Russia's War Against Ukraine

[Pete Dero]

Surprising move indeed !   Not world shocking but it is a change from previous resolution votes by China.

https://english.nv.ua/nation/china-backs-un-resolution-mentioning-russian-aggression-news-50321504.html

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/02/china-and-india-vote-for-un-resolution-with-a-reference-to-russias-aggression-against-ukra

China, which usually abstains from voting on any resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has backed a UN General Assembly resolution that contains tough language regarding "Russian aggression

In a surprising diplomatic move, China and India, two countries that have carefully avoided condemning Moscow for launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine despite repeated pleas from Western allies, have voted in favour of a United Nations resolution that explicitly acknowledges "the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine."

The reference is found in just one paragraph of a broader resolution that calls for closer cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe, the Strasbourg-based human rights organisation.

The text, promoted by a wide group of European countries, together with Canada and the United States, received 122 votes in favour and 18 abstentions.

China and India, which have consistently abstained from UN resolutions focused on the Ukraine war that openly condemned Russia, voted in favour this time around, as did Kazakhstan, Armenia and Brazil.

Only five countries opposed the resolution: Russia, Belarus, Syria, Nicaragua and North Korea.

The vote, which took place last week, initially went unnoticed due to the resolution's largely anodyne content. But some observers were sharp enough to spot the blink-or-you-will-miss-it reference to the Ukraine war, which reads as follows:

"Recognizing also that the unprecedented challenges now facing Europe following the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and against Georgia prior to that, and the cessation of the membership of the Russian Federation in the Council of Europe, (we) call for strengthened cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe."

[Crossroads]

For some lighter watching, UA recaptures their position from a determined raccoon beaver polecat equipped with Sounds Of Death (chilling stuff!) 

Apparently an endangered species, this one, so well done solving the conflict peacefully. Davai! 

https://twitter.com/Justadutchguy/status/1652434853923528705

[JasonPratt]

I'm glad you made it back safely Det, although I also realize 'safe' is a relative term under the circumstances.

I'm not sure what the Grogheads can do, since we aren't really organized as a support group, but I hope you've been getting private messages anyway from fellow vets who can drink with you, so to speak.

I know any contributions you made, helped save someone else back down the line, whether civilian or military, at least for a while longer; and I believe also even (in an admittedly backhanded way) saved some other people from the living nightmare of being the 'orcs' who would do things like that.

If you haven't done so already, you should consider contacting local press and news people to ask if they're interested in interviews (leading farther up the scale if possible), maybe also including any political leaders you think you can trust (if any). So many people do not really understand what is being fought for and against.

[Jarhead0331]

Starfury is going to love this one. Cue theme from Benny Hill.

[FarAway Sooner]

I do miss that theme song.  I always felt bad that the old guy who was the #2 in those shows never got any name recognition.

[Gusington]

O snap:

Kremlin drone: Zelensky denies Ukraine attacked Putin or Moscow
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65471904

[Crossroads]

CLUE(DO) time.

Victim: Nordstream pipeline

Room: Library. (just outside island of Gotland)

Murder Weapons:
a) Three 250 lb bombs as picked up by Swedish sonars
b) Monkey Wrench

Suspects:

1. NATO Colonel Mustard.
2. Mrs White, Mrs Scarlett, and Mayor Green (three Ukrainian tourists with a rental sailing boat, from a Polish port.)
3. Russian Underwater vessel and surveillance "tugboat" SB-123 (from Kaliningrad, now identified at the spot, among other unidentified and identified vessels and submarines.)

Any takers? That you Mr Putin?

Mr Putin: NATO General! Mrs Scarlett and NATO General! Monkey Wrench!

Anyone else? Some interesting details if interested:

https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1653642544683646978

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65461401

[Crossroads]

Quote from the Beeb article:

The investigation by Denmark's DR, Norway's NRK, Sweden's SVT, and Finland's Yle focuses on the movements and actions of ships between June and September last year which they describe as highly unusual.
The ships are believed to include the Russian naval research vessel Sibiryakov, the tugboat SB-123, and a third ship from the Russian naval fleet that the media outlets have not been able to identify by name.

These were so-called "ghost-ships", which had their transmitters turned off. The broadcasters, however, say they were able to track their movements, using intercepted radio communications the vessels sent to Russian naval bases.

"The broadcasters were able to track their movement", right. Those are four Nordic state owned broadcasting companies. Which do not have any tracking tools, but states themselves do of course. British sources, too. Edit ie. they interview various Coast Guard etc personnel who instead of giving the SOP "No comment" answer for the classified stuff actually spit it out quite openly, in all countries. Which they would not do (in unison even) unless told to do so.

The smoking gun, as presented by DEN, FIN, NOR, SWE, in other words.

[W8taminute]

O snap:

Kremlin drone: Zelensky denies Ukraine attacked Putin or Moscow
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65471904

I saw that.  The video I saw of this alleged attack is sus imho.  The drone exploded several feet above the Kremlins dome and the puff of smoke lasted for just a few seconds before disappearing into the wind. 

I think this was all staged to justify taking extreme measures at the yellow and blue country.  One of the bears ministers said that Z and his gang must be eliminated. 

[GDS_Starfury]

one of the better theories about this uav attack is that it was done by russians as an excuse to cancel the May day parade for security reasons.

[Gusington]

That definitely seems to be the most believable.

[Sir Slash]

I think if Putin had planned it you would've seen him atop the Kremlin swatting down the drones with a Cossack sword in one hand and a Russian flag in the other. Bare-chested of course. I vote it's staged to make the Ukrainians look worse in the world's eyes. But so clumsily done that it'll actually backfire against them.

[FarAway Sooner]

Or maybe it's just a red-flag operation to justify the use of tactical nukes on Ukrainian forces concentrating somewhere for a counter-attack?  The Russian decision-making apparatus is so screwed up that they're as likely to do something catastrophically stupid as they are to do something reasonable and competent.

It's just which brand of stupid they decide to employ...     

[Crossroads]

More clues for CLUE(DO) 

Investigators in Germany have focused on the possible role of a sailing yacht called Andromeda and its six passengers, some of whom had Ukrainian passports, according to German officials briefed on the probe. Some analysts have expressed skepticism that a sailing yacht could have played a key role in such an act of sabotage—involving several explosions at an underwater depth of 260 feet.

Four Nordic public broadcasters have reported that at least three Russian ships able to perform underwater operations were present near the blast sites between June and September last year.

The ships included the Russian naval research vessel Sibiriakov, the tugboat SB-123 and a third, unidentified vessel, according to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. The vessels sailed with their position transmitters turned off, but their movements were tracked using intercepted radio communications sent to Russian naval bases.

Gift link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-vessels-photographed-at-nord-stream-site-days-before-blast-9695bc70?st=nygq8zmrfrwvkrg&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[JasonPratt]

Re the UAV harmless explosion: at this point, I'd weigh culprit likelihoods in favor of the number of potential (or better yet actual) purposes any suspect could get out of it! e.g. if Uks can get 3 clear purposes out of it but the Orcs can get 5, then Bayesian weight toward the Orcs.