OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

JohnInCarolina

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

I'm not trying to defend Russia when I say this; as far as we know they are guilty of what you're saying. What I would say is that every army does what Putin's army is doing. Ours included. This is what armies do, it's what war is all about. There seems to be an innocent belief that we can have a 'clean' war where just the combatants get killed. This is a dangerous fantasy. There never has been and probably never will be. That would be a world where no one would mind a little war now and then, and war crimes would be an academic study at the military academies. You might know that it's estimated we've killed almost 400k civilians since 9/11, and done some torturing too. How would you describe that behavior?

By whom?  Nobody here, not that I can see.

This is what one calls a straw-man argument.

That's a bit of a stretch don't you think? I didn't say "You (Ozzie) believe this". Every day the news is full of stories about the latest atrocities, how could they have done them, why are they hurting civilians, etc. Apparently the Russians are unable to win because they seem to not be shooting anyone in uniform. Ozzie also made the comment about dehumanizing enemies as only a Hitlerish game plan. I am saying that that is everyone's game plan in war. That's the only way you get troops to do what you want, and the reality is that they always get out of hand. The Colonists did it in 1777, the Union in 1863, and the Greatest Generation in WWII. Kind of why the worst war crime of all is starting an aggressive war.

Point out one person in this thread who believes that "we can have a clean war where just the combatants get killed".  I don't think there's evidence of that from anyone here.

So who are you arguing with?  Because it sounds like it's people who don't post here, in which case what's the point? 

Kayak

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

I'm not trying to defend Russia when I say this; as far as we know they are guilty of what you're saying. What I would say is that every army does what Putin's army is doing. Ours included. This is what armies do, it's what war is all about. There seems to be an innocent belief that we can have a 'clean' war where just the combatants get killed. This is a dangerous fantasy. There never has been and probably never will be. That would be a world where no one would mind a little war now and then, and war crimes would be an academic study at the military academies. You might know that it's estimated we've killed almost 400k civilians since 9/11, and done some torturing too. How would you describe that behavior?

By whom?  Nobody here, not that I can see.

This is what one calls a straw-man argument.

That's a bit of a stretch don't you think? I didn't say "You (Ozzie) believe this". Every day the news is full of stories about the latest atrocities, how could they have done them, why are they hurting civilians, etc. Apparently the Russians are unable to win because they seem to not be shooting anyone in uniform. Ozzie also made the comment about dehumanizing enemies as only a Hitlerish game plan. I am saying that that is everyone's game plan in war. That's the only way you get troops to do what you want, and the reality is that they always get out of hand. The Colonists did it in 1777, the Union in 1863, and the Greatest Generation in WWII. Kind of why the worst war crime of all is starting an aggressive war.

Point out one person in this thread who believes that "we can have a clean war where just the combatants get killed".  I don't think there's evidence of that from anyone here.

So who are you arguing with?  Because it sounds like it's people who don't post here, in which case what's the point? 

You need a little less caffeine in your life. I'm the strident a-hole around here. Maybe you could help everyone out and spell out the allowed conversations, in case anyone is thinking of having one you don't approve of? Make sure you include the proper rules of logic, too. 

JohnInCarolina

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

I'm not trying to defend Russia when I say this; as far as we know they are guilty of what you're saying. What I would say is that every army does what Putin's army is doing. Ours included. This is what armies do, it's what war is all about. There seems to be an innocent belief that we can have a 'clean' war where just the combatants get killed. This is a dangerous fantasy. There never has been and probably never will be. That would be a world where no one would mind a little war now and then, and war crimes would be an academic study at the military academies. You might know that it's estimated we've killed almost 400k civilians since 9/11, and done some torturing too. How would you describe that behavior?

By whom?  Nobody here, not that I can see.

This is what one calls a straw-man argument.

That's a bit of a stretch don't you think? I didn't say "You (Ozzie) believe this". Every day the news is full of stories about the latest atrocities, how could they have done them, why are they hurting civilians, etc. Apparently the Russians are unable to win because they seem to not be shooting anyone in uniform. Ozzie also made the comment about dehumanizing enemies as only a Hitlerish game plan. I am saying that that is everyone's game plan in war. That's the only way you get troops to do what you want, and the reality is that they always get out of hand. The Colonists did it in 1777, the Union in 1863, and the Greatest Generation in WWII. Kind of why the worst war crime of all is starting an aggressive war.

