Welcome to Thurday's Daily Thread covering #Russia's war on #Ukraine
We've reached Day 344 of the conflict which Putin said would be over in 10 days, and which would have ended long ago had the current western support started 10 months ago.
But it's another bad start to the day
A fairly quiet Wednesday ended with more death with a terrorist attack on the eastern city of #Kramatorsk in the #Donetsk region.
An update on that in the next tweet, but if you missed anything, here's the link for yesterday's thread:
#Russia's terrorist attack on #Kramatorsk has left 3 dead and 21 now known to be injured (the total's just been updated).
A short while ago the local council released this video detailing the 1 February attack and ending with the words "we will overcome everything together🇺🇦"
I want to know why @SamsungMobile's new Galaxy S23 (all models) is available for pre-order in #Russia today?
It will be for sale in the Terrorist State in 3 weeks, shortly after the US launch
#Russia daily losses on the battlefield in #Ukraine are a little lower today.
Still, they're hurtling towards almost 130,000 regular troops killed in action according to Kyiv's estimates,
Then add on the captures, the disabled and the Mercenaries which Ukraine doesn't count.
British Intel today highlights another side-effect of the war on #Russia.
#Kramatorsk - kids' toys, damaged photo albums, indicators of shattered lives as the rescue operation and clean up continue side by side
Casualty figures from #Russia's missile attack remain the same:
3 dead
8 hospitalised
13 other minor injuries
One person still unaccounted for
Russia's FM claims he stands for peace.
Sergey Lavrov said he didn't share the philosophy "if you want peace, prepare for war. I would formulate it like this: if you want peace, always be ready to defend yourself”
Yep, missiles at tower blocks, rape, torture - it's all defence!
They've done it again... #Russia strikes #Kramatorsk just hours after firing an Iskander missile at a residential block.
Today shelling has hit another civilian area and there are more injuries.
The invaders publish a video of new recruits... mercenaries from #Turkey. But this is illegal in #Russia. So they call them volunteers. But the Kremlin refuses to believe foreigners fighting for #Ukraine are volunteers🤔
"I'm not against Ukraine, I am against Nazism." etc etc
#Austria, which refused to expel any of #Russia's diplomats following the Novichok chemical weapons attack in the UK, has today declared 4 Russians in Vienna persona non grata.
It comes after @ZelenskyyUa met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Kyiv.
Today #Russia celebrates the 80th anniversary of the ending of the battle for Stalingrad. They recount how their grandfathers held against the Nazis for 125 days
#Ukraine may have hit #Mariupol for the first time since the defenders were forced to surrender.
The former Ukrainian mayoral adviser says rockets probably hit air defence systems in the 23rd microdistrict. Mariupol has become the HQ for many invaders.
The President of the European Commission has been making #Ukraine very happy today
@vonderleyen promises Ukraine will join the EU in a speech in Kyiv.
She also confirmed EU backing for a war crimes tribunal and to make Russia pay for reparations.
Russia's mercenary #Wagner group claims it has captued another village near #Soledar. Not exactly convincing proof, but it's highly likely there were simply no #Ukraine forces in #Mykolaivka as they retreated to higher ground.
1/2 #Russia's state news agency reports
"The #USA advocates a ban on the use of the state flags & anthems of #Russia and #Belarus during international sports and believes that athletes from these countries SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE as a neutral state."
However, not quite true
2/2 White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rather fudged the issue, not criticising the IOC @Olympics' stance to allow Russian athletes to compete, but not endorsing it either.
I expect #USA to at least call for a ban on any athlete who promotes, or engages in, the war.
#Putin changed the reason for the "Special Military Operation" again.
Remember to denazify and demilitarise all #Ukraine, became "ok, just 4 states"?
Now 'Putler' says it's for "the preservation of Russia"
As Trump might say "So much winning. Bigly"
Panic in the Kremlin today when Defence lawyers for Dmitry Ivanov, the founder of a protest Telegram channel called on Foreign Minister Lavrov, UN rep Nebenzi and Defence Ministry mouthpiece Igor Konashenkov to give evidence.
Sadly the Moscow court refused to allow the request.
1/2 More courtoom drama in #Russia today when bent judges sent down a politician proving troublesome for the Kremlin
Sergey Furgal defeated Putin's puppet in the election for Governor of #Khabarovsk in 2018 by a landslide. Today he, and co-defendants, were found guilty of murder
2/2 All eyes now on the far east #Khabarovsk region.
His arrest in 2019 sparked huge protests each and every Sunday for a year despite freezing temperatures and Covid restrictions.
Furgal, far left of the shot here, shouted he was ashamed of the jury as the verdict was passed
The three Baltic States and Poland reject the IOC's plan to allow competitors from #Russia and #Belarus at the Paris @Olympics next summer.
The IOC says any boycott would "punish athletes" but doesn't mention murdered #Ukraine athletes.
DId someone start a pro-Ukraine bot farm and not tell me?
Suddenly noticed a gigantic increase in engagement of pro-Ukraine accounts with fewer than 10 followers.
Also a big uptick in RU shills spamming me saying they're British "socialists". STW/Galloway type puppets.
#USA offered #Russia's 20% of its captured #Ukraine territory in exchange for peace.
WHAT????
That's the claim made tonight by a Swiss (paywalled) publication. Both #Kyiv and #Moscow rejected the offer, which led to Abrams and Leopards heading to Ukraine
More on the previous tweet about the US offering concession of #Ukraine land, which came during CIA chief Burns' visit to east Europe.
The Swiss sources are supposedly two German politicians close to Scholz. This article is free and Google translates well eurointegration.com.ua/news/2023/02/2…
Two more foreign volunteer humanitarian workers have been injured in #Bakhmut
#Norway's Sander Sørsveen + Simon Johnsen were caught in a bomb blast as they went to evacuate an elderly citizen, who was one of several who died in the explosion says Johnsen. nrk.no/norge/to-norsk…
A lot of activity in #Kherson tonight.
Intermittent shelling most of the evening and now this.
Some rounds of ammunition exploding maybe?
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Thanks for reading the start of yet another daily thread documenting the news + crimes of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
Wednesday represents Day 343 of the conflict.
If you have the ability to support me, feel free to buy me a coffee (link in bio), but these threads remain free
A busy day yesterday - I will repost soon about the scandalous actions of Russia's gymnastics team.
But lots more news too, including a late announcement from the US of more military aid.
Catch up on everything that happened Tuesday right here:
I am hoping this starts a campaign to not only get the seemingly Soviet loving @gymnastics (cc @BritGymnastics) to change its stance, but also the whole @Olympics movement.
It continues to be reasonably quiet compared to the worst days of the war, but many people are still dying at the front on both sides.
#Russia continues to make ground, and according to Britain's military intelligence, will continue to do so, but without a major breaktthrough
The Wagner deserter who trekked across snowy wastelands to seek asylum in #Noway, has told CNN those who didn't want to fight were ruthlessly executed in front on new recruits.
This is the daily news thread covering all the important bits of the conflict in one handy 🧵
If you like my work, and can afford to buy me a coffee, please see my profile.
Starting in traditional way with a chance for you to check back through yesterday, in case you missed Orban's undiplomatic words about #Ukraine, the latest big blaze in the series #RussiaOnFire or anything else during Friday.
Speaking about Orbán's stupid remarks, he's not alone in the region with #Russia also having culivated useful political idiots in #Croatia#Slovakia + #Czechia
Hopefully an election in 🇨🇿 today will sideline one more (Babiš) as @motytchak explains here: