Posted on 04/16/2022 2:58:01 AM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
A Ukrainian policeman and municipal workers carry a body bag as they exhume two bodies from graves dug in the yard of a house in the village of Vabliya, near Kyiv, on April 14.
A Ukrainian policeman and municipal workers carry a body bag as they exhume two bodies from graves dug in the yard of a house in the village of Vabliya, near Kyiv, on April 14.
Blasts were heard early on April 16 in the cities of Kyiv and Lviv after warnings from Russia that it would intensify attacks on the Ukrainian capital after accusing Ukraine of targeting Russian border towns.
Air raid sirens could be heard in many parts of Ukraine through the early morning hours as the country braced for another day of fighting resulting from Russia's unprovoked invasion, launched on February 24.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address to the nation that its military successes and the impact of international sanctions against Russia will determine how long the war will last.
"The success of our military on the battlefield has been really significant. Historically significant. But it's still not enough to clear our land from the invading forces," he said.
"The sanctions against Russia are very serious, economically painful. But it is not enough to starve Russia's military machine. We need to promote stronger, more destructive sanctions. This will determine how long this war will last," he added.
Zelenskiy told CNN in an interview aired late on April 15 that between 2,500 and 3,000 Ukrainian troops have died so far, with about 10,000 more injured in battle. He said he had no count on civilian casualties.
Earlier on April 15, police said that the bodies of more than 900 civilians have been discovered in the Kyiv region after Russian forces withdrew.
"It is very difficult to talk about civilians, since south of our country, where the towns and cities are blocked -- Kherson, Berdyansk, Mariupol further east, and the area to the east where Volnovakha is -- we just don't know how many people have died in that area that is blocked," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy estimated the number of Russian military casualties at around 19,000 to 20,000, well above Moscow's recent statement that it had lost about 1,350 soldiers.
None of the figures could be independently verified. Western intelligence estimates say several thousand soldiers have died on the Russian side.
Russia's pledge to inflict more damage on Ukraine came a day after it suffered a symbolic defeat with the loss of its Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva, which sank while being towed to port on April 14 after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remain in dispute.
“The number and the scale of missile attacks on objects in Kyiv will be ramped up in response to the Kyiv nationalist regime committing any terrorist attacks or diversions on Russian territory,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) has rejected Russia’s accusations about the attacks on Russian towns, calling them "an attempt to ignite anti-Ukraine hysteria in Russia."
Kyiv did claim, however, to have hit the Moskva with Neptune anti-ship missiles early on April 14, while Russia said a fire broke out on the ship, causing an explosion.
Russia's flagship cruiser sank on April 14 while being towed to port following an explosion. (file photo)
The U.S. military agreed with the Ukrainian version.
"We assess that they hit it with two Neptunes," a senior Pentagon official said in a briefing with reporters on April 15, calling it a "big blow" for Moscow.
The strikes were believed to have caused casualties, but it was difficult to assess how many, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the United States had observed survivors being recovered by other Russian vessels in the area. Russia said the Moskva's crew was evacuated to nearby ships.
In retaliation, Russian air strikes overnight on April 16 targeted a factory outside of Kyiv that is alleged to have made the missiles that were used in the attack on the Moskva.
Meanwhile, the United States and its Western allies continued to pile pressure on Moscow over its campaign.
The German government said on April 15 that it plans to release more than 1 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine.
The move comes amid criticism from Ukraine and some EU partners such as Poland and the Baltic states that Germany has not done enough to send armaments to Kyiv.
Ukrainian authorities continue to expect an imminent, stepped-up offensive by Russian forces in the eastern part of the country.
Efforts to evacuate people from the southern port city of Mariupol on April 15 continued. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iyrna Vereshchuk said 363 people from Mariupol were among 2,864 people who were evacuated from conflict zones.
Vereshchuk said nine humanitarian corridors have been agreed upon with Russia to allow for the evacuation of civilians from several cities, including Mariupol.
Vereshchuk said in a statement posted on her Telegram channel that five evacuation routes for April 16 lead from the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, an area that Russia has said it is now focusing on in its unprovoked war.
"Humanitarian corridors in the Luhansk region will operate subject to the cessation of shelling by the [Russian] forces," she said. She added that corridors from Berdyansk, Tokmak, Mariupol, and Enerhodar will be accessible only by private transport.
Ukraine says tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in Mariupol, a strategic city that has seen some of the worst fighting of the war.
In Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has asked the government to increase funding for troop funeral services and tombstones.
The FSB asked for a 17 percent increase for funeral services, according to documents recently posted to a government website.
Putin fans on this site fall into two categories:
1) mid-wit America-first ‘patriots’ who are so butthurt Biden is president that they need to lash out and punish someone for it. They are easily misled by conspiracy theories and Russian propaganda that it is Ukraine’s fault, and that those people therefore deserve to be raped tortured and murdered to assuage their impotent rage at Biden. These are what Lenin described as useful idiots.
2) paid Russian trolls
Which one are you, space cadet?
Actually, I’m especially sickened by the 8 years of 24/7 shelling of the Donbas by Ukrainian militias that killed 14,000 ppl, over 250 of whom were children. Funny how the Zelenskyy fanboys here didn’t GAF about those lost lives, but now profess their concern for the citizens of Ukraine, which is a corrupt white nationalist country to the core. Such hypocrites.
A 40 year old warship has a lot of paint after all these years. It burns very nicely. That and the deck has 16 anti ship missiles in containers that will degrade in fire causing mayhem.
Based on the diatribe you just posted, it appears you don’t believe the Ukrainian soldiers ever raped, murdered or tortured anyone, Ukrainian or Russian. If that’s the case, I direct your attention to this new thing called the internet which will show plenty of evidence to the contrary. If you still refuse to acknowledge the obvious episodes of Ukrainian brutality documented on myriad videos, I’ll have no choice but to surmise that you are a paid Ukrainian troll. 🤣
I see Ukraine is denying they did it now.
All of your virtue signaling is nauseating to those of us who think both countries are at fault for this catastrophe, along with the US, NATO and the EU. I refuse to join the Zelenskyy fan club and extoll the virtues of a corrupt neo-Nazi supporting country like Ukraine, and for that I’m called despicable names and accused of being a communist.
I just can’t believe the site I joined 24 years ago — that I was so in awe of because of all the brilliant thinkers who were members — has become such a viper pit of gullible ppl who can’t engage in a serious debate about an issue without resorting to ad hominem attacks.
So you want to start WWIII? Are you insane?
No, that’s not it at all. There are some of us that believe a sovereign nation should not have been invaded (twice…including Crimea). The fact they’re kicking Russia butts, is a bonus.
Meanwhile, resident Huggies fiddles.
“ alt-right potbelly imbeciles.”.
I am going to steal that. What a wonderful phrase!
Russian military convoys or depots in border areas are legit targets. At this point Chinese supplies (even say, those infamous tires) are not, until they are in Russia.
I am constantly amazed at how “shocked” you guys are when you realize there is propaganda in a war.
It’s really kind of pathetic.
So, you are sick of Ukrainians fighting each other. So sick, you advocate another country invading and killing tens of thousands 400 miles away from where your concern started.
Your argument is idiotic.
—> FR is rife with RusTrolls
… and UKTrolls
Both blind
—> There are some of us that believe a sovereign nation should not have been invaded
Agree about invasion.
How do you feel about takeover by infiltration?
Modern electronics would have a very good chance of successfully targeting the dockside missile tubes. I have a buddy who was working on that level of missile development, 30+ years ago. Neptunes have pretty new electronics...
Where or when did I ever say that? Are you sick of the fighting or are you still cheering on the Ukrainians as they kill Russians and even their own ppl? Both sides need to stop this, and that’s what I’m praying for. To pretend I think otherwise is truly idiotic.
Add that ad hominem attack to your collection then. It shows your moral superiority. /s
You wrote about the 8 years of shelling in the Donbass. But, you fail to write that it was a civil war. But, you support the Russians who were so upset that they just HAD to invade.
You think everyone supporting the Ukrainians against an invader is brain washed. It is Ukraine. Its not Russia. Russia has not business being there. They should leave.
If you truly believe your position, you believe that whole sale invasion, destruction, and murder is OK. There are not a lot of people who think that stuff is right. You might want to reconsider your logic on this.
You ppl are the ones who refuse to believe Ukraine engages in any propaganda at all, FFS! Even after all the stories from the Ukrainian PR department that have been debunked, you still fall for everything they put out there. Critical thinkers prefer to wait for incontrovertible evidence before accusing someone of heinous crimes like the Kramatorsk missile story or the Bucha “massacre.” I think THAT’S pathetic.
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