MTQ News

  Daily Mail: Huge explosions rock Kyiv hours after dozens were killed in Russian CLUSTER BOMBS attack on Kharkiv   * Russians are now using banned cluster munitions against civilian areas, experts and activists have warned  * Attack with Grad rockets on shopping centre in Kharkiv today killed dozens and wounded hundreds, Kyiv said  * Campaign group Amnesty said similar bombs were used to destroy a school in Okhtyrka, leaving three dead  * If Russia is confirmed to have used the weapons it could constitute a war crime, amid warnings that Putin is likely to start resorting to using heavier weapons to turn the tide of war Russia appears to have used banned cluster munitions to indiscriminately shell civilian areas in Ukraine's east that had stood up to Vladimir Putin's invasion in what would constitute a war crime.  Kharkiv, which has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the war so far, was hit by rockets fired from Russian positions on Monday ...

  DW: The European Union prepares for millions of refugees from Ukraine   The European Union has promised that all war refugees from Ukraine will be accepted. So does that mean all of them, or just Ukrainians?  The EU then had to clarify it also meant African students from Kyiv. "I don't know how many will come," EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson replied at the special meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels when asked what influx of refugees from Ukraine she expects.  "I think we will have to prepare for millions." By Sunday, four days after the Russian attack began, at least 200,000 people, mostly children, women and elderly men, had entered Poland, according to the Polish Border Guard. Men considered fit for military service are currently not allowed to leave Ukraine.  Read more ....   WNU Editor: This is where these refugees are going .... Mapped: Where Ukrainian refugees are fleeing to (Axios)  More News On Ukraine's Ref...

  RFE: Ukraine, Russia Conclude Talks As Fighting In Some Cities Intensifies   Talks between a Ukrainian delegation and Russian representatives have ended at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border and negotiators have left for their respective capitals for consultation before a second round.  Ukraine's presidential press service said the parties "discussed in detail a number of key topics on which they have prospects of finding mutually acceptable solutions," at the meeting on February 28. A second round will be held after consultations in Moscow and Kyiv, the statement said.  Read more ....   WNU Editor: Another round of talks are being planned.   More News On Russia - Ukraine Talks   Ukraine seeks to join EU as round of talks with Russia ends -- AP   Russia-Ukraine live news: First round of talks concludes -- Al Jazeera   Ukraine: Talks with Russia inconclusive as UN convenes — live updates -- DW   Ukraine's First Round...

  DW: Germany commits €100 billion to defense spending   Germany has announced a plan to prioritize military spending in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A "special fund" will be set up to better equip the Bundeswehr.  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a plan to beef up the German military on Sunday, pledging €100 billion ($112.7 billion) of the 2022 budget for the armed forces and repeating his promise to reach the 2% of gross domestic product spending on defense in line with NATO demands.  Scholz announced the new allocation in a speech during a special session of parliament on Germany's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said the spending would include investments and armaments projects for the German military.  Read more ....  WNU Editor: I am old enough to remember when former President Trump was rebuffed by Germany a few years ago to increase their defense spending. What a difference an invasion makes.   Germany...

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley met with Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, Wednesday, Sept. 22 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo: Department of Defense)   Politico: Pentagon wants Moscow back channels to prevent nuclear escalation   As the U.S. and NATO rush weapons into Ukraine, DoD officials want more military channels to Putin’s top leaders. But Russia’s not picking up the phone.  When Gen. Mark Milley emerged from six hours of tense talks with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki last September, the Joint Chiefs chair looked almost buoyant. Or at least as chipper as the gruff soldier of more than 40 years ever gets in public. “When military leaders of great powers communicate, the world is a safer place,” Milley said, striking an optimistic tone.  Now, just five months later, with Russian military forces pummeling Ukraine from the air, land and sea, Milley’s paean to a common understanding with Moscow is virtually dead....

  Daily Mail: U.S. blasts Putin's nuclear order as 'unacceptable' and says war crimes tribunal isn't off the table after Ukraine accuses Russia of genocide and demands its president be tried at The Hague   * US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said 'everything is on the table as we move forward' when asked about Putin standing trial  * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of 'genocide' and also called for him to face the International Court of Justice on Sunday  * Putin indicated the same day that his troops should be ready for nuclear war  * House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said Putin likely saw himself 'painted into a corner' when he made the order or otherwise could be 'unstable'  The United States on Sunday condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to put his nuclear forces on high alert as dangerous and 'unacceptable.'  The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Lind...

