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

dbCooper

This is a long read.  I found it well worth the time, although it plays into my confirmation bias for not being on social media.  It is not a optimistic piece...

"Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
By Jonathan Haidt"

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/

lousubcap

In my frictionless conduit mode-a read: Enjoy-
Edit to clean up some advertising.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 ∙

Rachel Gutman SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Is COVID surging or not? Then: The fitness industry doesn’t understand beginners.

A squishy surge (Getty; The Atlantic) Let’s start with case counts. They’re higher than they were in March, but not climbing as quickly as they did in December. Hospitalizations have jumped dramatically in some states, but nationwide, rates are as low now as they were last July. COVID-19 levels in wastewater are, of all things, plateauing in some places. Is America in a COVID wave or not? “Our data could be missing a whole lot of infections across the country—enough to obscure a large surge,” the science writer Yasmin Tayag explainsin The Atlantic today. But when Tayag asked experts whether we’re in an invisible wave, she found that “even they were stumped by what’s really happening in the U.S.” Anthony Fauci himself can’t seem to decide how bad things are. On Tuesday, he told PBS that “we are certainly right now in this country out of the pandemic phase”; the same day, he told The New York Times that he would not attend the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this weekend “because of my individual assessment of my personal risk.” Our writers offer tips on how to think through this uncertain pandemic moment. Case counts don’t tell you much. Experts told Tayag that wastewater surveillance and test-positivity rates are a better way to understand how much the coronavirus is spreading in your community. Or, as one suggested, “If I want to know what my risk is, I just look to see if my friends and family are infected. The closer the infection is to me, the higher my risk is.” Waves can be hard to spot. As my colleague Katherine J. Wu wrote earlier this month, a wave is by definition a deviation from normal, but we still don’t know what a “normal” baseline of COVID looks like in the United States. Just because Europe had a big BA.2 wave doesn’t mean we’re having one. The U.S. and Europe used different types of vaccines and had different infection rates during prior surges—plus, BA.2 is spreading here in the spring, not the winter. All of that could mean our fates really will diverge, I reported last month.

lousubcap

dbCooper said:

This is a long read.  I found it well worth the time, although it plays into my confirmation bias for not being on social media.  It is not a optimistic piece...

"Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid
It’s not just a phase.
By Jonathan Haidt"

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/

I just read your post/link.  As you note it is not an uplifting piece but does a solid job of highlighting all the challenges we have (if responsible-a reach there) to address,
This stood out as just what fundamental guiding principles the collective "we" have abandoned: 
"It was just this kind of twitchy and explosive spread of anger that James Madison had tried to protect us from as he was drafting the U.S. Constitution. The Framers of the Constitution were excellent social psychologists. They knew that democracy had an Achilles’ heel because it depended on the collective judgment of the people, and democratic communities are subject to “the turbulency and weakness of unruly passions.” The key to designing a sustainable republic, therefore, was to build in mechanisms to slow things down, cool passions, require compromise, and give leaders some insulation from the mania of the moment while still holding them accountable to the people periodically, on Election Day."

That's way more than enough tonight.  

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1519821131338854401?s=20&t=xc49Lb1qTTlCh2DwyoD5Dw

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine war update:

"5 Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ended his visit there yesterday. It was the first such attack on Kyiv in weeks since fighting died down around the city after Russian forces withdrew from its suburbs. Ellen Francis, Andrew Jeong, Amy Cheng, Julian Mark and Julian Duplain report for the Washington Post. 

Russian forces are making “slow and uneven” progress in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, but are still struggling to overcome the same supply line problems that hampered their initial offensive, a senior Pentagon official has said. “The Russians haven’t overcome all their logistics problems,” the official said, citing slow going on the shipment of food, fuel, weapons and ammunition, despite having much shorter supply lines now than they did during the war’s first several weeks. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times. 

The battle of Donbas remains Russia’s main strategic focus, however, due to strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian territorial gains have been limited and achieved at significant cost to Russian forces, according to an intelligence update by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. "

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/HNTurtledove/status/1519854863902904322

Botch

This wasn't quite right for the "funny or cool" thread, so I'll put this interesting time-waster here:
https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
I set an 800-kiloton, airburst, single strike over HAFB and clicked the Fatalities and Radioactive Fallout boxes, then clicked the Red Button.  
I won't have to worry about "duck and cover", personally.  Kinda sobering.  

