It seems that although I had reservations that Russian President Vladimir Putin would act in this manner, he's
given the go-ahead to invade the Ukraine... or at least, in the eastern regions of the country.
And the BBC wouldn't lie, would it?!
But that's just boring, so why don't we take a trip into the tabloids.
'Bristling'...?!! Who writes like that? A creative author, that's who!
given the go-ahead to invade the Ukraine... or at least, in the eastern regions of the country.
And the BBC wouldn't lie, would it?!
Quote:'Ukraine crisis: Russia orders troops into rebel-held regionsBBC:
'Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after
recognising them as independent states. Footage released overnight appeared to show Russian military
vehicles heading towards the Ukrainian border.
Russia said the troops would be "peacekeeping" in the breakaway regions, which it has backed since 2014.
But the US said calling them peacekeepers was "nonsense". It accused Russia of creating a pretext for war.
Ukraine's president said his country was "not afraid of anything or anyone".
In a late-night televised address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "clear and effective
actions of support" from Ukraine's international allies. "It is very important to see now who our real friend and
partner is, and who will continue to scare the Russian Federation with words only," he added.
Several countries, including the UK, are expected to introduce sanctions against Russia in response to the move.
Fears over an invasion have been rising in recent months, as Russia has massed some 150,000 troops along
Ukraine's borders, according to US estimates.
At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
dismissed Russia's claims that troops would be taking on a "peacekeeping" role, saying: "We know what they
really are." Recognising Luhansk and Donetsk as independent was part of Russia's bid to create a reason to
invade Ukraine, she said.
Russia has been backing a bloody armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine for the past eight years.
Some 14,000 people - including many civilians - have died in fighting since then.
In recent years, Russian passports have been given out to large numbers of people in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The rebel-held areas have been evacuating women, children and the elderly to Russia since late last week.
In an hour-long address on Monday, Mr Putin said Ukraine was an integral part of his country's history, and described
eastern Ukraine as "ancient Russian lands". Russia's UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya argued for the need to
defend the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region from what he called Ukrainian aggression.
"Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do," he said.
'It's unacceptable and unprovoked'
Western powers have rallied behind Ukraine, promising harsh sanctions against Russia if it invades - though it is not
yet clear how effective this move could be. The US swiftly condemned Mr Putin's move, and President Joe Biden
signed an executive order that prohibits new investment, trade and financing by Americans in the breakaway regions.
The White House said the measures were separate to wider Western sanctions which are ready to go "should Russia
further invade Ukraine".
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia had violated Ukrainian sovereignty and "completely torn up" international
law. He said Mr Putin appeared "bent on a full-scale invasion", and promised a "barrage of sanctions".
The European Union pledged to "react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine".
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected the suggestion that Russian troops would have a peacekeeping brief,
telling reporters: "It's unacceptable, it's unprovoked, it's unwarranted... some suggestion that they are peacekeeping is
nonsense."
Both Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France's President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the Russian leader ahead
of his announcement...'
But that's just boring, so why don't we take a trip into the tabloids.
Quote:Russia drawing up ‘kill list’ of gay & ethnic minority Ukrainians amid fears of a ‘human rights catastrophe’, US claims
'Russia is drawing up a kill list including gay and ethnic minority Ukrainians if it invades, the US has claimed.
In a chilling warning, America’s ambassador to the UN has spoken of a "human rights catastrophe" as 200,000 Russian
troops and 500 warplanes are massed on the border.
(L-R) Gay-bashing Vladimir Putin. Bathsheba Nell Crocker. A bristling Queer-Hating Terminator Tank.
The troops reportedly have orders from Vladimir Putin to invade. In the latest build-up for firepower, video shows convoys
of Russian military hardware, including missiles and tanks, being moved to just two miles from the border. Terminator tanks,
which are bristling with weapons and designed for fighting in cities, are seen in a video for the first time heading towards
the border on a train...'
'Bristling'...?!! Who writes like that? A creative author, that's who!
Quote:'...Bathsheba Nell Crocker said the US has “credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identifiedThe Sun:
Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation”. In a letter to the UN’s human rights chief she said “in
the past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the
use of torture”. Should Russia invade she said Kremlin forces “would likely target those who oppose Russian actions”.
These would include “Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and
vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”. The ambassador also there was also
“credible information” the Russians “will likely use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful
exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations”.
The purported Russian plans are a chilling echo of the kill list drawn up by the Taliban, which saw the fanatics go from door-to-door
targeting opponents after they seized power. But Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson hit back at the claim, made to UN human rights
chief Michelle Bachelet.
"That is a lie. This is absolute fiction, there is no such list, it is fake,” Dmitry Peskov said.
He also criticised Western governments for issuing predictions about when an invasion would come.
“You see, the president himself doesn't pay attention to this, but in general, such statements are clearly a certain element of
provocative nature,” he said. "The point is that this directly leads to higher tension.
"So all this can have harmful effects, I mean this daily practice of announcing the date of Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
It comes as American officials have reportedly obtained Russian planning they say calls for an "overwhelming intensity of fire" that
would result in mass carnage. “We were told to expect tens of thousands of casualties in the opening days," one unnamed official
said, the New York Times reports.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Moscow's decision to keep the force "indefinitely" made him more worried than ever.
He said: "Everything we are seeing suggests that this is dead serious, that we are on the brink of an invasion.
Early today Mr Macron's office said Putin and US President Joe Biden had agreed in principle to a summit on the crisis, but it "can
only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine". But the Kremlin blamed Kyiv for the escalating crisis, with a chilling statement on
"provocations of the Ukrainian security forces" after fresh clashes in the disputed Donbas region.
Nato fears Putin will use alleged attacks in Russian-speaking areas as an excuse for a "fully fledged" assault and occupation of the
whole country...'
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.