Warzone/The Drive: Strategic Ukrainian Port Of Mariupol Now Surrounded By Russian Forces   Meanwhile, Putin says Russian nuclear forces will be on a “special regime of duty” in response to NATOs reaction over Ukraine invasion.    Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered "strategic deterrent forces," that is to say elements of his country's nuclear deterrent arsenal, on a heightened state of alertness in response to how NATO has reacted to his war on Ukraine.  This comes amid continued signs that Russian military advances have slowed and as significant portions of the international community take increasing steps to isolate Russia politically and economically.  What follows is our latest updates on this conflict, which we will continue to add to until otherwise stated as part of ongoing rolling coverage.   Read more ....   Update #1: ‘Not going to leave’: Ukrainians in Mariupol await Russian attack (Al Jazeera)   Update #2: Russia...

Chuhuiv Airbase pictured after reportedly being hit by Russian missiles.Planet Labs   Business Insider: Satellite images show severe damage to Ukrainian airbases after they were reportedly struck by missiles   * Satellite imagery appears to show Ukrainian airbases struck by Russian missiles Thursday.  * Before and after images were captured on February 21 and February 24, showing apparent destruction.  * US firm Planet captured shots of smoke billowing upward from Mykolaiv Airbase and Chuhuiv Airbase.  Satellite images show destruction at Ukraine airbases after Russian forces attacked the country in an unprovoked invasion.  US company Planet released the photos via Twitter and its website showing damage to two airbases in Ukraine, including Mykolaiv Airbase and the Chuhuiv Airbase.  Planet says it provides daily satellite data that helps businesses, governments, and journalists understand the physical world and take action.   Read more ...

A satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows a large convoy of Russian ground forces in convoy near Ivankiv, Ukraine, today   Daily Mail: Putin throws MORE ground forces at Kyiv: Satellite images show THREE mile-long convoy heading towards capital after failing to take the city, as its mayor Klitschko warns 'we are at the border of a humanitarian catastrophe'   * Satellite images show a large deployment of Russian troops heading to Kyiv  * The convoy of hundreds of military vehicles extends for more than 3.25 miles  * Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says people cannot evacuate as all roads are blocked  * Volunteers, among them a former Miss Ukraine, have taken up arms in defence  Satellite imagery taken today showed a large deployment of Russian ground troops moving in the direction of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv from approximately 40 miles (64 km) away, a private U.S. company said.  The images released by Maxar Technologies showed...

WNU Editor: The map on top is from the Financial Times and it is the most recent. The rest are showing military positions from yesterday. The two maps below (Kyiv and Karkiv) shows the positions of Russian forces since yesterday. from War News Updates https://ift.tt/EyVnWTk via IFTTT

According to a video published on the Rob Lee Twitter account on February 27, 2022, a military column of the Russian army including tanks, wheeled armored and TOS Heavy Flamethrower System) was spotted near the town of Okhynky, on the highway between Kyiv and Sumy. Read Full News Russian Invasion Ukraine Live Combat Situations at this link ... TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower System based on tracked tank chassis. (Picture source Vitaly Kuzmin) Read More from World Defence News https://ift.tt/TehtC6b via IFTTT

Full version… pic.twitter.com/Q4MV4Ocst6 — DA (@DanielAndrewMe) February 25, 2022 WNU editor: It is always about the money. Update: Saskatchewan's Premier does have a point (see below), but Canada stopped importing Russian oil 2 - 3 years ago. Just to be clear, both Canada and the US will continue to import oil from Russia. Because our national governments consider the construction of oil pipelines from western Canada a greater threat than Russia, apparently. pic.twitter.com/dx5XGIjMBd — Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) February 25, 2022 from War News Updates https://ift.tt/zoS7YeV via IFTTT

"Americans presented Chinese officials with intelligence on Russia’s troop buildup in hopes that President Xi Jinping would step in, but Chinese officials rebuffed the U.S. and shared the information with Moscow." I would have called this a double-cross, but that's just me. — wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) February 25, 2022 WNU Editor: I guess there are still some in Washington who see the Chinese government as partner to trust in doing the U.S. bidding.  OMG!!!! What are they thinking in Washington? from War News Updates https://ift.tt/sT2eIiM via IFTTT