Botch

Partial List of Russian Generals and Senior Commanders KIA in Ukraine:
1. Lieutenant General Yakov Ryazantsev (03/25/2022, Kherson). 2. Lieutenant General A.N. Mordvichev (03/18/2022, Kherson). 3. Major General Oleg Mityaev (03/15/2022, Mariupol, Donetsk region). 4. Major General Andrey Kolesnikov (03/11/2022,?). 5. Major General Vitaly Petrovich Gerasimov (03/07/2022, Kharkov region). 6. Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky (02/28/2022, Mariupol, Donetsk region). 7. Major General Magomed Tushaev (02/26/2022, Gostomel, Kyiv region). 8. Major General Vlaislav Yershov (03/?/2022, Dismissed - Possible Suicide) 9. Major General Vladimir Petrovich Frolov (03/31/22, Mariupol, Donetsk region). 10. Lieutenant General Denis Mezhuev (03/31/22, Mariupol, Donetsk region)
 
Colonel Vladimir Zhoga, Commander Sparta Battalion Colonel Denis Kurilo, Commander 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade Colonel Yuri Medvedev, Commander 37th Motor Rifle Brigade - Run over by Russian tank Colonel Sergi Sukharev, Commander 331st VDV Colonel Sergi Porokhnya, Commander 12th Engineer Brigade Colonel Konstantin Zizevsky, Commander 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment Colonel Andrei Zakharov, Commander 6th Tank Regiment, 90th Tank Division Colonel Alexei Sharov, Commander 810th Guards Separate Order of Zhukov Brigade Colonel Vitaly Slabtsov, Commander 83rd Separate Air Brigade Colonel Alexander Bespalov, Commander 59th Guards Tank Regiment Colonel Nikolay Ovcharenko, Commander Western Military District Engineers Colonel Igor Ivanov, Commander 503rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment Colonel Ivan Ivanovich Grishin, Commander 49th Anti-Air Rocket Brigade Colonel Mikhail Nagamov, Commander Sapper (commando) Regiment Major Sergi Krylov, Deputy Commander 331st VDV Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander 61st Marine Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Agarkov, Commander 33rd Motorized Rifle Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Dormidontov, Commander Rocket Artillery Division. Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Petrunin, Commander Samara military police. Lieutenant Denis Glebov, Deputy Commander 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade. Lieutenant Georgy Dudorov, Deputy Commander 137th Airborne Reconnaissance Division. Captain First Rank Andrey Paliv, Deputy Commander Black Sea Fleet Captain First Rank Anton Kuprin, Commander Flagship Moskva Captain Third Rank Alexander Chirva, Commander Landing Ship Caesar Kunkikov Captain Alexey Glushchak, Commander GRU Military Intelligence Aleksey Aleshko, officer unknown rank, Paratroop Intelligence Vladimir Zhoga, Commander neo-nazi paramilitary DPR    
 
General Sergei Beseda, head of the Fifth Service of the FSB, is being held in Lefortovo prison. Admiral Igor Osipov, Commander Black Sea Fleet, is also under arrest.
 
(I can't attest to the accuracy of this list, but found it amazing)

Gulfcoastguy

Then there are all of the Generals and Admirals that Pootie has fired and often jailed. 

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/1520155580026994689?s=20&t=knUaw38GqgPPrnk9t-HTOQ

lousubcap

All I've got for Saturday:

"The import of China’s neutrality on Russia’s war has been debatedwidely, but at Foreign Affairs, Shashi Tharoor writes that India’s has ramifications, too. 
 
India has a strong Cold War history of refusing to align with major blocs, but by eschewing the West’s economic and political campaign against Russia, Tharoor argues, India risks alienating Western powers and accepting a risky precedent about borders and the use of force, given its disputed Himalayan border with China. 
 
For Japan, Takako Hikotani writes for the same magazine, the Ukraine war has shown the previous Japanese government was “naïve” to court Russian President Vladimir Putin. Japan’s public now appears to support welcoming refugees, Hikotani writes, and after decades of post-1945 pacifism, there is now “a rare philosophical debate within Japan about what countries should fight for.” "

lousubcap

Sunday teaser-the referenced article is behind a pay wall that I don't subscribe to:
"

What’s Behind Russia’s Military Failure?

