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 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
Let me explain the plan to send Mig 29 jets from Poland (and Romania etc) to Ukraine's air force
This photo has both jets, in Polish insignia. The two planes in middle are US made F 16 Fighting Falcon jets. The outer planes Russian made Mig 29 Fulcrums
Mig 29 and F 16 Thread 2/
The Ukrainian air force is SEVERELY outnumbered, more than TEN to ONE. Ten Russian fighter jets for every one Ukrainian fighter jet. They need desperately, urgently DOZENS of jets, just to help the odds a LITTLE BIT (to about 9 to 1 against)
Mig 29 and F 16 Thread 3/
This is the Mig 29 Fulcrum, a Russian-made jet fighter from the 1980s, that Ukraine's air force flies, in Ukraine air force colors. It is their best jet fighter. In very rough terms, is comparable to early models of F 16 Fighting Falcon of US Air Force
Let's do a Thread. I am not a war correspondent. I am not there in Ukraine. My sources are as incomplete as your sources, so relying on 24h news, BBC, CNN, etc and of course here on Twitter
But I have some thoughts, early analysis
First Ukraine War Thread/2
Be aware, information, misinformation & disinformation. In ANY war, there is misinformation. The so-called 'fog of war'. It is true, that the truth is always the first casualty of any war. It is DIFFICULT for us to know, accurately what is going on
First Ukraine War Thread/3
Understand BIAS in reporting on the war
Ukraine was attacked. Its defenders will try to project any good news - amplify it, and at times will try to suppress bad news. This is normal for any country in any war, incl USA in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan..
How's your war? I see lots of pretty explosions on TV. I'm miserable. Bill Barr says my genius plan to overturn the election was run by clowns. Roger Stone calls me the greatest mistake in history & I pardoned that moron! I miss your voice. If you'd just call
My Dearest Trumpy-Pumpkin
Daddy is busy now, invading Ukraine. My convoy with 4 divisions has gotten stuck on a road 25 miles from Kyiv. Bill Barr is correct, but you knew that. Giuliani is a clown, remember Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Ignore Roger Stone. Just eat some Goya
Dearest Chairman Kim Jong-Un
My people are deserting me. Roger Stone says I was the greatest mistake in history. Bill Barr called my lawyers clowns. And you know Giuliani, obviously they're clowns, but Bill shouldn't be saying that!
Now comes most cruel weapon in Putin's arsenal. The thermobaric weapon, he used to burn half a million Russian civilians two decades ago, in Second Chechen War
Thermobaric weapon is the most sadistic military weapon this side of nuclear bombs. They burn you literally from inside
This is the most inhumane, cruel, sadistic weapon Putin has ever used against civilians. He is now bringing it to Ukraine. It is TOS-1 'Buratino'. A rocket system that deploys a 'vacuum bomb' two stage explosion
First explosion creates vacuum. Sucks all air out
Second stage lights up napalm, vacuum pulls air into the space, the air is on fire. It is INVOLUNTARILY sucked into lungs of all who were in the vacuum area
You cannot stop inhaling fire. is instantly in your lungs, you cannot stop it burning you to death. Your brain stays alive