Russian Navy's Project 22160 Patrol Vessel Dmitriy Rogachev 375 sails through the Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Black Sea past Istanbul's Suleymaniye mosque in the backround on 16 February 2022 (AFP)   Ukrinform : Turkey bans passage of Russian warships to Black Sea - Zelensky   President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi broke the news on Instagram, Ukrinform reports.  The president thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish people for their strong support of Ukraine. Read more ....   Update: Turkey agrees to ban passage of Russian ships to Black Sea - Zelensky (TASS)   WNU Editor: Turkey is saying there is no ban .... Turkey has not closed Black Sea to Russian warships: Official (Daily Sabah). More here .... Russia-Ukraine war: Turkey denies closing Black Sea to Russian warships (Middle East Eye).  Here is an interesting read and why Turkey is in a legal bind .... What does the Montreux accord say about clos...

Axios: Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starlink satellites now active over Ukraine   Elon Musk said Saturday SpaceX's Starlink satellites had been activated in Ukraine, with more terminals en route.  Driving the news: Ukrainian officials requested Musk's help with his company's commercial internet network after Russia's unprovoked military invasion left parts of the country offline.  * Ukrainian First Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted to Musk Saturday, " while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand."  * Musk responded to Federov, who's also digital transformation minister, "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route."   Read more ....   WNU Editor: You still need a terminal to communicate with Starlink sate...

I will be busy this afternoon organizing relief funds from Montreal for the tens of thousands of refugees now pouring by the hour into Poland and Hungary. The priority for me is medicines (insulin, antibiotics, etc.) and personal protective products. After-all. People still need their meds, and the pandemic is still raging in that part of the world. All of this is being done through the churches, and the Red Cross.  I know what we are doing is a drop in the bucket, but if we do not do it, who will? On a personal note. I am frustrated that I am only able to post on WNU 10% on what I am learning and hearing as this war continues to rage. There is so much news and information that is not being reported on. The media on all sides are in propaganda mode and pushing a certain narrative, while conditions on the ground are the opposite,. And what is more frightening is no one is reporting on where this is all heading. Sighhhh .... There are so many hours in a day, and there is only so ...

Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation on the recognition of independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics   Daily Mail: 62% of Americans think Putin WOULDN'T have invaded Ukraine if Trump were president, poll claims - and 59% say Biden's weakness made Russia decide to declare war   * A recent survey revealed that 62 percent of Americans polled felt that Putin would not invade Ukraine if Trump was still in office  * A total of 38 percent of Democrats agreed that Trump would have held Putin back, with a whopping 85 percent of GOP voters agreeing  * A total of 38 percent of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, believed that Putin would have invaded Ukraine regardless of who was president  * Another 59 percent of Americans polled believed that the Russian president moved on it's neighboring country because Putin saw weakness in Biden  * Another 41 percent said that the person sitting in office did not play not a ...

Washington Post: Europe says it has a ‘financial nuclear weapon’ against Russia. But it’s uncertain if it wants to use it.   PARIS — As U.S. and European leaders ponder how far to go in sanctioning Russia for its attack on Ukraine, their attention has shifted to the most divisive — and potentially most severe — weapon at their disposal.  French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called it a “financial nuclear weapon” on Friday. He was talking about SWIFT — short for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication — a messaging network connecting banks around the world. The Belgian-based consortium links more than 11,000 financial institutions operating in more than 200 countries and territories, acting as a critical hub enabling international payments. Last year, the system averaged 42 million messages a day.  Whether to cut Russia off from SWIFT has become one of the first points of serious Western division in this crisis, after the European Union, a bl...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video on Twitter on Saturday morning filmed in Kyiv's government district. Photo: Twitter / @ZelenskyyUa New York Post: ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’: Zelensky declines US evacuation offer   The US government offered to evacuate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Kyiv — but he declined. “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelensky said, The Associated Press reported, citing a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation.  Zelensky, 44, instead chose to remain in Ukraine’s capital as Russian forces brought the fight to the city streets, where gunfire and explosions were heard overnight Friday into Saturday.  Read more ....   Update #1: Rejecting US evacuation offer, Zelensky says I need anti-tank ammo, ‘not a ride’ (AP)   Update #2: ‘I Need Ammo, Not a Ride’: How Ukraine’s President Rallied a Nation (VICE News)   WNU Editor : U.S. intelligence has no dou...