Stymied in its advance on Kyiv, Russia’s military has become the topic of widespread scorn, dismay, and mockery among military analysts in the West. How has a force regarded recently as the world’s second-best fared so badly? The Economist ventures a few guesses, in a long analysis piece citing inflated troop numbers, poor leadership, and a lack of coherent doctrine.    “Ill-trained and poorly motivated soldiers are a liability in any conflict,” the magazine writes. “(T)hey are especially unsuited to the complexities of modern combined-arms warfare, which requires tanks, infantry, artillery and air power to work in synchrony.”   Surveying the global significance of Russia’s military struggles in a shorter cover story asking, “How rotten is Russia’s army?”, The Economist concludes that “(h)umiliation in Ukraine weakens Russia’s last claim to superpower status.” That might sound like good news to Russia’s rivals in the West, but “(f)urther decline in Russian power could lead to still more reckless aggression,” the magazine warns. “A weaker Russian army could be an even more brutal one.”"

Botch

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing how our Air Force (if they were involved) would take out russian tanks; the mighty CBU-105/BLU-108!
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqPqzs-JeDo&t=184s

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/profsamperry/status/1521093451793715202?s=20&t=XL7rlYctwTv4gF7YawTT-g

lousubcap

Today's Russia- Ukraine update:

"The chief of the general staff of the Russian military, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the country’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, made a visit to front-line positions in eastern Ukraine late last week in an effort to “change the course” of Russia’s flagging offensive there. According to a Ukrainian official, Ukrainian forces launched an attack on one position visited by Gerasimov, but he had already departed for Russia. Two U.S. officials have confirmed that Gerasimov had been in eastern Ukraine for the past couple of days. Michael Schwirtz and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times. 

Russia will attempt to open up a new front against Ukraine from Moldova, Ukrainian military sources have said. According to one source, there are a “number of indicators” pointing to an attack on the former soviet state, which has only 3,250 soldiers in its army. A successful takeover of Moldova would allow Russian troops access to the Black Sea port of Odesa from the west. Larisa Brown reports for the Times.

It is likely that more than a quarter of Russian military units in Ukraine have been rendered combat ineffective, the U.K.’s Defense Ministry has said in an intelligence update. Some of Russia’s most elite units, including the VDV Airborne Forces, have suffered the highest levels of attrition. It will probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces, the updated added. 

Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, was hit by two explosions this morning, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a Telegram post. The explosions come after a large fire broke out at a Russian Ministry of Defense military installation in Belgorod on Sunday. The cause of the incident was unclear. Hannah Ritchie reports for CNN. 

Ukrainian attacks have destroyed a headquarters for Russia’s ground troops and airborne forces in Izyum, an eastern city near the Donbas region that has become a hub for Russian military operations. Oleksiy Arestovych, a military adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also claimed that the attack resulted in significant casualties, including among senior Russian officials. Reis Thebault reports for the Washington Post. "

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine war update:

Russia is preparing to annex vast new swaths of Ukrainian territory in the coming days, according to U.S. intelligence.  A senior U.S. official has revealed “highly credible” intelligence indicates that Russia will probably stage fraudulent referendums in mid-May in which citizens of Donetsk, Luhansk or Kherson appear to express support for leaving Ukraine and becoming part of Russia. After that, Russia would probably install leaders loyal to Moscow in those areas. Missy Ryan, John Hudson, Louisa Loveluck and David Stern report for the Washington Post. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, U.S. and Western officials believe. A formal declaration of war could potentially bolster public support for the invasion. It would also, under Russian law, allow Putin to mobilize reserve forces and draft conscripts, which officials say Russia desperately needs amid a growing manpower shortage. Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt and Brad Lendon report for CNN. 

Russia has been taking measures to replenish "significant losses" of military equipment during its invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces has said in its latest operational update. It said that according to available information, 17 tanks and 60 BMP-1 military vehicles were taken out of storage in Russia between 27 April and 2 May and were sent to the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian troops. BBC News reports. 