Point out one person in this thread who believes that "we can have a clean war where just the combatants get killed".  I don't think there's evidence of that from anyone here.

So who are you arguing with?  Because it sounds like it's people who don't post here, in which case what's the point? 

You need a little less caffeine in your life. I'm the strident a-hole around here. Maybe you could help everyone out and spell out the allowed conversations, in case anyone is thinking of having one you don't approve of? Make sure you include the proper rules of logic, too. 

Anything and everything is allowed (except porn).  You just shouldn't expect BS to go unchallenged.

frazzdaddy

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Kayak said:

I'm not trying to defend Russia when I say this; as far as we know they are guilty of what you're saying. What I would say is that every army does what Putin's army is doing. Ours included. This is what armies do, it's what war is all about. There seems to be an innocent belief that we can have a 'clean' war where just the combatants get killed. This is a dangerous fantasy. There never has been and probably never will be. That would be a world where no one would mind a little war now and then, and war crimes would be an academic study at the military academies. You might know that it's estimated we've killed almost 400k civilians since 9/11, and done some torturing too. How would you describe that behavior?

By whom?  Nobody here, not that I can see.

This is what one calls a straw-man argument.

That's a bit of a stretch don't you think? I didn't say "You (Ozzie) believe this". Every day the news is full of stories about the latest atrocities, how could they have done them, why are they hurting civilians, etc. Apparently the Russians are unable to win because they seem to not be shooting anyone in uniform. Ozzie also made the comment about dehumanizing enemies as only a Hitlerish game plan. I am saying that that is everyone's game plan in war. That's the only way you get troops to do what you want, and the reality is that they always get out of hand. The Colonists did it in 1777, the Union in 1863, and the Greatest Generation in WWII. Kind of why the worst war crime of all is starting an aggressive war.

Point out one person in this thread who believes that "we can have a clean war where just the combatants get killed".  I don't think there's evidence of that from anyone here.

So who are you arguing with?  Because it sounds like it's people who don't post here, in which case what's the point? 

You need a little less caffeine in your life. I'm the strident a-hole around here. Maybe you could help everyone out and spell out the allowed conversations, in case anyone is thinking of having one you don't approve of? Make sure you include the proper rules of logic, too. 

Anything and everything is allowed (except porn).  You just shouldn't expect BS to go unchallenged.

Why is the porn always gone.

lousubcap

@frazzdaddy - Glad you have surfaced.  Hope you are doing well.  FYI- you can find porn where it is always there.  I won't venture on your knowledge of such options. 
This thread even enables the normal third rail topics but sometimes those get clouded.  

frazzdaddy

Ilousubcap said:

@frazzdaddy - Glad you have surfaced.  Hope you are doing well.  FYI- you can find porn where it is always there.  I won't venture on your knowledge of such options. 
This thread even enables the normal third rail topics but sometimes those get clouded.  

Hey Cap , I am very well ty sir. Just catching up , been a little busy latey but getting things done. Loved your post/ comment on our fast attack boats. Always good to hear from you. Miss those Friday threads. They were a lot of fun.

lousubcap

Today's latest on the war:

"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - CHEMICAL WEAPONS ALLEGATIONS

Ukrainian forces and officials have accused Russia of dropping chemical weapons on the port city of Mariupol, causing troops and civilians to develop respiratory illnesses. “Russian occupation forces used a poisonous substance of unknown origin against Ukrainian military and civilians in the city of Mariupol, which was dropped from an enemy [unmanned aerial vehicle],” the Azoz Regiment, a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine with links to the far-right, wrote on Telegram yesterday. Ellen Mitchell reports for The Hill. 

The U.S. Defense Department is monitoring unconfirmed reports that Russia has used chemical weapons during its siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. U.S. intelligence has not been able to verify the accounts, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, but Western leaders have for weeks warned that Moscow could employ such tactics. Reis Thebault reports for the Washington Post. "

Gulfcoastguy

All it would take is for a rocket to rupture the chlorine tanks at water treatment plants or sewer treatment plants to cause those symptoms Cl + H2O > O2 + HCL. Lungs contain H2O and HCL is hydrochloride acid.

lousubcap

One more read for today:
"

Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN's Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Chris Good April 12, 2022

