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The warlord who runs Chechnya held a rally of an estimated 10,000 fighters who could be dispatched to Ukraine to take part in the invasion. The servicemen gathered in the Chechen capital, Grozny, after Friday prayers in a show of strength by Ramzan Kadyrov, an erstwhile separatist rebel who became one of President Putin’s most loyal henchmen. Addressing the uniformed men, Kadyrov, 45, said that fighters would serve in the “hottest spots in Ukraine”, and that he could muster 70,000 volunteers. Video showed the Muslim fighters standing in serried ranks in a central square and crying in unison: “Allahu Akbar!”...

I haven't seen this information compiled in a public news source, so I'm posting here. Ukraine has very high strategic importance: - largest country entirely in Europe at 606,000 km^2, larger than France (551,000 km^2) or Spain ( 498,000 km^2) - 42M population, about half that of Spain - world's 7th largest coal reserves, and Europe's second largest, after Russia - 1100 bcm of natgas reserves, 135M tons of oil reserves, and 3.7B tons of shale oil reserves - "breadbasket of Central Europe" - over 10% of the world's iron ore reserves, 3rd after Russia and Australia - 8th largest...

Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine had President Trump still been in office, a majority of Americans said according to the results of a new poll. The survey released Friday from the Harvard Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)-Harris Poll found that 62% of Americans believed Putin would not have pulled the trigger if Trump were still president, The Hill reported.

The U.S. will further bolster Ukraine's defense in the face of Russian invasion with an unprecedented third payment of $350 million, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Saturday. The defense aid will include anti-armor, small arms and various munitions, and body armor and related equipment, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Saturday.

Seeking help

Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine is not going to plan due to Kremlin ‘overconfidence’, poor tactical planning, and ‘shock’ at the fierce resistance put up by brave Ukrainians fighting for national survival, intelligence sources have claimed. Dramatic video shows a destroyed Russian convoy with Z-markings near Kherson in the south of the country on the third day of fighting after Ukraine’s army held control of Kyiv and last night successfully repelled Russian advances on the capital. Kyiv’s defence ministry has so far put Russia’s losses at around 2,800 troops, 80 tanks, 516 armoured vehicles, and 10 airplanes and seven helicopters...

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) stated that poor decisions in the past by the Biden administration have put us in a bad spot in the crisis in Ukraine and remarked that it would be helpful if some of the weapons and equipment the U.S. left behind in Afghanistan “was in Ukraine right now” to better arm the Ukrainian people to repel the invasion by Russia.

VIDEOThe reactions to the performance of Kamala Harris in Munich ranges from mocking disdain to, at best, polite but embarrassed silence. However there is one notable exception to this in the over-the-top fanboy love from Joel Rubin who thinks that Kamala was absolutely fabulous. His bubbling enthusiasm for her was so excessive as to be HILARIOUS.

Vaccine and mask mandates are being dropped precipitously across the United States, as the campaigning for this fall's midterm elections heats up. Also, the number of deaths and the number of COVID cases is dropping rapidly. Some might say the U.S. is returning to normalcy. But a new report in Forbes suggests that new norm will include digital vaccine passports. To be used to travel, to access venues and much more. "A paper CDC vaccination card is not cutting it," said the report. "While the United States government has not issued a federal digital vaccine pass, a national standard has...

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, Feb. 25. Gen. MCCLELLAN received a dispatch an hour since, from the West, confirming the report that Nashville, Tenn., is taken by Gen. Buell's army, and stating that the rebels have fallen back on Murfreesboro, about thirty mile south of Nashville. St. LOUIS, Tuesday, Feb. 25. The Republican's Cairo dispatch says, the occupation of Nashville is confirmed. Our troops took possession without opposition. FLOYD fled as usual. The report that Gov. Harris had ordered all the Tennessee troops to lay down their arms and go home is confirmed. The Tennessee Legislature is called for next Monday. No opposition...

Joe Lockhart: CNN Political Analyst and former WH press secretary under William J.Clinton:Salute to Biden for restoring American leadership before taking a nap:Appeal from everyone else in the world with any sense: But don’t worry, Joey’s got this. He’s sending Putin a harsh letter. Next week. After he rests up. Whoops, I forgot it’s Caturday:BatCat readies himself for warPosted from: MOTUS A.D.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's chief security adviser has said Moscow has "good reason to believe" the U.S. is developing biological weapons along the borders of Russia and China. Nikolai Patrushev, who is the secretary of Russia's Security Council, made the comments during an interview with the newspaper Kommersant, in which journalist Elena Chernenko asked him about claims that China had "deliberately caused" the coronavirus pandemic. Defending Beijing, Patrushev replied: "I suggest that you look at how more and more biological laboratories under U.S. control are growing considerably in the world and by a strange coincidence, mainly by the Russian and...

So I have both the embedded video, and the link to the rumble platform, depending on which version serves you better (streaming/buffering/etc.). Also below are the notes I use to talk through things. PUTIN INFLUENCES 1. Whereas Mr. Yeltsin had cajoled, blustered, and flattered, Mr. Putin spoke unemotionally and without notes about his determination to resurrect Russia’s economy and quash Chechen rebels. Flying home, I recorded my impressions. “Putin is small and pale,” I wrote, “so cold as to be almost reptilian.” He claimed to understand why the Berlin Wall had to fall but had not expected the whole Soviet...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to issue weapons to any “friends from abroad” willing to fight for Ukraine, as his forces continue to repel Russian troops from seizing the capital of Kyiv. The Ukrainian Armed Forces said there were “heavy battles ongoing” in one part of the city on Saturday, while “active combat” was taking place in some streets. More than 50 explosions and heavy machine gun fire were heard overnight in the capital as Kyiv residents took shelter in the city’s subway stations.

Freep Mail 4Liberty, if you want On/Off this list. Tune in via Roku/AppleTV/AmazonFire with the America’s Voice App... https://pluto.tv/live-tv/americas-voicehttps://americasvoice.app On GETTR, go here & click “Live now” button: https://gettr.com/user/realamvoice On Rumble live & for past episodes: https://rumble.com/BannonsWarRoom

Just a thought, but the Russian economy and GDP is smaller than California. So how long can they sustain their current battle operations?

It's not the first time Joe Biden has done something like this. Less than six months ago, Biden oversaw an almost indescribably chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. He left American citizens behind. He armed the Taliban with advanced weapons systems on the way out. It could not have been worse. So the problem here isn't complicated. Joe Biden broke the oldest rule of all: Don't make threats you can't back up. You'd think he would know that if he had actually squared off against Cornpop, but the public swimming pool in Wilmington sixty years ago. But he never did. So he...

Some observers have questioned the adoption by the BBC of the spelling Kyiv for the capital of Ukraine instead of Kiev, as Britons and Americans have traditionally referred to it.Many presenters are also using the accompanying pronunciation 'KEE-eve' rather than the previous 'KEE-yev', leaving some listeners confused.

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Russian forces have not captured the southeastern Ukrainian city of Melitopol and armoured columns advancing on the capital Kyiv have been held up by Ukrainian resistance, British armed forces minister James Heappey said on Saturday. Heappey said it was the British assessment that Russia had so far failed to capture any of its day one targets for its invasion of Ukraine, which began on Thursday. "Even Melitopol, which the Russians are claiming to have taken but we can't see anything to substantiate that, are all still in Ukrainian hands," Heappey told BBC radio.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...