The Ukrainian military has confirmed that its forces have won back control of several settlements to the north and east of Kharkiv, making it more difficult for the Russians to launch missile and artillery attacks against the city. Ruska Lozova — a village north of Kharkiv, "returned to our control despite aggravation and losses," the military said yesterday. The military also said the village of Verkhnya Rohanka in the east of Kharkiv was back in Ukrainian hands, and that the operation had been led by Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of land forces. Kostan Nechyporenki and Tim Lister report for CNN. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine war update:

"Moldova sees no imminent threat of unrest spilling over from the war in Ukraine despite “provocations” by pro-Russian separatists in recent days, President Maia Sandu has said. However, the country has been making contingency plans for “pessimistic scenarios” she added. Peter Graff and Alexander Tanas report for Reuters. 

The U.N. said yesterday that it has recorded the deaths of more than 3,000 Ukrainian civilians since the beginning of the Russian invasion, adding that the true figure is believed to be “considerably higher.” The number of deaths has jumped by more than 1,000 in less than a month, as the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported the killings of almost 2,000 civilians in the conflict as of mid-April. Lexi Lonas reports for The Hill. 

Russian forces have lost more lives in Ukraine than in four years in Chechnya, a Russian soldier said in an audio clip that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claims was an intercepted communication between the soldier and his friend. In the audio, the Russian soldier expressed discontent that the elite members of RosGvardia, Putin’s National Guard, and OMON, the Special Police Force, have left Ukraine. Mitchell McCluskey reports for CNN. 

The CIA has published instructions for how Russians can covertly volunteer information using an encrypted conduit to the agency’s website. The hope is to attract intelligence — and potentially gain more access to official Russian secrets — from disaffected people who have been trying to contact the CIA since the war began, officials said. Shane Harris report for the Washington Post. "

Botch

I have marked on my calendar, that today's the day the russian economy collapses.  I didn't include enough details and my memory's shot, but I seem to remember that the country has certain payments coming due today that (thanks to the sanctions) they won't be able to meet.  Hopefully there's something on the news about it today.  

lousubcap

Thursday Russia - Ukraine war update-

"The U.S. has provided intelligence about Russian units that has allowed Ukrainians to target many of the Russian generals who have died in action in the Ukraine war, senior U.S. officials have said. The targeting help is part of a classified effort by the Biden administration to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have said they have killed approximately 12 generals on the front lines, a number that has astonished military analysts. Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times. 

The Kremlin is carrying out strikes on infrastructure that is critical to Ukraine’s efforts to resupply its forces in their defense against Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian officials and the Pentagon said yesterday. Russia’s targets have included electrical substations, a railroad facility and a bridge in two major cities in western and central Ukraine. However, Ukraine is still able to move weapons through the country a senior U.S. official said. Abigail Hauslohner, Dan Lamothe and Hannah Allam report for the Washington Post. 

The Ukrainian armed forces say the Russians have had "no success" with efforts to break through front lines in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions over the past 24 hours. In its operational update for today, the General Staff said: "Lyman, Severodonetsk and Popasna areas. The enemy units are trying to conduct offensive operations; no success." Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych report for CNN. 

Russia will likely seek to inflate the threat posed to Ukrainian posed by Belarusian drills in order to fix Ukrainian forces in the North, preventing them from being committed to the battle for Donbas, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s intelligence update. However, deviation from normal exercise activity that could pose a threat to allies and partners is not currently anticipated. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov yesterday dismissed speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to declare war against Ukraine and a national mobilisation on May 9. Asked about speculation from some Western politicians that Putin will declare war against Ukraine on May 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "There is no chance of that. It's nonsense." Peskov also said that people should not listen to speculation that there could be a decision on a national mobilisation. Reuters reports."

Edit: https://gcaptain.com/russia-threatens-nato-convoys-with-submarine-stike/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-858d033d2e-170052525&mc_cid=858d033d2e&mc_eid=10465e83ed

lousubcap

More on the Russia-Ukraine war from additional sources:

"And a series of unexplained explosions inside Russia raises the specter of a wider war in the coming weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. That includes sabotaged rail lines, fires at ammunition depots, and apparent helicopter strikes on oil facilities just across the border from Ukraine. While officials in Kyiv deny any role in the incidents, some point to alleged divine intervention. 