The West’s Putin Predicament Amid evidence of civilian murders and indiscriminate shelling in Ukraine, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman channelsabhorrence and uncertainty as to how the West can deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin going forward.   “How does the world have an effective U.N. with a country led by a war criminal on the Security Council, who can veto every resolution?” Friedman asks. (The Kremlin has denied its forces have committed any war crimes in Ukraine.) “How does the world have any effective global initiative to combat climate change and not be able to collaborate with the biggest landmass country on the planet? How does the U.S. work closely with Russia on the Iran nuclear deal when we have no trust with, and barely communicate with, Moscow? ... How do we feed and fuel the world at reasonable prices when a sanctioned Russia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of oil, wheat and fertilizer? The answer is that we don’t know.”   Friedman’s apoplexy is shared by many, but Putin’s war has not made the Russian President into a global “pariah” as some have claimed, Nikhil Kumar and Joshua Keating write for Grid. (They cite, among other things, last week’s US-led removal of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, which featured “no” votes or abstentions from countries like Brazil, China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.)   As for Friedman’s question of what to do, Charles A. Kupchan suggests in a New York Times opinion essay returning to Cold War containment strategy and embracing realpolitik to chip away at Russian power."

nolaegghead

“Realpolitik”….lern somfin new every day…

lousubcap

All I've got so far today:
"Vladimir Putin reframed his war aims in Ukraine on Tuesday. Recall that initially, the invasion's goal was to "de-Nazify" Ukraine's leadership (and, of course, Ukraine's president is Jewish, so much of the non-Russian West rejected this goal as a deception). "We were forced to do it," Putin said Tuesday, and added, "we couldn't put up with it any longer" because "a clash was inevitable…it was just a matter of time." More, including video of Putin's remarks, from Max Seddon of Financial Times. "

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1514703180856242178

dmchicago

HeavyG

Those Ukrainian tractors are impressive.

lousubcap

The latest on the nautical side of the Russia-Ukraine war:

"The Russian warship Moskva has sunk, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense."During the towing of the cruiser Moskva to the port of destination, the ship lost its stability due to hull damage received during a fire from the detonation of ammunition. In the conditions of stormy seas, the ship sank," the statement said according to TASS. Jorge Engels and Vasco Cotovio report for CNN. 

Ukraine’s claim that it conducted a missile strike that sank the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet is believed to be credible, two sources familiar with U.S. and western intelligence told CNN, although officials as yet have no definitive proof. The US believes with “medium confidence” that Ukraine’s version of events — which Moscow disputes — is accurate, according to one source. Jim Sciutto and Katie Bo Lillis report for CNN. 

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has called the damage to the ship a setback for Russia regardless of how it was disabled. Either it was “just incompetence” or “they came under attack”, he said. “Neither is a particularly good outcome for them.” Joanna Slater, Dan Lamothe, Emily Rauhala and Karen De Young report for the Washington Post. 

The loss of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet flagship will make it more difficult to gain full control over Ukraine’s southern coast and the port city of Odesa, military analysts say. However, it's unlikely to derail Moscow’s war campaign entirely. Michael Schwirtz reports for the New York Times. "

Ozzie_Isaac

@HeavyG and @dmchicago killing it with the memes.

Gulfcoastguy

  

lousubcap

Some insights on issues China is confronting today:
"

China is facing “a trio of problems” that highlight the shortcomings of its authoritarian system, The Economist writes under the above headline: a return to Covid-19 lockdowns, slow economic growth, and the war in Ukraine.   Relying on stringent lockdowns and less-effective vaccines has put China in a predicament. As Covid-19 outbreaks become “harder to control,” lockdowns have now returned—notably in Shanghai—and are damaging economic growth, the magazine writes. President Xi Jinping’s reluctance to criticize Russia for its war on Ukraine will hurt China’s relations with the US, the magazine suggests.   China has its strengths, but “if you think China’s ascent is inevitable, look at the deserted streets of its biggest city, and ask yourself if Mr Xi has a monopoly on wisdom,” the magazine writes."

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine war update:

"Russia and Ukraine are expanding their military deployments around the eastern regions of Ukraine as both countries prepare for a new phase of the war. The fighting will take place closer to Russia, which may help ease its supply line woes and the open terrain may be better suited to “massed forces and armored thrusts.” Michael Gordon and Daniel Michaels write in the Wall Street Journal. 

