Russia pummels vital port of Odesa, targeting supply lines

The dumb Russians started off by blowing up a well known Russian vacation hotel in Odessa owned by a Russian businessman. Not too smart.

Russian missile destroys Odesa hotel beloved by Russia's elite

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-05-09-22/h_079dee9adeb3ed5c8afa769032462fea

In Washington, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Tuesday that eight to 10 Russian generals have been killed in the war.

A good Russian General is a dead Russian General.

The Ukraine people are standing up to a barbaric and inhumane invasion perpetrated by Russia's Putin for no other reason than to satisfy his ego and cement a vainglorious legacy. “Wars are not paid for in wartime, the bill comes later.” – Benjamin Franklin

Canadian fighting in Ukraine describes the 'hell' he witnessed

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN2NdiFJFh0"

once Azov is expelled from an area, all fighting stops.

Guve us this day our daily pravda.

Give

And Russia doesn't seem to need any occupying troops whatsoever, once Azov is expelled from an area, all fighting stops.

And here you have the crux of the situation. During the war the region was famous for furious partisan attacks. The Nasties had to divert whole divisions from the front to deal with it. This time around, nothing at all. Why is that?

Ukraine’s foreign minister appeared to suggest the country could expand its aims beyond merely pushing Russia back to areas it or its allies held on the day of the Feb 24 invasion.

Wars are unpredictable. That is one of the many reasons why we shouldn’t be starting them.

Bronco,

here are some numbers for you ;

The Russian military has 1,000,000 active personnel, plus 2,000,000 reservists.

Add on to this their private military (Wagner terrorist group), & Chechens etc..

Russia’s military budget is $62 billion

Russia has 4000 aircraft, 1500 helicopters, 13,000 tanks, 27,000 armored fighting vehicles and nearly 6,000 self-propelled guns.

And the Russian Navy has 600 ships

despite these overwhelming numbers, they have performed pathetically & embarrassingly.

Bronco and Rob, there is plenty of footage of peaceful protests to Russian occupation if you cared to look. Have you tried looking?

*in Russian-occupied territory, I meant, of course. Brave Ukrainians because Russia typically doesn’t deal with dissent very well.

Why is Putin wasting his energy on destructions and mayhem, doesn't he know sanctions are working and 'brutally' affecting Russia? All the Euros for gas from Germany must be a heavy burden for Russia, can Russia bare it for long?

That would also give it a swath of territory linking Russia to both the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014, and Transnistria, a pro-Moscow region of Moldova.

All signs point to this as Putin's objective.

And it could have larger geo-political implications, especially given a closer Russian-Chinese alignment.

Russians are so proud.

Dagon - Yes, I believe that is what Russia is trying to do. I do believe that Odesa will be a tough nut to crack for Russia. I could be wrong because I don't have a crystal ball, but I don't see Russia taking Odesa anytime soon.

More expensive munitions being destroyed in transit. But hoping the beautiful city of Odessa does not get too badly damaged.... not looking good.

I don't see Russia taking Odesa anytime soon.

You're thinking like Biden, and with respect, like a dynosaur, modern conflict is not lost or won (to please the masses), chaos (and social media) is all you need to obfuscate and achieve your objectives, what ever that may be.

Mr K - Unfortunately, although I don't foresee Russia taking Odesa anytime soon, I could see them causing quite a lot of damage to the city with their rockets and artillery.

Sh1mon - thank you for the compliment. Ok, to clarify, I see Odesa remaining a Ukrainian city, damaged though it will be. Of course there will be death and destruction and chaos. This is a war.

Putin is between a rock and a hard place. He’d like to tie the whole thing off somewhere; he does not have the strength to go forwards, and pride won’t allow him to go backwards. He’s relocated the populations of territory the Moskovites have now taken, changed the money to rubles and the road signs to Russian names, and announced elections. Should he build a wall around it?

This unstable situation will probably force him to try for the whole hog, at a terrible price in human (and animal) lives all round.

He has opened Pandora’s box.

Russian missile destroys Odesa hotel beloved by Russia's elite

Given that the Kremlin, its media and useful parrots have been unwilling to admit to any Russian created problems, I expect to hear them say the US/NATO/anglo-saxon Nazis fired the missile.

Shimon, Biden keeping flexless Japanese leaders,from getting Japan blown back into stone age

U,I would not bet on this war,the lottery is more reliable

Also, if the Russians don't leave occupying forces in Donbas, the Ukrainians will just re-take it.

 I'm obviously not privvy to the planning of the Russian high command. 