On the global energy front, OPEC members decided to gradually increase the flow of oil it puts into world markets as Russia's invasion continues to weigh down economic forecasts. According to the Associated Press, "The plan is to make those regular increases to restore cuts made in 2020 during the worst of the pandemic recession." 

In case you were wondering, OPEC is sticking to its promise not to pump enough extra oil to make up for what's lost by cutting oil sales with Russia. After all, AP writes, "Some OPEC members already can't meet their oil production quotas." More here."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"​​The Pentagon has denied providing "specific targeting information" to Ukraine to sink the Moskva, a Russian guided-missile cruiser that was the flagship of Moscow's fleet in the Black Sea. "We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement yesterday. "We were not involved in the Ukrainians' decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out. We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intent to target the ship." Oren Liebermann reports for CNN. 

The Pentagon also denied that the U.S. has shared intelligence with Ukraine to target Russian military officials after reports emerged on Wednesday saying U.S. intel had helped Ukraine kill a number of Russian generals. “The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help Ukraine defend their country,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. “We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.” Jordan Williams reports for The Hill. 

Russian forces in Mariupol have continued their ground assault on the Azovstal steel plant for a second day, despite Russian statements claiming they would seek only to seal it off, the U.K. Ministry of Defense has said in its latest intelligence update. This effort has come at personnel, equipment and munitions cost to Russia. Whilst Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to build and frustrate their operational plans in the Donbas regions, the update adds. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a rare apology yesterday to Israel over recent antisemitic comments from Russia’s foreign minister connecting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to Judaism, according to the Israeli prime minister.The reported apology came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of using Nazi propaganda and antisemitic tropes to justify the invasion as Russian leaders repeatedly compared Zelenskyy to Hitler. Timothy Bella, Steve Hendrix and Mary Ilyushina report for the Washington Post. "

lousubcap

Most of my sources go dark and quiet on the weekend but here's something:

"What Will Putin Say on Monday?

“Russian President Vladimir Putin couldn’t get a parade in the Ukrainian capital,” Frida Ghitis wrote for CNN last month, “but a parade is coming soon to Moscow and, whatever happens on the battlefield,” Putin “is likely to declare victory during that event.”
 
In Russia, Monday will mark Victory Day, the national May 9 holiday celebrating the Nazi surrender in World War II. Prominent in Russia since the 1960s, as Miriam J. Dobson explains at The Conversation, it’s an important day for the “ultra-nationalist” Putin, Chatham House’s James Nixey writes for CNN.
 
This year, the annual military parade will carry heavy Ukrainian overtones. Many commentators have made the same prediction as Ghitis: that Putin will use the occasion to declare some sort of “victory” in his war, perhaps including claims to have “liberated” Ukrainian lands from “Nazis.”
 
But mostly, we are left to wonder what Putin will say and what it will mean for Ukraine, Russia, and the war. At The Atlantic, Tom Nichols airs concerns that Putin will “press for the mass mobilization of the Russian people” for his war effort or “expand his campaign against the putative Nazis in Ukraine to a war against all of ‘the world’s Nazis,’” as Britain’s defense secretary speculated, though the Kremlin has denied Russia will announce an escalation."

Eoin

Botch said:

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing how our Air Force (if they were involved) would take out russian tanks; the mighty CBU-105/BLU-108!
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqPqzs-JeDo&t=184s

Have you seen the videos of small commercial drones dropping AT grenades on top of RU tanks and taking them out?

Gulfcoastguy

Eoin said:

Botch said:

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing how our Air Force (if they were involved) would take out russian tanks; the mighty CBU-105/BLU-108!
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqPqzs-JeDo&t=184s

Have you seen the videos of small commercial drones dropping AT grenades on top of RU tanks and taking them out?

Yes did you see when 3 Russians got in a SUV to drive away from the drone and it dropped a grenade through the open moonroof?

Eoin

Gulfcoastguy said:

Eoin said:

Botch said:

Thought you guys might be interested in seeing how our Air Force (if they were involved) would take out russian tanks; the mighty CBU-105/BLU-108!
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqPqzs-JeDo&t=184s

Have you seen the videos of small commercial drones dropping AT grenades on top of RU tanks and taking them out?

Yes did you see when 3 Russians got in a SUV to drive away from the drone and it dropped a grenade through the open moonroof?

