News From Eastern Europe- Bosnia, Hungary, Russian Sanctions, Energy, Training Ukrainian Forces

There are so many important news items, some of them with very subtle nuances regarding events and possibilities, that can only be found by digging a little deeper. Most of these will not even merit a mention in what passes for news sources in the US. Here are a few points of note from the last few days.

• From the Balkan Insight website, Bosnia closer to joining EU. Another milestone is reached towards EU membership for BiH.
• Also from the Balkan Insight website, Hungary considers its suspension of funds by EU as positive. Bosnia moves closer, Hungary moves away.
• From the RFE website, “Hungary, Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan Agree To Black Sea Electricity Project.” The article notes the move towards reducing independence on Russian energy for all countries, praised even by Orban, and mentions Georgia’s moving “closer to Europe.”
• Also from RFE, Russian victory centers on permanent occupation of Crimea. A follow-up on articles noted in my last post abut strategic goals in Ukraine and the retaking of Crimea, permanently.
• Last post of note from RFE, so many fires all around Russia… the call to those within the country to defeat the Putinist regime is not completely ignored.
• From OvertDefense.com- the US will expand training of Ukrainian troops, as many as 500 personnel per month, on advanced tactics and the use of M777 howitzers and M142 HIMARS.
• Posted on the Ukrinform website, Putin to pressure Lukashenko to join war. 
• From the Foreign Affairs website, if you have access, is an article by Wally Adeyemo, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. In “America’s New Sanctions Strategy,” Adeyemo reviews the implementation of sanctions against Russia, noting its three major foci: the Russian financial system, elites and oligarchs, and its military industrial complex. The article also stresses the importance of sanctions on today’s battlefield, in this time of the hybrid war. 
• ISW RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, December 16, 2022
• Finally, as of today according to the Telegram channel Ищи своих 97,690 Russians have died fighting Putin’s imperialist war in Ukraine. If they are trying to reach 100,000 by Christmas day, my guess is they will make it. 

Ukraine Update- 22 April, 2022- Spreading Conflict, Saber Rattling, Ignorance, and War Crimes

Another day of war, and all indications are that this is only the beginning. But then I am an eternal skeptic.

According to an MSN.com article from this morning, Putin and his mouthpieces are still talking about a greater war… with Europe and the world.  The quote in the article that caught my attention was this one, by television presenter and staunch Putin supporter Vladimir Solovyov:

“When this operation concludes, NATO will have to ask itself: ‘Do we have what we need to defend ourselves? Do we have the people to defend ourselves?’ And there will be no mercy. There will be no mercy,” he said.

I will counter that statement with two numbers- 4,173 and 13,247. The first is the total number of Russian military aircraft (before they began their war of aggression- it is decidedly lower at this point), and the second is the total number of US military aircraft. (Number are from the website GlobalFirepower.com.)  Just US military alone. This does not includes NATO or other allies.  Russia may want to rethink its belligerence, rhetoric, and rather saber rattling. Reference the NATO airwar in Kosovo and operations in Serbia in teh late 1990’s if there is any doubt. Bottom line- if Russia pushes the world into war, most of the suffering will be on their side.

Next, from the BBC this morning- there is growing evidence for Russian war crimes, specifically in Bucha where the headlines spoke of 50 of the bodies from mass graves there being identified, with another 300-400 yet to be identified. The BBC.com article Mass Graves Near Mariupol talks about war crimes in Mariupol, with mass graves being identified there.  A Reuters article from today confirms the growing evidence for war crimes, outlined in an interview with U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Michelle Bachelet.

Finally, Russian combat losses continue to mount. The question is, how long can Putin continue to send Russian sons, husbands, fathers, and uncles to be killed? And more importantly, how long will the Russian people continue to allow it?

It is time for the Russian people to summon some courage and make change happen in their country. If they need an example of what courage is- perhaps they have forgotten- they only need look towards Ukraine.

Russian combat losses as of 22 April, 2022

The City of Irpin, and Russian Combat Losses as of 16 April, 2022

The City of Irpin has been liberated from the Russian invaders. Here is what is left of it, from the Telegram channel Ищи своих:

City of Irpin- UN Satellite image and data

City of Irpin

Here is translated text from the Telegram post associated with above images:

Another city after getting to know the “Russian world”. This is Irpin, more precisely, what was left of it after the retreat of the Russian troops. 1060 buildings were destroyed or damaged: houses, schools, hospitals.

Here, according to preliminary data, about 300 civilians were killed. The dead were crushed by tanks, literally rolling into asphalt.
📸 The photos were taken by the UN satellite center Unosat on March 31, 2022 – three days after the liberation of Irpin from the invaders.

 

Russians continue their assault, but continue to do so at great cost. Here are updated Russian combat losses for today.

Russian Combat Losses as of 16 April, 2022

Russian Combat Losses- 13 April, 2022, Russian Disinformation, World Central Kitchen

As Russian combat losses continue to mount, there are claims that Ukrainian marines have surrendered, and of torture of captured Russian soldiers. Beware of disinformation!  These claims may be a sign of desperation on the part of Russia. When all other tactics of the aggressor fail, that is, when wholesale destruction of cities and the murder of citizens no longer seems to be working, Russia can always fall back on using the rules of war, and rule of law to get attention by displacing blame from the aggressor to the victim.

Beware any information coming out of Russia, no matter what the source!

 

Russian combat losses as of 13 April, 2022

You can help the people of Ukraine by donating to World Central Kitchen.  They were helping feed victims of Russian aggression in Kramatorsk during the Russian missile attack. You can see tweets and a video from Kramatorsk here.

Atrocity of the Day

Crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or genocide? It’s just a matter of degrees, and of course intent. For today, take your pick.

Reposted from Telegram channel Ищи своих.

Here is a translation of the accompanying text in the post:

Attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. More than 30 dead and more than a hundred injured

The blow to the Kramatorsk railway station was inflicted by the Russian occupiers “Tochka-U”. On the rocket is the inscription “For children” – a favorite phrase of Russian propagandists. Also, the public authorities began to report that they allegedly hit the “concentration of forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

Women, children, old people… They were waiting for the evacuation train…

 

Russian War Crimes, Russian Combat Losses, and Georgians Standing with Ukraine

We are all aware at this point, we have all seen the images and footage of the war crimes (link reposted from Telegram channel Інтернет Війська України) committed by Russians in the city of Bucha, Irpin, Gostomel, and elsewhere. What more can I say? Putin and the Russian army are now perpetuating crimes against humanity on the citizens of Ukraine, not to mention killing their own soldiers- over 18,000 so far. The world must take action, and it seems to be, according to the live blog at Aljazeera.

A side note is that demonstrations in Georgia in support of Ukraine clearly show that not everyone in all countries occupied by Russia will sit idly by.  Also take note of Bosnia and Kosovo asking for NATO membership out of fear of what the future may hold. My opinion- they should be granted membership, along with Finland and Sweden, immediately. Not too subtle, but then there is nothing subtle in the “tactics” of Russia either.

And let’s not forget, that what is happening in Ukraine is still fresh in the minds of many Bosnians. How quickly we forget the lessons of history.

 

Russian combat losses as of 05 April 2022- Putin’s murder of his own citizens.

Russia- Genocide, Massacre, War Crimes, Murder

The following are reposted from the Telegraph channel Інтернет Війська України.  Today’s headlines in Europe.