  Daily Mail: 'We survived the night. The occupiers wanted to capture our capital and install their puppets...We broke their idea': Zelensky's warning shot to Putin as noose tightens around Kyiv, Ukrainian civilian death toll hits 198 and missile hits tower block   * On Saturday morning, Kyiv was still holding out and President Zelensky remained defiant in face of invasion  * UK intel suggests that the bulk of Russian forces are now within 19 miles of the capital Kyiv  * Ukraine officials are calling on all citizens to remove street signs to 'confuse and disorient' Russian invaders  * Shocking video shows a devastating missile strike on an apartment block near Zhuliany airport  * A hole covering at least five floors was blasted into the side of the building, as rubble is strewn across street  * A barrage of cruise missiles have also been launched by Russian forces against Ukrainian military facilities  * Volodymyr Zelensky declares Kyiv...

According to information published by the Russian press agency TASS on February 25, 2022, the Ukrainian armed forces fired more than 100 salvos from BM-21 Grad Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) at the settlement of Donetsk to deliver strikes against the Hostomel airfield seized by Russian paratroopers. Read Full News Russian Invasion Ukraine Live Combat Situations at this link ... On February 24, 2022, Russian paratroopers special forces raided the airfield in Hostomel which is the northwestern suburb of Kyiv. (Picture source Tik Tok footage) Read More from World Defence News https://ift.tt/kynVQcv via IFTTT

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Servicemen of the Ukrainian National Guard take positions in central Kyiv, February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich   Patrick J. Buchanan: Did We Provoke Putin’s War in Ukraine?   Whatever we may think of Putin, he is no Stalin. He has not murdered millions or created a gulag archipelago. Nor is he “irrational,” as some pundits rail. He does not want a war with us, which would be worse than ruinous to us both. Putin is a Russian nationalist, patriot, traditionalist and a cold and ruthless realist looking out to preserve Russia as the great and respected power it once was and he believes it can be again.   When Russia’s Vladimir Putin demanded that the U.S. rule out Ukraine as a future member of the NATO alliance, the U.S. archly replied: NATO has an open-door policy. Any nation, including Ukraine, may apply for membership and be admitted.  We’re not changing that. In the Bucharest declaration of 2008, NATO had put Ukraine and Georgia...

© Instagram / @zelenskiy_official  RT: Ukraine’s leadership has rejected negotiations – Kremlin   Russia says it has resumed the military operation in Ukraine after Kiev refused to negotiate   Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is continuing after the country’s leadership declined to negotiate, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.  President Vladimir Putin previously ordered the Russian troops to halt their advance on Friday, awaiting a response from Kiev, Moscow said.  It added that the offensive continued on Saturday.  Read more ....  Update : Russian troops resume advancing in Ukraine due to Kiev’s refusal to negotiate - Kremlin (TASS)  WNU Editor: As was mentioned in a commentary yesterday. Unconditional surrender is/was a bitter pill for many in the Ukraine government to swallow.  Here is now a sad but easy prediction. Many of Ukraine cities are going to be burning in the coming days.  Ukraine social...

  Daily Mail: Putin's troops attack Kyiv from 'multiple directions': Fierce fighting erupts across capital after two planes carrying up to '300 Russian paratroopers' were shot down. Zelensky says Ukraine's fate will be decided TONIGHT and refuses to evacuate   * Russian troops were advancing on the center of Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday with fierce fighting by the city's zoo in the west, near the Beresteiska metro, and to the north, near the Troieshchyna thermal plant  * President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday night warned his people in an address to the nation that the capital, Kyiv, would be attacked overnight  * For two nights in a row Russia has bombarded Kyiv, but Moscow in the early hours of Saturday began what it hopes to be a final push  * Russian troops were encountering heavy resistance, and the advance from the west appeared to have been pushed back, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces claiming to have repelled the move  * Ukraine's...