Not seen that one!

lousubcap

Saw this today:  
(Reads like McHale's Navy for us older members.)

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/second-russian-warship-struck-ukraine-203251876.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=1_11

lousubcap

Today's Russia-Ukraine war update:

"The Ukrainian military says that Russia is holding back some of its forces within its borders to prevent a Ukrainian counterattack that has made some headway east of Kharkiv. In its latest operational update, the armed forces' general staff says that "in order to prevent the advance of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy has concentrated up to nineteen battalion tactical groups in the Belgorod region" of Russia. Tim Lister reports for CNN. 

Ukrainian counterattacks northeast of Kharkiv have likely forced Russian troops to redeploy to Kharkiv instead of reinforcing stalled Russian offensive operations elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, the Washington-based think-tank the Institute for the Study of War has said in an assessment. Russian forces are continuing their attempt to reach the borders of Donestk and Luhansk but have not made any significant gains since securing Popasna on Saturday. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking from Moscow’s Red Square at the start of a military pageant, did not use his Victory Day speech to announce plans to intensify the war against Ukraine or order a mobilization of men to fight, as Ukrainian officials had feared. Instead, he said that Russian forces entered Ukraine as “preemptive pushback” to what he claimed, without evidence, were Western plans to carry out attacks on eastern Ukraine. Robyn Dixon, Mary Ilyushina and Jennifer Hassan report for the Washington Post. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has used Victory Day to call on Russia's leader to end the war in Ukraine immediately, saying that Putin should pull his troops back from Ukraine and start peace negotiations.  "We stand firmly by Ukraine's side and will continue to help the country assert its right to self-defense," he said. BBC News reports."

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/ItsBorys/status/1523664324950036480

lousubcap

Today's Russia - Ukraine war update:

"The southern Ukrainian city of Odesa was struck by three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles yesterday evening, according to a regional Ukrainian military official. However, the Pentagon assessed that Russian forces do not have the capability to launch a ground or maritime offensive against the Black Sea port. Moreover, Russian advances in the Donbas region remain “incremental” and “anaemic,” a senior U.S. defense official said in a press briefing yesterday. Amy Cheng, Andrew Jeong and Rachel Pannett report for the Washington Post. 

Russian forces continue to pummel the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where a local official says at least 100 civilians are still holed up with the last fighters defending the strategic southern city. "In addition to the military, at least 100 civilians remain in the (Azovstal) shelters. However, this does not reduce the intensity of attacks by the occupiers," Mariupol mayoral aide Petro Andryushchenko wrote on Telegram. Natalie Zinets reports for Reuters. 

The U.S. remains concerned that Russia could annex the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and hold a sham referendum there, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said yesterday. “This is what Russian authorities and proto authorities have done in the past. They have sought to annex, they have sought to conduct sham elections to give their occupation this patina of legitimacy, and our concern remains that they will attempt to do so once again in territory in eastern Ukraine,” he said at a State Department briefing. Christian Sierra, Jennifer Hansler and Michael Conte report for CNN. 

lousubcap

Food for thought:  

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

 

Seeing this newsletter as a forward? Subscribe here.

 

May 10, 2022

Dealing With ‘the Russia We Have’

Plenty of Western analysts see the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to strike a blow at Russia. 
 
Weaken Moscow, John R. Deni urged recently at Foreign Policy. Let President Vladimir Putin suffer from a drawn-out, resource-sapping quagmire in Ukraine, Mark Hannah wrote for The Wall Street Journal. “If Russia has chosen to smash itself on the rock of Ukraine, if Ukraine is willing to fight, so be it,” historian Adam Tooze wrote for The Guardian, while hinting at ethical qualms about such a self-interested approach.
 
Others advise caution. 
 
The US and its allies should drop any talk of Putin losing power, of war-crimes tribunals, and of depleting its geopolitical rival, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass argues at Project Syndicate, while suggesting the West should condition this circumspect approach on Putin not using weapons of mass destruction or seeking a wider war with NATO.
 
“We need to deal with the Russia we have, not the one we would prefer,” Haass argues. “It may well be that constructive relations with Russia do not emerge until well into a post-Putin era. But this in no way alters the West’s interest in seeing that relations do not fall below a certain floor in the interim.” "