgas no, but there are places where there is Turkish ethnic majority. They are born there and they have been there for generations.

If they pick up weapons to try to secede and violence escalates, I guess in the interest of peace we would arrange for them to have greater autonomy or some sort of political concessions. Unfortunately, there are quite a few people in Bulgaria, who would be happy to go on a crusade against them too.

Either way, such an event can only be caused by serious injustice towards that population. If we drive them to go that far, it'll probably be our government's fault. It would be sad turn of events, and Turkey would likely take some actions, but given the region's history and the fact that we're technically allies, it's unlikely to reach some catastrophic levels. Incidentally, the country that could probably best serve as a mediator in such events would be Russia.

Let's hope for a quick victory for Russia with as little death on both sides.

No more proxy wars. US... Send your own children to fight.

Putin has made his point. Let's hope for a quick Russian withdrawal. That is the only sensible path.

Khaos - Thank you for your thoughtful response to my admittedly hypothetical example. We can agree to disagree. I would probably have more sympathy for the Russian position if they didn't have a history of dominating their neighbors and also had a less autocratic government. That, plus how they have conducted themselves in Ukraine (not to mention their other recent military adventures) doesn't earn them the benefit of the doubt in my mind.

I could see them pulling this same thing in other countries with Russian-speaking minorities in the future. Maybe they won't. I hope they won't. But there is a non-zero chance of this happening, I believe.

Let's hope for a quick victory for Russia with as little death on both sides.

Or, we can hope that Russia goes home. This way probably results in the fewest number of deaths on both sides, does it not?

Yes, @zichi… you are correct: “four”. (Center, left) - With much sadness for these families and all of Ukraine, even “one” was too many.

@zichi 12:31pm: “*I see four dug graves and not three as stated in the photo caption.*”:

“A general view of the cemetery in Irpin where three dug graves await the next funerals on Tuesday, in the outskirts of Kyiv.  Photo: AP/Emilio Morenatti” -

Bob Fosse..

This is not factually correct. RT is available if you want it.

No, RT has had its licence withdrawn in the US, UK and most European countries. Also on Youtube. This is pure censorship of the worst kind. You and I are not allowed to watch both sides of the conflict but are being fed a daily dose of pro Ukraine propaganda. You are welcome to it, myself would prefer a more honest reporting.

Mr. K - link still works in my neck of the woods. No VPN needed.

https://www.rt.com/

Jeez, what a pit. It looks like Fox "News", but less subtle, if that's possible.

myself would prefer a more honest reporting.

Seems like you prefer the exact opposite to that. Astonishing how far you’ve been red pilled.

Some commenters need to realize that even tho the Russian military invaded Ukraine that the sanctions and tariffs and targeting of Russian assets and anthing Russian is also a financial invasion .

Using sanctions as a weapon is also hurting innocent Russian people and disrupting the balance of peace.

Its only a matter of time before putin responds in kind.

No iam not defending putin.

Russia's army has been taking quite a beating from the Ukrainian resisters. Now it seems that they're focusing on the eastern areas (where the rebellious ethnic Russians are) hoping at least to salvage that, if they can. That was the excuse Putin gave for invading in the first place.

If Russia somehow does win this war (and it still could), it may be a Pyrrhic victory, maybe with urban guerilla fighting as well. That's one of the suckiest ways for warfighting, urban guerillas can pluck of Russian soldiers until the numbers keep adding up and nothing is gained. Then you get sick of it because it all becomes pointless.

Putin probably thought this war would be a quickie like that 'peacekeeping op' in Kazakhstan. He counted WRONG.

No, RT has had its licence withdrawn in the US, UK and most European countries. 

RT website is watchable from any computer or smartphone. If you want it it is there. Fact.

Can Russians watch BBC?

The man (Putin) and his marauders are insane!

I take some comfort in the adage, Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. Its surely only a matter of time.

Let's hope for a quick victory for Russia with as little death on both sides.

In areas where russia has had control we have seen more deaths and more destruction; why on earth do you imagine that any kind of victory for russia would result in fewer deaths? Given free range, the orcs would go on a rampage.

You and I are not allowed to watch both sides of the conflict but are being fed a daily dose of pro Ukraine propaganda.

While the russian public is being given a totally unbiased, balanced, honest reporting of the views of both sides, right? With the added bonus of being made a guest of the state for those unpatriotic enough to express doubt about the accuracy of what they're being told?

You and I are not allowed to watch both sides of the conflict but are being fed a daily dose of pro Ukraine propaganda.

Speak for yourself but don’t lump me in with you.

Kyo wa - just once, I would like to see your comment end with "no iam not defending Ukraine". Will that ever happen? Can you try?

Snowy and Zichi

It appears that after a funeral a change was made to the grave your referring to .

Judging by the shape and depth and location of the grave .

Look more closely.