I don't think the Russian high command is privy to that either.

Tell us Russia was hitting military targets without telling us Russia was hitting military targets.

Russia pummeled the vital port of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday, in an apparent effort to disrupt supply lines and Western weapons shipments critical to Kyiv's defense

He has opened Pandora’s box.

But Putin will continue to say the "other guys" did it, He's a little person in so many ways, and it looks like he's going to keep his military attacks going. He knows wars are good for his and his Russian oligarch's businesses, and that wars are also good for oligarchs around he globe. Wars are essential to maintaining the fossil economy, an economy that primarily benefits the oligarchs and others in the 'establishment' controlling the global economy. Russia keeps breeding more people and as long s its underclass continues to grow, that provides Putin and the Kremlin with more cannon fodder, people who might not have much of a future in Russia beyond carrying a gun into a sovereign nation outside Russia's borders. Declan MacManus wrote a song called "Oliver's Army", I doubt a Russian could write an anti-war song called "Vladimir's Army", because anything even remotely critical of Putin could result in being jailed or given a dose of Novichok, perhaps dioxin.

Odesa is a Russian speaking oppressed Ukrainian city, so the Russian military will be welcomed by most. It’s a shame the leader can’t just accept to be independent country and recognize Donbass. Save his country’s citizens and infrastructure.

PT ,Putin is doomed,mostly to failing health,I doubt Putin knows,where he is at on a daily basis,

Rodney - we will see the kind of welcome the Russian military will get in Odesa!

Well, Biden has signed a bipartisan lend-lease act that historical precedent suggests is likely to precede a hot war with the Sino-Russian alliance within one year.

Washington sought to portray a united front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Monday as President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan measure to reboot the World War II-era “lend-lease” program, which helped defeat Nazi Germany, to bolster Kyiv and Eastern European allies.

The signing comes as the U.S. Congress is poised to unleash billions more to fight the war against Russia — with Democrats preparing $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid, larger than the $33 billion package Biden has requested.

For the historically illiterate posters, the Lend-Lease policy, formally titled "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States", was an American program to defeat Germany, Japan, and Italy by distributing food, oil, and materiel between March 1941 and August 1945... Less than eight months later, the USA was formally at war with Japan and Germany.

And according to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Russia is now engaged in military conflict “with Ukraine and the West”.

Notably, while the EU and US have been rocked by soaring inflation and record gas prices, the White House has until now insisted that Americans will not experience food shortages. Haines’ statement marks the first time that a US official has acknowledged that this may be a reality. Haines also referred to the situation in Ukraine as Russia’s “military conflict with Ukraine and the West,” an apparent acknowledgment of the US’ role as a participant. In the eyes of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the West is already “essentially going to war with Russia through a proxy” due to its sharing of arms and intelligence with Kiev.

So, the neolibs/neocons finally get their war. It’s not the war they ideally wanted, but hey, when you’re shopping with someone else’s credit card, you have to quickly buy whatever is available while it still works.

ESL Mundi - I am still waiting for you to tell me when you think the Russian army is going to reach Portugal. Or have you dialed back your expectations a bit by now?

About Bucha, what's the status of investigating the murders? Has such an investigation even started?

Why is there nothing about international organizations investigating it?

All we know about Bucha is that corpses appeared after Ukrainians moved in and that they say "Russia did this". And the fact that many of those corpses had white ribbons or had boxes of Russian humanitarian aid scattered around them is pretty suspicious.

Russia pummels vital port of Odesa, targeting supply lines:

After the victory parade in Moscow, Russia is immediately back to war, raining missiles over supply lines and Odesa.

They target to occupy the port to halt and choke Ukraine's import and export via shipping.

More tragedies are unfolding..

Khaos - I found the following (and many more) in less than one second online.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/05/07/ukraine-war-who-begins-gathering-war-crimes-evidence-of-russian-attacks-on-health-faciliti

Where are you living that you don't have access to this easy-to-find information?

Also, there is satellite evidence that those bodies were there while Russia was. Heck, you can even find video of Russian tanks shooting up civilians in Bucha if you care to look. Want some links? I can help you with your questions.

Putin told the Russian people that his actions in the Ukraine were to stop incursion by the West into Russian territory, same lies as those used by that other lunatic in North Korea.

Khaos - Why would Russia block a UN investigation into war crimes in Bucha?

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-putin-bucha-war-crimes-icc-1698858

@UChosePoorly

Bucha is not mentioned in the linked article.

Satellite images are not evidence because they don't have timestamps and are provided by a company working for the US DoD.