Another Russian general has been killed in Ukraine, Russian media reported. Deputy commander of the 8th Army, Maj. Gen. Vladimir Petrovich Frolov, is one of many Russian generals who have been killed in the course of the invasion of Ukraine. Caroline Vakil writes in The Hill."

lousubcap

Some interesting polling info regarding Americans and sanctions against Russia:
"When it comes to paying more at the pump here stateside, "At least for now," Americans surveyed say they are "tolerant of gas-price increases as part of the consequences of those sanctions."
And an end to sanctions against Russia? That shouldn't happen until Russia withdraws its troops, 67% of Americans say. However, most "doubt that sanctions will be enough to persuade Moscow to withdraw troops from Ukraine." Read the full report (PDF) here.
Developing: White House and allied officials are planning a "long-term isolation" of Russia. This concerted effort involves "new policies across virtually every aspect of the West's posture toward Moscow, from defense and finance to trade and international diplomacy," the Washington Post reported Saturday. It could mean a revised National Security Strategy; but it's unclear if the administration's National Defense Strategy, which the Post reports was "sent last month in classified form to Congress," will be altered. More here."

Ozzie_Isaac

Thank you @lousubcap , come every morning for the pertinent info and solid sources.

lousubcap

Unrelated to the war for the most part but an enlightening read from "The Atlantic":  Frictionless conduit here.

MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022

Rachel Gutman SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Pro-Trump Republicans don’t just believe in the Big Lie, our writers argue. They also believe in a million little ones. Then: The latest from Ukraine and China.

“It didn’t smell right” (Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg / Getty) Sixty-eight percent of Republicans do not believe that the 2020 election was free and fair, but few can explain exactly why. “I can’t really put my finger on it, but something just doesn’t feel right,” one Donald Trump voter told Sarah Longwell. “It didn’t smell right,” another said. The leading conspiracy theories about the election are exactly that—conspiracy theories. But for people who are immersed in what my colleague David Frum calls the Trump Cinematic Universe, they make perfect sense. Boycotting presidential debates is only logical for Trumpists. “What the RNC is saying with its vote is, Unless we know in advance that a debate moderator believes in the same version of reality as we do, we will not participate at all,” David writes. The GOP says it’s the party of parents, but that’s a myth. If Republicans cared about children, even just white children, “then they would not be ignoring or downplaying or defending or bolstering the principal racial threat”—white-supremacist ideology—“facing white youth today,” Ibram X. Kendi argues in a new essay. Republicans say sex education is grooming. In fact, it’s the opposite.Teaching kids about sex, even in elementary school, can help keep them safe from abusers, my colleague Olga Khazan reports.

(Yin Liqin / China News Service / Getty) The rest of the news in three sentences: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of the Donbas region. Shanghai reported its first deaths from China’s current COVID-19 wave yesterday, even as the city remains under a punishingly strict lockdown. Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s division in the 2022 Boston Marathon; Evans Chebet won the men’s."

Ozzie_Isaac

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine articles:

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2022/04/us-train-ukrainians-use-their-new-155mm-howitzers/365803/

https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/ukraine/2022/04/18/russian-offensive-in-eastern-ukraine-has-begun-zelenskyy-says/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dfn-ebb

Edit:  update
"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - THE DONBAS REGION

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Russia has begun its battle for the Donbas after regrouping ahead of an expected offensive on the country’s eastern region. “It can now be stated that Russian troops have begun the battle for Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” Zelenskyy said in an address.  “A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive.” Monique Beals reports for The Hill. 

Russia said today that its military operation in Ukraine has entered "another phase", confirming earlier reports from Ukraine that a new Russian offensive has begun in the country's eastern Donbas region. “The operation is continuing, and another phase of this operation is starting now,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today. Rhoda Kwan reports for NBC News. "

Aftermath from the sinking of the Moskva:

"The sinking of the Russian warship Moskva is causing tension in Russia, as some families report sailors dead or missing despite the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim that the whole crew was evacuated. At least four families have shared pictures on social media of sailors who the families say served on the sunken ship and have not been heard from since the incident. Jeanne Whalen Mary Ilyushina report for the Washington Post. "

And a perspective from China:

"China says it will "continue to strengthen strategic coordination" with Russia, regardless of how the "international landscape may change," according to a statement released by China's Foreign Ministry today. China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng expressed this view to the Russian ambassador to China Andrey Denisov during a meeting on Monday, the ministry said. CNN reports. 

