#Breaking THREAD Ukrainian Army Commander in Chief: at 00:00 25.02. Ukrainian army
in the South:
- Defends positions north to Kherson (Kherson lost?)
- Cars bridge at Kherson re-taken, UA army on Dnipro left bank;
- At Rykove, Russian offensive stopped, Russians suffer losses; /1
In the North:
- Fighting next to Hlukhiv (very close to RU border), Russian column stopped;
- 1st Tank Brigade stopped Russians on the Bilous river close to Chernihiv;
- In Volyn UA army set on defensive positions; /2
In the East:
- Defensive fights at Kharkiv, Sumy, Dovzhanka, Okhtyrka (no info who controls Sumy given);
- In Okhtyrka next wave of Russians stopped; /3
Ukrainian Navy:
- Continues fighting in North-Western part of the Black Sea;
- Harbors of Odesa, Pivdenny, Ochakov, Chornomorsk are defended (no info on Mykolayiv given); /4
In Kyiv:
- Massive amount of forces are defending Kyiv;
Air Force:
- Air Force fights Russian attacks back;
- Bombed Russian columns in Nova Kakhovka, Kupyansk, Nova Zburivka, at at Russian troops at Hostomel airport; /5
At the Contact Line in Donbas:
- Ukrainian United Forces retaken its previous positions along the contact line;
Approximate losses or Russians:
- 30+ tanks
- up to 130 APCs
- 7 warplanes
- 6 helicopters.
Wir müssen es klar sagen: diejenigen, die seit Jahren ein "Dialog" mit Russland verlangten/förderten, sind an dem heutigen Kriegsausbruch mitschuldig. Mein ex-Arbeitgeber @boell_stiftung ist unter diesen Mitschuldigen. Jahrelang warnte ich als Büroleiter Kiew vor drohender Gefahr
Jahrelang versuchte man, mich stummzuschalten. Als "zu antirussisch" und "pro-ukrainisch" wurde ich eingestuft. Mir wurde verboten, sich über Russland kritisch zu äußern. Dies sollte fürs Büro Moskau eine "Gefahr" sein - auch meine Unterstützung für die ukrainische Sprache.
Seltsame Kontakte des ehemaligen Büroleiters Moskau waren für die Stiftung kein Problem. Dieser gründete gemeinsame Projekte mit dem ex-GRU-Offizier Trenin und schrieb auch nach seinem Verlassen der Stiftung den "Böll-Blog" über Russland. Nur die Ukraine war "nationalistisch".
My forecast for Russia-Ukraine war (THREAD):
1)Putin has made his "big step": the whole show with SecCon meeting, 40 minutes speech on history, signing of treaties. He is happy for a while
2)Russia officially occupies Donbas part of Ukraine. Will provide some show (see above) /1
3) It is not to expect a full-scale offensive next days. Putin has got his show (see above) and can say he has won, the West is defeated; 4) Russia has its leverage: LDNR claims the whole territory of Donetsk/Luhansk oblast. Room for blackmailing Ukraine. /2
5) Escalation along the contact line can go on, but also can decrease. I think it is 35/65 chances. The main goal for Putin will be to force the West to start new "negotiations". Germany will be happy to imagine it is a great peace moderator nation; /3
Putin is holding speech on Russian TV. Calls Ukraine once again "Soviet Ukraine created by Lenin". Sarcastically says he will "de-communize Ukraine for real" obviously meaning annexing territories of Ukraine, "given by Lenin", as he wrote in his article last year. /1
Putin holds a lecture on Lenin and Stalin role in state building. He looks to enjoy his role of a "history professor". Says about "lie, manipulation, nationalism". "A bomb under the USSR was the right of republics to leave the USSR", says the USSR collapsed on pure intrigues. /2
Speaks further a lot about "populistic bullshit like human rights and prosperity" which ruined the USSR. Blames national politics of later Communist Party, which has granted republics with rights of sovereignty. /3
My warmest congratulations to all great citizens of 🇽🇰. You have fought hard for your independence. You have suffered a lot, were facing a strong and reckless oppressor. But you believed in freedom, dignity, in your centuries-long dreams. And now you shine as you always deserved!
My first visit to Kosovo was when I still had my Russian passport and knew nothing about Kovoso. I came full of prejudice, but luckily was curious enough to travel through the whole country. The contrast between what I've been told before, and what I have seen, was overwhelming.
I've fallen in love with Kosovo and visited it several times after, have met great people I admire, like @Petrit who explained me many things about Kosovo. Still, my first visit remains the most cool memory. While leaving Pristina, I gave my Russian passport to the border officer
Ukrainian president Zelensky speaks to the nation. Says Ukrainians are united; Russia pressures on Ukraine since years; Ukrainian army is strong and well-armed; European security depends on Ukraine; Ukrainians wish peace; Ukraine stays for diplomacy; /1
Donbas and Crimea will return to Ukraine only after diplomatic talks; Ukraine fights back attacks on economy, protects its currency and economy; urges journalists to be independent and not follow oligarchs' orders; speaks to oligarchs who left Ukraine and urges to come back home;
speaks to state servants and asks to fulfil their duty to protect its nation, also to return back home if they left it already; 16 Feb, the day of expected attack, is proclaimed a day of Nation Unity, official buildings will be decorated with flags; Ukraine will not surrender;
German state media @dwnews in its Russian-speaking „satire show“. Zelensky is leaving a US warehouse with Javelins. Blinken: „And what if there will be no war tomorrow?“ Biden: „No, no. We have given him so much weapons - there will be war for sure now“. What the hell @inespohl?
And welcome @dw_russian news host Margarita Kalz-Mihajlova, who is one of the few top news anchors at Russian-speaking DW news, the face of the channel. She loves to be surrounded by Russian state symbols, and even appears in news wearing colours of Russian national flag.
In 2014, @dwnews broadcasted the same "satiric show" presenting Ukrainian president Poroshenko as a mentally ill person who hallucinates about "green aliens, Martians" who "attack" his country and asks like a crazy for lethal weapons from the US.