The Russian "tanks shooting up civilians" video, isn't actually showing what's happening, we see a "tank" shooting seemingly directed at a corner where some person would've emerged. We don't see what was actually happening with that 'civilian', he might have pulled out a weapon, he might have wrongly been identified as a threat, it may have been a warning shot. Later we're presented with the same location, but a completely different scene with someone dead with a bicycle nearby. This is not evidence.

Khaos - the second article I linked references Bucha, the first is for Russia's attacks on civilian infrastructure. They have satellite footage with Russian forces appearing in the same shots as the dead bodies. Plus, there is a ton of eyewitness testimony. I am not sure why you are trying to minimize potential war crimes. The truth will come out, it always does.

Eastman - you are free to say whatever you want, but nobody has to let you post whatever you want on their website. That would be violating JT's freedom of speech, would it not?

@UChosePoorly

One more thing about the satellite images. If they had them back then, why didn't they publish them at that time? If they had pictures of dead bodies on a presently Russian occupied street why would they put off showing them?

Khaos - good question, but that would be assuming that these were noticed right away, and they may not have been. Remember, we aren't necessarily going to see what we want to see when we want to see it. There is a whole lot of satellite footage to go over and it takes time. We will be processing this footage for years to come. Ukraine is probably the size of Texas, it's not a small country!

Khaos - what will it take for you to believe that the Russians may have committed war crimes? Let's start there.

@klausdorth

I have not reason to take "because I say so" claims as facts. Especially in a war time.

A UN sanctioned investigation needs to be done to uncover what actually happened. And ICC investigation is not the same as UN sanctioned investigation. ICC is not internationally recognized.

You can use as much artillery and as many missiles as you like, but you can’t do or hold anything without infantry.

”infantry is the Queen of the battlefield.”

Napoleon

A UN sanctioned investigation needs to be done

Then why isn't Russia allowing a UN investigation to proceed?

@UChosePoorly

Personally, just prove that evidence is true and not tempered or fabricated. Then prove beyond doubt that evidence points only to 1 course of events. That's the job an investigation should do, and then that should make it clear if Russia did war crimes, if Ukraine did war crimes, if lawless armed battalions did it or who knows what.

@UChosePoorly

Then why isn't Russia allowing a UN investigation to proceed?

They opposed ICC investigation, not a UN sanctioned one.

@klausdorth

Maybe you'll remember videos from the beginning of the war where Ukrainians were seen burning huge amount of documents at secured sites.

Both sides are capable of destroying and fabricating evidence. That's why a UN mission should've been organized and sent as soon as possible. When Russia asked for UN meeting about Bucha, the UK denied, so who's stalling? Why didn't they convene and discuss sending investigation team?

I am convince these Russian missile guidance system are faulty. Like a shopping centre??? With one of those new super sonic cant find my target ones. Like taking out a shopping centre with a $ 50 million missile. It make no strategic verses dollars value. So It has to be a faulty guidance system or lack of.

That’s correct, the “shopping mall” was being used to store rockets by the Ukraine military.

but that doesn’t stop it from still being reference as a supposed civilian target with civilian deaths claimed.

Every strike in and around Odesa is hitting NATO or NATO proxy targets. They not only have to conceal their defensive positions from Russian forces but from the local people who are tripping over themselves to help the Russians.

I know it's not how imperialism works but if it were possible, the best thing to do is leave the Russians (including Ukrainians, White Russians, Kazakhs) to themselves and they'll just swill vodka, pump out little Red Army soldiers and be happy. As soon as they are threatened they sober up and don't stop fighting until they are no longer threatened.

Pretty hard to believe they would just target a random warehouse & shopping centre

Like it's hard to believe they would target schools, or maternity hospitals, or theatres packed with children, or railway stations crowded with civilians trying to evacuate. The moscovians are doing lots of stuff sane people find it very hard to believe human beings would or even could do to other human beings.

later videos have emerged showing Ukranian military vehicles / rocket launchers parked & reloading there when the Russians targeted it.

I don't know if there were any military vehicles / rocket launchers parked anywhere near the shopping mall, or if any reloading was going on there. If the moskovians say it was so, it probably isn't since they have a track record of saying the exact opposite of the truth.

BUT

The Ukrainians are in Ukraine, they can surely put whatever they like wherever they like in their own country, and the moskovians have no excuse at all for invading and blowing stuff up. If the moskovians don't want the Ukrainians to fight them, then they should not have attacked them in the first place. They should get the hell back to their own country and create mayhem there.