China will welcome a prolonged war in Ukraine as a “rolling strategic diversion” from its own assertiveness, former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has said. Rudd, a Mandarin speaker who cultivated Australia’s relationship with China during his tenure, warned that China would exploit a distracted west to focus on its competition with the U.S.. James Fernyhough reports for the Financial Times. "

lousubcap

Today's update:
"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - MARIUPOL

Russian forces have given Ukrainian fighters holding out at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol another deadline for surrender. If Ukraine’s troops cease fighting at 2 p.m. local time Wednesday, they will be “guaranteed life, safety and medical treatment,” Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said yesterday, according to Russian state media. Reis Thebault reports for the Washington Post. 

Russian forces are using “powerful anti-bunker bombs” to shell the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where civilians including children are sheltering underground alongside fighters defending the city, a senior Ukrainian government official has said. “The world watches the murder of children online and remains silent,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a tweet. “Religious & world leaders can stop it by organising humanitarian corridors. Otherwise, the blood will be on their hands, too.” John Reed reports for the Financial Times. 

Maj. Serhii Volyna, commander of Ukraine's 36th Separate Marine Brigade, has requested that a third country provide evacuation for troops and civilians trapped in the Azovstal steel plant under heavy Russian bombardment. Olga Voitovych, Julia Presniakova and Nathan Hodge report for CNN. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement yesterday claiming that Russian forces had opened an evacuation corridor around the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. However, the claim has been dismissed by a Ukrainian police official on the scene. Myhailo Vershynin, chief of the Mariupol Patrol Police, called the Russian conditions, which require civilians to evacuate to Russian controlled territory, "unacceptable.” Olga Voitovych and Nathan Hodge report for CNN. "

And related:

Wealthy Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov yesterday condemned what he called Moscow's "crazy war" in Ukraine, saying 90% of his countrymen did not support it. In a post on Instagram, he also called on the West to offer Vladimir Putin a dignified way to withdraw. Reuters reports. 

Russia has lost trust in Ukraine’s negotiating team, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said, as talks over a peace deal falter.Ukraine had turned the talks into a “circus” Zakharova said, accusing Kyiv of changing its position as a “distraction.” Max Seddon reports for the Financial Times.

The relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has hit its lowest point in decades, with political fissures deepening since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, senior Saudi and U.S. officials have said. “The White House wanted the Saudis to pump more crude, both to tame oil prices and undercut Moscow’s war finances. The kingdom hasn’t budged, keeping in line with Russian interests,” Stephen Kalin, Summer Said and David S. Cloud provide analysis for the Wall Street Journal. "

lousubcap

For those interested in a bit more about the sinking of the Moskva, here's a good read:
https://gcaptain.com/russias-sunken-warship-warning-to-navies/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-ae234c6adc-170052525&mc_cid=ae234c6adc&mc_eid=10465e83ed  

saluki2007

https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2022-04-19/what-does-420-mean-weed

lousubcap

Today's update:

"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - MARIUPOL

Russia has claimed it has captured the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, with the exception of the Azovstal steel plant, where about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holding out. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the plant to be blockaded but cancelled plans to storm it. The Guardianreports. 

In a televised meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin said that it would be “impractical” to storm the Azovstal steel plant and that the decision not to storm it was being made to safeguard the lives of Russian soldiers. BBC News reports. 

Ukraine has proposed to hold a “special round” of negotiations with Russia in the besieged city of Mariupol, officials have said. Ukrainian negotiator and presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said in a tweet yesterday: “Without any conditions. We’re ready to hold a ‘special round of negotiations’ right in Mariupol. One on one. Two on two. To save our guys, Azov, military, civilians, children, the living & the wounded.” The Guardian reports. 

Responding to the news that Russia will no longer try to storm the Mariupol steel plant, former commander of U.K. Joint Forces Command General Sir Richard Barrons has said that battle is no longer “really relevant” to who controls the port city. Today's announcements from Russia on Mariupol were intended to show there had been "some success" on the eve of the Russian Orthodox Easter, Barrons said. "And it allows the military not to expend much more resource on a battle for the steelworks which was military irrelevant and turn to what really matters now - the battle of the Donbas." BBC News reports. "

Edit-some additional reading:

"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - U.S. RESPONSE 

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to test-launch a new intercontinental ballistic missile, declaring it a warning to the West, has fed concerns inside the Biden administration that Russia is now so isolated that Putin sees little downside to provocative actions. “We have been so successful in disconnecting Putin from the global system that he has even more incentive to disrupt it beyond Ukraine,” according to one senior U.S.intelligence official. David E. Sanger reports for the New York Times. 

