Points of note for today:
- Aljazeera reports first war crimes trail of Russian soldier will begin.
- Also causing a stir with Russia, Finland will join NATO, with Sweden likely to follow within days.
- UKRINFORM website reports Russia has used about 70% of its arsenal of high-precision missiles.
- The same site reports that Russia is unable to fully restore the combat capability of military units withdrawn from Ukraine.
- Add Bulgaria to the list of countries to keep an eye on as another Putin apologist, a former Bulgarian presidential advisor, works to destabilise Bulgaria and in crease support of Russia.
Finally, while we would like to believe that all large, multi-national companies are supporting Ukraine and have left Russia, this is not the case. Companies such as Nestle, MARS, Danone, Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris, and PepsiCo to name a few, are still doing business in Russia to one degree or another- still selling products, selling a limited range of products, and paying employees (and therefore taxes to the Russian government).
The following is reposted from the Telegram channel Center for Countering Disinformation, 11-12 May, 2022:
Russia as a terrorist state-
Given the beginning of Western countries’ recognition of Russia as a terrorist state, it is necessary to inform about the consequences of such a decision for it
- A state sponsor of terrorism is a country that, in accordance with the official position of the US State Department, provides support for acts of international terrorism.
- 10.05.2022 – Lithuania recognizes Russia as a terrorist country. The Lithuanian Seimas has adopted a resolution recognizing Russia as a terrorist state.
- 10.05.2022 – the US Senate registered a resolution recognizing Russia as a sponsor of terrorism.
Inclusion on such a list entails severe economic and political sanctions, including:
- ban on arms supplies (export and sale)
- control over the export of dual-use goods
- ban on economic aid
- various financial and other restrictions
Baltic States deny Russian propaganda victory-
Russian propaganda claims that the campaign launched by the governments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to recognize Russia as an aggressor country is not supported by the Russian-speaking population of these countries
But the kremlin’s hopes of using Russian-speaking minorities to justify the special operation proved futile.
🔺On April 21, the parliamentarians of Estonia and Latvia recognized the Russian actions as genocide of the Ukrainian people
🔺Latvian opposition Harmony party, which represents the interests of Russian-born voters, unanimously condemned the aggression
🔺Estonian faction of the Centrist Party, based on the Russian-speaking electorate, signed a statement in support of Ukraine
🔺Lithuanian parliamentarians unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing Russia as a state that supports and commits terrorism
🔺According to a survey conducted by the Baltic agency SKDS, 68% of Russian-speaking respondents support Ukraine, take part in actions in support of Ukraine and help refugees.
Russian combat losses as of 12 May, 2022
At Five AM 