Thread by @tomiahonen

Mariupol Minefield Thread 1/

The International Red Cross has confirmed promised 'humanitarian corridor' offered to Ukrainian civilians trapped in city of Mariupol, had been mined by Russia. Landmines to maim civilians

I need to explain this industrial scale sadistic torture

Mariupol Minefield Thread 2/

Mariupol is a city of nearly half a million. Same size roughly as Tampa or Minneapolis, a bit bigger than New Orleans or Cleveland. It is at SouthEastern edge of Ukraine near Russian border so Russian army quickly encircled the city. Laid siege to it

Mariupol Minefield Thread 3/

Immediately on invading Ukraine, Putin shut down electricity, gas, food & water to Mariupol. And cut off the HEAT. Mariupol is about same latitude as Toronto, Ottawa and Winnipeg. It is winter & Mariupol is colder than Detroit, Chicago or Minneapolis

Mariupol Minefield Thread 4/

The Russian army encircled Mariupol but did not enter the city. It laid a minefield all around the city, guarded by snipers. And then started shelling. Continuous artillery bombardment, day & night. Slaughtering civilians. With no way out

Mariupol Minefield Thread 5/

Mariupol TV and radio towers were destroyed. So the people hear no news from their own government. Telephone & internet links broken, including cellphones. So the people are now blinded, isolated and terrified and cannot reach out to friends

Mariupol Minefield Thread 6/

The artillery fire is indiscriminate butchering of civilians. Firing at residential housing areas, deliberately to terrorize the people stuck inside this hellscape. Hungry, cold and scared out of their minds. And fed Russian propaganda

Mariupol Minefield Thread 7/

After a week of this horror, Russia promised a safe passage, a humanitarian corridor to get out of Mariupol. Ukrainians who trusted Putin, walked into a trap, they were fired at by snipers and mortar fire. And had to go back. Next day, same nightmare

Mariupol Minefield Thread 8/

After 2 days of terror of being shot at while testing a humanitarian corridor offered by Putin, came the horror. Now, after 11 days of freezing cold, no food, no water, no electicity, they were promised safe passage. And were walked into a mine field

Mariupol Minefield Thread 9/

This is not like the mine fields you see in movies of WW2. Russia uses the PFM-1 'buttefly mine' as anti-personnel mine. It will not kill you. No. It is intended to only remove your shoe, with your foot still in it. Instant amputation below the knee

Mariupol Minefield Thread 10/

The butterfly mine is a bit larger than your hand. It is made of plastic, so metal detectors will not find it. They are colored to blend in with grass and foilage on the ground. Even if a child steps on it, that child will need an artificial limb

Mariupol Minefield Thread 11/

The 'military logic' to such mines that are not going to kill you, but maim you for life, is that they take TWO soldiers off the battlefield. If your mine amputates a soldier, he will scream & bleed, needs a fellow soldier to carry him to a medic.

Mariupol Minefield Thread 12/

The sick side effect of these plastic weapons, is that to children they seem like toys. And simply squeezing or bending one, will set it off, maiming & cripling the child. in Afghanistan, Soviet use of these minds cripled 30,000 - mostly kids

Mariupol Minefield Thread 13/

This is the evil part. Vladimir Putin does this to Mariupol civilians DELIBERATELY

He did the SAME gambit in the (Second) Chechen War, in the siege of Grozny, city of similar size. The promised corridors and snipers, mortars and yes the mine fields

Mariupol Minefield Thread 14/

The SAME systematic, industrial scale sadistic cruelty was used by Putin's boy, mass-murdering brutal dictator Assad to slaughter Syrian civilians in Aleppo.

This same gambit was used by Putin in 7 year long border wars in Donbas region of Ukraine

Mariupol Minefield Thread 15/

It is a cruel psychological warfare method, designed to crush hope. To defeat a NATION. Putin creates horrible pressure to the citizens of Mariupol. Then offers them hope. And then DESTROYS that hope. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Pure evil

Mariupol Minefield Thread 16/

Putin intends to do this to EVERY city he captures, crush all those people in the same way. If they get out alive, their psychological damage is likely to never be fixed. He is committing war crimes in front of our eyes, & he doesn't care (or worry)

Mariupol Minefield Thread 17/

Whatever you have done, to help Ukraine, please do more. The horror to the citizens of Mariupol will continue, until Putin is driven out. And this SAME terror comes to EVERY city Putin captures. We need to help Ukraine win. Fast

#IStandWithUkraine