The Pentagon has said that the intercontinental ballistic missile test launched by Putin yesterday, does not pose a significant threat to the U.S.  The RS-28 Sarmat, which NATO has dubbed “Satan 2,” is considered Russia’s most powerful ICBM: a super-heavy, thermonuclear-armed intercontinental-range ballistic missile. However, whilst the weapon sounds intimidating, the escalating threats Putin has made since his invasion of Ukraine should be more concerning, defense policy and strategy scholars have said. Lateshia Beachum, Mary Ilyushina and Karoun Demirjian report for the Washington Post. "

Gulfcoastguy

It sounds like the Russians broke their teeth in Mariupol . 

lousubcap

Today's update (Earth Day):
"RUSSIA, UKRAINE - MARIUPOL

New satellite images show a mass burial site in the Russia-occupied village of Manhusg, about 12 miles west of Mariupol, containing more than 200 new plots alongside an existing cemetery. Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, has said that the mass grave discovered in Manhush is significantly larger than the one discovered in Bucha — the Kyiv suburb where bodies were found strewn on streets after Russian troops withdrew. He estimated that the new mass grave is “prepared for 3,000 people.” Paulina Villegas reports for the Washington Post. 

Russia has revealed that the goal of its invasion of Ukraine is to take "full control" over southern Ukraine as well as the eastern Donbas region. "Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, which began literally two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. This will provide a land corridor to Crimea," Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekaev, the acting commander of Russia's Central Military District, said according to Russian state news agency TASS. Anna Chernova and Nathan Hodge report for CNN. "

Edit: another article:

"

Ukraine Endgame: Putin’s Bad Options

No matter which one he chooses, the Western response should be the same.

JOHN NAGL and PAUL YINGLING 

You must also have a sense of when to stop—Garry Kasparov, How Life Imitates Chess

Ukraine’s brilliant and tenacious resistance on land, as well as the sinking of the Moskva in the Black Sea, have checked Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin would be wise to follow the advice of his countryman, chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, and know when to stop. Instead, Putin appears intent on further escalation. In response to these events, Russia warned the United States to stop arming Ukraine, or face “unpredictable consequences.” Putin even went so far as to prescribe the weapons that the United States should not provide to the Ukrainian Army. 

As Putin comes to terms with his looming defeat, he is now left with three bad, but not equally bad, options. The least bad Russian option is to sue for peace on the most favorable terms Ukraine will grant and end this pointless and reckless war. A worse option would be to go on the defensive in Eastern Ukraine and vainly hope for a more favorable correlation of forces in the future. The worst option of all would be for Russia to attempt another offensive, gambling the entire army in Ukraine on one last thrust with no hope of success. The West, in considering its responses to these actions, would do well to remember Napoleon’s advice (more or less): “Never interfere with an enemy in the process of destroying himself.

The Western Response: We Can Do This All Day

No matter which option Putin chooses, the Western response should be the same: aid the Ukrainian military, relieve the suffering of the Ukrainian people, maintain the unity of the NATO alliance, and increase the military and economic costs of Russia’s continued aggression. The only elements that need to vary are the emphasis and pace of those efforts. If Putin opts for peace, the West must maintain diplomatic, economic, and military solidarity to ensure Ukraine receives the most favorable settlement possible. If he opts for defense, the West must continue its efforts to strengthen Ukraine and isolate Russia to reveal the futility of playing for time. Finally, if he opts for offense, the West must surge every form of support to Ukraine to discredit Russia’s imperial delusions fully and finally. 

In his recent démarche to the U.S. demanding an end to military support for Ukraine, Putin has helpfully provided a list of those capabilities Russia most fears. The U.S. should treat this message not as a Russian ultimatum but rather as a Ukrainian shopping list. When Russia launches artillery strikes at civilian populations, the West should send Ukraine Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and counter battery radars. When Russia uses aircraft in a reckless and vain offensive, the West should redouble shipments of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and add the Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile System to the mix. When Russia dispatches its remaining tanks on a final, suicidal attack, the West should not only further accelerate shipment of Javelin and Switchblade anti-tank systems, but also begin arming Ukraine with M1 Abrams main battle tanks and other maneuver capabilities to drive Russia from Ukrainian soil once and for all. These weapons shipments are the clearest form of diplomacy, communicating to Putin that we can do this all day."