  Politico : China’s Xi asks Putin to negotiate with Ukraine   ‘China’s position would be based on the right and wrong in relation to the Ukraine issue itself,’ Chinese president says.  In a major diplomatic intervention, Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Ukraine — with Beijing offering no clear endorsement of the ongoing war.  “The situation in eastern Ukraine has undergone rapid changes, drawing great attention from the international community.  China’s position would be based on the right and wrong in relation to the Ukraine issue itself,” Xi told Putin on Friday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.  In further remarks that probably won’t go down well in the Kremlin, Xi said: “China supports Russia and Ukraine in resolving the issue through negotiation.”   Read more ....  Chinese President Xi Tells President Putin To Negotiate With Ukraine   China supports Russia, Ukr...

  Daily Mail: Biden sanctions Vladimir Putin PERSONALLY: US hits Russian leader's $200billion wealth and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov after Joe spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky for 40 minutes   * President Joe Biden is planning to impose sanctions directly on Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  * The European Union and United Kingdom announced they would introduce sanctions targeting Putin and Lavrov  * 'In alignment with the decision by our European allies, the United States will join them in sanctioning President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov,' Jen Psaki said  * The move will be largely symbolic as it remains unclear where Putin's money is and how much there is of it  * Biden had been under pressure to directly target the Russian leader  * Biden also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for about 40 minutes on Friday  * Zelensky said the two men discussed stronger sanctions on Russi...

Bloomberg: European Energy Firms Rush to Buy Russian Gas Even After Attack   (Bloomberg) -- Europe’s top energy companies are rushing to buy more Russian gas even after President Vladimir Putin’s forces attacked Ukraine. Utilities are ordering more of the fuel under long-term contracts with Gazprom PJSC after prices rallied more than 60% on Thursday, when Russia began a full-scale invasion. That’s because the deals are priced in such a way that Russia imports are now cheaper than spot gas traded at European hubs.   Russia launched a barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine early Thursday, triggering the worst security crisis Europe has witnessed in decades. Ukraine said Russian forces have entered the Kyiv region near the border with Belarus, and separatists have begun assaults in the eastern part of the country.  Energy prices rallied, with European natural gas surging by a record 62%.  Read more ....   Update: Russia Invades Ukraine and Europe Buy...

  BBC: Ukraine-Russia invasion: Europe prepares for wave of refugees   Ukraine's neighbours are preparing for an influx of refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of the country.  As Russian air strikes hit overnight, many packed up and left Kyiv for the countryside or the border with the European Union.  Traffic jams clogged the roads out of some cities, and some walked on foot into Poland and Hungary.  The UN refugee chief warned that the humanitarian impact will be "devastating".  "We are particularly worried about displacement - about people on the move," Filippo Grandi told the BBC's Lyse Doucet, who is in Kyiv. "We estimate that more than 100,000 must have already moved out of their homes in Ukraine seeking safety in other parts of the country," he said, speaking from Geneva. Mr Grandi added that his agency had stockpiled supplies to provide aid to people in Ukraine - but it could not act while military action was still happening.   ...

Russian forces have entered Ukraine by land, air and sea as explosions are heard across the country and roads are deadlocked with traffic of people trying to flee   Daily Mail: Putin will 'decapitate' the Ukrainian government in Kiev and install his own: Pentagon issues grim predictions as they detail full-scale Russian assault with 100 missile strikes and 75 jets launched from Crimea to Belarus   * An unnamed Pentagon official warned this could be the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II  * Putin has disparaged Ukraine's current government as 'Nazis' and referred to the country as a 'colony'  * President Zelensky, who is Jewish, said Putin was attempting to build a new 'Iron Curtain' across Europe  * Meanwhile a Kiev official confirmed to Reuters that Russians have taken the Chernobyl exclusion zone  * Foreign intelligence services have reported heavy casualties on both sides of the fighting so far  * Moscow's troops are ente...

  WNU Editor: The above is a remarkable must see video. Russian soldiers just 20 miles from Kyiv casually doing their job while cars pass by and a CNN reporter is standing there.  This CNN reporter is at the Antonov airport. The Gostomel airfield, which is alongside the Antonov airport, was also seized .... Russia Capture Airfield Near Kyiv, Ukraine Vows To Take It Back (AFP)' More here .... Russian Forces Have Captured The World's Biggest Cargo Jet In Ukraine (Updated) (Warzone/The Drive). from War News Updates https://ift.tt/4Gb6gCZ via IFTTT